Danger's lab---keep out!!!

Dave, you're going to need some space for all the L'uve Bella juice you're going to buy in March

Runningwolf said:

Dave I use those four wheel dollies from Harbor Freight. You can pick them up on sale for arounf 12-14 dollars. I just add a few boards or heavy plywood. I can put 3-4 carboys on each one.

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Thanks, Dan, but those are just a little too tall. My clearence in 32" from floor to bottom of table. A six gallon carboy with airlock runs about 28" tall. I need something that has smaller wheels, so it sits lower. Those would have helped immensely! If they had two inch casters instead of three... I think I'll need to design it with a recessed bottom so it will roll under the table. I think it's called a gondola dolly (?).

I've got ideas...

Dave Get some silicone carboy stoppers , that will gain you about 6 " clearance.

Greg

Hey, rendezvous, thanks. Those would work great! Does anyone use them?

Update!



I haven't done a Lab update for a while. I know you're all just on the edge of your seats...

I've been busy in the Lab this winter. With the aid of two brew belts, I have been able to continue to crank out wine during the winter months. The Lab keeps a constant 61F-63F year round, so I use the belts to keep the fermenters up to temp.

Let's review, since I have extra time this morning... I've worked up from a single bucket on an old coffee table in August.


I added a stout table to hold my carboys...


...and built cubbies into some of my shelves to hold my batches of wine.


I could stand a little better organization (I'm working on that), but it's a great place to make wine!


On the Lab table (above) now sits: 6 gal of Shiraz with Raisins (aging), 6 gal of Concord/Elderberry (aging), 6.5 gal of Raspberry White Zin (clearing), 6 gal of Green Apple Riesling (clearing), 6 gal of Blackberry Merlot (clearing), and 5 gallons of Strawberry (aging). These carboys are using my new vented silicone carboy stoppers. They appear to work as advertized.

The Peach Mango ("Heidi's Uberraschung") was bottled yesterday. Johnna says it looks like "liquid sunshine". This was the first fruit wine I made (except for Skeeter Pee) on my own---as opposed to a kit. I am very proud!


The peach turned out so good, I have used the same recipe for the Strawberry and the wine currently in the fermenter---Tropical Fruit Wine.

Now that I have my new stoppers (to reduce the total height of my carboys) I'll be getting busy on my design for a cart to hide the aging wines under my table.

There! You've all been updated. Don't you feel better?!

Dave what recipe did you use for the peach?

WOW Dave, great production and storage area you have there. I love it!

I'm so jealous. I have a 109 year old house with sandstone foundation. I would love to have an area like this.

It does look beautiful! I love all the shelves and storage. It looks like it's really coming along.

Lookin good

dangerdave said:

I'm running out of table space, Steve. I know, I shouldn't complain. My next project is going to be a Carboy Caddy that will roll under my table (there is just enough room) and hold 4-5 full carboys for bulk aging out of sight...& out of the minds of friends and family. The Keep Out sign has not worked yet! Do you think it could be broken?

Click to expand...

Just a thought if your feeling ambitous. Tear down Shelving Put down cheap home depot kitchen base cabinets, put cheap formica top on that. Then adjustable shelving. You can use a track system and screw them directly into studs, and make your shelfs up to 24 " wide. The possibilities are endless

Sammyk said:

Dave what recipe did you use for the peach?

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Sorry I missed your post, Sammy. I have been on vacation, and away from home, for a few weeks. My wines just get better while I'm gone!

I used the recipe on the label of the Vintners Harvest Peach wine base. It worked well for both my peach and strawberry. If you would like me to post the entire recipe, I will do so gladly. Let me know.

Peach mango wine

Per Sammy's request, I am posting my Peach Mango Wine recipe ("Heidi's Uberraschung"), and the data from my wine log...enjoy!



I started with a six gallon peach wine recipe.

Nov 17, 2011: To the 7 gallon primary fermenter, I added the following:
192 oz of peaches in peach juice (two 96 oz cans): fruit placed in fine mesh bag; juice added to primary
11 lbs of white table sugar
3 tsp acid blend
4 tsp yeast nutrient
3 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp wine tanin
6 liquid tsp of Solution of Bisulfite (5 tsp sodium or potassium bisulphite in 1 cup water) or 6 crushed Campden tablets
SG=1.090 @ 80F
Let ingredients sit undisturbed for 24 hours.

