Brew King Port Kit

Comment inside.

Pp

geo wrote:

bringing

called

The problem is here. The wine didn't go as low as expected (1.014 instead of 1.010), but that's not unusual in this case. What doesn't make sense is that you increase in sg was 20 "points", while the instructions indicate a rise of only 5-10 points. The difference is puzzling and probably the best way of figuring out what's going on here is to call Winexpert.

Since you've added sorbate, your ferment is officially over. What you're seeing is just degassing of the residual CO2 generated in the fermentation. The sugar won't fo down but it might integrate over time, so the perception of sweetness might not be as strong - however, the difference won't probably be enough in this case.

Should

You could have waited longer but it sounds like the ferment was done anyway. High sugar fermentation are finicky in general, so ending slightly sweeter than wanted is not unusual. The best strategy would be to use just a part of the f-pack until you get the desired sweetness.

You will need to do some sort of blending. If you use dry red wine, you can always boost it by adding vodka or Everclear to 18% or so before blending, that way your alcohol level will stay where it should be. Alternatively, you could get the same kit again, ferment it to the stabilizing stage, don't add the f-pack and blend the 2 together.

Just a quick followup to this discussion. Per the suggestion that was posted here earlier, (and many thanks to Pp for the advice), I emailed winexpert's tech support and I must say I was *very* impressed - the person that answered my email was quick to respond, very knowledgable, and answered all my follow up emails promptly. Kudo's to winexpert and any other company that understands the value of customer support. I'll be a winexpert customer for a long time.

Fermentation of my port kit has now finished. I've blended the port with some brandy - which effectively lowered the SG to a more reasonable level, while raising the ABV to a level more in line with commercial ports. The result tastes very promising. I'll post again in six months or so to let everybody know the results.

"geo" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

What was the answer from customer service???? I have the exact same kit in the first 4 days of fermentation right now....

ET

I have never yet failed to get an answer from Winexpert ( and previously Brewking) and have several times had extended correspondence with them over particular issues. I may not always agree them over certain points but their advice has always been helpful, clear and to the point --- and not full of side issues pushing their products. They also seem to have a positive attitude to suggestions put to them and their continuing development of the red wine kits in particular shows a keen interest in the finished product.

ET asked:

Send me email, and I'll send you the whole dialog. Too lengthy to post. To anybody who tries one of the port kits, I'd have the following advice:

1) When the instructions say "stir vigorously", they mean it. You should have a sore arm when you're done. (The instructions say to do this when you start the primary). 2) Watch the temperature. I let mine get too hot and the fermentation stuck. I was able to re-start by throwing another packet of yeast. During this kit, I discovered "fermometers" (plastic ribbon thermometers that stick to the outside of the carboy or the primary). They make it a lot easier to monitor the temperature without having to risk exposure to oxygen by opening it up to dip a dairy thermometer. 3) Use exactly the amount of water that the instructions say. The instructions are written in imperial gallons. If you can't find a measuring jug that's calibrated that way, don't just guess; take the time to do the math and use exactly as much water as the instructions say. 4) Hydrate the yeast before you throw it. 5) I've now had two winexpert kits that have stalled during primary fermentation - my retailer says that sometimes, if the kits sit on the shelf (or in the warehouse) too long, the yeast will weaken, especially if they're not refridgerated. He keeps yeast in a refridgerator in his shop, and has begun giving away a packet with each kit ("if your fermentation stalls, throw this in...") If your dealer isn't so generous, then buy an extra packet of yeast yourself. 6) Finally, when you add the f-pack to the wine, take the SG of the wine - then add about 1/3 of the f-pack, and take the SG again. Repeat until the SG goes up to the recommended level. For some reason that neither winexpert nor I can figure out, when I added my f-pack, the SG went up much higher than it should have done. I still have no explanation for it, and winexpert's tech support can't figure it out either (like I said, email me and I'll send you the whole exchange if you like. I won't post it here - I'm long winded enough. ;^) 7) Other folks have reported difficulty with this kit. In general, (as pp said earlier), high-sugar fermentation is finicky. Do a google search for earlier threads in this NG for the Brew King Port Kit, and you'll find plenty of good advice.

Incidentally, I have one of the winexpert White Merlot kits in the primary as we speak. Anybody have any advice?

=geo

"geo" wrote in news:1106357559.654026.260590 @z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:

Thanks, that's a good summary. I just added my 1lb of corn sugar and am hopping to see it start bubbling again. I'm glad I ran into this post otherwise I would very likely have dumped the whole f-pack when the time came.

ET

Continuing the saga of this relative beginner's Wine Expert port kit. Hope all of you are finding this useful, or at least not too annoying.

My lastest question for the panel of experts is about clarification. I stabilized the wine and added isinglass on Jan 9th. The instructions said the wine should be "relatively clear" within 8 days. Per the instructions, I racked it a week later on Jan 16th, leaving lots of sediment behind. At that time, I topped the wine up with brandy. Took a taste. *Very* Promising indeed. But it was a long way from "relatively clear". The instructions say if it's not clear, leave it for a further 14 days to "settle to a transparent clarity".

Two weeks later (Jan 30), I shined a flashlight through the narrowest part of the neck of the carboy. The wine inside appeared clear and quite a beautiful deep ruby color. Very promising. But when I moved the light down to the shoulder of the carboy, it was completely invisible from the other side. Using my racking cane, I drew off a glass of the wine from about the middle of the carboy & held the glass up to the light. Clear as mud.

Today (Feb 3) I checked it again - no appreciable change. There is a fair amount of sediment at the bottom of the carboy. As of this weekend, it will have been three weeks since the last racking. Should I rack it again? Or leave it where it is and hope it clears? Should I hit it with another dose of isinglass (or bentonite? chitosan?)