Recent content by WVMountaineerJack

Are your peppers fresh or dried? We grow Marconis in our garden and roast them in a chile roaster, we save the sweating juice and then use that as the base, the roasting gives it a nice smoked roasted flavor. We also extracted some capsicum in EverClear from some Scorpions and added some of it...

Check out our elderberry webpage http://www.wvmjack.com/Elderberries/Elderberries.html . Each way you prepare your elderberry wine makes a difference in taste. If you cook the berries, or steam extract them it will taste different than using raw fruit. I think raw gives a more fruitier flavor...

You are taking this school thing to seriously if you have to pack it all up, got to keep at least one carboy going to dream about while taking a break from studying. A bottle of banana bochet after a hard day of classes :):)

You graduate yet Deezil? Nothing like school to make you age in a carboy for 4 years :)

They are wonderful for primary in winemaking, we dont use them as secondaries, what problems are you having with yours?

They also make a smaller big mouth bubbler, like 5 quart size, great for making fermented hot sauce and kimchi! WVMJ

Dawg, SB is right, got to use distilled to test TA. For making your wine its whatever makes you happy. I have a well myself in limestone, cant get any better water than this to make wine with. WVMJ

Get a Brute 10 gallon trash can and a towel to cover it for your primary. BMB very good for making cider or white wines for primary also. WVMJ

PVPP?, take a look at the fining agents in the link to Scotts. WVMJ http://www.scottlab.com/uploads/documents/downloads/325/Fining%20Agents.pdf

I like to squeeze them about a day or 2 before I am going to rack them from the primary to let some of the gunk from squeezing them settle out, if you go gorilla on the bag you are going to get a lot of stuff out that just adds to the sediment in the secondary. WVMJ

Is there a function on Fermcalc that adjusts SG to the temperature of the must? We are usually at room temp but are now putting cider in a low temp cooler. WVMJ

Elderberries can add some nice flavors to kits.

Like fermented dates. Drop in some raisans and a few figs for some acid, we use a blender to make them into a slurry, keeping everything loose in the primary stir stir stir, strain when its done, it can really stand to crank up the sugar to get a higher alcohol and keep it sweet, a little oak...

Posted your pic in Plant ID on facebook, they came up with Gray Dogwood. WVMJ

Absolutely, fermented mulberry, very fruity and with the honey even more better WVMJ