Recent content by 3dB

I don't know about "common," but my progression is a gradual but incessant expansion of equipment, and evolving my technique as I learn more. I used to joke that brewing beer was like cooking from a recipe -- I change it up from a little bit to massively, depending on my goals for a batch, my...

Unknown -- I haven't brewed otherwise identical batches with a double blind tasting 6 months later. But it's not an unreasonable assumption. The primary reason for punching down skins is because they're nucleation sites for taking CO2 out of solution, which floats them partially out of...

My problem precisely! I use glass weights -- two or three per bag of skins. Don't really want to go with anything metal, as glass is so easy to clean and sanitize. My current strategy is to look for a taller fermentation bucket...

True. Yet oxygen is a double-edged sword. It is necessary for yeast to build cell walls (with healthy transport mechanisms) during their multiplication and early growth. Tiny amounts of O2 can be beneficial throughout fermentation and aging. And, of course, oxidation is the primary mechanism in...

I lock down the fermentation bucket under airlock at pitching the yeast, and don't open it until ready to rack and degas. I've only ever had a problem once, when the buckets were too full (surface of the must too close to the lid). A vigorously bubbling airlock makes me happy; fermentation has...

Yeah, I discovered a detriment to my technique of submerging grape skins so as not to have to "punch them down" repeatedly, with concomitant exposure to O2. I have two 6-gal batches of Cab Sauv Forte in 8(?) gal buckets. The submerged skins, plus the volume of the glass weights holding them...

In practice, it's not. When used in the sense of establishing federal jurisdiction, "interstate commerce" means "all commerce Congress has the power to regulate," which is virtually synonymous with "all commerce in the USA." Like most areas of federal law (tax, wage & health, drugs, guns, etc.)...

When I'm not making wine, I'm a trademark lawyer. ;) Meritage is the subject of US Trademark Office Registration #1753058. It is a "certification mark," which means the owner of the trademark does not prohibit others from using the mark in connection with identified goods and services (the...

January. I brewed a batch each of FWK Bordeaux and Sauvignon Blanc back in April. Then in July I learn the guest list has grown, and she wants more of each... "just in case." Six weeks EM; another six for 3 rackings; then I'll have ~3 months to bulk or bottle age. Plenty of time for the Sauv...

Ditto. I have two FWK Bordeauxs on pre-order (another wedding; God blessed me with many daughters). A shipment of flowers for designing centerpieces for the first wedding spent 10 hours in a UPS truck this week and was still not delivered until the next day -- basically dead (she got a refund)...

I'll have an answer in a few months. :) This is my first batch of WE-PR. I only ordered it because FW couldn't ship a Bordeaux kit now, and I'm on a deadline for a wedding.

You're right. Those instructions changed relatively recently (like within the past year -- I think when the Forte line came out with skins included?) -- they formerly said (like the Winexpert still does) to punch down daily (or more) throughout fermentation. The current instructions include an...

LOL. Lack of modern sanitation was practiced for centuries -- that hardly means it's "fine." Recent research in beer brewing shows noticeable degradation in flavors with even brief exposure to oxygen; the whole reason we "top up" wine in carboys is to minimize O2/surface contact. CO2 doesn't...

Instructions for both the FWK Forte kits and Winexpert Private Reserve (which also come with skins) tell you to put the skins in a muslin bag and "punch down" the bag daily for the first ~2 weeks of fermentation. Problem: that oxidizes your wine. In the first week or so, with very vigorous...

Your comparison was to not purchasing a similarly damaged item in a store. False equivalence. There is no cost, trouble, or added delay in passing over a minorly damaged item in a store, and instead picking up one in perfect condition. Having to ship a delivered product back and wait for a...