Search results

Try: Snowdon, JA and Cliver, CO. "Microorganisms in Honey". International Journal of Food Microbiology. 1996 Aug;31(1-3):1-26. When we dilute honey for mead, we reduce the osmolarity of the fluid as well as the local concentration of any bactericidal chemicals naturally occurring in the...

I added potassium sorbate to my wine about two weeks ago and planned on back-sweetening. First time this has happened. I later realized that the fermentation had a little way to go, and it has just finished fermenting, albeit slowly Question is: If I back-sweeten the wine now, will the...

I've blended fruit to get the juices out, and it has come out way too fine and has been a pain to strain, and I'm sure a juicer would make even finer pulp. What I usually do now is to blend the fruit very coursely so it will be easy to strain, let it sit in the water (if you're using water)...

I have made lots of mead and have three recipes on my web site, plus a meddyglyn recipe. My favorite mead is light in color and body, and very dry. The recipe for 1 gallon is as follows: 2.2 lbs. wildflower honey 1/4 tsp. tannins 1/2 tsp. acid blend 1 tsp. yeast nutrient wine yeast...

I've had no problem at all using plastic carboys/bottles; however, I too read Jack Keller's commentary and have found that they are no longer as cheap as they once were. They now cost over $13 per carboy... plus the bung... (at least where I'm shopping). Even though this isn't as expensive as a...

I've had yeast in the fridge last forever, keep it really well sealed, as I've heard moisture from the fridge can get in and cause damage if its not.

Because honey contains a variety of sugars, some of which are very complex, the yeast starts using the simplest, most readily-fermentable first. Sometimes the mead will clear and appear to be done fermenting, but really the yeast are manufacturing the proper enzymes to make the more complex...

I make a dry peach wine, and I've had some batches finish and clear quickly like this too, but my very first batch I bottled when clear and it ended up having some mild carbonation, there must have been some low-level fermentation. Now I give the wine at least two months before bottling, and...

I made some Pear Cider a few months ago, and I also used cotes des blancs, and every time I took a hydrometer reading or snuck a sample I noticed a horrible smell too... it was... fecal... As off-putting as that was, it is now an amazing wine, and I even put the recipe up on my website. It's...

This could definitely be a wild yeast or bacterial contaminate having produced butyric acid, which tastes and smells very much like vomit. If that's the case, then your wine might be a total loss. The only hopeful thing is that butyrate is very volatile and you can always smell it too, so if...

I've talked with people who say sucralose is fine if you're using a very, very small amount to add a slight sweetness to your wine, as in just taking away a bit of dryness. However, if you're making a "sweet wine" or dessert wine, then the aftertaste is noticeable and you might want to take an...

Definitely sounds like a sulfur bleaching problem. With grape-based wines, the color is usually regained as S2 leaves solution as gas.

Here's my recipe from my website "The Winemaker's Notebook": 4 lbs. Pears peeled and sliced boiling water to 1 gallon 6 cups sugar 1/4 tsp. tannins 1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme 1tsp yeast nutrient Chop up pears, put in stock pot. Carefully pour over the boiling water. Once it cools to...