11-22-2006, 09:44 AM
--- Steve wrote:>> Putting EZ Capped drinks in the refrigerator doesn't alwayscompletely> stop fermentation (it depends on the temperature of therefrigerator) but> even if it doesn't completely stop it, it slows it down so far asto be> insignificant. But if you left a drink in there a really long time(months> or years) you would notice the flavor becoming dryer- unless ofcourse> fermentation ended or ends for other reasons (no more sugar, phlevels, etc).>> One of the good things about EZ Caps is the fact that itcreates a natural> product free of any chemical additives. This allows many of thevitamins,> antioxidants, and other healthy benefits of fruit juices to comeout in the> final product. If this is less important to you and you NEED aperfectly> clear, commercial-looking final product fast, this can beaccomplished by> adding a clearant. There are a variety of inexpensive types andbrands> available at homebrewing/vinting stores that can stop fermentationand> produce a clear beverage. Most of them contain an animal-derivedprotein> product (it binds to the yeast, makes it heavier so it all drops tothe> bottom and forms a paste, so when you pour the wine off it leavesthe> sludge behind (chemically assisted racking)) and a chemical processthat> kills the yeast (so no more sludge can be made). All commercialwines go> through this process. When choosing a clearant you have to choosewhether> you want one that is just going to kill the yeast (usually asulfite which> is also a preservative, commercial vintners use it to improveflavor) so> you can rack it naturally, OR one that is only going to clear thebeverage> quickly (usually if you know the yeast is already dead), OR onethat does> both.>> My personal strategy is that I ferment my wine until thealcohol level> gets so high that it kills the yeast. I know this is done whenbubbles can> no longer be seen rising through the liquid. Then I allow theyeast to> settle to the bottom in the refrigerator. I then carefully pourthe wine> out (don't let it "glug" out) and drink it. There is a negligibleamount> of yeast left. If you want your drink more clear, you can repeatthe> clearing process, letting gravity and refrigeration pull the yeastto the> bottom. (cold water is denser than room temperature water- justlike ice> floats in water, colder water allows gravity to pull the yeast tothe> bottom quicker than warmer water would)>they make a siphon hose from a piece of hard plastic tubing that isbent at the end you insert in the bottle with regular plastic tubingattached to it... the u shape at the end of the tube stands above thesediment and siphons off only the clear wine...there is no filterthat will filter out 100% clear wine...the first racking i do is toremove the pulp and dense material from the juice and let it fermentand settle for final clearing...ORGINAL POSTER: rrkeller123