Have I created a vinegar?

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Have I created a vinegar?
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sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Sat Sep 28, 13 3:03 pm Post subject: Have I created a vinegar?
Help please. The blackberry port that I am creating from Gil's recipe is ready for going in to the demijohn but I have had a sniff and it's got a hit of a vinegary smell to it. Is this right, will it pass or is it ruined? Thanks.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Sat Sep 28, 13 3:07 pm Post subject:
I'd say it definitely shouldn't smell of vinegar

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Sat Sep 28, 13 3:26 pm Post subject:
Are you growing potatoes? Nice to go with some chips.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Sat Sep 28, 13 4:45 pm Post subject:
Thanks Jamanda. Mrs C says it's not vinegar just burns the nostrils a little but she can still smell blackberry in it. Is all hope not lost?

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Sep 28, 13 6:58 pm Post subject:
Might just be the alcomahol. I'd carry on for a bit and see what happens.

Toffer

Joined: 01 Nov 2009
Posts: 247
Location: Sutton St Edmund, Lincs

Posted: Sat Sep 28, 13 9:05 pm Post subject:
No, vinegar already existed

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Sat Sep 28, 13 9:09 pm Post subject:
You're confusing vinegar with a vinegar.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Sat Sep 28, 13 10:13 pm Post subject:
Thanks Sean. I'm ignoring everyone else.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Sep 29, 13 9:07 am Post subject:
A good rule for life.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15600

Posted: Sun Sep 29, 13 3:05 pm Post subject:
I would taste a bit. If it is vinegary, decide you were making wine vinegar and use for cooking. I had the same problem with quince wine a few years ago, but it is a brilliant wine vinegar.

oldish chris

Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 4148
Location: Comfortably Wet Southport

Posted: Sun Sep 29, 13 3:34 pm Post subject:

Mistress Rose wrote:

I would taste a bit.

The standard approach of a food chemist (back in the 60's & 70's) was to firstly sniff it, then taste it.

I have a happy memory of a pedantic and rigorous chemist being outraged by my working methods. My job was to check wine for alcohol content (affected amount of duty paid), firstly I lined up the sample bottles (usually 8 to 12 in all), then I decanted about 50ml into a beaker, then a quick sniff then a gulp. Then gas chromatography and stuff. One day he did the job to show how to do it properly (accurately even). Very strange results from the gas chromatograph. Instead of one result: the strength of the wine, he got three! A few hours research later he discovered what the results meant. The sample of wine contained appreciable quantities of ethanol, acetic acid and ethyl acetate.

I also learnt that J.Lyons' hotels did a decent house white, very palatable.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15600

Posted: Mon Sep 30, 13 6:15 am Post subject:

I wasn't a food chemist, but I was taught to have a careful sniff of some chemicals too by wafting the fumes from the open bottle towards me only. As most of the things I was dealing with you wouldn't want to taste and many of them very toxic, we didn't ever taste.

I remember one of our lecturers setting up a Heath Robinson gas chromatograph which was a marvel of glass tubes. We tried to get a reading from it on one occasion, but think our sample oozed out of the joints or something.

I always had enough trouble interpreting the NMR and IR results. Organic chemistry wasn't my strong point I am afraid. Much preferred inorganic and physical chemistry. I always worked as an electronic assembly engineer, so those were more closely allied to my work anyway.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45516
Location: yes

Posted: Mon Sep 30, 13 1:32 pm Post subject:

sgt.colon wrote:

Thanks Sean.

I'm ignoring everyone else.

good ,b'berry has quite a fierce smell in fermentation especially at first sniff ,try pulling a bit of liquid off into a clean glass and sniff that.unless it is foul or very acetic it should be ok

ps foul is unmissable

oldish chris

Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 4148
Location: Comfortably Wet Southport

Posted: Mon Sep 30, 13 2:02 pm Post subject:

dpack wrote:

ps foul is unmissable

succinctly put

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Tue Oct 01, 13 8:54 am Post subject:
It's been about 36 hours since I demijohn'd it up and there is no gas passing through the air lock. I take it that means it's not fermenting? Is there anything I can do? Thanks.

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