Hydrometer reading

[pilko]

Hi,im new to this homebrew wine making.
Tried a six bottle kit and landed up with 995 reading which i was told is ok.
I am now trying a 30 bottle kit,but at the end my reading is 1.020.
Is this right? have i got fruit juice or rocket fuel?
Thanks!!!! :?

 

[calumscott]

1.020 isn't finished.

How long has it been fermenting?
What are you fermenting in (bucket, wine fermenter)?
Are you seeing any airlock activity?

Tell us more about it...

...oh, and Hello! And Welcome!

 

[LeithR]

Hi there and welcome to the forum,
A reading of 995 indicates that the wine has finished fermenting at the medium dry end of the spectrum. 995 - 990 is medium to dry, 1000 - 995 is sweet to medium.

Your 30 bottle kit at 1020 is not finished just as Calum says. Ignore the instructions on the can, they are at best a guide. The only thing to take note of is your hydrometer, how long has it been fermenting? and at what temp?

There is a possibility that your wine has stuck, this is not common but it happens, things you can do to get it going again are 1. increase the ambient temp a little (maybe a couple of degrees) 2. give it a gentle stir with a sterile paddle/spoon, do not splash just swirl it, this will get the yeast back into suspension.

Depending on the temp wine can take a fair while to ferment most kits work well in an ambient temp of around 18 - 20*C. A longer slower ferment is better than a short faster ferment, you get less fusel alcohol in the brew which translates into a better wine which does not give you a headache.

Hope this helps.

 

[pilko]

I used a wine fermenter with a bung and bubbler and left it to ferment for 5 days(25-28 degrees)
My concern now is that ive added the stabiliser and the 2 finnings sachets and wont be able to do anything with it.Is it ruined or can i do anything with it?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Had it finished bubbling after 5 days ?

If you have added stabiliser you won't be able to get it started again, you could make an easy white from apple juice and white grape juice and let it ferment until totally dry then use your wine to flavour and back sweeten it.

Have a read of this thread use the pomegranate recipe in post one but switch the pomegranate juice for apple juice, if you are making 5 gallons use 5 litres of apple and 5 of white grape juice then put in 5 times the yeast nutrient, pectolace, tannin and Glycerine, you only need 2 teaspoons of yeast, you will also need around 4Kg of sugar. viewtopic.php?f=41&t=39846




.

 

[pilko]

As you can tell im very new to this and a little confused.
The wine i tried to make was a red wine,can you save a red?
Will it be drinkable as it is or should i throw it away.
Like i say im very new to this so please accept my apologies if i sound a little simple and confused.
Thanks!!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If by "save" you mean get it to finish the answer is no, the stabiliser will kill any new yeast added and you have also added the finings to clear it.
It will be sickly sweet but it is drinkable if you can stand it, there will also be a lot less alcohol strength than the kit says it will have as it had not finished fermenting.
As i said in my post above you could use it to give flavour and sweetness to an "easy white" which is basically a simple white wine you make from supermarket apple and white grape juice drinks.

 

[pilko]

Thanks for the help.Will put this down to a learning curve and try again.
Will try the link you have provided.
Thanks agian!!

 

[pilko]

Just looked at the link and looks good!Can you get all the ingredients in a supermarket?i.e:Pectolase,glycerine and yeast nutrient.

 

[Rodders]

Just looked at the link and looks good!Can you get all the ingredients in a supermarket?i.e:Pectolase,glycerine and yeast nutrient.

You can get the glycerine in the baking section of supermarkets or ask your local chemist. They usually sell in in larger bottles for less than the smaller bottles in the supermarket. Ive not seen the rest of the ingredients in a supermarket, i go to the local home brew shop. If you have a Wilkinsons near you they sell most of the items.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You can get them in wilkinsons stores (wilco) some chemists stock them, our local murreys do them, google home brew shops in your area if you dont have the above near you.
You can buy them online but you have to pay postage which unless you can get a bit off for buying all the stuff in one go could be expensive.

 

[Rodders]

If you do go a chemist, ask if they have any 1ml syringes. These are for giving exact doses to kids and oaps but they also happen to be perfect when it comes to adding your finings. My chemist gave me mine free.

 

[pilko]

Thanks guys!just got all the ingredients and have started a wow!Hydrometer is reading 1.085 which from what ive seen on here is ok?
Thanks again! :thumb:

 

[pilko]

Had a blonde moment!reading was 1.075! Sorry! :nah: