Hi!
I put some fruit tea bag wine on 20ish days ago, but I used 1.5kg of sugar accidentally (didn't notice it wasn't a 1kg bag until AFTER it'd been added ). I added a squirt of lemon juice and some cold normal tea as well as a quarter of a tsp of marmite. The liquid never really bubbled very much, but the airlock has been going steadily at about 1 bubble per 10 seconds for the past week or so. This is my first time making any kind of wine, despite having the intention for quite a long time. How long do you think it'll take for the bubbling to stop? And when do I rack it off into another demijohn?
Any other info would be greatly appreciated :D I know nothing haha
Thanks!
OOohh! Difficult one. If you're seeing any bubbles through the airlock at all, then fermentation is going ahead; however, it sounds a bit weak. That doesn't matter too much - it'll go on for however long it's going to take. About now, though, is when you should be expecting it to stop (under normal conditions) given the time of year.
That extra half-kilo of sugar may be the culprit. Tea-bag wine isn't exactly rich in nutrient at the best of times, and you're asking rather a lot of the yeast to ferment that amount of sugar. It'll try, but I don't think it will get there (about 16% in a perfect world). So, you have a yeast with little nutrient struggling yeastfully to do more than it should be. I think I'd be slow under those conditions.
So the answer to your question is it will finish when it finishes - when the bubbles have stopped and the wine is clearing and you can see a deposit at the bottom of the demijohn. That's the time to rack.
And having said all of that, I think you'll end up with a strong, sweetish wine with very little body. It probably won't be drop-dead gorgeous. This is likely to be one of those things which will taste much better diluted, say, half and half with lemonade.
Mike
The secret of life is to aim below the head (With thanks to MMM)
Yeah I should've looked at the bag closer haha. Ah well, everyone makes silly mistakes I'm sure! And I prefer sweet wines anyway so it works out in my favour :) It's really just wine for quaffing haha so it doesn't matter too much, it's easier to make my own than buy some on my student budget! :) When you comment on the time of year do you mean in my part of the world or yours? Just in case lol. I should mention that my flat is at a pretty consistent temperature of about 17C so even tho it's winter it's not incredibly cold.
depending on the yeast, most yeast will die off when you reach a certain alcohol level anyway. as MKG says the wine will be sweet, but what you can do is make some more with less sugar and make a blend. Get some yeast nutrient to help the yeast along too. it may well be that one will be to dry and one too sweet but together.. beautiful music well nice drinking anyway
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So it's still fermenting. Is this ok? I left it in my room (FREEEZING in there!) for a couple of weeks while I went to visit the parentals and when I came back the bubbles in the airlock had slowed to about 1 every 2 minutes. I took it out into the lounge and within a few hours it was back up to 1 bubble every ten seconds or so, this was 2 weeks ago. It's still going at about 1 every 20 seconds and the liquid has visible tiny bubbles coming up to the top all the time. Do you think it's going to stop any time soon? I'm in no real hurry but would like it to be ready to be drunk in one and a half months (when I can drink again :D :D :D :D ) It may be a bit ambitious at this point though :P
Also, do I rack it off into another demijohn when the bubbles have stopped completely or just when they slow down a lot? I have campden tablets if necessary but would probably prefer to let it ferment out on its own.
Aaah, rambly. Hope everyones brewing is progressing nicely! :D
*Edit* There is also a rather decent layer of crud on the bottom of the DJ and the liquid is quite clear. A nice reddish pinkish colour :)
At this point, I'd say taste the stuff and see what you think. If it's really over-sweet, than leave it alone for a bit longer. If it's at an acceptable level of sweetness, then rack it, using a crushed Campden tablet in the new demijohn, leave in the coolest place you can manage for a couple of days, and then start drinking. One thing though - unless you also add some sorbate, don't even think about bottling. There will still be active yeast cells in there along with free sugar, and that's a potentially explosive mixture.
Mike
The secret of life is to aim below the head (With thanks to MMM)
Since my liver isn't allowed the alcohol for another couple of months should I just leave it in the new DJ in a cool place til I can have it? Or should I let it ferment for another month or so? Would it harm the wine to leave it on the sediment for another month? I could just let it keep fermenting in another DJ if needed. I suppose I should just get someone to taste it and see what the sweetness verdict is. Sorry for the inane questions!!! Don't want to screw it up :)
Ah - just leave it in the warmest place you have, then, where it will continue doing what a yeast has to do. A month on the deposit won't harm it at all (and might actually improve it a bit).
Mike
The secret of life is to aim below the head (With thanks to MMM)
). I added a squirt of lemon juice and some cold normal tea as well as a quarter of a tsp of marmite. The liquid never really bubbled very much, but the airlock has been going steadily at about 1 bubble per 10 seconds for the past week or so. This is my first time making any kind of wine, despite having the intention for quite a long time. How long do you think it'll take for the bubbling to stop? And when do I rack it off into another demijohn?
) It may be a bit ambitious at this point though :P