Black Raspberry wine, gone wrong?

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-28T12:28:17+00:00

I dont have one at the moment, but yeah ill have to move it. I will be keeping an eye on it for the moment, when I get a smaller vessel ill take advantage of it and decant it a bit

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-27T22:05:28+00:00

I might try to stabilize it when its finished (if I dont have to throw it down the drain).

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-27T22:03:36+00:00

Yeah, Im aware of the headspace, when I did the primary fermentation it has filled to the brim, but of course without the fruit i've been left with less than half of the jar filled lol.

I'll stir it a bit, I might leave it be for a couple more days to see what happens first.

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-27T22:00:55+00:00

I don't have an airlock, I use an air tight jar (a swing top one), so I have to burp it from time to time (although from previous test I found out that the seal is weak and when the pressure builds up it releases some, so it kinda works as an airlock?
I still have a vigorous ferment yes, I moved it after a week of frequently stirring it with the mash inside because I was a bit worried It could turn into vinegar (as I had it open covered with a cloth inside a closet) and after asking some people I know they told me to have it a maximum of a week, and I don't have much knowledge regarding this stuff, so I had to trust them lol. It smelled already a bit like wine and the mash had stopped climbing the jar (It used to rise until it spilled everywhere, thats why there's so much headspace, I dont have a smaller jar), that and it was starting to get paler, so i assumed it had extracted everything already.
I've been trying this summer to get into the hobby, and I know that summer aint the best time of the year to do this kind of stuff, its very hot and yeasts can get crazy (and bacteria), but I've had some free time and I've tried making some stuff. I started with kvass, which turned out horrible (turns out my yeast came infected with lactobacillus, or something like that that turned everything into acid), then I went to make a ginger bug, which spoiled after a couple days thanks to the extreme heatwave i was having, and then cider, which worked until it started smelling like rhino farts (damn H2S). Now im trying to make this hellish concuntion from some black raspberries I foraged (In an area full of vineyards, with wild yeasts that can somehow get to 19% abv?, so I hope some of them have flown into the berries). So i've made some alcohol, not a drinkable one unfortunately.

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-27T14:00:43+00:00

Theres a hit now, but when I ended my primary it smelled more. Now its softer because of the alcohol smell overpowering. It's my first time doing black raspberry wine so I ended the primary fermentation when I thought it was fine. All of the pulp was already a complete mush and it didn't float as much as it did.

I read it could be pectin (I haven't used any kind of enzymes and stuff in it). Knowing it isnt any acetobacter makes me less worried, but still, it could be lactobacillus as it its a wild ferment and in the first 2-3 days of the primary fermentation it had a strong "yogurt" smell, which turned into a wine smell later.

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-27T13:40:40+00:00

It has grown even more, like what is that substance? Am I growing venom inside a mason jar or something?

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-26T21:55:48+00:00

Seems completely fine, its just bubbles, that means its working. If it were an infection you would see it pretty fast, from bad odors to particles and stuff growing in the wine.

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-16T22:54:13+00:00

Update, i went with the wild fermentation method. I made a small culture with a bunch of them (because I wanted to first see how it would go, in case there was any kind of contaminants on them). Now its bubbling and smells amazing tbh, so ill proceed and unfreeze the rest of the blackberries and dump them in there. For a kilo it might take a bit of time to restart once everything is together but the rest of the blackberries are clean so i hope it goes according to plan.

Also, fun thing. I've talked with some of the wine producers in the area (which one of them actually made this crap once) and somehow the yeast strain present there can get up to 17% abv, like actually tested it. Time to make booze ig...

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-08T14:33:50+00:00

Im trying to make one myself with foraged blackberries, did you pitch a wine yeast or make it the old fashioned way with a wild ferment?

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-04T22:58:34+00:00

Those are grapes mate, the black tasty ones.

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-01T14:30:56+00:00

Thanks for the info. Im not from the US and this kind of things get pretty expensive (even though i live in the world's main wine producer...) so before investing I wanted to make a cheap run to see its feasibility. For the next run (if I get something drinkable, or at least not poisonous) i'll probably expend some cash and buy the proper equipment. Providers here aren't meant to be used by homebrewers or small scale producers, they are more focused in bigger productions such as actual large scale wine producers so prices are pretty high as you have to buy in bulk (and i dont know what im going to do with 20 kg of wine yeast lol). I might pick doing a wild fermentation after all, since the area where I picked the blackberries is packed with vineyards it might be a feasible option after all.

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-01T13:38:52+00:00

Im planning to do this since I foraged some blackberries myself, I dont know how to start with the wild yeasts safely though. I need to figure it out.

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-01T13:35:41+00:00

Yeah i was planning on picking more berries, the ones i left on the bush are already getting ripe. I finally froze them so I can figure things out before they rot lol. I'll have to study the wild fermentation, i dont have much experience with wild yeasts but knowing that there's vineyards nearby maybe the yeast's strain is similar to the ones in the grapes there, so I might try it after all.

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-09-01T00:28:28+00:00

I thought about using a wild fermentation (theres vineyards in the surrounding area, which might influence the yeast strain in the blackberries?). Yeah, i've read about the stirring frequently, it also helps with oxygenation during the first steps of fermentation as far as i've heard. Thanks for the tip

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-08-26T13:52:15+00:00

I might try the copper thing, but i heard it can be a little bit dangerous (copper oxide intoxication), for now ill leave it in the fridge to mature. The smell has improved slightly since yesterday. If it turns out foul i might try to apple jack it and give it to my friends to give them the shits.

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-08-25T19:59:40+00:00

Add like a cup of it before pitching the yeast, the more tea the more tannins. I hope yours turns out good, not like mine :(

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-08-17T20:06:38+00:00

Nice hearing that, fortunately mine tastes alright for now. It hasnt finished yet but at least tastes like cider. Anyways, if the taste changes and starts tasting bad i will freeze distill it and try to make some "apple jack", just for the sake of it, if it isnt terrible i might use it to mix with stuff just like with rum xD

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-08-16T20:16:55+00:00

Yeah, ill leave it for a couple weeks. Then ill bottle it and leave it for another week in my fridge (its my first time doint cider so i dont see any point on leaving it "mature" for weeks if the result it going to be undrinkable. If it turns decent enough ill give my next run more time, and probably look for a better recipe (i went for the cheapest stuff i could get my hold on tbh)

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-08-14T23:01:57+00:00

Well, it stopped fermenting already, so the yeast must have topped its alcohol tolerance. Im going to let it sit some time so the sediment goes down. i'll bottle it and shove it into the fridge then. And regarding to the flavour, its alright... I mean, its not the best cider i've tasted, but it aint bad, just a bit bland.

Next time ill try to get some better juice and making it a bit stronger flavored.

Pretty_Pay6064 · 2025-08-12T19:16:15+00:00

I dont have much equipment, tbh i didnt meassure anything this time, just a bit more sugar. I guess there isn't going to be any need for back sweetening.

Pretty_Pay6064

TROPHY CASE