Recent content by JohnF

Yikes.... It calls for chips but I used cubes (Item # 6341A) I guess I should have used #7410B or #7405B I didn't catch that. Should I fish them out, will the cubes still work in the primary? John F

I'll tell ya what....... The only words I can use to describe the look of my white grape peach are stunning or brilliant. I can hardly believe that it's the same wine from how it started and how it looks now. The taste is also really developing.The last time I tried it I was...

I'm following a recipe that calls for adding oak during primary fermentation but has no other remarks. The directions on the oak package say to add after fermentation is complete for a min of 8 weeks. It's sitting in the must right now and yeast goes in the AM...... What do I do...

I did the stirring by hand exactly as described above on stabilizing/finning day and on Sat or Sun I'll be able to rack off the sediment. I'm curious to see how well of a degassing job I did by hand. It didn't produce much fizz when I did it so........we shall see. John F

It looks like I will not have enough time to make a white kit for the holidays (carboy space) but I will have time for an Island Mist kit. Having no idea what to expect I just "sampled" a bottle of Arbor Mist Peach Chardonnay. At first I was a little shocked by the over the top...

I have (so far..) the 10 gal. fermenter, (2) 1gal jugs, (2) 5 gal. carboys, (1) 6 gal. carboy. I need to get another 6 gal for a white kit, another primary for beer, and a bunch of 1 gal's to keep me busy while the kits are going. Also I need a storage spot for 100+ bottles of...

I got the best one I could find (based on reading comments in forums and other reviews)....The Joy Of Home Winemaking and it does not get very deeply into these issues. Yesterday I was looking for my next book but could not figure out the one that is a "good complete winemaking book"...

What is the timeline for adding things to your wine as it relates to fermentation? Things like tannin...can you add it after fermentation is complete? Oak - does it have some effect if added during fermentation vs. during bulk aging? What things (outside of...

Good deal! The thing is the exact instructions have some "fuzzy" stuff in them in spots. So I'm trying to figure out how to follow their intent </span>exactly without following the steps exactly. Here is an example....The instructions ask us wait 14 days after stabilizing/clearing...

I got a small taste while racking my first batch yesterday and even though there is no activity and the wine is getting pretty clear (3rd week or so) it tasted strongly</span> of yeast. I guess a lot of yeast is still suspended in the wine in "invisible mode" and time will...

I'm using it to sanitize everything including my racking cane/siphon hose and during transferring I get a slight taste of this junk. It says this cleaner is fine to use without rinsing but I'm wondering if it would be better to use bleach and just rinse with hot water after...

Superior! Don't change anything. John F

How often and for how long is it in the 90's &amp; 100's where you live? Maintaining 74 from May - Oct in Texas I'm guessing would result in ... 1)Your ac unit running non stop 24/7. 2)Approx. $1,000 electric bills. 3)A good working relationship with an ac...

It was 1.096 Now it's 1.008 after a few days. Is that good? John F

OK.....I took a reading and the SG was 1.008 so I sent it to the secondary. Now it's very obvious that fermentation is happening. I got a chance to taste it from the siphoning and it was like a lemon wine cooler....but not a very good one It's also a funny...