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I've never gone that route, so I can't offer any useful technical advice as to powdered peanut butter, but I'd try something like that in a second. I know that something about the oil content in peanut products can spoil a batch, but there's supposed to be significantly less oil in the powdered...

I've done it a handful of times with the 100% pasteurized apple juices you'll find at big discount chains. Something I've done with those juices that works out alright is adding raisins in primary and whiskey-soaked oak chips in secondary ....can give a subtle scotchlike profile after sitting...

Looks great. There's the slightest powdering of lees at the bottom after some weeks of just sitting. I'm really hyped to try this during the next racking. I want to make an oat wine with a little bit of orange, lemon and raisins tossed in there during primary. Next run I'm gonna try a...

I would go for it. The banana oat looks pretty good so far, but the final result is still in the air. Just be really sparing with the oatmeal.....it's messy to work with.

ABSOLUTELY! The Breakfast of Champions... After the first racking, there's another half inch of lees in there, but, honestly, it's not that bad considering the gummy mess I dealt with to get this thing started. What gets me is that, by the look of it, this stuff will actually be transparent in...

Not exactly, Shayne, there's more going on than that...I'll probably have a better idea of what to call it when the yeast colony is more spent and the actual taste starts to shine through. But, then again, taste is one of those weird subjects in the home winemaking world....what it tastes like...

So here's an update. Here's what it looks like today. Yes, there's a ton of lees on the bottom, but otherwise it's great. Gonna give this one an early racking to get that stuff out. Smells citrusy. The bedpan yellow has been replaced with a nice golden color. Got a bit off the top and it...

After racking into secondary, I have a delightfully boozy smelling concoction that is hospital bedpan yellow in color...when it finishes, will likely be a nice golden color. Much like previous banana wines, I have a thick layer of lees on the bottom that I'll probably rack out sooner than...

Thanks, Shayne...I appreciate it. It's looking good in primary so far. Not starchy at all, really. Underneath the fermentation smell, there's something I haven't come across in making fruit wines: this slight Worcestershire sauce smell. It's not unpleasant - just different.

I’ve got two approaches to winemaking. One is precise….procedural. The other is “Let’s just throw some crap together and cross my fingers”. This was the latter. I’ve made banana wines in the past. Bananas are cheap - even the organic ones - and it’s fun to watch something that initially...

My cherry licorice wine has come about in a good way. I power-loaded it with pectic enzyme at the beginning, and tossed a little more later on, but it hasn't affected the opacity of it much: dark maroon and a 1.5 on a 1-10 translucence scale. It's got major body, tastes pleasing (but...

Progress Update Licorice Cherry blend has been in secondary for quite a few days. Smaller scale fermentation still occurring. Lifted a taste sample from this batch and licorice dominates to the exclusion of everything else. Alcohol is really getting there...yeast will likely keel over pretty...

I misspoke. It's rated up to 15%.

Red Star Montrachet. I've seen it go up to 17%, although the literature - if memory serves correct - only puts it around 13% for alcohol tolerance. I've used it since I bought my first kit for making wine. Creature of habit. Sometimes I think the fruit, or whatever base I'm using, plays a...

My next licorice experiment is sitting in primary. Licorice root, dark cherry, blackberry and prunes...listed in the order of prominence. Breakdown as follows: 2 Quarts Erk Soos Licorice Extract: Made with 4 ounces of root. Looking to be prominent in taste profile. 24 Ounces: Dark cherries...

I suspect there might be a minimal amount of caffeine. Hopefully just enough to make the night a smidge more lively!

After consultation with another winemaker, I'm changing course with my second experiment. Today, I bought frozen dark cherries and a small bag of prunes. I began a two quart batch of erk-soos inspired licorice root extract...my intention being to combine these ingredients into a gallon batch of...

For about a gallon of erk soos (which sounds like something from Horton Hears a Who) the recipe would call for one teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate per 5 ounces of root. Feel free to adjust those amounts to what you're gonna be using. The steps go something like this: 1. Sprinkle your...

For the most part, my licorice/tea wine has cleared, and I'm just waiting for the last bit of sediment. Color-wise, this concoction is (surprise) dark brown. The taste makes me think of Colonial Era furniture, Cracker Barrel horehound candies and a slight licorice tang that may turn into...

Right now, this wine is sitting in secondary until it's time for the second racking. Taste notes in primary were similar to sweet black coffee. Of course, I expect this to change drastically as the wine reaches dryness. This is more headspace than I usually allow for secondary, but I'm not...