fermentation

[johhny cosmo]

Hey everyone, Just had a little question. How long should juice ferment for, once you see that gas is being produced, before you bottle it? Just looking for a rough idea, just experimenting a little thanks.

cosmo

[hotwine]

Johnny, please do some pretty thorough research on winemaking before you bottle your brew. If the yeast is still active at bottling, and you haven't provided a means for gas to escape, it could explode the bottle spontaneously, scattering glass fragments in all directions. It's kind of unnerving to have 'em go off in your garage in the middle of the night; been there, done that. Try to find a shop in your area that carries winemaking supplies, get a book on the subject, and some gas escape valves (can't remember the proper name for those plastic widgets), to allow carbon dioxide given off during fermentation to escape. You don't want to have to clean up the mess if it goes wrong. (An exploding wine bottle sounds an awful lot like a 12 ga shotgun blast. I've heard M26 grenades that didn't make as much noise. Of course, those were made by the lowest bidder.)

[This message has been edited by hotwine (edited 07-22-2001).]

[johhny cosmo]

I appreciate the info on wine making, and I do intend to get a book on the subject. But my juice has been fermenting(meaning noticing gas production) for about 5-6 days. How long does this process take and when should I bottle it.
thanks

cosmo

[Catch 22]

1) Wait at least 2 months before bottling. Then, preferably let it age in the bottle before you drink it. Just make sure the fermentation is stopped before bottling, just as Hotwine said.
2) There is a section on this BB for Home Winemaking questions. If, in the future, you post there, you may get more responses. ( Someone interested only in winemaking may not even read the "novice" section at all)
3)try www.geocities.com/NapaValley/8280/ -That is the URL for a home winemaking page
4) Buy a book and read it quickly.

[This message has been edited by Catch 22 (edited 07-23-2001).]

[hotwine]

Just in case anyone is wondering how I managed to cork winebottles tight enough to explode..... It was too easy; I didn't use winebottles, but rather something else, of flimsy glass, and capped them really tight (so the wine wouldn't spoil, of course). What can I say? It was about 30 years ago, and I was experimenting with wine, beer and mead. I've long since filed that exercise away under "Other Foolish Endeavors", which also included making my own gunpowder. Be careful, Johnny.

[lizardbrains]

That would be very painful if you were in the room when they exploded. Just a thought.

[Tradney]

When I was a kid my parents made a batch of wine. The put a ballon on the bottle and when the ballon filled with air the wine had completed its process. I was curious if anyone else has heard of the same process or if my parents where feed a load of BS. I can't recall if they enjoyed the wine or not.

TR