cant seem to start fermentation off

[metalmickey]

Hi All

Got a blackberry and elderberry brew on 3:1 ration of berries plus about a kilo of sugar.

have added yeast nutrient and pitched yeast but no joy.

ive tried a starter ferment of yeast, nutrient in a solutioin of OJ which seems to start, but after i add an equal part of blackberry must to it the fermentation stops. I havent added any citric acid, could this be the problem


Neil

 

[Moley]

Blackberries have enough acid, that is unlikely to be your problem.

What volume are you making and did you use campden tablets or metabisulphite powder?

 

[metalmickey]

didnt use either, ive got about 9-10 pints which will hopefully should fill a DJ when racked.

should i add a CT and leave for 24hrs then try again

 

[Moley]

If you didn't overdose with sulphite then I can't see any reason why it shouldn't start.

These things can take a few hours to get underway, when did you start it, is it still in the bucket and on what are you basing your assumption that nothing's happening?

Are you getting a crust of fruit rising to the top?

Put your ear to the bucket, can you hear anything?

 

[metalmickey]

i mashed em and added boiling water, i then put them in a water cooler drum added nutrient. Added pectolase when cooled and pitched yeast

the drum is 18.5 litres and only about a 1/3rd full ive taped a bubbler to the top but no action at all.

the fruit floated for a few days with daily swirling but now its all sunk to the bottom. No bubbles or even sound of bubbles and no pressure on the inside of the tub (water level on airlock is equal) I think the airlock water was WSP sterilising solution

 

[Moley]

Airlocks on buckets are pointless, the lids rarely seal effectively.
If “the fruit floated for a few days” that means it was fermenting.
How long has it been in the bucket? What's the temperature like?
Do you have a hydrometer? I think there's a good chance it could have fermented out already.


Hang on, I've just re-read your last post.

It's in a water cooler bottle - on the pulp? :shock:

I repeat: How long has it been going?
What's the temperature like?
Do you have a hydrometer?
I think there's a good chance it could have fermented out already.

 

[metalmickey]

started on sunday, but it was chillly in the kitchen so ,moved it to the airing cupboard (fruit floating)

no airlock action on tues so made up a starter of oj, yeast and nutrient. This was popping away until i added some of the must.

Ive just check the gravity and its at 990 so you're right. it looks like its fermented out. 1KG of sugar in about 9 pints, should i add more sugar? i dint check the gravity at the start but should i add more sugar or just rack it and leave it.

Thanks for the help

Neil

 

[Moley]

Apologies for the mixed maths.

If your fruit was 3 lbs to 1 lb you'd get about 130g of sugar out of it, plus 1kg added = 1130g in 9 pints = 5.15 litres = 220g/litre, which would give an OG of 1.081, FG of 0.990, drop of 91 points, divide by 7.36 = 12.4% abv.

I would leave it at that, the yeasties might get started again if you added more sugar but it would take them a while to build up any enthusiasm.

Give it another week then rack.

 

[leeboozer]

sorry for jumpining in on your post MM but i could do with Moley's or any other guru's input , done similar thing started wine on sunday
4k elders
1k blackberry
3.6k sugar [wondering now if thats too much]
juice of 2 lemons
15L water
next day pectalose,yeast,nutrient
forgot to take a reading thinking i'd take one later when i racked but now realised as its already fermenting gravity will be dropping
from my basic mathematics i reckon i might have had about 250g/L ,how do you convert

that to an og? do you think i'll need some more water/grape juice ,heres hoping

 

[metalmickey]

thanks Moley,

ill re rack into a dj on sunday