Why wine foams during fermentation: causes and 4 ways to solve the problem

Foam that forms on wine must during fermentation is normal. But this only applies to foam of a certain intensity. If the wine foams more than usual, this indicates that there are violations in the process. The reason should be found out. Consider why wine foams a lot during fermentation and how to solve this problem when making wine at home.

Danger of excessive foaming

The presence of foam indicates the work of the yeast. If everything goes well, the normal height of the foam layer during fermentation is 3-15 cm. If the foam has risen too high or takes up all the free space of the bottle, or even exits through the water seal tube, this means that the correct fermentation conditions are not met.

The active fermentation stage starts 6-18 hours after the addition of yeast. It lasts 7-12 days. In the process of active fermentation, a lot of carbon dioxide is released, which is why foam is formed. It is in the stage of active fermentation that the problem of increased foaming may appear. Then the yeast moves down from the top layer of the wort, and the foam becomes less.

The danger of strong foaming is not only that part of the liquid along with the foam may end up outside the bottle, but also that the fermentation is going wrong, which will certainly affect the quality of the finished product.

Foam in the tube may clog it, the gas will not be able to exit and will accumulate in the container. The pressure in it will increase, in some cases it can knock out a water seal or even break the container. If this does not happen, the products that should have been removed will remain above the wort and spoil its taste and smell. Fermentation may stop.

Why wine foams

If the wine foams a lot when poured, it may be normal. You need to wait 2-3 hours, if the layer does not rise, then everything is in order. Foaming depends on several factors:

1. Raw materials. A lot of foam gives juice from plums, pears and cherries. Grape and apple juice - less. The color of the foam also depends on the type of fruit and berries.
2. Type of yeast. Special wine yeast produces less foam than wild yeast found on the surface of fruit.
3. Temperatures. If the temperature in the room where the wort bottle is located is higher than necessary, then the process is accelerated, and a thick foam appears.

To control the situation, you need to follow these criteria.

Ways to solve the problem

There are several ways to stop foaming and reduce the already formed layer. Each of them is applicable in a specific situation.

Do not stir the wort, after that it will foam even more actively. The right conditions for the fermentation of wine: a constant temperature in the room, without sudden jumps, from which the activity of the yeast changes. There should be no drafts, the container should be in a dimly lit or dark place. Under the influence of ultraviolet light, part of the alcohol turns into acetic acid, which lowers the degree and makes the wine more sour.

Split wort

This method works when a container was originally used, in which, after infusion of liquid, there was little free space left.

If there is less than a third of free space, you need to pour some of the juice into another container. Install on each water seal.

Remove foam

According to this method, you just need to remove some of the foam from above. The method has a drawback - yeast is removed along with the upper foamy layer. Therefore, it must be removed carefully so as not to stop fermentation.

Lower temperature

The normal temperature to maintain for proper fermentation is 18-24°C. It is in this range that the winemaking process proceeds correctly. But if the temperature reaches 30 ° C and above, the yeast reproduces too actively and releases a lot of carbon dioxide, alcohol formation goes faster. At 16 °C and below, yeast activity decreases and stops. In any case, both high and low temperatures adversely affect the process and quality of the drink.

To reduce the intensity of foaming, you need to lower the temperature to 16-20 °C. This will normalize the process. It is possible to increase the total duration of fermentation, but the quality of the finished wine increases.It will taste better, will not be cloudy, will acquire a beautiful color. Indicators such as clarity, viscosity, color and taste depend on the temperature at which the fermentation took place.

Restart fermentation

This method should only be used if there are third-party yeasts in the wort that raise a lot of foam. You can also determine the cause by the presence of a smell that is not released during normal fermentation, by the viscosity of the must, by an unpleasant aftertaste.

Measures to eliminate the problem: drain the juice from the sediment, warm up to 65-70 ° C (if possible, without air access) for 3-5 minutes. After cooling the heated liquid to 20-24 ° C, pour it into the container again, add wine yeast or sourdough and put on a water seal.Warming up allows you to destroy unwanted microflora, and adding a starter allows you to introduce the necessary microorganisms into the wort.

Intense foaming when making homemade wine is normal, only if the layer does not exceed the specified height. If more foam is formed than necessary, then it is worth finding out the cause and proceeding to eliminate it.

Most often the reason lies in the wrong conditions, so you need to adjust them. It is important to pay attention to the quality of yeast, ideally you need to use special wine ones that properly regulate fermentation. Or carefully prepare raw materials, wash fruits, berries, sterilize the container and the shutter so that fungi and yeast of unwanted species do not remain on them.

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