Ginger Wine

[MattN]

The Mrs bought 3x1.5ltrs of fresh ginger beer juice drink from Asda at the end of October and asked me to make some Ginger wine. I decided that after reviewing the ingredients the flavour could do with some help so I bought 40 Ginger tea bags and 2 litres of WGJ and make it up to two DJ's worth.

Strangely even though they have both got exactly the same ingredients in each DJ they have behaved very differently throughout fermentation.

I racked them at the end of December and the SG was about 10 points apart, had a taste and realised that they weren't going to be show stoppers. Any way last week I decided enough was enough with these two and added potassium sorbate and a CT to each DJ, then degassed and added some finings.

I was going to bottle it tonight and as I was sanitizing all the bits and bobs I have realised that it is still fermenting at the rate of 1 bubble every six minutes.

The combined SG is 1.016 and the OG was 1.096. I have just read that potassium sorbate isn't a fermentation stopper even though the tub is labelled 'fermentation stopper'

What do you think? To bottle or not to bottle, that is the question, whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer..... explosions or bung it in some PET bottles. :clap:

Cheers

Matt

 

[RobWalker]

this?

http://groceries.asda.com/asda-webstore ... 0000562451

Ingredients

[Water, Apple Juice not from Concentrate (10%), Sugar, Lemon Juice not from Concentrate (5.0%), Ginger Extract, Flavouring]

I would say that's fully fermentable. As a result you're looking at an FG of between 0.990 and 1.000 (ish.)

Airlock activity doesn't mean it's stopped fermenting. I would give it a quick shake up to rouse the yeast and let it continue, potentially add a little more yeast if you have anything knocking around. Take another reading in a few days to see if fermentation is continuing.

 

[MattN]

this?

http://groceries.asda.com/asda-webstore ... 0000562451

Ingredients

[Water, Apple Juice not from Concentrate (10%), Sugar, Lemon Juice not from Concentrate (5.0%), Ginger Extract, Flavouring]

I would say that's fully fermentable. As a result you're looking at an FG of between 0.990 and 1.000 (ish.)

Airlock activity doesn't mean it's stopped fermenting. I would give it a quick shake up to rouse the yeast and let it continue, potentially add a little more yeast if you have anything knocking around. Take another reading in a few days to see if fermentation is continuing.

Yes, that is the stuff. The thing is I have already added the stabilizer and there is very little yeast as I have racked it.

What do you think?

Ta

Matt

 

[RobWalker]

ah, i missed the stuff about k-sorbate. in fact i missed a lot of that, sorry! haha.

yes, it's dead. whilst you'll get people saying ah it's not technically a fermentation stopper, the combination of that and campden will, indeed, stop it from ever fermenting again, particularly if you bung it in the cool until you drink it.

i would say that with one bubble every 6 minutes you don't have fermentation continuing but just excess gas being released. 24 hours is usually fine to bottle but if you're unsure then leave it a couple of days until it stops completely.

 

[MattN]

Thanks Rob, I appreciate you input.

Regards

Matt

 

[narmour]

Give it a whizz with a degassing tool, or even just a large spoon. That'll get the guts of whatever's left in there out.