Recent content by bluedog

As the title suggests, I came home to find that my dog had gotten into the kit and pulled the f-pack. There wasn't as big of a sticky mess as there could have been, but he did get the cap off and lapped up at least some of the contents. Can't say as I blame him. I prefer dry wine, so probably...

I use this method when making a Graff, which is technically more of a cider-ale hybrid. I make a gallon of beer wort by steeping half a pound of Crystal malt and 1 oz of torrified wheat in 3 quarts of water at 155 F for 30 minutes, then rinsing the grains with enough ~170 F water to bring the...

For heating, I use a Johnson Controls A419 controller, as mentioned in the post that Seth linked. They often come un-wired, so if taking that on doesn't interest you, make sure you buy one that is pre-wired. I pair it with a few of feet of 12" wide "THGHeat Tape," which is typically used to...

Don't fear the foam. I've been using Star San as my go-to no rinse sanitizer for 5+ years with no issues. This is mostly in the beer making context, but the experience should translate to wine making.

Thanks for the feedback. Good points. I appreciate that kit manufacturers have an interest in setting up novice wine makers for success. Certainly, if one's sanitation practices are not up to snuff, minimizing contact during fermentation may be a good thing as it reduces the risk of an...

So, for the kit wines I've tried thus far (e.g., from WE, RJS), stirring the must during primary fermentation on, say, a daily basis, isn't mentioned, but that's frequently recommended for other recipes I've reviewed. Is there a general consensus to stir, or follow the directions, and not to stir?

Racked and stabilized the DB tonight. Wow, what a fruit bomb! My office/wine room smelled great. Hopefully I managed to degas it thoroughly enough (3 passes with the AllInOne). I had never used sparkalloid before. Sort of strange to boil what basically looks like fine dirt and toss it into that...

In the interests of learning from your misfortune, could you share some thoughts on where you think things went wrong in your process?

I boarded the DB train last weekend. Today marks 7 days since I pitched the EC-1118. SG is presently at 0.997 (temp corrected). I'm fermenting in a fermentation chamber so I can maintain pretty tight temperatures and went with 72F. Seems like that is on the cooler side? I expect it can drop a...

I've settled on: WE Oregon Pinot Noir Kenridge California Grand Red II I'd also like to do a white. Can't decide which one, but the RQ Semillon Sauv Blanc is in the running.

Definitely a change in opacity, which is indicative of the yeast having increased their numbers by reproduction. From what I've seen in regards to using a baking yeast strain to ferment (beverages), the challenges are typically attenuation and flocculation.

Thank for the input. I was curious because while some have suggested targeting a specific SG (e.g., 1.010) for back-sweetening purposes, I hadn't seen mentioned the expected contribution to SG of basic table sugar (sucrose). Given that it is around 46 ppg (points/pound per gallon), a specific...

Using your method, do you find that for a wine that you make on a regular basis (like DB) you land at a consistent SG each time, or does it depend on what your taste buds are in the mood for at the time of back-sweetening a particular batch?

Hi dukes, I'm also a longtime homebrewer that recently jumped into winemaking. I only have a few kits under my belt, but I'm digging it. And this forum is an awesome resource! I'm no expert, but here are some things I've learned so far during the transition: Maybe it depends on the kit, but...

Joe, thanks for confirming the amount on tannin. I have this kit on hand, and am now thinking I will follow your lead and think out outside the box with it. I look forward to following your progress.