Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Fermentation Continues!



Well, it's 48 hours since fermentation started. The temperature of the must has been 95-100 F for about 24 hours. I turned off the electric blanket to keep things from getting too hot. The cellar smells wonderful and the cap is rising high between punches. I'm punching about 4 times a day (usually first thing in the morning, noon, afternoon and before bed). A couple shots of the punching process are attached.

Today I measured the specific gravity at 9 AM and the must was down to 17 Brix from a starting point of 26. A taste of the must reveals just the tiniest perception of alcohol. Overall, it still tastes like fruit juice though.

-Jacques

2 comments:

  1. Hi Jacques,

    The smell and tastes of fruit juice is a good sign but...
    The fermetting temperature is a little high. Try to keep it under 93°F or 34 °C. At a higher temperature than that, you are at risk of making vinegar by helping the bacteria (transforming the alcohol in acetic acid aka vinegar) rather than the yeast that are transforming the sugar in alcohol.
    What you are aiming at is a long and slow fermentation. If you could ferment at 90° would even be better.

    Pierre

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