Nov 18, 2011: Sprinkled packet of Bourgovin RC-212 (Austrian) yeast on top.
Nov 19, 2011: SG=1.075 @ 80F Active fermentation noted
Nov 22, 2011: SG=1.040 @ 78F Racked to secondary 5 gallon carboy
Dec 1, 2011: SG=1.010 @ 78F Treated with Sparkolloid (1 tbsp boiled in 1 cup water)
Dec 16, 2011: Clearing nicely. Racked off sediment. Tasted: slightly sweet but lacking desired depth of fruit flavors. Added 1 oz natural peach flavor and one ounce natural mango extract.
Feb 7, 2012: Racked off fine sediment.
March 3, 2012: Added 2 tsp potassium sorbate
March 4, 2012: Bottled 25 @ 750ml. Tasted. Very earthy fruit flavor.

Heidi loves it! Success! If I could change anything, I would cut the fruit flavorings in half (0.5 oz of each).

The big experiment

With promptings from Lon (our Skeeter Pee Master), I decided to go BIG! on my next batch of Triple Berry. So, I went to the store and got me one 32 gallon professional grade trash can, a bunch of fruit, and a ton of sugar.

I took my *6 gallon Triple Berry Skeeter Pee recipe and tripled everything.

Mar 17, 2012: Added to primary:
60 cups of sugar (for a starting SG of 1.080)
4 bottles of "Real Lemon Juice" @ 48 oz each
18 lbs of triple berry blend (raspberry/blueberry/blackberry) placed in three mesh bags
3 tsp wine tanin
10 tsp yeast nutrient
4 tsp yeast energizer
3 tsp pectic enzyme
Water to 18 gllons (actually added about 16 gallons)
Stirred vigorously; let sit overnight
March 18, 2012: made starter with 3 packets of EC-1118 yeast and stirred into must.
March 20, 2012: Stirring and squeezing each day. SG=1.060 @ 72F

We'll see how this goes, as I make a last desparate attempt to outpace the drinkers!

Love it! My 6 gallon batches of pee are history too. Might need to step up to the BIG time and invest in a brute can too! We really like the lemon pee back sweetened with concentrate cans of juice. Danger, do you backsweeten the triple berry with sugar or juice? Guess it would depend on personal taste. Just curious since I need to cook up another batch. My wife is even telling me to go get another carboy!!!

MMMMM! Sounds (and looks) delicious!

(Cut-Paste.)

It's in my wine recipes file now. Thank you and Sammy too!

dangerdave said:

Per Sammy's request, I am posting my Peach Mango Wine recipe ("Heidi's Uberraschung"), and the data from my wine log...enjoy!

I started with a six gallon peach wine recipe.

Nov 17, 2011: To the 7 gallon primary fermenter, I added the following:
192 oz of peaches in peach juice (two 96 oz cans): fruit placed in fine mesh bag; juice added to primary
11 lbs of white table sugar
3 tsp acid blend
4 tsp yeast nutrient
3 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp wine tanin
6 liquid tsp of Solution of Bisulfite (5 tsp sodium or potassium bisulphite in 1 cup water) or 6 crushed Campden tablets
SG=1.090 @ 80F
Let ingredients sit undisturbed for 24 hours.

Nov 18, 2011: Sprinkled packet of Bourgovin RC-212 (Austrian) yeast on top.
Nov 19, 2011: SG=1.075 @ 80F Active fermentation noted
Nov 22, 2011: SG=1.040 @ 78F Racked to secondary 5 gallon carboy
Dec 1, 2011: SG=1.010 @ 78F Treated with Sparkolloid (1 tbsp boiled in 1 cup water)
Dec 16, 2011: Clearing nicely. Racked off sediment. Tasted: slightly sweet but lacking desired depth of fruit flavors. Added 1 oz natural peach flavor and one ounce natural mango extract.
Feb 7, 2012: Racked off fine sediment.
March 3, 2012: Added 2 tsp potassium sorbate
March 4, 2012: Bottled 25 @ 750ml. Tasted. Very earthy fruit flavor.

Heidi loves it! Success! If I could change anything, I would cut the fruit flavorings in half (0.5 oz of each).

