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  1. Americanhooch

    Dealing with smoke

    Thanks all! Seems like it's a sticky issue. Keeping my fingers crossed for all of us!
  2. Americanhooch

    Dealing with smoke

    I really hope no one on here is suffering from these fires. The smoke is pretty bad here in SF. If you do need help, let me know. To my question: I'll have a couple hundred pounds of Sonoma cab sauv in a few weeks. With the insanity of the smoke lately, I'm worried about smoke taint...
  3. Americanhooch

    Good wine supply stores in SF Bay?

    Oak Barrel Winecraft in Berkeley seems good. Got my grapes there last year.
  4. Americanhooch

    Source for custom labels

    I used BottleYourBrand.com and paid $0.89/label. No problems so far.
  5. Americanhooch

    Post your labels here

    I put together a one-size-fits all label with a blank to write in the details, as well as a stamp version of the same design. I stole the logo from a now closed dive bar in Austin. Not very wine-y, but it's fun.
  6. Americanhooch

    Egg white fining for tannin management?

    Great ideas! I've got two five gallon guys going. So maybe I'll see which one is running a little more tannic (they're different yeast strains) and use the egg whites on that one.
  7. Americanhooch

    Egg white fining for tannin management?

    I've got some super tannic Petite Sirah hanging in carboys right now. I was chatting with a winemaker the other day and when this came up, he suggested using egg whites as a fining solution which would also soften the tannins. I've heard of this process and been curious about it, but...
  8. Americanhooch

    Sourcing grapes In larger than hobby amount, but less than pro amount

    I bought from Oak Barrel Winecraft this year and so far, so good. Looks like they list pricing for quantities up to 900lbs on their site, so might be worth a try to see if they'll throw in an extra 100lbs to make it a clean 1/2 ton ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  9. Americanhooch

    Single Varietal in Northern California

    @NorCal Very interesting!
  10. Americanhooch

    Single Varietal in Northern California

    I ordered 200lbs, but I didn't get the sense folks were limited to increments of 100, just got price breaks at increments of 100. If they've already confirmed that, there you go, but if not, you may want to give them a call. Nice folks regardless. Brehm (who also sell frozen must) was also...
  11. Americanhooch

    Single Varietal in Northern California

    I've only got a couple harvests under my belt as well and I'm already up to 5 carboys of varying sizes and a few 1 gallon jugs. @Fuzzywuzzy I'm in the SF area and got my grapes at Oak Barrel Winecraft in Berkeley this year and through Brehm last year. If you're also in the Bay Area, would love...
  12. Americanhooch

    Yeast for Petite Sirah?

    @Mario Dinis Awesome! How'd it work out?
  13. Americanhooch

    Recap of the 2019 Grape Season

    Haven't seen these guys before. Have you been pleased with the quality and delivery/pickup of the grapes?
  14. Americanhooch

    Yeast for Petite Sirah?

    I'll ashamedly admit that I overlooked measuring the pH beforehand don't have the TA equipment, so out of luck there! That said, it's not tasting like a high pH wine, so I suspect that means the TA is not crazy. No MLF for me on this batch. [edit] --> and to @mainshipfred, I got the free SO2...
  15. Americanhooch

    Yeast for Petite Sirah?

    Just did an SO2 dosing on my PS, so had an opportunity to taste it first. The D21 is still considerably tannic, though it's noticeably softer than it was a month ago. It feels more structured and restrained. The RP-15 is comparatively fruity (a shift from before), though still with noticeable...
  16. Americanhooch

    Yeast for Petite Sirah?

    Thanks for checking in! Got 5+ gallons of each of the D21 and RP-15 (and apx 2 gallons of a 40/60 blend, respectively) hanging out in carboys now. Last I tasted a couple weeks ago, the D21 was SUPER tannic and the RP-15 more approachable, but somehow less fruity. The 40/60 blend (which is...
  17. Americanhooch

    Yeast for Petite Sirah?

    I ended up taking a possibly weird approach. I'm doing one Brute with RP-15 (thanks buzi!) and the second with D21 (thanks CDrew!). After almost a week, the RP-15 is seeming a bit fruitier and they're going at roughly the same pace so far. Not sure if I'll blend them at press or keep them...
  18. Americanhooch

    Yeast for Petite Sirah?

    Hey all. I'm working with Petite Sirah (not blending) this year, and should be picking it up this week. This kind of came together quickly, so I haven't put too much thought to the yeast. I was thinking RC-212 or BM4x4. Has anyone had notable success with any particular yeast strain when...
  19. Americanhooch

    Top ten keys to making good red wine

    I'd stress a few things on your list as more critical than others, namely, sanitation, monitoring, and patience.
  20. Americanhooch

    Sur Lie

    The "gross lees" typically refers to the residue that is made up of bits of skins/seeds/other stuff that might be in the juice in addition to the first dead yeast cells. The fine lees are just the dead yeast cells. You'll probably get more experienced answers from other folks, but I'd...
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