Since i am not up and running on my channel yet i will link to the video i got my procedure from. I got a figary at 03.00hrs this morning to do this when i could not sleep,took me about 60-70 mins total. I had it in the brew room since last night but it never kicked off which i reckon is down to temp being too low in there at an average of 10-12C. I have now moved it into hotpress but am keeping a close eye on it since once it kicks off i will be moving it back into brew room again with a blanket around it.
This is because fermentation can be very vigorous and blow outs are common and i only have tin foil over it at the moment,for this i used Lidl high fruit blackcurrant juice :o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq4kQ1vlwzE
Oh and btw OG was 1.110 :o giving aprox 12% abv if sugar ferments out completely ;D
is that one of your five a day?
Ya one of me 5 litres a day Ciderhead ;D
Not sure about the chemistry behind the "need to boil it to remove the preservatives" Normally Ribena and other juices are preserved by the Citric acid (naturally occuring in the fruit but may be topped up ) and the added Ascorbic acid ( Vit C :) ) These two adjuncts will not affect yeasts.
The main yeast upsetters to look out for are "Sorbates" and "Benzoates ( these are usualy not allowed in drinks) "
These stop the yeast from budding i.e. Yeast Contaceptives!!
True enough Will but potassium sorbate is added to most concentrates and juices these days and i reckon thats the reason all the vids on youtube say to boil first.
TBH i reckon they just want to get people into habit of boiling first even if no nasties are in ingredients since most folks myself included will not bother their arse reading the list of additives and ingredients in the first place. If they boil everytime then they don't have to, thats what i reckon is the reason tbh.
Anyway 24hrs later i still have no activity in the FV and temp in hotpress has been holding at around 20c all day,still 10c in brew room itself :o TBH i reckon i am going to have ongoing issue with getting brews started and with brews going dormant since my ambient temp in house is always so low around 12C average.
Long term i will have to give another look at brew belts and the like, however i am not loving the brew belts really, i am a big fan of hotplates since i am used to using them many moons ago so i may go that route :-/
Well it is starting to fizz slightly but still not much and hotpress still holding around 20C constant. ;D
Ribena wines are notoriously hard to ferment out. In fact, any cordial wine I've tried just hasn't been worth it. Not trying to burst your bubble - I hope your bubble flies high and far - that's just my opinion... ;)
How much nutrient did you add?
One heaped teaspoon of nutrient
QuoteOne heaped teaspoon of nutrient
So should be good to go then. I have had some very slow start ups for some wines - but they eventually get going.
Standard Tips for wine makers:
Stuck ferment:
1. Pour into another demi-john ( adds a bit of oxygen ) May work.
2. Pour off a pint of the stuck wine, add half pint of cooled boiled water, add another packet of yeast ( wine makers nearly always use dried yeasts and never rehydrate - so suggest to rehydrate it first )
When this starter gets going after a few days pitch it back in to main bulk of the wine.
In secondary, abv 18.5%. Downside is it is very bitter,not gone off vinegar sour, just bitter. Another week or so in secondary then a campden tablet and pot sorbate. Have to figure out what to back sweeten it with though before bottling?
Interested in this. Let us know what you use to sweeten it and how it turns out. Oh, and post the recipe if you get a chance please? :)
EDIT: D'oh! Just watched the vid. Forget about recipe. Should look before I ask.. ;D
If your OG was 1.110, and you're calculating ABV at 18.5, that means your SG is somewhere about 0.972 which seems disturbingly low to me.
Are you sure your hydrometer is working corectly?
Og and sg same thing. Original gravity/ starting gravity?
Will double check my figures when i get a chance but i am pretty certain that 18.5% abv is correct.
To get an Abv of 18.5% you would need a gravity drop of 135 points.
What yeast are you using?
I can drop a "vintage" port must down more than 140 points by using the "turbo yeasts" and get near 21% Abv.
Have you used a turbo yeast?
If not then you need a new hydrometer!!!
Ha ha i used a younds super wine yeast which i believe is good for around 20%. ;D
QuoteOg and sg same thing. Original gravity/ starting gravity?
OG - original gravity (first reading)
SG - specific gravity (any reading)
FG - final gravity (last reading)
What is your current SG?
Also, what does your hydrometer read in water at 20C?
QuoteWill double check my figures when i get a chance but i am pretty certain that 18.5% abv is correct.
To generate 18.5 % abv you would have to ferment 1.6 kilos of sugar to the gallon.
How many kilos did the recipe tell you to use?
How many did you use?
Ok it was a 4 litre batch and i used 1kg dextrose on top of whatever was in the Ribena already which if i remember was something like 300 gr per litre. So 1300 grams sugar in 4 litres.
QuoteHave to figure out what to back sweeten it with though before bottling?
I tried this recipe too last night. I read somewhere else that they back sweetened it with 150ml of Ribena and it gave it back some of the Ribena taste.
Yep gary thats what i ended up doing. Actually i used a polish blackcurrent syrup and it turned out grand. Still a success but hard to see how this would be a drink on its own wine? What i may do next time is stop fermentation after a week and see what that does for taste etc.
I would not recommend forcing the fermentation to stop. It is more difficult than it sounds.
Instead, try something like this (http://www.mydukandietshop.co.uk/94-blackcurrant-flavouring.html) or a sugar-free blackcurrant dilutable (to avoid carbonation if you have not properly killed the yeast).
I made a Ribena Strawberry Wine end last year and I use this info from an android app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koolappz.EP77706450001&hl=en) I have on my phone.
Rats how do you find that app to use? Might get it if its any good. How did your ribena wine turn out?
QuoteRats how do you find that app to use? Might get it if its any good. How did your ribena wine turn out?
Link for app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koolappz.EP77706450001&hl=en
or in Google Play "making your own wine" the app with the 3 wine glasses.
Little dry for my liking but will back sweeten a few bottles for me.