bacchus's new apprentice

[deadhead]

hi my names spotz from the high desert in southern california and im just looking for sum basic advice on wine making and what all the basic kits can do. i was going to choose home brewing as a hobby but in my own opinion i think that the time and sophistication of wine making is more rewarding (although from some of the home brew recipes ive read up on i sometimes beg to differ) any advice would be greatly appreciated and im highly anticipating the start of my newly discovered craft.

 

[St Allie]

hello spotz

great to have you here

Allie

 

[Tom]

hi my names spotz from the high desert in southern california and im just looking for sum basic advice on wine making and what all the basic kits can do. i was going to choose home brewing as a hobby but in my own opinion i think that the time and sophistication of wine making is more rewarding (although from some of the home brew recipes ive read up on i sometimes beg to differ) any advice would be greatly appreciated and im highly anticipating the start of my newly discovered craft.

Welcome Spotz,
Ask away...

 

[Runningwolf]

Welcome aboard. Glad to have you here.

 

[wyntheef]

Hi Spotz, Welcome.

Steve

 

[Green Mountains]

Nice tip of the hat to bacchus. I've been toying with some labels that would have him front and center but have yet to use him.

I'll toast you and welcome you aboard with Bacchus himself.

Cheers.

 

[Wade E]

Why not do both beer and wine, lots of us do and if you do beer the All grain method its pretty sophisticated, probably even more so then wine making. Most of the equipment can be used for both. As far as wine kits go it depends on what your looking at. Some of the cheaper red wine are a get what you pay for thing where the wine is thin and lacking body and complexity but the whites are decent where as most of the bigger more expensive kits have much more to give.

 

[deadhead]

thank you all for being so polite. i guess the biggest q's toying with me are can a beginner start making wine straight from grapes or is it to complex? what are the big differences between meads aging/fermentation and wines? and how do i sart my newly discovered craft without a kit for i do not have a credit card nor a wine supply store within any acceptable distance from me. ur input is greatl appreciated.

 

[deadhead]

Why not do both beer and wine, lots of us do and if you do beer the All grain method its pretty sophisticated, probably even more so then wine making. Most of the equipment can be used for both. As far as wine kits go it depends on what your looking at. Some of the cheaper red wine are a get what you pay for thing where the wine is thin and lacking body and complexity but the whites are decent where as most of the bigger more expensive kits have much more to give.

i would love to do both beer and wine/mead but isnt home brewing beer an expensive undertaking or am i ill informed on the subject?

 

[deadhead]

Nice tip of the hat to bacchus. I've been toying with some labels that would have him front and center but have yet to use him.

I'll toast you and welcome you aboard with Bacchus himself.

Cheers.

thank you and cheers to you my grape stomping friend i would love to see sum of the label ideas you have for there are far too few adorned with he who fills are cups and warms our spirits and i would also love to see more ppl giving there respects to bacchus for without him this craft would be but a myth instead of a legend

 

[Tom]

i would love to do both beer and wine/mead but isnt home brewing beer an expensive undertaking or am i ill informed on the subject?

Depends.
Beer I guess is around 25-$30 depending on what you are making and you get 2 cases +/-

 

[Wade E]

They can be but you need to spend money to save money when talking about beer and wine making. Once you get set up the cost drops dramaitcally and you start seeing your return fast, especially with beer as you can drink it much sooner unlike wine where it should age at least 3 months for the smaller wine, biger reds need more like 8 months.

 

[deadhead]

Depends.
Beer I guess is around 25-$30 depending on what you are making and you get 2 cases +/-

what all would i need to purchase to start making beer? can it all be bought at non specialty shops?

 

[rawlus]

not everything can be bought at non-specialty shops.
you'll need a place to buy airlocks for either wine or beer.
you will need a place to buy caps or corks and a capper or corker.
you will need a hydrometer to check specific gravity (not absolutely necessary but very strongly recommended), a thermometer is also good to have.
you will need someplace to get beer yeast or wine yeast.
you will need a source for hops (for beer) or grapes or juice or must (for wine)
you will need jugs, carboys, pails, etc.
you will need sanitizing and cleaning chemicals - some of these are commonly available, some are not.
you will need access to tubing for racking, bottling, etc.

a very basic starter kit will cost less than <$100 and include the bare minimum necessary for a successful fist start.

 

[Tom]

If you are making wine now you have "most" of the equipment.
What you will also need is a LARGE pot, bottles, caps, capper, beer yeast. some chemicals and an extract "kit".
All can be found at a Home Brew Store or on the net. If you have a store near you get it there. That way you can always rely on them if you are stuck...

 

[deadhead]

well now that i know fine vine wines takes money orders that solves alot of my "specialty shop" issues. SWEEEEEEEEEEET

 

[Wade E]

Its one of the best places out there. there are places with more supplies when you get intobeer making deep if you ever do but this place is all most people ever need with the exception of a few people like me, Tom and a few others.

 

[deadhead]

awesome thanx for the info.