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Do you think the results would be even better if you used a kit that came with grapes and then added the skin kit to it? Perhaps the Merlot kit with the grapes and then add the cab skin pack?

That is quite a process...seems intimidating to make the leap from a kit to using fresh grapes. Maybe someday I'll be up for the challenge...

Looks great! Makes me wish I lived in NM.

I agree with DancerMan. I made the Merlot this past year (actually still bulk aging). I tasted some a month ago and it tasted very good, but the color was not very intense like I was expecting. I'm definitely going to add the cab skins next time.

Thanks for the blow-off tip. I will try this next time. Do you think it would be good to Sparge the specialty grains with 175 F water? Would that give me a darker/more intense color? Here are more details (I couldn't find my SG readings though) I used.... 0.6 lbs Crystal 60L 0.6...

Here is a summary.... Steeped the specialty grains at 165 for 30 minutes (did not sparge grains) Bioled and added hops 60 minutes total. Chilled in ice bath in a sink (I did not use a wort chiller). Added cold water to get 3 gallons. Transfered to fermenter and poured back...

I tried my hand at brewing beer this summer with the intent of making a braggot. I developed a recipe for the braggot that was based on a stout. I had 50% of the fermentables come from a dry malt extract which I added to my malt extracts (for this I used crystal malt, malted barley, and...

Thanks for the replies and discussion. I guess I will shoot for adding a grape pack next time. Do they sell a Merlot grape pack??? I remember only seeing the packs for Cab and Shiraz. Thanks again for the input...

I neglected to consider the skins. That makes a lot more sense. I guess if you have a kit that comes with a grape pack the color will be a lot deeper (along with a more complex flavor). Maybe I will purchase a grape pack when I do these again next time.

I am currently bulk aging a MM All-Juice Merlot and MM All-Juice Cab. I did a tasting of them the other day when I was adding more K-Met. They each taste fine, but I noticed that the color is not dark for either of them. Is this typical of these kits??? Is it an issue with the...

I have not heard the egg beater technique. This would make things a lot easier. I'll have to try this with my next mead.

I recently found a big box of mangos in my kitchen that needed to be used up so I was inspired to make a new mead. Thankfully I still had some honey in the pantry to use (Always a good idea to have some extra on hand). Here is my recipe so far... Mango Inspired Mead (4 L batch) 3...

Hmmm....I haven't heard about dry ice having oils in it. I haven't noticed it in the demonstrations I have done for schools... One would have to be very careful about the amount of dry ice needed to do this sort of carbonation. From my experience it is possible to carbonate water with dry...

Freeze the fruit on a cookie sheet and then consollidate in a bag after frozen. That way you can get the fruit apart easier when you need them. This works well if you plan on using a little at a time. I always wash my first, too.

If you have all of the hops residue wouldn't you get an herbacious flavor added to the ale?

I'm already planning for it. I need to wait for the local raspberry patches to start producing. I like the fact that all of the ingredients are local...well, at least from the state. I could use local wildflower honey though, but I like the flavors from the star thistle honey...

Eight months later... This mead has been sitting in bottles for about 5 months now. I'm not sure if I commented on another thread so I will post an update here. I had some people over to start a pale ale brew and we tasted a few of my meads. This one had developed a darker color and the...

I am in the process of making an English PaleAle from a kit and Ifound that I lost a lot of wort because I was worried about siphoning the hop residue into my primary fermenter. The kit used pellet hops which may be adding to the problem. Is there a good way to filter the wort so we can get...

I saw a post that mentioned some problems when sanitizing with K-Met for beer brewing. From the stuff I have read I didn't see anything specific about what is the "best" way to sanitize. What would be the preferred way? What kind of problems could I have (will I have with my first...

I tasted the cyser, too. It's already starting to come around. I started oaking one of the bottles...