SC - Grapes & Yeast

[Pug Bainter]

> If I understand Wulfrith correctly, he means that the yeast strains that
> can handle such a concentration of alcohol without going dormant and/or
> dying are champagne yeast strains that wouldn't have been isolated or
> developed until the 17th century. Dom Perignon, etc. Other wine yeasts,
> in my experience, anyway, seem to reach a maximum of 12% or so...

There are many views on this. Some have been stated by Magdalena.

While many yeasts are designed to stop at certain alcohol percentages,
hybreds can easily form. This is because of the strong yeast surviving
to the end of a batch, and as long as they keep chugging, as they
multiply, the yeast will be more alcohol tolerant. The harder thing
I've had is to get a yeast that will actually multiple in high sugar
environments from the start.

>From directly personal experience, I regularly have ale yeasts go to
14%, wine to 18% and champagne to 22%. (Most of these batches have been
meads and ciders but not many wines.) They could probably go higher
than this if I would feed batchs more. I have only recently started
doing that so I can end up with more batches that aren't bone dry! I
haven't had much experience nor success with actually stopping a batch
without running out of sugar.

My house has some hybred of ale/champagne yeast that I rather enjoy. I
have only done one batch so far with the wild yeast in my house so far,
and it was an accident that I rather enjoyed.

Btw, don't leave anything that can ferment out in my house for long or
it will. This includes whole fruit.

Ciao,

- -- 
Phelim "Pug" Gervase   | "I want to be called. COTTONTIPS. There is something 
Bryn Gwlad - Ansteorra |  graceful about that lady. A young woman bursting with 
Dark Horde Moritu      |  vigor. She blinked at the sudden light. She writes
pug at pug.net            |  beautiful poems. When ever shall we meet again?"
  Note: The views do not reflect the SCA nor the Kingdom of Ansteorra.
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