Blueberry wine sulphur smell

[Ibrew2]

Fairly new to winemakkng. I have made some Chardenay from kits that was really good. That’s the extent of my experience with wine making.

Started a blueberry wine and once I pitched and the yeast got to work, there is a sulphur smell coming from the bucket.
Recipe obtained online from winemakermag.com

6 gallon primary
17.5 lbs frozen high bush blueberries
11 lbs table sugar added to 2 gals warm water, Costco purified water
1.5 gals water added to bring volume to 6 gallon mark on bucket fermenter.
6 campden tablets

Waited 32 hours, then added other ingredients:
2.5 tsp acid blend
2.5 tsp pectic enzyme
3 tsp wyeast yeast nutrient blend
1 tsp tannin
OG = 1.100, Target was 1.090, so I called it close enough.
Stirred in
Pitched (2) packs of 71B-1122. (Yeast well past BBD of 2015, but was kept refrigerated in ziplock bags the whole time).
Temperature 69-70 degrees where bucket located.
1st airlock bubbles @ 2 hours after pitch.
Airlock activity slowly ramping up. 18 hours from pitch, 1 bubble/15 seconds.
Stirring 2 times daily.

Is some sulphur smell normal at this stage?
If not, any actions need to be taken?

Thanks for any input you can offer.

 

[fluketamer]

thats old yeast. it could be stressed . i would try fresher yeast and fermenting it a few degrees colder next time . at this point tho, i wouldnt change the temp now . i would let it ride.

 

[Ibrew2]

thats old yeast. it could be stressed . i would try fresher yeast and fermenting it a few degrees colder next time . at this point tho, i wouldnt change the temp now . i would let it ride.

Yeah, i forgot how long it had been in fridge! Realized it when I looked at it the date code when I was about to pitch! And being 3 1/2 hours from the closest LHBS, I ran it.
At the time I found some info about brewers making fine beer with some old yeast, so I decided to gun it and run it!
I do have some EC-1118 that is quit a bit fresher, but I felt it may have stripped too much flavor and/or aroma out of the finished product.

30 hours post pitch and it seems to be moving along, albeit a bit slow.
But then, again, I’m a beginner winemaker, so I have a little to judge it by.

We shall see how it turns out in about 3 months or so!

 

[fluketamer]

yes i agree with the 1118. it strips out everything. i have switched to ale yeast for my ciders because of that.

 

[Ibrew2]

yes i agree with the 1118. it strips out everything. i have switched to ale yeast for my ciders because of that.

Yup. The ciders I make with Notty have been better them my EC-1118 experiment.

 

[Ibrew2]

Blueberry wine update:
Pushing fruit bag down, stirring 2 times daily

Airlock activity:
45 bubbles/min on 4/13/2024
8 bubble/min on 4/14/2024

SG: 1.100 on 4/10/2024
SG 1.098 on 4/12/2024
SG 1.083 on 4/13/2024
SG 1.080 on 4/14/2024

Has slowed way down but not anywhere near finished.

Any thoughts from those more knowledable then I?

I have DAP and other yeast nutes.

Also have some different/fresher yeasts including Premier Classique/Montrachet (expires 12/24), Premier Cuvée (4/24)
, D47 (04/23), K1-V1116 (old-2016), EC-1118 (03/24), Cote des Blanc (old, 2017), as well as some US-05 and Notty with good dates.

I’m sure ales yeasts are not appropriate, but I figured I’d toss that in there.

Also, nearest LHBS is an 8 hour round trip.
I do have some yeast coming, but still being shipped ETA unknown.

Any words of wisdom from someone wiser than me on wine making, to salvage this ferment, would be apriciated!

Thanks

 

[Ibrew2]

Update:
Was going to pitch some EC1118 I have, but expired. Tried proofing it and nothing.
I had 2 more packs of 71B, so I proofed 1 and it looked good. Tempered it with 1 tbls must every 10 minutes utill temp was close to must temp and was still looking good, so I pitched it.
SG currently 1.074 @ 69 degs. 1.075 corrected.

If anyone is interested, I will update as this progresses…. Or fails.

 

[Ibrew2]

Anyone have any ideas on how to salvage this ferment?

Is it possible frozen blueberries were treated with preservative? Only Ingredients shown on label are “ high bush blueberries”

Proofed yeast looked good. When added to must, fermentation falls flat.

I get some signs or ferment after pushing fruit bag down and stirring but within 12 hours, almost nothing.

Gravity dropping 1 or 2 points per day

Ignore it for a month?

Dump it?

Yeast seemed to proof ok.

What am I missing?

 

[Yooper]

Anyone have any ideas on how to salvage this ferment?

Is it possible frozen blueberries were treated with preservative? Only Ingredients shown on label are “ high bush blueberries”

Proofed yeast looked good. When added to must, fermentation falls flat.

