2 More Questions

[Barney]

Ok, two more...


Since I am new to this hobby, I am starting with 1 gallon batches which require me to use allmy juice. Once I rack to my secondary it is not a full gallon. Can I top off with water or should I get more juice to top off with?


Also, if I decide to back sweeten, do I use sugar water or juice or is it just what ever I like?


Thanks in advance for all the help.

 

[Wade E]

Hi Barney, I would start with a little over a gallon since you do not
want to add more juice as this will turn into more alc. and over power
the taste of the wine you are making unless your shooting for a high
alc wine. Each time you add sugar it will start fermenting until
exhaust the yeasts ability. Most yeasts will yeild around 16%, some are
lower and some are higher. You probably will not want to water it down
as you will lose flavor. So, in my opinion and thgis is what I do, I
start of with a gallon and a half and when I rack it I fill the gallon
jug all the way and use a wine bottle to hold the rest. You will need a
smaller bung and another airlock to do this though. After racking again
you will need the last bottle of overage to bulk age. Good luck.

 

[Barney]

Wade, thanks for the response.
I will try this with my next batch.

 

[smokegrub]

Wade, when you make 1 gallon and a half do you increase the ingredients proportionately (yeast excepted)?

 

[PolishWineP]

As you continue racking you will lose more volume, requiring topping up each time. You can also use sanitized marbles for topping up. I would still go with the larger starting amount and then in later racking toss in the marbles.

 

[PolishWineP]

Wade, when you make 1 gallon and a half do you increase the ingredients proportionately (yeast excepted)?

Generally, yes.

 

[Wade E]

Smoke, everything must be added to as you said except the packet of yest as 1 packet is good for up to 6 gallons.

 

[smokegrub]

Thanks, Wade. Guess I have to go pick some more dandelions now that I have to increase my starting volume. : )

 

[Wade E]

When ever I can I do it this way. To bad kits dont start off a little big!

 

[summersolstice]

Wade, this is the reason I usually make my kits in 5-gallon carboys. I use another one-gallon jug to ferment the remainder and use it for topping. I usually end up with the 5-gallon carboy for bulk aging and another half gallon or so I bottle in crown caps for evaluation for readiness in the next few months.

 

[Wade E]

Cool Rule. I f Im careful I dont lose enough that I have to add more
than a little commercial or something I have laying around but I will
never add water again. There have been a few times that I wish I had a
5 gallon crboy before I finally bought one but since then I have not
needed one but at least I have one handy now.

 

[Barney]

Glad to see this sparked some interest, so I am going to ask another question.


Can I take the 1 gallon recipes and convert them for 5 gallons? The reason I ask such an ignorant question is the sugar amounts seam very high to me.


Thanks.

 

[smokegrub]

Yes, but use only the single package of yeast.

 

[grapeman]

What is the recipe you are using? Most recipes can be converted to larger batches with no problem, but before I say that, I would like to see the recipe. The sugar amount can get quite high if you basically are starting with a flavoring(from fruit, dandelions, marigolds, etc). The sugar is what is converted to alcohol, so if the juice doesn't have it in it, it needs to come from somewhere, i.e. sugar.

 

[Barney]

Thanks everyone.


Appleman, I am looking at the Apple Wine from Juice recipe on this site. There is an apple orchard close to me that produces cider. I would like to make a batch with the fresh cider.

 

[grapeman]

Barney there is a lot of variation in the SG of the apple juice/cider depending on variety, ripeness,time of year etc. The acid can also vary quite a bit, but a good mix generally is satisfactory. When you get your juice, test the SG of the cider. Usually this would be enough to give a low alcohol content wine/hard cider-probably about 1.060. This won't age a long time as the resulting ABV will run low. If you are after a longer keeping wine, adjust the sugar content up to about 1.085-1.090. This will give you a good all-purpose starting point.

 

[Barney]

Appleman, thanks for the advice. I will let you know how it goes.


Thanks!