Recent content by GrapeApe

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll let you know how it comes out in about 6 weeks.

J.W. Dundee's Honey Lager is exactly what I'm looking for. Am I on the right path with the Brewers Best English Brown Ale as a base? If so, how much honey did you add? What type did you use? When did you add it to the boil?Did you use dry orliquid yeast? If I'm not on the right path, can you...

Thanks Masta. Is there a lesson on honey that needs to be learned or can I simply use a jar of store bought honey?? I've heard that adding "raw" honey can spoil thewort b/c of wild yeasts and enzymes. Sounds like I have an excuse to do some more experimenting. Thanks again for the info...

While waiting for our wines to age, I'm putting up a few more batches of beer. I've had great success with the Brewers Best kits and I'm looking to try something a little different from the standard kit. I'm thinking of adding 2 lbs of honey to the last 10 minutes of theboil of the English Brown...

I think you have 2 challenges - keeping it under pressure and keeping it cold. If it is not kept under pressure it will obviously go flat (great for killing slugs, not so great for entertainment). I don't think you can use wine bottles for this as the pressure may be a problem in a still wine...

In the fire service we have a sniffer that detects gasses, but also goes off for lower levels of oxygen. Typically oxygen is about 21% of normal atmospheric air at sea level, however if you're in afairlysmalltightly sealed basement working hard on degassing your wine, you'll be consuming a...

Just to put a fine point on Masta's post, we bottled our first kit in March and have been trying it every month since bottling. The first bottle we opened in April, we struggled to drink. The smell was horrible and the taste was off too. The bottle we opened in May showed great improvement and...

Mixed emotions about this too, but he'll surely have the equipment he's been wanting. They obviously have theCOT figured out. My bet is he'll spend 2-3 years with Rick, learn all he can (including who are the key members of the org), then make a go at Jr Motorsports on his own. Remember the...

Cut him some slack, Apple. He's lost a lot of blood this week. Thanks for the help, guys. GrapeApe.

Just to be clear, I'm planning to use the MM bucket for a 5 gallon batch of beer. As Wade pointed out, if you're making the 6 gallonkit that came in the MM bucket, it should be racked or poured into the standard 7.9 gallon primary to avoid a potential mess. Thanks all. My first batch of...

Perfect. Thanks for the confirmation, Appleman.

And then you grabbed a paper towel and some electrical tape out of your toolbeltfor ahomemade band-aidand went right back to your glue up project. Been there, done that 100 times and I have the scars on my hands to prove it. I hope you're up to date on your tetnis shots.

Can anyone confirm if the buckets the All Juice kits come in are safe to use as a primary? I'm getting ready to make my first batch of home brew beer and need a 6.5 gallon primary. I'd rather not use my 7.9gallonwine primary as I've read the beer imparts unwanted flavors. Thanks! GrapeApe.

When did you bottle the other batches? Our first "born"was a VR Pinot Noir bottled on March 2nd. We've been trying them every month since "birth". Month 1 was rough - yeah, I could match it to feet or perhaps spoiled grapejuice, but month 2 showed some improvement. It tasted much better, but...

Sounds as if you have the beginnings of a very interesting batch of vinegar.