I get some signs or ferment after pushing fruit bag down and stirring but within 12 hours, almost nothing.

Gravity dropping 1 or 2 points per day

Ignore it for a month?

Dump it?

Yeast seemed to proof ok.

What am I missing?

You added acid blend- do you happen to know how much acid was in the must originally? Acid + yeast don't mix well.

Before you consider tossing it, keep stirring lots, lots, lots to get rid of any sulfur and CO2, and help oxygenate it.

Can you raise the temperature a bit? To maybe 74F?

 

[Ibrew2]

I did not measure the acid before I started. Just added LD Carlson acid blend per the recipe. Tried measuring acid with strips, but they just turn purple from the must.
Got the recipe here:

https://winemakermag.com/article/making-blueberry-wine-tips-from-the-pros

Been stirring at least twice daily.

After thinking it thru, I did put the must under airlock after adding crushed campden tablets.

As far as heating it up, I do have a seed starting mat I can put under or around.

Also, to complicate things a bit more, I will be out of town for about 10 days next week. I was hoping to have it in a secondary in the cooler basement by then.

Thanks for anny insight you can provide.

 

[Raptor99]

It sounds like you are doing a lot of things right. Welcome to this wonderful hobby!

I think that 2.5 tsp. of acid blend is not too much for 6 gallons. But knowing the pH is always helpful. Going forward, you might consider getting a pH meter.

Frozen berries don't usually include any preservatives, but if they are there they should be listed on the package. Since your fermentation has started, I don't think that that is the problem.

69-70 degrees F is a good fermentation temperature for most yeast, so I don't think I would try heating it. Since you will be out of town for 10 days, cooler is better than warmer, so that it will slow things down while you are gone.

Sulfur smells are often caused by stressed yeast, so it is good to try to figure out what is stressing the yeast. Often it is due to a lack of nutrients. I don't know what is in wyeast yeast nutrient blend or whether 3 tsp. is enough for a 6 gallon batch. The nutrient requirement depends on the initial SG and the type of yeast.

Is there a sulfur taste as well as the smell? If not, I wouldn't worry too much at this point. Just be patient and see how this develops. Taste it after you return from your trip and see what needs to be done then.

 

[Ibrew2]

I think that 2.5 tsp. of acid blend is not too much for 6 gallons. But knowing the pH is always helpful. Going forward, you might consider getting a pH meter.

That sounds like a great idea! I had one, but it never seemed to work right. Going to try and squeeze that into next months budget.

Frozen berries don't usually include any preservatives, but if they are there they should be listed on the package. Since your fermentation has started, I don't think that that is the problem.

Blueberries listed as only ingredient.

69-70 degrees F is a good fermentation temperature for most yeast, so I don't think I would try heating it. Since you will be out of town for 10 days, cooler is better than warmer, so that it will slow things down while you are gone.

That’s what I thought. I had decided against heated it.

Sulfur smells are often caused by stressed yeast, so it is good to try to figure out what is stressing the yeast. Often it is due to a lack of nutrients. I don't know what is in wyeast yeast nutrient blend or whether 3 tsp. is enough for a 6 gallon batch. The nutrient requirement depends on the initial SG and the type of yeast.

Yeast packs were definitely old. Kept in refrigerator from day one, but old. In hindsight, I should have went with Red Star Premier Classique. Not expired. But second pitch, I proofed the yeast and it looked good. But never took off either. That parts a mystery.
Must started at 1.100. I was shooting for 1.090, so called it close enough.

Is there a sulfur taste as well as the smell? If not, I wouldn't worry too much at this point. Just be patient and see how this develops. Taste it after you return from your trip and see what needs to be done then.

No sulphur taste and smell disapated after a few days.

Update:
I stirred the hell out of must this morning including getting pretty aggressive with the mesh bag with the blueberries. Pitched another pack of 71B. Stirred again after an hour. Now, nothing from the airlock. Not a bubble, not even lifting the internal cap to the top.
I will check the SG in morning.
Beginning to wonder about the blueberries.
Going to look over the package again to make sure no treatment.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Ibrew2]

Update 4/19/2024 @ 11:45 am:
No visible airlock activity.
Stirred must, did not agitate fruit bag.
SG = 1.067 @ 69 degs f. Corrects to 1.068.
Airlock bubbling again.
Lid not sealing consitantly is my educated guess, I guess!

Averaging about 3 points/day gravity drop from start on 4/10/2024. At that rate, 20 days from now, by the time I return from my trip, should drop another 60 points to 1.008 ish. Assuming it doesn’t completely stall.

I’m thinking I should put in basement which is 63 degrees as of now. House will likely have temperature swings up to 75 or so during day.

Decisions, decisions!