Day 4
8AM:
- Must temps at 78F for 2 fermenters.
- Sugars at 17 Brix. Wow! It is coming down FAST! I hope that this isn’t a problem. Jeff Cox’s book says this can happen…no warnings!
- Added 12 g Fermaid K each vat. This is based on the Beverage People charts in their newsletter. I did not get a YANC nutrient analysis done (too cheap), so I assumed the grapes have medium nutrients. Rockpile yeast has low nutrient requirements, so I am going with program C: Add 1g/gal Fermaid K about 1/3 thru fermentation.
7PM:
- Must temp at 85 F and 88 F. Punched down and left the lids of the vats off to try and cool it down. Iversen suggests temps in the middle 80’s, so this should be OK.
9PM:
- Another punchdown.
- Sugars at 10 Brix and 8 Brix. WOW! Slow down!
- Must temp at 83 and 86 F. It is coming down. Leave off the blankets, but keep the lid on. The garage gets cold at night.
- Taste: Noticeable tannins, but not too harsh. Nice level. Some bitterness also. This should go away with settling.
- I think I am noticing H2S…ugh. Added another round of Fermaid K, hoping to end the H2S. 11g Fermaid K per container.
Niels, this is an interesting process, of which I’m totally ignorant. Looks like you’re approaching it systematically. When you’ve reliably mastered it, it will be very interesting to learn from you what the most important variables are!