Making vinegar - alcohol and sugar tolerance
I am wondering if my latest batch of vinegar is either too sweet or too alcoholic for the acetobacter to flourish. Are there well known thresholds for alcohol and sugar that acetobacter will tolerate?
The latest batch is an attempt to make balsalmico tradizionale de Ohio. I made a sweet wine from a white grape juice and white grape reduction. The fermentation was vigorous and finished product sweet and very alcoholic. I added the wine and vinegar starter to a wide mouth mason jar filled to the top. I am more than two weeks in and have added vinegar starter multiple times. There is still no mother growing on top and the acid levels do not seem to be progressing.
Variables I've considered:
- Preservatives: I double checked the grape juice for ingredients. Ascorbic acid only. The yeast fermentation went fine, so preservatives should not be the culprit. That said, sugar is a preservative...
- Temperature: The house is between 70-80 throughout the day. I have batches of vinegar in progress sitting 2 inches away.
Pictures about "Making vinegar - alcohol and sugar tolerance"
Can vinegar be turned into alcohol?
The solids strained from your vinegar, which can be in smallish pieces or a disc covering the surface of your vinegar, are the starter or 'mother'. You can put these solids \u2013 along with a little of your live, liquid vinegar \u2013 straight into a new alcohol to begin the vinegar-making process again.How do I make homemade vinegar stronger?
For stronger flavor, try two parts wine to one part water. (You don't need to dilute cider or malt liquor; they're typically only 5 to 6 percent alcohol.) Next, pour the liquid into clean jars or a vinegar-making crock with a spigot on the bottom.What happens to the alcohol when making vinegar?
Fermentation of Alcohol Into Vinegar In the presence of oxygen, acetic acid bacteria convert the alcohol into acetic acid, also known as vinegar. This process is called acetic fermentation. Once the vinegar has properly fermented, it can be aged. Young vinegar is often very aggressive on the palate.How long does it take alcohol to turn to vinegar?
It will take about two weeks to two months for your wine to turn into vinegar ... or for you to figure out it's not working.Why I started making my own vinegars from scratch...
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Anna Nekrashevich, Rachel Claire, Tim Douglas, Katerina Holmes