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Foam on Muscadine Must

I'm a rookie wine-maker, but it is a lot of fun so far. I currently have an Elderberry, Banana, and a Watermelon/Peach in secondaries doing great. I put a muscadine in the primary two days ago, and pitched the yeast yesterday. Before pitching the yeast, I strained all the juice from the pulp bag and removed the bag. (There are no skins or pulp in the primary. I know some leave all that in there, while some don't even use a strain bag.)

Today, there is a light tan foam on top. I didn't experience any foam with the other three brews. The muscadine must smells wonderful. Is this foam normal? Should I stir it into the must each day? I'm assuming that if this foam is there when it's time to rack, that it should stay out of the secondary, correct? Thanks for your help.

Reply to
Greg
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Allow me to add to my comments. This is more of a layer of foamy air completely covered by a thin layer of brownish-greenish sinus looking stuff. All this can be stirred into th musk, but the slime stuff seems to float back to the top in small pieces.

Reply to
Greg

Greg, this is not at all unusual (I read your first two posts), but if it makes you nervous skim it off. If you don't skim it off, then stir it in so the upper surfaces don't dry out somewhat (yes, even foam can dry out) and allow mold to grow. Try not to convey it to the secondary.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page http://winemaking.jackkeller,net/

Reply to
Jack Keller

Greg, It's common to have some foam coming to the top of your Muscadine Wine, some yeast just foam more than others. The slime stuff sound like some of the Muscadine Meat might have gotten out of the strainer bag. I would keep stiring it twice daily and strain out the slime stuff when the fermentaion is complete.

I make lots of Muscadine Wine and this is what I do.

  • I crush my berries and put in a large stainless steel container, add all of the necessary ingredients for wine making. I do not use a strainer bag.
  • I stir the must twice daily.
  • When the SG reaches 1.01, I remove the pulp by squeezing it through a cone strainer (like the restaurants use) into five gallon pail with two fine nylon strainer bags(I buy these at Home Depot Paint Department, they are used to strain 5 gallons of Paint).
  • I then drain the juice through the strainer bags and into my carboy, using another fine strainer bag. This will remove almost all of the fine pulp.
  • Place a air lock and let it continue to ferment.
  • After about 5 days I rack the wine into a clean carboy, there will be about a inch of settlement in the bottom, which I discard.
  • I will rack the wine again in about three months and continue to rack as needed.

Hope this helps: James

Reply to
James

Today, this stuff is gone. No trace whatsoever. It can't even be stirred up from the bottom. Now there is just a healthy layer of air bubbles. Thanks for all the help.

Reply to
Greg

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