Brew King's Port kit....be warned

Most of you know that I've made a ton of kit and fresh juice wine over the years. I've given credit and praise here when it was due.

Today I thought I'd let you know about a problem kit I'm trying to make and perhaps help you avoid trouble.

I've been trying to get a Port kit from Brew King going since June

23rd with no luck. The SG has dropped to 1.026 and stayed there. I've re-pitched yeast, stirred, gotten advise all to no avail.

I thought I'd contact Brew King's tech services dept. for help. You'll be amazed at the reply. I contacted them again and let them know that the idea of pouring it over the lees of a white wine didn't work either. It has been 3 days without a reply.

I stay away from this one if I were you.

The below is the response to the phone call I placed to Brew King and my reply back.

Dave Stacy

********************* Dave,

Brew King Port (and Sherry) kits are tricky little guys at the best of times. Add to this the difference between a US 3 gallon carboy (just over

11litres) and an Imperial 11.5 litre carboy and we begin to feel we must be rocket scientists to succeed. Although our Selection Speciale kits require a tad more attention than our other wine kits, rest assured that the finished product will be absolutely wonderful.

When fermenting our Port / Sherry kits, the three most important steps to a successful fermentation (in order) are:

  1. Correct temperature of prepared must
  2. Precise volume (11.5 litres, no more, no less)
  3. Insanely vigorous stirring on day one.

If it's too cool, the yeast will be disadvantaged in the stressful, high-gravity must and may not finish. If it's too hot, the yeast will generate their own internal heat and cook off before they finish.

If too little water is used - 3 gallon vs. 11.5 litres - (as little as

2 cups will throw it off!) the must will have a starting gravity that will kill the yeast through intense osmotic pressure, reducing viability and end-gravity.

If you don't stir the heck out of the must when it's initially prepared, it will stratify in the primary, with a top layer at about 1.050, a middle at around 1.100 and a bottom at 1.200. The top will ferment successfully, the middle a little less so, and the bottom not at all, and when it gets racked over, the yeast give up and refuse to finish. This sort of stirring involves whipping the must to a froth, sore arms and groans of dismay.

On a happy note, there is a good chance you can get the port going again - (I'm certain, based on our conversation, that you haven't fined or sulphited it yet). If you have another white wine going (any white wine, it doesn't matter) wait until the new wine is ready to rack into the carboy on day 5-7. When the new wine is racked, take the port - make certain you have topped up to the full 11.5 litres or it won't work - and dump it on the lees left in the primary fermenter. These lees are mostly live, hungry yeast cells, and they will finish the port down to

0.998 or less.

Good luck and let me know how it works

Cheers Michelle

************************************ Here was my reply back 3 days ago:

Michelle,

I have to be honest, I'm pretty disappointed with brew King's Port kit. Your marketing information doesn't say anything about this being, to use your own words, "tricky little guys at the best of times".

I tried your suggestion; 2 days later fermentation has still not restarted.

Looks like I have $60 of my money going down the drain.

Reply to
Dave Stacy
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Hi Dave

You may not have a problem at all. Everything in these descriptions leads me to believe that this is designed as an "old fashioned" RS ferment and that what you have is exactly what you *should* have. Typical Port numbers run around: 17-18%ABV, *end SG 1.025-

1.030*, pH~3.7 (?). Need the original gravity to figure it out for sure though. HTH

Reply to
frederick ploegman

Hi Dave

Sent a reply to your email but received no answer, so I downloaded the instructions from the Brewking site. It would appear that your ferment "stuck" when you added the "corn sugar solution". I think their delay in answering your query was in the hopes that it would re-start itself and solve the problem without the need for further action. It still may do so, but from the tone of their reply I think they assumed that the yeast may now be dead. No way to be sure of this.

Keeping in mind that I have never done a kit, my recommendation at this point would be to go ahead and rack it into secondary, (DO NOT add the stabilizer), place a lock on it and just wait for a few weeks to see if it will in fact re-start on it's own. If it does not, *then* will be the time to consider what other actions may be necessary. HTH

Reply to
frederick ploegman

1.026 is about the right sweetness for a port wine, IMO. Sounds fine to me. If you like, dump in two bottles of really clean vodka, let it stabalize for a fair bit longer to make sure the yeasties aren't going to take off on you, and you're done! :)

I just "freeze distill" my wines into port wines. I find it is a bit less fussy and can be done with any kind of ordinary wine kit you like!

LG

Reply to
Liquid

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