Is this normal - berry-coloured scum?

[Mikeymu]

Hi.

I'm fermenting a bucket of mixed berry wine, with ribena, blackberries and elderberries. The fruit is bagged up in muslin, and was squashed before adding to the bucket. The ribena was boiled a while with water in a pan to drive off stabilising chemicals.

A kind of berry coloured scum has appeared on the surface of the must and I've skimmed some of it off as it seemed to be stopping the gasses escaping. Although the must is fizzing nicely along the airlock stopped bubbling.

There are no off-odours, just the usual fruit being transformed by yeast smell.

It looks like deep red curdled something or other and there are white foam-bubbled regions underneath it.

I wondered if this indicated anything I should do anything about - any suggestions please?

 

[RobWalker]

Totally normal! Don't skim it - just strain the lot through muslin after a week or so of fermenting.

I'm interested as to why it's already in muslin - mine's usually fermented loose for the first week and strained through muslin after a week.

 

[tonyhibbett]

When pulp fermenting or using freshly pressed fruit, a thick layer of fine particles settles on the bottom, obvious in a glass jar but not in a plastic fermenting bin. Once fermentation gets under way, most of this sediment rises to the surface in the form of scum, which can be very dark. It is easily removed, and is a waste product. I suggest you remove the muslin, as you don't want fermented cotton flavoured wine. It is quite possible that fermentation is complete, because the process is very fast if using pulp. Yeast seems to do better with something solid to live in, as it would naturally do in the wild. Check the sg.

 

[RobWalker]

that's 10% commission I reakon! haha.

For your first time around I'd suggest doing an all grain kit - they come with everything pre-weighed out so you can just concentrate on your process. :thumb:

 

[Mikeymu]

Totally normal! Don't skim it - just strain the lot through muslin after a week or so of fermenting.

I'm interested as to why it's already in muslin - mine's usually fermented loose for the first week and strained through muslin after a week.

Seemed a less messy way to me and perhaps less chance of infection through handling the cloth and contents during the fermentation process. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Mikeymu]

When pulp fermenting or using freshly pressed fruit, a thick layer of fine particles settles on the bottom, obvious in a glass jar but not in a plastic fermenting bin. Once fermentation gets under way, most of this sediment rises to the surface in the form of scum, which can be very dark. It is easily removed, and is a waste product. I suggest you remove the muslin, as you don't want fermented cotton flavoured wine. It is quite possible that fermentation is complete, because the process is very fast if using pulp. Yeast seems to do better with something solid to live in, as it would naturally do in the wild. Check the sg.

Thanks for your post but never had the cotton flavour come through yet! It's only been on since Sunday and fizzing away nicely so long way to go before fermentation complete. I did partially remove this layer though and it's helped I'm sure. Even if it were all fruit, which it's not, it would only be about 5% of the total mass of fruit originally started with.

 

[ohbeary]

As already mentioned the scum is normal and will sink in time, personally I prefer my fruit loose so it can be mixed back in along with the scum to keep all the fruit parts in the liquid, straining through first a coarse mesh bag followed by the fine bag before transfer to DJs or fermenter under airlock.
PS boiling Ribena will not remove potassium sorbate or in the old days the sodium benzoate that is no longer used.

 

[tonyhibbett]

That accounts for the problems I had with a 'Raspberry Merlot' kit. The 'raspberry' concentrate gets added after the merlot has been fermented, to produce a happy clappy, low alcohol, sweet, health police compliant 'social' wine. I was having none of that. I employed tough Hovis bread yeast which stood up to the sorbate and beat it into submission. I love the smell of fresh bread in the morning!

 

[Mikeymu]

As already mentioned the scum is normal and will sink in time, personally I prefer my fruit loose so it can be mixed back in along with the scum to keep all the fruit parts in the liquid, straining through first a coarse mesh bag followed by the fine bag before transfer to DJs or fermenter under airlock.
PS boiling Ribena will not remove potassium sorbate or in the old days the sodium benzoate that is no longer used.

Thanks Ohbeary.

If the fruit's loose tho don't you have to 'push the cap down' every day?

On the other point you made, this isn't the first mixed berry brew I've done using ribena and they've all worked out rather good.I take it there's no need to boil the ribena at all then?

Grateful for advice.