Recent content by CB750

Did you add any yeast nutrient? Something is wrong did it ever start fermenting? The Cyser I started in November 2012 had a strating SG of 1.122 with a combination of 5 gal of fresh apple cider (SG 1.056) and 12 lbs of honey and two large cinnamon sticks. I did an acid test and it was .50...

Thanks so much for the guide lines. I aree that is is best to ferment dry and then back sweeteen to taste. However one of the best sweet meads I have made was a result of stuck fermentation. I started with a SG=1.110 and it got stuck at SG=1.030. I liked the sweetness and did nothing to...

The Lodi Ranch Cab with grape skins is now part of what WE calls its Eclipse series of regular wines found in the ultra premium. I saw it at my retailer the other day and it comes a black box.

Thanks for the information Lodi ranch cab will be my next red. I have to agree with you that a lot of the commercial wine you find today is rather thin and lacking character. To tell you the truth I find that much of the 5 ltr Box Wine's are just as pleasing as many of the under $10 bottles...

I use a 120 volt lamp dimmer to control the temp of my brewers belt on my glass carboys, but you can achieve the same type of control by just moving the belt up and down on your carboy. Low for more heat higher up for lower heat. You are going to find that once the fermentation gets going you...

If this is the Traminer Spatlese that was offered in the 2011 Limited Edition then you are going to have a very nice wine. I made mine back in March of 2012 and bulk aged it until July. I have had a few bottle's so far and it has that Traminer zing and spice to it and I can taste a hint of...

Last year I made both the Washington Meritage and the Traminer Spatlese Limited Editions and both turned out excellent and are improving with aging. However, for some reason the 2012 Limited Editions just didn't seem to click with me. Even watching Tim's video's on the WE website could not get...

Due to the poor apple crop in Michigan due to our early spring and then a sudden freeze the apple crop was very poor. I had pretty much given up on making a Cyser this year until I noticed some natural stuff from Ohio at my local Costco for $2.98 a gallon a couple of weeks age. At the same...

I have had mine in Bulk for just over 4 months. Just before I added some additional Potassium Metabisulphite I sampled it and this wine is ready to bottle and start drinking. Both my wife and I are very impressed with the quality of this wine kit. Lots of fruit and body with just a hint of...

Just remember those instructions are guidelines as to what should happen at each step but rather than follow the days you could follow the Hydrometer readings that you should take at each step. While you have a less expensive 28 day kit, I would follow Wades advise and add some bulk aging...

I have mine bulk aging for almost 30 days As far as my batch I didn't deviate from the instructions and it did tend to change in taste at each step. When I transferred to the secondary it tasted like it was going to be a very bold and powerful red with lots of tannin to age out. After...

What yeasts are the current Mead favorates? I had taken a 10 year break from Mead making and in the past I had used Wyeast Sweet, Dry and Ale liquids as well as Red Star Champagne and Cote Des Blancs yeast. When I started up again the Beer and Wine supply store where I get my wine kits...

Here is my tale of two identical Mead's. Before Christmas I made a sweet mead 15 lbs Costco honey, 5 gal water, acid blend, yeast nutrients and energizer SG= 1.110 two packs Lavin 71B-1122 and fermented between 70 to 72 degrees. After 50 days fermentation was stuck at 1.030. I stopped the...

Lets face it today's taste in Alcoholic beverages are all over the place and you can never tell when a guest may like something that you may not. I keep triple sec on hand for a variety of reasons beyond the usual use in Margaritas. As Hobbywine states it adds a sweetness and orange citrus...

I remember back in the late 1970's and early 1980's interest in wine drinking started to grow and many public school systems offered Introduction to wine drinking class. They were generally about 6 weeks long and each night would feature a different style of wine and you would sample a number...