I topped this up today with the last carton. I did not add any sugar since all the calculated amount had gone in at the start.
All posts by Thomas W-P
Scrumpy looks more scrumpyish
The scrumpy has sorted itself out somewhat, and now looks much more like something I would drink. It is two weeks in to its five week rest. The sediment has sunk to the bottom and it almost looks like something I might drink now. Patience…
Wine from “wine juice”
Sorry if this is a bit confused. Insomnia last night. The plan is to make wine from shop bought white grape juice.
The OG of the juice was 1065 (after temperature adjustment – it’s cold today) meaning that in a gallon I would need to add (34-27=) 7oz or ~200g of sugar to make the whole gallon up to and OG of 1080. But I intend to avoid the brewing bin this time. I’ll put in just 4l then top up when the first ferment is over. This means that I need 4*(209-169=) 160g of sugar in the 4l. I only decided to do the sugar in stages AFTER I dissolved the 198g of sugar in some wine juice. I measured 4/5 out carefully using a measuring jug. In an experimental twist I added 100g of fructose and 100g of normal cane sugar. Fructose doesn’t get broken down so well and will make the wine a little sweeter. Maybe.
I tested the OG of the 4l and it came out at 1078. I added the last 100ml of sugar solution and it ended up at… 1078. Not sure what happened there, but I left it.
| Date | Specific Gravity | Alcohol Content |
|---|---|---|
| 22nd November 2013 (Grape Juice) | 1,066 | 0% |
| 22nd November 2013 (Juice + 100g fructose + 100g caster) | 1,078 | 0% |
| 27th December 2013 | 996 | 10.9% |
This is what has gone in at this stage:
- 4l Waitrose Smooth and luscious pressed white grape juice
- 100g fructose
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 rounded teaspoon citric acid
- 1 rounded teaspoon pectolase (not sure if I need that given how clear the juice, but hey ho)
- 1 rounded teaspoon yeast nutrient
- 1 rounded teaspoon wine making yeast
Before the acid the mixture was rather sweet, nutty and smooth. Who knows what will happen next. It is so exciting!
Confusion about Newport Cider
I think I have mucked up the Newport cider by the specific gravity get too low. When I checked today it was 1.000, but if I had followed my instructions I should have stopped it earlier.
“Do not allow the gravity to drop below 1.005 unless a very dry cider is preferred.”
So I racked it off and whacked in nearly a litre of apple juice from a carton. This brought the specific gravity up to 1.004. I guess it will be digested by the yeast anyway, but hopefully in the garage it will be too cold for that and it will be sweeter.
I am also a little perturbed by the colour, which looks more “scrumpy” than “cider” to me. I used granulated sugar with this one rather than brown sugar so that may explain it. It is also rather cloudy, but hopefully it will sort itself out in the garage, where the Perry is looking pretty clear. It too is rather green, but the photo doesn’t show it very well.
Cloudy Cheaty Cider
I reused the yeast once more in a cheaty cider and it has come up rather cloudy. I suspect this is the bottle that was half and half apple juice from the press and a carton. I have no idea if it will work, but I whacked in some pectolase to see what will happen. Not much in the fridge I guess, so I have taken it out for another couple of days.