First brew in a couple of years and it’s all gone a bit plum shaped... stuck fermentation...

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skint_golfer

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Hello folks!

It’s been a while but I finally found the time, space and enthusiasm to start another batch of plum wine, the only problem is that the fermentation seems to have stuck when I racked into demijohns.

6.5kg plums
3.8kg sugar
4 gallons cool boiled water
4tsp nutrient
4tsp pectolase
1 sachet of Young’s general wine yeast

Everything was sterilised but no campden tablets used.

Started in a 5 gallon fermenter with loose lid, starting gravity of 1.085, yeast pitched straight into the it.

The plums were mixed twice daily for two days before yeast addition then twice daly for the next four days of fermentation.

As per the recipe the fruit/pulp was strained off and the wine racked into DJ’s with airlocks on day 5 then put into the understairs cupboard. It’s roughly 17-18 degrees C in there.

Since the first rack not a solitary bubble has plopped, it was doing well in the fermenter though - that was kept in the airing cupboard.

I’ve tried Young’s restart yeast and nutrient into each DJ without luck so I’ve made a yeast starter (1 pint must, 3tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp nutrient, 1 packet Young’s general wine yeast). I was planning to pitch the wine back into a fermenter with the yeast starter and move it back to the airing cupboard.

Has anyone got any other suggestions for getting this going again? Or can spot what I’ve done wrong? It looks good and smells great so I really don’t want to tip it down the sink if possible.

Thanks in advance!
 
I try to never throw anything away that is "drinkable" never mind "palatable" (which is what your Plum Wine sounds like).

I have a simple solution to any "stuck" brew:
  1. Check that the hydrometer is okay.
  2. Check the SG to ensure that the brew is actually "stuck" and if it is then:
    1. Beat the brew as if it owes me money to aerate it and rouse the yeast.
    2. Add a teaspoonful of Yeast Nutrient.
    3. Add a sachet of relevant yeast.
    4. Re-fit the air-lock and make sure that it is at the right temperature for the yeast.
  3. Wait:
    1. At least a week if there is zero reaction to the above.
    2. At least a week after fermentation has finished if fermentation re-starts.
  4. Take another SG and then decide what to do. i.e. Wait a further period, rack it into a second vessel or bottle it.
Not everyone will agree with my system but it works for me!
 
Are the demijohns too cold where they are? Cooler than the fv?
 
Quick update:

SG was 1.084

The initial cement was at room temp then the DJ’s went under the stairs when first racked.

I just took the temp and they were 19-20 degrees C

I put one in the airing cupboard which is 22-23 degrees C the other day as an experiment but no reaction.

The starter jar I made up was 1 sachet of Young’s general wine yeast, 4 table spoons of sugar, 1 tea spoon of yeast nutrient and a pint of the must.

I’ve just pitched the DJ’s back into a 5 gallon bucket so I could add the starter but on inspection the starter hasn’t so much as bubbled.

I’ve rechecked the gravity and it’s reading half way between 0.990 and 1.000. I’ve used three different hydrometers.

Im really stumped because all the readings suggest it’s finished fermentation but it was only going for four days in the fermenter and did nothing in the DJ’s so I’m confused.

By my reckoning that means it’s about 12% roughly....
 

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