Click to expand...

hobbyiswine said:

Love it! My 6 gallon batches of pee are history too. Might need to step up to the BIG time and invest in a brute can too! We really like the lemon pee back sweetened with concentrate cans of juice. Danger, do you backsweeten the triple berry with sugar or juice? Guess it would depend on personal taste. Just curious since I need to cook up another batch. My wife is even telling me to go get another carboy!!!

Click to expand...

I backsweeten the skeeter pee with sugar---5-6 cups per 6 gallon batch---bepending on my taste at the time. The fruit in the primary gives this wine (triple berry) a very nice full berry flavor. I love it!

Bottling Day

I had another whirl-wind bottling day in Danger's Lab, yesterday. I bottled a nice Green Apple Riesling (Dang! I need a label for this!) and my Vin de Fraise (strawberry wine). Th Rielsing is crisp and light, and the Fraise is freakin' jet fuel! Considering the starwberry started with a SG of 1.110, you can imagine. My step-daughter Jessi (who I made it for) loves it---she's 22 years old. I think it's best served in a shot glass!

Here's the carboy of strawberry jet fuel...


And the bottled versions of both, along with my best winemaking friend---my allinonewinepump!!! <sorry, honey!>


Labels pending...

The triple batch of triple berry lemon (Skeeter Pee) went as planned. I ended up with three five gallon batches in their respective carboys. Phew! Now I won't have to make any of that for a while, so I can concentrate on my better wines. Here's the racking from the tub to the carboy. Easy as can be with my (you guessed it!) allinonewinepump!



Now, all my fermenters are empty! I hate that!!!

EASY PEESY (SKEETER PEE)

Ingredients: For a six gallon batch:

Step 1: To a cleaned and sanitized seven gallon primary, add---in this order:
2 bottles (48 oz) 100% Lemon Juice (ReaLemon in the green bottle): if you want to recude the acid level use one bottle.
Water to about five gallons
20 cups of white granulated sugar (looking for a SG btw 1.085-1.09): use less sugar for lower final ABV. Stir sugar until completely desolved.
1 tsp. tannin (stir)
4 tsp. yeast nutrient (stir)
2 tsp. yeast energizer (stir)
3 tsp. pectic enzyme (stir)
6 lbs. of Triple Berry Blend (raspberry/blackberry/blueberry--available in most grocery store freezer sections), frozen then thawed, in a nylon fine mesh bag (tied shut), placed in primary: Give the bag a couple of squeezes to work in pectic enzyme. May also toss fruit directly into primary, but this makes for a "messier" fermentation and subsequently will require more clearing time and racking.
Top water to six gallons
Cover primary
Place brew belt: Keep temp in 70F-80F range.
Let sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours...

Step 2: To the primary fermenter, add:
1 packet of EC-1118 Yeast (starter, per yeast directions): Sprinkle yeast into one cup of warm water (100F), let sit for 15 minutes (no longer), stir and add to primary. Other yeast strains may also work well.
Stir Primary Vigorously!

Step 3: Each day, do the following, in this order:
Check temp
Check specific gravity
Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter---remove friut pack: Temporarily place in sanitized bucket.
Stir primary vigorously: To introduce oxygen into must.
Replace fruit pack
Cover primary

Step 4: When specific gravity (SG) reaches <1.000, do the following:
Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter---remove friut pack: Discard fruit.
Rack to cleaned and sanitized six gallon carboy
Degas very thoroughly: I cannot emphasize this enough!
Add 1 tsp. Potassium Metabisulfite (stir)
Add 3 tsp. Potassium Sorbate (stir)
Add Sparkolloid* (or other cleaing agent): *1 tbs in one cup of water simmered for about 30 minutes. Add hot mixture to carboy.
Allow to clear undistrubed for no less than 1 week

Step 4: When wine is clear:
Carefully rack off of lees into cleaned & sanitized six gallon carboy
Add 4-5 cups of white granulated sugar (stir until sugar is completely disolved): Add more or less sugar to taste. Remember! The sugars will blend with the berry flavors over time, and the sweetness will come forward. Do not over-sweeten!
Allow wine to clear free of all sediment: This may or may not require more racking over the next few weeks.

Step 5: When wine is completely clear:
Bottle in clear bottles
Note: Never bottle cloudy wine! NEVER!

Wine is drinkable right way, but may benefit from up to a year of aging.