Vlad Pomogaev

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Fermentation Log #6: 100% Wine Concord Grape

Started (Oct 20th 2024) by mixing the following:

• 3.0L of President's Choice Concord Grape 100% Juice Blend (which is mostle apple juice, I've opened a complaint with the CFIA)
• 1.0L of water
• 1.0L of 3:1 sugar to water by wt. mix
• 1 tsp of yeast nutrient
• 1g of Fleischmann's Tradition Active Dry Yeast

Measured sg of juice was 1.045. Expected 1.038. Measured final must sg to be 1.105. Expected the sg to be 1.107, pretty close. The so-called "100% Juice Concord Grape" tastes and is labled to be mostly apple juice.

This time a proper yeast started was made, with a slow build-up of yeast and sugar in a small bowl kept at 30C. Then some of the must was added over a 30min period after yeast rehydration. Lots of bubbles were seen from this starter.

Expecting the following:

• Total Acid: 5.6g/L
• Citric Acid: 0.2g/L
• Tartaric Acid: 4.2g/L
• Malic Acid: 1.1g/L
• Lactic Acid: 0.0g/L
• Alcohol: 8%
• Residual Sugar: 115g/L
• Final Gravity: 1.046
• Final Volume: <5.1L
• $/L: 1.53

With this yeast we're going to see it's alcohol tolerance. Expecting it to be tolerant up to 8%. This means that fermentation should stop before all of the sugars have been converted. Expecting a very sweet and cheap drink.

Fermenting in mesh-covered 5gal bucket until Oct 27th.

Oct 23rd 2024: Meaured sg at 1.025. Overshot target of 1.046!. Tastes very good.

Ratings:

• Appearance: 0/3 - Objectionable. Cloudy. Sangria #5E1914
• Aroma: 2/6 - Acceptable. Pungent. Yeasty. Apple cleaner. Alcoholic. Papery. Cedar. Rose-floral. Liquorice. Fresh-cut grass.
• Taste: 3/6 - Good. Sweet. Pucker. Green/unripe. Activity. Sour. Full. Warm. Tingle. Suede. Supply. Parching.
• Aftertaste: 2/3 - Good. Tart. Puckering. Drying.
• Acceptable: 7/20

Overall tastes really good for how little time has gone by. The sweetness is very well balanced againgst the acids. If you closed your nose you could drink a lot of this stuff. Kinda sour-patch kids-like taste, but with a little bit more grape.

Oct 26th 2024: tons of bubbles in the fluid and airlock. Cloudy.

Nov 4th 2024: racked into 1 gal glass jar. Affixed airlock. Measured sg to be 1.000. Sadly; the alcohol tolerance of the yeast was higher than expected and all of the sugars fermented out.

• Appearance: 1/3 - Poor. Slight haze. Sangria #5E1914
• Aroma: 2/6 - Acceptable. Pungent. Nail-polish removed. Sulfur. Eucalyptus. Apple. Blueberry?
• Taste: 2/6 - Acceptable. Faults in the form of Nail-polish remover.
• Aftertaste: 2/3 - Good. Light bodied, slighly-lingering but not too long aftertasete. Watery. Alcohol. Hot. Rose.
• Overall: 1/2 - Good.
• Acceptable: 8/20

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