The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Home brewing => Topic started by: HesterF on August 13, 2013, 08:40:38 pm
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Help! I've just started my first batch of 'proper' wine - gooseberry (proper because it's not due to be drunk for at least a year as opposed to necking it next week!). I had a nice long chat to the lady in the self-brew shop who talked me through it all and I thought I had it clear. I've added my pectolase to the must and am leaving to stand for a few days, so far so good. But I thought I also had to add a Campden tablet now so that I killed off all the bad bacteria before adding the yeast in the next step. However, the instructions on the tablets say to add one after fermentation and prior to bottling. So what do you do? If relevant, the gooseberries have been sat in the fridge for a week so there were already some dodgy ones in there (which I've fished out when I noticed them),
Hester
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You can add a campden tablet now, it will kill off any bacteria and wild yeast, then add your yeast (which should be more reliable than wild yeasts). If I remember rightly a campden tablet is only active for 10 minutes or so, so you can add your yeast the same day.
Hope that helps. I love gooseberry wine, only got 6 gooseberries off our bush this year though!
Dans
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Thanks Dans,
That did help - sterilised and then left it a couple of days (as per recipe) before adding sugar and yeast. But now I have a follow up question! I've got it in a demi-john and it's bubbling away through the air lock quite happily. However, I can still see quite a lot of the yeast undissolved at the bottom of the jar. The instructions were just to add it direct to the must so I assumed it would dissolve easily. Will it eventually dissolve on its own or should I be shaking it vigorously every now and then?
H
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A stir should help it dissolve. Although you don't really want to take the airlock on and off much. I'm not sure if it will dissolve if just left be. I always make my yeast up into a liquid starter, let it start foaming in a jug for about 10 minutes and then add that to my must, that way I know the yeast is alive and I know it's all dissolved. Might be something to try in future. Let us know what you try and how it works out!
Dans
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I give my demi johns a shake every few days or so.
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Been shaking - all looks good :thumbsup: :fc:
H