Newbie Question, Alcohol Testing

I have found that Jack's recipes end up being high in alcohol (and acid often as well). I believe he lists maximum amounts of acid and sugar and lumps the sugar that he uses to sweeten in with the sugar for fermentation.

He does caution people about that on his site, telling them to test fruit sugar and acidity prior to fermentation.

Remember most wines do well to have a OG of 1.085-1.100. To reach that, you only need 1.75 - 2.2 lbs of sugar dissolved into each gallon of wine, jacks recipes often approach 3 lbs of sugar, but that is in addition to a gallon of water, so the final volume is higher than a gallon (I am guess he does this to account for racking losses).

Hello, One of the biggest things which one cannot account for in a recipe is the amount of sugar already in the fruit. Sugar content in fruit can change from growing season to growing season, and it can be different in different parts of the country. I've noticed this in making strawberry wine. I pick my own fruit every year, and I freeze it the same way every year, but when it comes to making wine, I start with a smaller amount of sugar, and then if my SG isn't high enough, I'll add more to get to a starting SG of about 11-12%. While I follow the same recipe, I am cautious about the amount of sugar to add. It is one of those things you learn over time. Jack lives in Texas; I live in Wisconsin. I have used a number of his recipes and have been happy with them, but I've been gardening for over 20 years, so I have always been cautious about adding sugar. I hope you kept your wine and bottled it - blackberry wine takes time to mellow out, especially at the 15% alcohol range. Over time, the alcoholic kick will mellow. Darlene

"Wayne" wrote in message news:JC3Bf.14774$CV.6230@dukeread03...

When I measure the SG of the must on day 1, does that represent the total sugar content that will be available for the yeast will consume, or does some additional sugar continue to come out of the fruit overnight? If there is no way to measure any residual sugar in the fruit, that seems like a surefire way to end up with too much alcohol, at least for a novice like me.

Unfortunately, I was too impatient with the blackberry and fig wine. I drank a glass or two of each just so I could say I drank my own wine. But I was so disappointed with it that I dumped it. (I know, that was a mistake!) One of the things I need to learn in this hobby is patience.

Wayne, I measure the SG right before I add the yeast. This means that I've combined all the ingredients and waited the appropriate time before adding the yeast. For example with blackberry wine, I combine the blackberries, the water, the sugar, acid blend, yeast nutrient, and campden tablet. Wait 12 hours, then add the pectic enzyme. Wait 24 hours, (check SG), then add yeast. Your fruit should have enough time to sit by this time. Now, if my SG is too low, below

1.084, then I'll add a small amount of sugar to the must, stir, and recheck the SG. I shoot for a starting SG of 1.090. FYI - I let my blackberry wine sit about 8 months (with rackings and top-up if needed) before I bottle it, and then I let it rest for 1 year. Patience is important - I try to alternate between making wines which mature earlier and those which require more aging, then you have something to taste in between. ;o) Darlene

Darlene Is there a reason for waiting 12 hrs before adding the pectic enzyme? I know you need to wait after adding the campden tabs. Crhoff

no reason. Actually you should add the pectic enzyme 12-24 hours before fermentation and wait only about 12 hours after adding sulfite before pitchign yeast.

Wayne, I'm not a scientific person - my understanding is that you need to let the campden tablet do its thing, before you add the pectic enzyme, and then wait to let the pectic enzyme do its thing before you add the yeast. Each of these ingredients has a job to do, and if you don't let them do it, you can get a fermentation that maybe won't start, or you might get a pectin haze, or some other nasty thing happening. I've been making wine for almost five years now, and while I can't describe the chemical reactions going on; I do know that following this method does work. There are others with the interest and the background, who can give you the specifics (chemical reactions in their scientific form) if you need them. Darlene

YOU are in luck. You will never have to pay high prices for booze again!

What a great feeling that is.

Well, this is not news to those people who have been scarfing down T.J. Swan and Chateau Night Train. But, alas for affianadeos (sp?) of the quality grape, it is comforting.

Dick

It does make a lot of sense to me to wait and measure the SG and adjust sugar just before pitching the yeast. It seem like the only way to guarantee the right amount of sugar. Thanks for your heelp

Wayne, This works for me, and since I've been doing it this way, my wines are pretty much at 11-12% alcohol by volume. When I first started out, I did have some wines with some very high alcohol content 13% and 15% - but all you could taste was the alcoholic kick, and it took them a long time to mellow out. It all depends on your taste buds...the whole point of this, is to craft a wine which you like. Darlene

I have a lot of respect for Jack and for his recipes. But one thing I NEVER trust in anybodies recipes is the amount of sugar needed. It depends so much on the fruit you use. When it comes to berries, and blackberry or dewberry wine is my favorite, I would not worry about sugar bound in the fruit very much. If you crush them and add water, most of the sugar will be in solution. Then add the sugar needed to bring the alcohol level to where you want it. Jack suggests, and I agree, that most country fruit wine is best between 10.5 and 12%. But with black berries I prefer 12-13%.

With this type of berries many recipes call for 3 or 4 lbs of fruit to a gallon. I have been disappointed when I used so little. I have found that you need 6 or 7 lbs per gallon and it will make a fairly rich robust wine. Leave it dry for a good red wine or sweeten the end result for a berry tasting wine. (Too bad you dumped yours, I bet it would have made a good sweet after dinner wine.) It should be ready in 1 year and will usually decline after 3 years.

Ray

Wayne,

How did you test for alcohol? There a lot of things that occur when fermenting. As far as "alcohol taste" goes, I doubt that is what you tasted. If I recall correctly from Pharmacy College, the UPS-NF, my pharmacy practice, and everything else, alcohol is tasteless. And odorless. Aldehydes, ketones, and a bunch of weird chemicals occur. They convert to non-toxic chemicals over time. That's what aging may do. Actually they probably aren't any more toxic than the alcohol. Remember, alcohol is a poison maybe.

Never dump off tasting wine. It may turn out good. A few years ago, over

15 gallons of peach wine tasted awful. Beyond any hope. Now, after about five years, it is one of our best.

Andie Z

overpowering.

oops, sorry for the preceeding empty post.

Ethyl alcohol is not odorless. It has a sweet smell. Itis tasteless in that it does not have a flavor, but there are other organoleptic properties that is has. Ethanol has a drying sensation on the tongue (hence "dry" wine). If you ever drink high proof ethanol, you will definately know that it is not just water. So you can "taste" ethanol, even if it is flavorless.

Alcohol may be colorless, but it ain't tasteless nor odorless. The taste is pungent and the odor is slightly sweet.

Gene

Andie Z wrote: