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Started off a 5 gal batch of cranberry/pomegranate from juice bought at Wally World. Gave all of the proper ingredients and used RC212 as the yeast. Had it on hand and figured what the heck, use it. This was on 28 Oct 14. SG was 1.09. I have watched this batch bubble ever since. I have...

I have found a fruit stand that sells fruit juices by the gallon. Prices are very reasonable. How many gallons of pure juice would you use to make a 5 gallon batch of wine? The norm of 5 lbs. of fruit per gallon of wine will probably not yield 1 gallon of juice. I know when I steam juice...

Made an F-Pac for some plum wine. Thought it would be needed for the taste. However, the taste came through just fine. Can I bottle the F-Pac in a sanitized bottle and keep until I do this again. Probably next spring. Anyone ever keep an F-Pac this long. It's under refrigeration at...

I steam most of the fruit I use so I am not dealing with any pulp. I have not steamed blackberries in the past. My question is has anyone steamed blackberries and if so how many pounds of berries did it take to make up a gallon of juice? I know it will vary depending on the juiciness (that a...

I have split up a 4 gal mead into blackberry melomel, blueberry melomel and peach melomel.. I have put 1 oz of American oak in both the blackberry and blueberry. Not having ever used oak before I think I need a little guidance. Fermentation seems to have ceased in the mel but I haven't just...

Due to the drought last year I lost 43 blackberry vines. Could not get enough water to them and the heat was almost unbearable. I really think the heat got them and not the lack of moisture. Due to the cost of repurchasing that many vines I have to learn about cuttings. The wife would kill me...

I seem to recall reading about doing something with koolade when cleaning up the juicer. Anybody know what that was and how it's to be used? In the water pot I'm starting to get what I'm assuming to be calcium from the water and hoping this is what it addresses. Thanks, jerry

I have seen posts in the past discussing the use of Lemon koolaid as a cleaning agent when using a steam cleaner. Are we suppose to dump the koolaid in the water and then stack the other pots back on top, or is the koolaid just to clean the water deposits from the lowest pot? I have two pots...

Well, I finally got the pears steam juiced. Now have 7 gal + 1 gt of pure juice. I have looked on this forum for a recipe and can't locate one. There's a little discussion but nothing I can find that was finalized. So I have come up with my own version. Because I don't have a heep of experience...

I've been prowling around The Winemakers Toy Store and have a question. Under what circumstances would ya use a flavoring? I know this is probably a real weird question, but I have had a few wines turn out that I thought the flavor was a little thin. Is this what the flavorings are intended for...

I forgot how much juice was yielded from various fruit I have steam juiced. Can't find my notes. Time for a better filing system. Would it be safe to assume if 16 lbs of fruit was steamed it would yield some where in the neighborhood of 8-10 gts of juice? I think I had bought the fruit with the...

Advertised in a local free paper that I needed capable beer bottles, corkable wine bottles and clear one gallon jugs like Gallo wine jugs. Today I picked up 217 green wine bottles ($40.00). Tomorrow I'll pick up a bunch from a guy that called. Asked how many he had and he said he didn't know...

Did a little bottling a few days ago. I had approximately 6 bottles that the cork did not seat below the rim of the bottle mouth. There was about 1/4" sticking out above the bottle. I'm using the Portugese corker I got from Geo. I went so far as to uncork one and recorked it. No difference. Any...

Whoa.....I can't do this again. I made up a blend of concord and niagara a while back. Have had it "aging" in the jugs for a bit. Decided to bottle a gallon of it to pass to friends. Had a little more than would fit in the bottles......so I drank it. Mighty good stuff. Now, I also have 6 gallons...

Have noticed when I use reconstituted juices from the store that they don't really have the taste of the fruit used. If I buy an extra container of the juice and reduce it on the stove by about half will this be about the same as a flavor pack? I would be after the flavor not any volume. Anyone...

Gonna try this tomorrow for 1st time. I have pears. Fresh picked today. About 19 gallons. Do not have enough room in the freezer so I'm going to forgo that step.. Thought process is to scrub them good, quarter and cut out the core. Don't plan on peeling. Also have plums, cheeriesand blackberries...

Did a google on bottling. Directions were to wash, sanitize and hang on a tree. Then let them set until dry. Takes forever for a bottle to dry this way. Are we worried about the sanitizing solution or was this written by someone that shouldn't have done so? I have been rinsing off spoons, etc...

My wife is a fussy wine drinker. Nothing dry, likes it a little sweet. I have tasted the blackberry wine she likesand it has a carbonated feel to it. What can I do to the blackberry merlot I'm about to start that will give it that same feel?

I started a 3 gal batch of Apfelwine this afternoon. The recipe I found called for dextrose (corn sugar).I looked my little town over and talked with store managers. No one had any corn sugar. So I bought what I neededin corn syrup. Recipe called for 2 lbs if making 5 gal and Icut this down to...

I've looked at FVWs offerings for oak and researched the forum for input. I noticed white oak is used for oaking. We have white oak in the USA. Is this where theoak comes from, or no? We also have a lot of red oak in the south. Has anyone used this in their wine? I've got a little batch of...