Sunshine Wine
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Thank you so much! It's great to get all the encouragement! Everyone has been a huge help!
A year in!
- Thread starter Sunshine Wine
- Start date
Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:
That's what this forum is all about as you well know. I foresee a time in the not so far further that you will be given advice to other's!
Last edited:
Bossbaby
Senior Member
Kit wines may be a good way to get your groove on!
don't put pressure on yourself, you ain't got to please anyone but yourself,,, just enjoy the journey, for me the whole point is a mindless no pressure hobby, and you get the joy of if it ain't so tasty ,, you can enjoy making your husband drink it,,, lol
Dawg
Dawg
Sunshine Wine
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Lol..
That’s not nearly big enough
Sunshine Wine
Senior Member
- Joined
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Haha!That’s not nearly big enough
Scooter68
Fruit "Wine" Maker
gsf77 said "That’s not nearly big enough "
I was thinking the same thing. Here's my wine rack as of yesterday morning. But we can cut Sunshine some slack, she's just getting started. Give her a couple of years.
I was thinking the same thing. Here's my wine rack as of yesterday morning. But we can cut Sunshine some slack, she's just getting started. Give her a couple of years.
Sunshine Wine
Senior Member
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What do you have in those flip top bottles on the left of the picture?
Scooter68
Fruit "Wine" Maker
Hard Apple Cider
Sunshine Wine
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Cool! Is that hard to do?
Scooter68
Fruit "Wine" Maker
Actually it's pretty simple. I do check the SG but the idea is to let the Apple Juice ferment without any additional sugar. You adjust the pH add the standard recipe additives: Pectic enzyme, Yeast Nutrient, and wine Tannin if desired. I did not add any tannin. If you want to make it "au natural" you can bottle sooner and not wait for it to clear - just say "I just opened the top and let the wild yeast do it's thing." (Of course I forgot - yeah, add yeast too, we don't want to go overboard with the 'natural idea." ) 
If you look at the picture, beside those snap-top bottles are some dark bottles with a brown label. That is also Apple cider but for it I sweetened it up with Honey instead of Sugar.
The only issue I had was that the second batch was flat tasting, then I checked the pH (This was as I was getting ready to bottle it) SURPRISE, the pH was 3.87 and that's way too high (Not near enough acidity) I added acid blend and brougt it down to 3.43 and then bottled it. By the way IF you do any additions to a batch like that - wait a day or two before bottling. That second batch of cider with the new acid blend dropped about 3/4 of white sediment overnight. Before bottling I siphoned off of that since I'm not certain what that was. Taste was still excellent and definitely had that honey sweetened taste.
All that to say - it's pretty easy to make if you can find some Raw Apple Juice and even if it has some preservatives it should still work fine, just might take a little longer. Just make sure it isn't watered down/reconstituted juice. I'm pretty certain they take liberties with that sort of juice and add extra water, I mean who is really going to check that, after all they say "reconstituted" or "From Concentrate" right on the label so how much water is too much. Just an extra 2-3 percent adds to the makers bottom line.
So yeah find some pure non-reconstituted Apple Juice and go for it. (And I have heard people say that they literally just broke the seal on a gallon jug and then let ir ferment on it own. Could be risk if it foamed up but...
If you look at the picture, beside those snap-top bottles are some dark bottles with a brown label. That is also Apple cider but for it I sweetened it up with Honey instead of Sugar.
The only issue I had was that the second batch was flat tasting, then I checked the pH (This was as I was getting ready to bottle it) SURPRISE, the pH was 3.87 and that's way too high (Not near enough acidity) I added acid blend and brougt it down to 3.43 and then bottled it. By the way IF you do any additions to a batch like that - wait a day or two before bottling. That second batch of cider with the new acid blend dropped about 3/4 of white sediment overnight. Before bottling I siphoned off of that since I'm not certain what that was. Taste was still excellent and definitely had that honey sweetened taste.
All that to say - it's pretty easy to make if you can find some Raw Apple Juice and even if it has some preservatives it should still work fine, just might take a little longer. Just make sure it isn't watered down/reconstituted juice. I'm pretty certain they take liberties with that sort of juice and add extra water, I mean who is really going to check that, after all they say "reconstituted" or "From Concentrate" right on the label so how much water is too much. Just an extra 2-3 percent adds to the makers bottom line.
So yeah find some pure non-reconstituted Apple Juice and go for it. (And I have heard people say that they literally just broke the seal on a gallon jug and then let ir ferment on it own. Could be risk if it foamed up but...
mussel man apple cider unfiltered at wal-mart, will work
Dawg
Dawg
Scooter68
Fruit "Wine" Maker
By the way typically no sugar additions to straight apple juice will yield about 6.5-7.5 % ABV. At least that's what I've got from my home grown apples and a bottle of unfiltered pasteurized apple juice from our local orchard store. They are my peach source and apple juice if I need it.
