Making my first bochet. I am using 71B and the honey was clover heated for about 90 minutes at 350 F in my oven. There was no visible charring of the honey. The ambient temperature is around 64 F. The bochet has been fermenting now for a month (with a starting gravity of 1.100) and now the gravity reads about 1.010 (measured this the other day with a refractomer and used a calculator to determine the approximate gravity). The airlock is still showing activity and I can easily observe bubbles rising. My question: a month of active fermentation - is that something to be encouraged or discouraged. In other words, when fermentation takes a month or longer to complete is that asking for all kinds of problems with off flavors and the like? Thanks.
Fermentation and bochet
- Thread starter bernardsmith
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Could it be that it's just degassing? How long has it been at 1010?
I'm supposing since you haven't mentioned anything yours must smell and taste fine right?
I cooked mine on a stove top and the color change was obvious.
My batches usually takes about 2-3 weeks to get 90% there and another week for the final push. I am mistified but my bochet was fermented dry and became crystal clear in 7-8 weeks.
I'm supposing since you haven't mentioned anything yours must smell and taste fine right?
I cooked mine on a stove top and the color change was obvious.
My batches usually takes about 2-3 weeks to get 90% there and another week for the final push. I am mistified but my bochet was fermented dry and became crystal clear in 7-8 weeks.
No off smells and the taste is fine.. My concern was more about the science than the art.. That is to say, does a long slow fermentation produce different and undesirable chemicals that a faster (not a fast, but a faster) fermentation would not? Generally at this temperature and with this yeast 71B and with this clover honey fermentation takes about 10 days , this batch is taking more than a month - and the gravity is still dropping... Should I be concerned ... or happy?
I've been using the TOSNA protocol for my last few batches, and those fermentations are typically pretty slow. I had one take a month and turned out great; K1V at 16°C and a starting gravity of 31° brix. Looking at other people's experiences with TOSNA slow seems typical.
I don't know what kind of nutrients you used or some of the other details of this batch (pH drops, etc)... But my point is that the speed of a fermentation by itself shouldn't produce off flavors as long as the yeast are healthy. If you're not smelling or tasting anything funny, then I guess it's all good.
I don't know what kind of nutrients you used or some of the other details of this batch (pH drops, etc)... But my point is that the speed of a fermentation by itself shouldn't produce off flavors as long as the yeast are healthy. If you're not smelling or tasting anything funny, then I guess it's all good.
Thanks for your post about TOSNA , zpeckler... I have not tried using the TOSNA approach but it does look interesting and I am hopeful that the slow fermentation that I have will be fine..
In the beginning I was using nothing but boiled bread yeast & raisins for yeast nutes, those would take 4 to 6 week to ferment out on average IRRC. With the Fermaid-O I have been getting fermentations that are averaging from 2 to 4 weeks, depending on what's in it in the way of existing nutes in the batch. Both had a lot of batches that were drinkable right out of the fermentor, way less fusels than a JAOM.
