Crusty Must- need advice

[BrideXIII]

ok not exactly crusty but......... its the first time i have attempted using actual fruit.
the preperation is in a large fermentation bin, all necessary stuff added, but, 3 days in, i cant hear any fizzing, which i can in the others (plain juice), and it has a thickish 'crust' of fruit sludge? on top, should i skim this off and add some more yeast, or leave it until i rack it off into demijohns?

[lynda66]

vaseline??????????? ....... ok i'll get my coat

[Brewer-again]

krusty brew

it would be best to break the crust and allow it to carry on fermenting. I expect you can't hear it because there is a crust over it !!!

It should smell good not off and be lively. Keep it clean and covered and drain off the juice to keep sooner rather than leaving it, you will only lose colour.

Any more worries post again.

[BrideXIII]

thanks for that, i did precisely that, sort of stirred it a bit, now its fizzing like mad and smells divine,i ts due to have its first rack in 3 days which will get the fruity stuff off the juice

[Brewer-again]

krust not vaseline???

What fruit did you use ?? The gas produced during fermentation lifts the solids to the top forming the cap. You should break this and submerge it to allow the pulp to break down and contribute to the taste. Once the solids have done thier bit, about one week not under airlock, then rack the liquid off.
The crust tends to darken so each time it is pushed back into the ferment it darkens the brew.
The space above a brew should be minimal so that it contains carbon dioxide from the brewing process and no oxygen which will promote decay.

[BrideXIII]

phew, thats what i did in the end, just kinda stirred it in a bit daily., by the time i racked it it had pretty much finished fermenting and is clearing nicely now. smells gorgeous.

it was a mix of fruit, two punnets of summer fruits that i found in the freezer, some blackcurrants we had picked, two tins of pears, and red grape juice, quite a mix, i look forward to drinking it, its very fruity , but nice and dry so far.

[Brewer-again]

best wines

Some of the best wines I have made were from mixed fruits. I used scrumpted apples and blackberries for a memorable wine.
Glad it is all going well, any problems then post them as there is a wealth of information on here.