Recent content by Val-the-Brew-Gal

I have not tried cold crashing...I might give that a go just to be safe. I added more pectic enzyme yesterday and today the white wispy stuff is gone and it looks much better so that's good! I will wait a couple days then maybe filter one more time before bottling.

I went ahead and filtered the wine. It actually went through without clogging the filter pad. It turned out nicely cleared...or so I thought. It looks good from a distance but when I shine a light through, the wisps are starting to form again 🥺. I guess I'll hit it with more enzyme. I've...

I made a peach-apricot wine and I knew I should add extra pectic enzyme but then forgot to do it. I racked, treated and added SuperKleer and that's when I realized my mistake... the wine would not clear. I stirred in more pectic enzyme at that point and have it's been 3 weeks since that. The...

I use a "recipe" for a yeast slurry that I found online. It starts with hydrating your yeast for 20 minutes. Then add 1/4 cup of must, 1 tsp of sugar and a pinch of yeast nutrient to the rehydrated yeast. When this is about doubled in size do the same thing again. When it is once again about...

Hi! The batch that this thread referred to never fermented below 1.008 but since I back sweeten to 1.010-1.012 anyway it worked out fine, just not as much ABV. My batches since have been fine but I've definitely been more strict with how I make my yeast slurry. I add all the lime juice up front...

Hi! Sorry for the delay in replying, I haven't checked my account in a bit. I've never made a batch from real limes, I always use juice. How is it proceeding? The batch I made that this thread is referring to only fermented to about 1.008 but I usually back sweeten to 1.010 so it ended up...

Yeah, they did so awesome with the rocks last year so I hadn't consider how detrimental it would be with temps above 100° for an extended period. We've never dealt with temps like this before! Anyway, thank you for your observations and tips!

I had just watered them and my soil isn't great so it just hadn't sunk in yet. I was worried that with the 110° temp, they would need lots of water but I will definitely take your advice. Thank you!

I am growing just a few grapevines in my yard. A couple of my vines were growing nicely this early summer with huge beautiful leaves. Within the last 5 days or so, the leaves are starting to thicken, curl and get dead, dried up areas. We are having an unprecedented heatwave right now... multiple...

I recently made a strawberry guava Dragon Blood. After fermentation, I racked multiple times with my AIO and added potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate then backsweetened and finished with SuperKleer. It cleared beautifully and I bottled it probably a 5-7 days ago. I opened a bottle...

You guys are awesome and hilarious! Thanks for all the laughs!

Pretty sure I would have cried 😥 😅

So my husband knocked some bottles off a table and broke one of my empty carboys that was sitting below them. Can anyone give me some tips on how to hide a body? ;):p

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions! I added a dose of pectic enzyme, waited a day and then re-treated it with SuperKleer. It's clearing beautifully now 😊😊😊

Thanks, I'll give it a go! 😊