Moving Forward When Stuck

Stuck in the mud, stuck in the middle, stuck up—being stuck is never good. Stuck fermentation is a thing that happens in brewing beer or in winemaking. The yeast becomes dormant. The yeast just stops doing what yeast is supposed to do. Not rising to the occasion.  It’s yeast burn-out, a yeast mid-life crisis. Perhaps overwhelmed by world events; constantly consumed with comparing itself to others on its’ Instagram feed.

Does yeast feel like a failure when it’s stuck? Because we all know it is frustrating to not be doing what you think you should be doing, to not arrive at those goals you’ve set---or to not even have goals! “I’m just going through the motions anyway; what’s the point?” The tiny yeast feels no motivation. Losing sight of purpose; no longer motivated by creating Cabernet or other varietals? Forgetting what he knows—that he would create robust reds, creamy Rieslings and peppery, violaceous Malbecs. It’s just about alcohol today,”---stuck again. Soaking and sulking he wonders, “How do I get unstuck?”

Move the temperature! You are static or erratic. Create a temperature suitable to growth. Set a goal, set a deadline, get the heck out of the house! Comfortable can kill! Motivating self is tough. What to do?

Shake it up! Aerate, add nutrients! The enjoyment quotient for yeast is small. I, however, am invigorated by many things. Focus outside helps unstuck me inside. Eating right is obvious. Not so much is surrounding self with other healthy yeast. How encouraging to surround oneself with other yeast that sing day long, “Oh Sugar; honey, honey…”

Make lemonade. Easy to berate oneself for a lack of discipline, movement, tiredness; whatever. Could be that good stuff will flow from a stuck season. Here’s a little yeast-inspired trivia: When rosé wine is the primary product, it is produced with the skin contact method. Black-skinned grapes are crushed and the skins are allowed to remain in contact with the juice for a short period. The longer the skins are left in contact with the juice, the more intense the color of the final wine. In 1972 Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home salvaged a stuck fermentation of his red Zinfandel wine by releasing a paler, sweeter rosé colored wine that he labeled as "White Zinfandel.” Though he wasn't the first Californian winemaker to make a white wine out of Zinfandel, he was the first to aggressively market it as a new wine style and Sutter Home saw sales of

"White Zin" soar from 25,000 cases in 1980 to more than 1.5 million in 1986.  From stock-still to best-selling, it wouldn't have happened without a stuck fermentation.

So you’re crushed today, feeling like just a single-celled organism stuck in a rut that’s not going anywhere? Enough sour grapes! Set those juices flowing again; do that thing only you can do. It’s a time for new wine, a new harvest! Release the inner-you, see what sweetness ensues! 

Photo by Liubov Ilchuk on Unsplash