RJ Spagnols Anyone making the Hang Ten Kit?..I need help!

[RJBanks]

So I got my kit and set up to start and found a few extra goodies in this kit that I don't know the what when wheres or whys about. The kit came with both oak chips and oak cubes, an infusion bag, dehydrated grapes and a packet of metatartaric acid. The instructions make no mention of the oak cubes or the metatartaric acid. As for the infusion bag.....do I put the dehydrated grapes in it or the oak chips for fermentation and then use the oak cubes after stabilizing?
and when do I use the metatartaric acid??????

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

 

[Wade E]

Ok, the metatartaric acid goes in right before bottling to prevent wine diamonds from forming for as long as possible. Throw the infusion bag, grape skins, and chips in now and throw the cubes in bulk aging.

 

[Dugger]

As Wade says, you can put both the oak chips/sawdust and grapeskins in the muslin bag. Make sure you punch them it down twice a day to keep it wet. If you do not plan to bulk age, you can put the oak cubes in the primary and then add them to the carboy when you rack. These cubes are good for about 6 weeks or so I believe.

 

[RJBanks]

Thanks Wade! I somehow knew you were going to be the one coming to the rescue. Do I use the bag for the oak chips and let the grape skins float freely or the other way around?

 

[RJBanks]

Thanks to you as well Dugger. I really appreciate your help. Time to get started!

 

[ibglowin]

Other way around. You could put the chips in the bag as well if there is room as they will be done about the time the skins are ready to come off.

Thanks Wade! I somehow knew you were going to be the one coming to the rescue. Do I use the bag for the oak chips and let the grape skins float freely or the other way around?

 

[Putterrr]

So I got my kit and set up to start and found a few extra goodies in this kit that I don't know the what when wheres or whys about. The kit came with both oak chips and oak cubes, an infusion bag, dehydrated grapes and a packet of metatartaric acid. The instructions make no mention of the oak cubes or the metatartaric acid. As for the infusion bag.....do I put the dehydrated grapes in it or the oak chips for fermentation and then use the oak cubes after stabilizing?
and when do I use the metatartaric acid??????

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

I just got around to starting my Hang Ten kit. I did not have metatartaric acid in the box. Did anyone else have this missing from their kit??

Also can someone comment on adding the oak cubes for bulk aging. I plan on aging for about 6 months or so. I was wondering about adding wood cubes in the carboy. Since wood floats, will this affect level of topping up? I don't want to have too much space at the top. Anyone have any comments or a picture of one of their carboys aging with cubes in it.

Thx

 

[ibglowin]

They will take up volume so you will need to top off less at first then more after you rack them off.

 

[Dugger]

I made my Hang 10 about a month ago and it is ageing with the cubes in it ( I put them in when I stabilized) - put the cubes in before you top up and then top up as necessary. The cubes will eventually sink to the bottom. After about 6 weeks or so they have depleted their oakiness.
I did not have any metatartaric acid either - normally the RQ's don't have this so I wonder if they were intended to be included.
Anyone else?

 

[Putterrr]

I made my Hang 10 about a month ago and it is ageing with the cubes in it ( I put them in when I stabilized) - put the cubes in before you top up and then top up as necessary. The cubes will eventually sink to the bottom. After about 6 weeks or so they have depleted their oakiness.
I did not have any metatartaric acid either - normally the RQ's don't have this so I wonder if they were intended to be included.
Anyone else?

Thx Guys

So dugger are you going to let it sit on the lees for six weeks before your final racking?

 

[Dugger]

putterrr - yes, I will likely be racking after about 6 weeks. I try to roughly follow Tim V's 5-20-40-90 regime for my kits, although with the 2 week ferment on grapeskins this schedule gets skewed a bit.

 

[ibglowin]

If you are adding oak beans or cubes, generally you would rack off the gross lees, add the oak, top up if necessary then let it finish out. You can rack once again just before stabilization and fining and rinse the oak and then re add it (topping off again) for as long as you want to with tasting along the way.

 

[Dugger]

Mike, I'm not sure if you are referring to just the oak cubes or oak in general, but in kits oak in general is added at the beginning and discarded at the completion of the primary phase of fermentation; oak dust and chips give up their oak quickly, usually within 3-4 days of start of fermentation. The cubes can be added at the primary stage and transferred to the carboy, if wanted, but are usually intended to be added to the carboy and held for a longer period, as I think you are suggesting.
.. Doug

 

[ibglowin]

I was talking oak beans or cubes. I will edit my post for clarification.