Recent content by HankRearden

Sadly at this point in my winemaking career, you wouldn't know the difference :(

Thank you! This worked. I just finished a batch of Welchs as a test. Hydrated yeast, kept it cooler, stirred every day racked 3 days out. I also added a few bits of copper wire to the fermentation vessels. I'm still avoiding sulfites and pasteurizing instead, but it's the best batch...

Should I stir every day including first ferment, second ferment, etc. ?

Makes perfect sense. Now I'm anxious to try again!

Well this time I added a bit of yeast nutrient even though the kit didn't call for it. I also tried throwing a few pennies into a small glass and no dice. First time around I was wondering whether my well water was to blame, but this time I used spring water.

Just finished my second kit... It's awful. Both were RJS Grand Cru kits - (Merlot and Pinot Noir) Both were 4 week kits. Both finished with a "funk" (rotten egg / puke) No blame on RJS - just trying to figure out where I went wrong. Admittedly, I skipped the sorbate/sulfite step, but in...

Understood about spoilage. Part of my goal in making these kits is to see how the wine will age using pasteurization (during bottling) as a substitute for SO2. That said, I mentioned the omission of SO2 / Sorbate because of how it may relate to headspace. IOW, I did not stop...

I'm currently working on my second attempt at kit wine. I mistakenly bought a 6.5 gal carboy and had too much headspace on my first kit. I didn't use sorbate or sulphite because I'm trying to avoid any additives. So, though I didn't see a whole lot of bubbles coming through the air, I...

Which brand is used in commercial wines? I see that super kleer and turbo clear both have a warning that they are made from crustaceans

Might be different in kits. I just started an RJ cru kit last night and noticed that the Chitosan pack had a warning about shellfish allergies.

You're right. I didn't realize how the protein is removed. Makes sense.

This sound like what I would expect. I know they're not required to label the use of chitin which is made from shellfish and many people are highly allergic. Also must be frustrating to vegans. Labelling on alcohol seems to be very loose and oak flavor, in some wines, overpowering.

I just completed my first kit and it contained a bag of oak chips which I used. I can barely discern any oak flavor. I've noticed a very strong oak taste in many $8 - 12 bottles. I also understand that oak is used to cover off-flavors. Since there are few ingredient labeling...

In this case I didn't use a nutrient because the kit didn't call for it. I'm also trying to avoid additives so I omitted the polysorbate and sulfides. However those were called for at 14 days and I could taste it there already at that time. I could be wrong on the butyric acid, but I...

Having a problem with my wine having some butyric acid. I say butyric acid because it has that "baby vomit" odor that is attributed to butyric acid - though I'm no expert. Previously it was with Welch's, now with a kit. As I understand, some bacteria could be causing this. I do sanitize...