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How much sugar?

Hello,

I'm new here, and to winemaking. I've wanted to try it for some time, but was too chicken. A friend served me some of his homemade wine a couple years ago and hooked me. This spring, my rhubarb is huge, as usual, and I found a very simple recipe for rhubarb wine and thought I'd give it a try, though I know nothing about it. Of course I did everything wrong. I left it sit open for a couple days soaking up wild yeasts and other beasts. I used bread yeast cause I jumped in before educating myself. Etc. I figure this batch might not turn out, but it's been bubbling away for about 10 days now, and seems to be clearing, so I think I'll rack it this weekend, move it to the basement and see what happens over the next few weeks.

I've since been on an reading bend, and have purchased a simple fruit wine kit which consists of some basic equipment and additives. I then decided to start another batch using more "appropriate" methods. I chose Jack Keller's Strawberry-Rhubarb recipe and followed the instructions. All was going well for the first 3 days. It was bubbling well. I have it in a plastic primary with an airlock, but I opened it twice a day to stir. Seemed to be doing well. On the forth day, though, it seemed to stall. No bubbling.

The recipe calls for 1 1/4 lbs of sugar, which seemed light, since the first pure rhubarb recipe called for 4 lbs of sugar. So, I wondered if maybe it just ran out of sugar. Not having a hydrometer, I simply added 1/4 cup of sugar, and within about an hour, it was bubbling again. It's done this twice more since, and each time, I've added another 1/4 cup of sugar, stirred it in, and it's started bubbling again. So I'm up to about 1 5/8 lbs sugar in the recipe.

So, is this normal? If so, how long should I continue this method? And how much sugar is normal. As I understand it, if there's not enough sugar in the must, the yeast can't make the maximum level of alcohol. How do I know when it's done fermenting, and not just running short of sugar?

I'm hoping to buy a hydrometer soon, and maybe whatever device is used to check sugar content.

Reply to
gumpy
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Hi Gumpy

Since you don't understand even the most basic of basic fundamentals, it makes it really hard to answer this in a way that you might understand. But, since all questions here deserve an answer, I will give it a try.

  1. The hydrometer_is_the device that is "...used to check sugar content...". Get one and learn to use it. You will also need a hydrometer/sugar table to use with it. You can find one on Jack Keller's site.

  1. Sugar makes alcohol. So, by controling the sugar up front, we are able to control the amount of alcohol we will have in the finished wine. Generally, 2 pounds of sugar_in_a gallon will produce about 12% Alcohol by volume in the finished wine.

  2. Do a_lot_ more reading. Jack's site covers the basics pretty well, and most all sites that sell supplies have some kind of basic instructions.

  1. Many (most ?) recipes don't mention the use of post ferment sulfites (campden). They "assume" that the maker already knows how to do this. Make sure you include this in your learning about basics.

The first recipe is a kind of old fashioned recipe that uses_way_more sugar than the yeast can use up. Doing this results in a sweet wine that has about

15% alcohol in it. But this only works if you use a regular wine yeast. The bread yeast that you used can't produce enough alcohol nor use up enough of the sugar to produce a balanced wine. You will end up with a sickly sweet wine that doesn't have enough alcohol to even "keep". You may be able to save this one by getting some regular wine yeast and restarting the ferment. Do NOT add more sugar !!

I looked up the second recipe on Jack Keller's site. While it does say to use 1 1/4 pound sugar, the Welches concentrate is more than half sugar adding another 5 ounces or so, and 4 pounds of fully vine ripened Strawberries would add about another 3-5 ounces. Add this up and check you hydrometer/sugar chart and you will find that this will give you about 10-11% alcohol in the finished wine. Which is right where it should be for this kind of multi-based fruit wine. Jack already figured this out when he wrote the recipe. But, once again, sugar makes alcohol. By adding the extra sugar to this wine, all you have done is to drive up the end alcohol to such a level that this wine is going to be unbalaned and will taste "hot". It may still be drinkable but it sure won't be the pleasant little wine that Jack intended it to be.

About the only way you will be able to make decent wine (until you learn more) is to find a recipe and follow it EXACTLY !! No more changes !! HTH

Frederick

Reply to
frederick ploegman

Welcome to wine making. It's very fun and rewarding. A hydrometer is the only way to really know what you are doing on the "sugar to alcohol" front. Using Jack's recipes are good, but you have to follow them exactly, and use a hydrometer to know when your "sugar to alcohol" is right. If you keep adding sugar each time the bubbles stop, you will make alcohol, not drinkable wine.

Though 5000 years ago they had no hydrometer, they had mentors to teach and made many many many batches before they became sufficient. Without a mentor - get a hydrometer and follow recipes exactly. :*) I've made some really bad wine trying to "wing it". smile.

Again, welcome to the fun world of wine making! Try buying a couple wine kits, they really teach you the steps if you follow exactly.

DAve

gumpy wrote:

Reply to
Dave Allison

Welcome to wine making. It's very fun and rewarding. A hydrometer is the only way to really know what you are doing on the "sugar to alcohol" front. Using Jack's recipes are good, but you have to follow them exactly, and use a hydrometer to know when your "sugar to alcohol" is right. If you keep adding sugar each time the bubbles stop, you will make alcohol, not drinkable wine.

Though 5000 years ago they had no hydrometer, they had mentors to teach and made many many many batches before they became sufficient. Without a mentor - get a hydrometer and follow recipes exactly. :*) I've made some really bad wine trying to "wing it". smile.

Again, welcome to the fun world of wine making! Try buying a couple wine kits, they really teach you the steps if you follow exactly.

DAve

gumpy wrote:

Reply to
Dave Allison

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