A couple days back we went over how easy it is to make homemade wine or what some like to call HOOCH/Prison Wine. This post is a continuation of that post. If you haven't read the first post you can do so by clicking the following highlighted link: Lets Make Some Hooch (Homemade Wine). In short to make homemade WINE all one needs is yeast, sugar and 100% pure juice. Place the three ingredients in a jug. In as little as a week to one month + you will have made yourself some homemade wine. Since we already went over the details on how to make this very cost efficient WINE in our previous post we won't be going over those details again. If you do intend on making this wine or want further clarification on what you are reading in this post I do suggest you read the original post first. Today I would like to go over some of the details left out of the original post such as how to degas your final product. How the alcohol is created and how to control the alcohol percentage in your final product.
How Is The Alcohol Created
Ethanol (alcohol) is created when yeast interacts with sugars. These sugars can come from fruit juice thus how we can turn blueberry, cranberry, grape juice and other juices into WINE. The process of yeast turning sugars into ethanol (alcohol) takes place during the fermentation process.
How To Control Alcohol Percentage
When using the simple WINE making process mentioned in this post it is possible to manipulate the ABV% of your final product. As noted above Ethanol (alcohol) is created by yeast converting sugar into Ethanol. With this knowledge we can loosely manipulate the ABV%. If you want a higher Alcohol (ABV) percentage you need more sugar in your product. For a lower ABV percentage choose a juice with less sugar content. The type of yeast you use will also help determine the ABV percentage. This doesn't mean you can pour endless amount of sugar in your starting product. There does come a point in-which too much sugar puts a strain on the yeast and fermentation might not take place.
Yeast (WINE vs. Bakers)
If you already did some digging on WINE making you might of read some posts saying to not use bakers yeast and others claiming you can do just that. From experience I can tell you that bread yeast does get the job done. You can have a yeasty smell and taste from the WINE created using bakers yeast. For higher ABV% WINE yeast with the proper amounts of sugar will be needed. That being said Bakers yeast can yield a respectable ABV% (some say as high as 20% ABV is possible). The reason WINE yeast can yield higher ABV percentages is because WINE yeast can survive in higher concentrates of Ethanol than Bread Yeast can. This allows the WINE yeast to keep converting sugars to Ethanol in situations Bread yeast are no longer able to. That's right Ethanol the product of the Yeast/Sugar interaction kills off yeast.
Gas Creation (CO2)
Ethanol isn't the only product being created when yeast interacts with sugars. CO2 is also created. One needs to have a way for the C02 to escape the jug/container in which your Wine is being created. If everything is sealed tight you are going to have a sticky mess on your hands as the bottle/container will expand until eruption. In our simple WINE making process we suggest a loose cap. This allows protection for your product so nothing can contaminate your drink while also allowing gasses to escape. Once fermentation is over there likely will be some C02 still in your wine.
Degas Your Wine
Did you follow all the steps in our first post? Has fermentation finished? Are you ready to drink your wine? Some will do just that but others prefer to degas their wine first. How does one degas their Wine? All that is needed is to stir or swish the final product for 5-20 minutes. This will help the remaining C02 to escape the liquid. Do your best to not create bubbles when degassing as that will introduce oxygen into your wine and for the most part we want to avoid that. Of course there is always the degas method of simply letting your product sit longer. The longer you let your product sit the more C02 that escapes. Letting it sit will also make your wine appear more clear and potentially improve the taste of your final product.
How Long Before Consumption Is Possible
That will depend on the individual. Some will drink their product within the first week even if bubbles are still showing. Usually when bubbles are still being created that means the yeast is still converting sugars to Ethanol. This means that drinking your product too early will result in a drink with a lower ABV%. Drinking your product too early will also mean you didn't give the C02 enough time to escape so prepare for lots of burps. The taste won't likely be up to par either as drinking so soon won't allow much of the created sediment to fall to the bottom of your jug/wine jar. Fermentation can take as little time as a week but as long as a month+. Once fermentation is over I believe its best to transfer the created product out of the original jug into a new one and let it sit for a week or two before consuming (tossing out any sentiment during the transfer process). Don't forget to sterilize everything that comes in contact with your product as you don't want any unwanted bacteria introduced.
Vinegar Wine (Sterilization)
The sterilization of everything that comes in contact with your product used for WINE creation is important because if you don't sterilize its possible your product gets introduced to bacteria. Certain types of bacteria consume alcohol/ Ethanol and convert it into acetic acid which results in vinegar. This is more important in more complex WINE making as when using store bought juice one can create the WINE in the same Jug the juice came in. The only notable risk of bacteria getting in your product using this simple recipe is through the cover opening which as pointed out in post one will be loosely tightened to stop any intruders.
Cold Crashing
Has your product been fermenting for longer than you like? If so it is possible to cold crash the fermentation process. You do this by placing your product in a cool area such as your fridge. This can help slow down and/or stop fermentation. Keep in mind that C02 is still being released so don't completely tighten your cap.
Other
Everything mentioned in this post is based on the simple recipe displayed in PART ONE which displays a cost efficient, low maintenance wine making recipe. There are products designed for wine making such as carboys and airlocks but we excluded them on purpose as a means of keeping cost down and keeping everything as simple as possibly can be. For those interested in our wine making series of posts that are currently ongoing; part three will be out in some days time. In part three we will venture a little deeper into the wine making world and go over products and the cost of such products for those who might want to get a little more serious about their home-brewed wine.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ethanol fermentation, also called alcoholic fermentation, is a biological process which converts sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose into cellular energy, producing ethanol and carbon dioxide as by-products. Because yeasts perform this conversion in the absence of oxygen, alcoholic fermentation is considered an anaerobic process. It also takes place in some species of fish (including goldfish and carp) where (along with lactic acid fermentation) it provides energy when oxygen is scarce.[1] Ethanol fermentation is the basis for alcoholic beverages, ethanol fuel and bread dough rising. Raw URL Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fermentation
Disclaimer:
Check with your local laws before creating or consuming any alcoholic beverages. This post is for entertainment purposes only and does not endorse alcohol consumption. Also important to note is if you plan on storing your wine for future indulgences you will need to burp the wine. Meaning you will need to open the cover for a second every day or two just in-case there is still some gas being released. If not your jug might erupt and you'll have a sticky mess to clean up. As always and with any and all things: Do your own research before attempting.
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While the wine sits at the fermentation phase, I love the bubbling sounds it makes every now and then.
Checking in on the bubbles is half the fun :)
Interesting stuff. The basics are easy. I'll be interested in how to step it up from here in next post.
Wine tasting from Sideways lol
The basics are so very easy, so easy in fact its almost shockingly easy.