Recent content by MixItUp

A local brew shop has Winexpert kits, and I would like to try it as it's the most practical way for me to make wine. I have had enough of fruit wine for a while. There are different grades of quality of the kits. Does, say, a $140 kit really taste like a better quality wine than a $70...

Versus using a faster yeast and just stopping it at say 10% abv vs. 19% abv? If there any reason to have this above 6% abv?

I forgot to mention, I am just using white grape as a base, I am making fruit wines. But advice well taken. I'd like to keep the alcohol as low as possible but not mess up the wine.

Is there any reason why going to a lower alcohol percent such as, say, 5 or 7% on a white wine that will be aged for a short time period would be a bad idea? Also, will a wine with a higher percent alcohol have less risk of contamination over time?

I don't have time to check now, but the hydrometer also lists "22.5%" as the potential alchohol level...so I'm sure the sg is right.

Today I took a look see and measured the specific gravity which was 1160, so it will be sweet which is not what I wanted but variety is the spice of life. It's bubbling away pretty fast, curiosity got the best of me and stirred it, about 3" of foam came on top.

And how will I know if it is food safe or not? Is all plastic of certain types "food safe" or is it the process in which it is made? Example, I see most containers being polyethaline or high density polyethaline.

Thank you for the tip, regarding primary fermentation, I take it that I should have the air lock off and a cloth placed over the hole in the lid as opposed to having it in so oxygen can get in?

I figured as much it could be useful. Those were supposed to be smilys not laughs! uh!

When dealing with a batch size of one gallon (I'm planning on 5-10 gallon containers of different varieties at a time), a brand new gallon glass carboy can be had for under $5 where as the plastic ones I can find are $10....unless all plastic containers are "safe"? In which case I can go to...

How will the plastic one give more oxygen? And I thought oxygen was to be kept out? The container would be filled. Why would it volcano if there is an air lock on the top?

Is there any reason not to start the ferment in a carboy, if say, the recipe is using a whole fruit in it (smashed of thoroughly of course) such as strawberries, blackberries, etc? Or will it be too hard to remove the must on the bottom when all is said and done? Glass containers are cheaper...

My temperature is 70 F, and I do not have a hydrometer. I cannot find the recipe off hand, it was for a white wine but I could not help the temptation to add blackberries and kiwi too it. I tasted the juice and was tempted to drink it the way it was, but held off. It is a one gallon batch...

I made an account yesterday assuming I would use it, and I was right :h I am using pastuer champagne yeast, which was put in 40 minutes ago, and narry a bubble has risen. This is my first wine. Is this normal? At which point should I be concerned that the fermentation isn't happening...