Gervin GV4(26)

[Bogwitch]

I am planning some ginger wine using the recipe from Liam viewtopic.php?f=39&t=28940

I was hoping to go for a strong brew, to take the alcohol up to around 20%. I've not worked out the sugars yet but I'll get round to it soon!

Does anyone have any experience of using this yeast? Does it come under the heading of a turbo yeast and therefore leave a nasty taste and bad effects? Anything else I should be aware of?

 

[wilsoa1111]

dont think its a proper turbo yeast so shouldnt need carbon filtering- if taking up to the full 21% u will need plenty of nutrients and yeast (maybe two packets seemas its cheap) also staggering the sugar additions might be a good idea

 

[oldbloke]

I used it in a golden syrup notMead; no noticeable unpleasant flavours.
It's a high tolerance yeast but not fast (as I believe the turbo ones are)
On the other hand, due to stepped additions of syrup, removal of samples and subsequent topping up, etc, I'm not at all sure how high it went - 18 at the most, I suspect.

 

[Bogwitch]

That's excellent news, thanks guys.

I will be staggering the sugar additions - is it worth splitting the yeast (5g sachet) and putting the other half in as I add the 2nd or 3rd batch of sugar?

Thankfully, I'm not going for a fast ferment, I was going to bring my central heating down to 19 going by much of the advice on here, from the 21 I'd been maintaining purely for brewing! If I can get the ginger wine ready for Christmas, I'll be happy. :)

 

[oldbloke]

I will be staggering the sugar additions - is it worth splitting the yeast (5g sachet) and putting the other half in as I add the 2nd or 3rd batch of sugar?

I don't think so. Once you have a healthy yeast colony I don't think fresh yeast that goes in is going to do much. Maybe if the yeast gives up you can try pitching more then.
What I'd do is start with fairly high sugar, maybe 16% worth, so you need fewer additions later, but make a proper starter so the yeast is really up for the job when it goes in.

 

[Bogwitch]

I don't think so. Once you have a healthy yeast colony I don't think fresh yeast that goes in is going to do much. Maybe if the yeast gives up you can try pitching more then.
What I'd do is start with fairly high sugar, maybe 16% worth, so you need fewer additions later, but make a proper starter so the yeast is really up for the job when it goes in.

Thanks, that makes sense. I'll be getting this started next week sometime, I'll post on the progress.

 

[mm707]

I used to use this all the time and it gives no off taste whatsoever but lately I have been using the youngs yeast in a tub which can cope with high alcohol and is a lot cheaper.

 

[Bogwitch]

I used to use this all the time and it gives no off taste whatsoever but lately I have been using the youngs yeast in a tub which can cope with high alcohol and is a lot cheaper.

Hi MM,

Is that the Youngs super yeast? What does it claim it will go up to?

 

[mm707]

Yes it is the super yeast , I brew to around 18% and I believe that's about max.

I also use turbo yeast but only for making an alcohol base - that's stronger but needs to be filtered through activated carbon to get rid of bad smells.

 

[Bogwitch]

So this is what i went for in the end.

I grated a load of ginger first. This gave me a lump of grated ginger, all the stuff that didn't go through the grater and some juice on the plate I grated on...

I bagged up the grated ginger and slung it into the freezer, I poured the ginger juice into a jar and binned the waste (after squeezing the remaining juice out of it into the jar)

For the wine:

350g of frozen grated ginger
130ml ginger juice
juice of three lemons
1Kg demerera
400g dextrose
50g raisins


I put the ginger in some water on a low heat to defrost and brought it to a low boil, added the sugars and the lemon juice. Let it simmer for about an hour.

Once it had cooled sufficiently (with a cold water bath - I'm impatient) I put it into a DJ and dropped in the GV4(26) which i'd made up with some yeast nutrient in some water.

Total mix read in at 1094. I plan to put in a further 700g dextrose once the initial ferment slows.

A couple of questions:

Is it worth putting in some pectolase or have I done enough to help break down the ginger?
Is it worth putting in some tannin with the next batch of sugar?

 

[oldbloke]

I don't think ginger has any appreciable amount of pectin, you can always put pectolase in later if I'm wrong.
The raisins will be contributing some tannin but I suspect not really enough. Not sure though.

 

[Kirk]

I think that GV4 can produce a fair amount of foam when you stir it.
Just make sure that whatever it is in initially has enough space for this.
If I recall it may well look as if not a lot is happening then when stirred it tries to get out of the container.

 

[screamlead]

I'd chuck in a cup of cold stewed tea for the tannin and dont bother with pectolase it will drop perfectly clear in time. Always starts milky cloudy but once ferment finished rack off a couple of times and it will drop clear. :thumb:

 

[Bogwitch]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

I think I should have strained the mash before dumping it into the DJ - all the grated ginger makes its way to the top and stays there.

I'm planning now, when the fermentation has eased a little, to decant it into another DJ, via a strainer. Risky, I guess. When it goes into the next DJ, I'll add some sugar in water, leaving enough space for the final sugar addition.

 

[oldbloke]

I'm planning now, when the fermentation has eased a little, to decant it into another DJ, via a strainer. Risky, I guess.

I've done that in the past with a couple of very pulpy wines that blocked the siphon tube, as long as you have live yeast to eat any oxygen you ought to be OK.

But, if you plunge your siphon tube below the floating stuff and are careful you can almost certainly just leave most of it behind with normal racking. Once there isn't loads of gas being produced it may stop floating, too.

 

[Bogwitch]

But, if you plunge your siphon tube below the floating stuff and are careful you can almost certainly just leave most of it behind with normal racking. Once there isn't loads of gas being produced it may stop floating, too.

Thanks Oldbloke, that's pretty much what I was hoping. I have noticed that the grated ginger tends to drift down, it's only when it gets CO2 bubbles attached to it, it floats to the top.

Given that I now have approximately 1 1/2 inches of very pale-looking ginger on the top of the brew, I'm going to drop it into another DJ, if only to make room for more sugar / water for additional fermentation.

This better work out well, my whole family is looking forward to something hot and spicy at Christmas!

 

[hedgerow pete]

i would also suggest that to go high alch that you would need more yeast nuitriants as well as there seems to be very low level of nitrogen in it, but what do i know, good luck with the trial

 

[Bogwitch]

i would also suggest that to go high alch that you would need more yeast nuitriants as well as there seems to be very low level of nitrogen in it, but what do i know, good luck with the trial

Hi Pete,

I made the yeast up with some nutrient. I had assumed that, with the lemon juice would be sufficient. What would you suggest I could add to feed the yeast a little?

When I racked it off, I had a little taste. considering how much ginger I put in, I could still taste the lemon (and overall it wasn't bad at all) but with a gravity of 1050, it still had a fair way to go!

 

[alanywiseman.]

I agree with Pete. High alcohol wines require more nutrient. It not the yeast can start to produce sulphur smells.

How much have you used? I would aim for 1.5-2tsp per gallon depending if you are going for 16% or 20% abv. I believe it is best to add it before your 1/3 of the way through fermentation. This will help to create a large population of yeast that will not get stressed as you start to step feed.

 

[Bogwitch]

I agree with Pete. High alcohol wines require more nutrient. It not the yeast can start to produce sulphur smells.

How much have you used? I would aim for 1.5-2tsp per gallon depending if you are going for 16% or 20% abv. I believe it is best to add it before your 1/3 of the way through fermentation. This will help to create a large population of yeast that will not get stressed as you start to step feed.

I initially used a level teaspoon. When I filtered it off, it was looking like it was only 5%ABV so I guess it's not too late to put some more in. I'll mix some this evening and bung it in. Fingers crossed! :pray: