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Hello All, I plan on starting a Tawny Port this year (yes I know this is a long haul) using a 1:1 Cab Sauv to Petite Sirah blend and will be fortifying it with a ~65% abv brandy made from a 2:1 Chenin Blanc to Sauv Blanc blend. I have three questions. First, how long should I let this sit on...

So we all know that wine has some pretty nice preservative properties, such as tartaric acid and a lot of it, which beer does not have, allowing it to be easily aged without going bad. As someone who has brewed beer many times, it seems to me you kind of need to work hard to get wine to spoil...

Just pulled this guy out of salt after 21 days to hang dry. Looking pretty good and, as my wife said, "wow, this one does not smell rancid." So here is hoping this one goes the distance. I bought this leg from a farm two days after slaughter where they pasture their hogs, raising only...

I was thinking about maple wines and meads today, of which maple syrup is very low in acid to the point where you need to add acid to achieve a proper PH, and wondered how well MLF would work with added malic acid. Specifically, would MLF with artificial malic acid produce the buttery flavors...

Started these about 1.5 to 2.5 months ago, and all is well so far. No sulfur issues as of yet, which is great since I am Sur Lee aging three of these.

Other the obvious size difference, how extreme is the effects of wood flavor, oxidation and evaporation between these two sizes? I have read varying opinions on this from puncheons provide almost no flavor to they will impart a flavor that is more subtle but still there.

Will adding sulfites to a weaker braggot (around 7% ABV) protect it like with a drier 10+% wine/mead? I do not want to boil the honey, which would destroy the flavor, and would add it after the wort cools down. My concern is that, unlike wine or mead, a fair amount of complex sugars from the...

Hello Group, I recently filled a couple of barrel with unfiltered water not knowing issues that could develop from any chlorine my city put in the water. I did acidify the water and added 260 PPM of SO2 after filling the barrels. Should I concerned here? Should I remove the water and fill...

When using an yeast with a competitive factor active, like EC-1118 and D-47, I have been foregoing sulfating the must before fermentation with the opinion that the active commercial strain will kill most of what else is in there. As soon as fermentation is over, I would sulfate the wine/mead to...

Is it possible to carbonate bottled Mead that is on the sweeter side of semi-dry, say around 1.010? My feeling is that traditional bottle conditioning would eat through all of the sugar, making it dry and over-carbonated (possibly leading to exploding bottles). But is there another way of...

What are the opinions on Sur Lee aging meads? I have a few barrels coming next month and I plan on making a few different styles of mead I have been working on for the last half year. I am thinking about Sur Lee aging some of them. I kind of feel that it would help with a Show Mead and...

Anyone know how the taste of Acacia change with different toast levels? A local cooperage offers barrels all their barrels with all levels of toast and char, so I was kind of wondering. I have only every read Acacia being light toasted and it giving floral flavors. Just wondering how that...

I am thinking about upscaling a couple recipes I have for mead to 10 gallon batches and aging them in small new Acacia barrels. I would like to get at least 6 months of barrel time for this test, but fear this would be too long in a new barrel. I was thinking about storing water in the...

So I am trying to simulate the effects of an Acacia wood barrel on a couple of different meads, but I can not find any Acacia wood cubes for home wine makers like with oak. So I found a few Acacia pen blanks and plan on toasting them myself. I am just wondering if doing this in the oven would...

So I found a reputable local honey farm about an hour outside Philadelphia (Swarmbustin' Honey if you live nearby and are interested) and picked up 51 pounds of honey from them this week. They sell a Spring wildflower, Autumn wildflower, a black & gold (3:1 mix of Spring and Autumn) and...

Taking the time to perform a test this winter of Lalvin yeast, which I have decided to use as my brand of yeast going forward due to the lack of any volatile sulfur issues with my ferments. I just mixed up a basic mead using wild flower honey ending up with a OG 1.120 and divided it into 7...

Anyone have any experience adding tannins to mead to give it more mouth feel? Would rose petals or other flower petals do the trick? If so, how much per gallon would you add?

I am thinking about getting a new French oak barrel for next year, and the options seem limited for small barrels. I found one company that sells a variety of sizes of French oak barrels with medium toast out of CA called Artisan Barrels. Anyone ever buy from them? See below for a link to...

Hello Group, Well I was off to figuring out a blend tonight for a tawny port and sampled all three wines only to find the dreaded burnt rubber smell and taste in each one. Needless to say I am pissed. The three wines varietals were Petite Sirah, Malbec and Cab Sav, and I used Vintner's...

In the spring I will have about 9 gallons of a blend I will need to fortify that I want to turn into a Tawny. Just wondering on what type of liquors one would suggest. I will really would like to avoid using a lot of liquor, to both save my bank and prevent too much dilutions, but also...