my first big batch

[Nubz]

this is a recipe i came up with on my own from reading a lot of things here and all over the net

5 of these from walmart http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10415325
and around 10 grams of yeast http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10319302 (yes i used bakers yeast big deal lol)
figured out how much sugar to use going with what Luc had said in a post i read of about 200 grams per liter counting the sugar in the juice
so 5 pounds of sugar(which might be a 1/2 cup or so over what i needed in hindsight)
also had read about acid and squeezed the juice from a lemon in to the must

this is what i did with it

poured the juice into a 5 gallon primary bucket except about a half of one of the jugs
used the rest of the juice to disolved my sugar by heating it on the stove till all the sugar was disolved and had like a thin syrup let it cool in the sink with ice and cold water by setting the pan in there
added it to the juice and stirred it up good and then put in the yeast and let it sit a few hours and let it foam up good then put on the lid and airlock i made(a hose going into a glass jar)
bubbling non stop as i write this into the water(guess the airlock works properly )
now i know someone is bound to preach to me about the yeast and ask about the hydrometer reading i don't have

so other than the 2 things i will get hounded over did i think this should turn out ok at least
the closest home brew store is about 20 minutes from me with no car also no way to order things over the internet( ie. cc debit card etc)

mostly wondering if i got the sugar close to correct and if i was correct about the lemon juice

 

[Wade E]

That sounds like it should be a good wine, Id like to see some nutrient, do you have any multivitamins, Id go with 1/2 of tablet crushed and dissolved if it is 3 gallon batch?

 

[Nubz]

That sounds like it should be a good wine, Id like to see some nutrient, do you have any multivitamins, Id go with 1/2 of tablet crushed and dissolved if it is 3 gallon batch?

funny you should mention it since i was reading a post last night you replied to about using a multivitamin in substitute of nutrient and have already done that
my mother lives not far from me and takes them so i went and snagged a few lol

i wasn't sure how much to use so i did a half of one

 

[Tall Grass]

add any acid at the start? The first few apple juice mixes I made without acid blend turned out pretty bad

 

[Wade E]

He used the juice of a lemon, maybe could use more but that can be adjusted better later per taste, just some for yeast to be happy with is good for now. You should also add k-meta as soon as its done fermenting and it could use some ascorbic acid (AKA-Vitamin C) to protect it from oxidizing and turnin brown.

 

[Tall Grass]

woops, my eyes passed right over that

 

[Nubz]

He used the juice of a lemon, maybe could use more but that can be adjusted better later per taste, just some for yeast to be happy with is good for now. You should also add k-meta as soon as its done fermenting and it could use some ascorbic acid (AKA-Vitamin C) to protect it from oxidizing and turning brown.

the juice has ascorbic acid in it already would it need more?
also is there some equivalent to what is in k-meta like the multivitamin thing?
about the acid how do i know by taste if it would need more

lol i feel like im being a pain asking all these questions


anyway since i don't have a hydrometer yet i plan on being very very patient with this batch

 

[St Allie]

Not that I want to hound you over anything.


I'd use the juice of one lemon per gallon. They are not as acidic as you'd think. Apples need a bit more acid or they have no bite after fermentation.

Allie

 

[Nubz]

ty everyone for the good advice

so hmm 4 more lemons is nothing to go grab tomorrow
seeing apple in your list so much Allie id say i should listen to what you said
and hound away its you folks that know about this stuff not me
I'm here to learn
was mostly a joke about the yeast and hydrometer being as i know better lol
i just wanted to see how cheap i could do this by putting together my own equipment and using things anyone could easily get ahold of and see what the end result is

 

[Nubz]

racked it today and of course had a little taste(about a shot glass worth)
besides the obvious strong as hell taste since its such a new wine it wasnt bad
sort of like a strong white wine taste to it
could even taste hints of apple in it(which if im understanding correctly will come out more in time)

anyway just an update to let everyone know how my first real try at this is going

ty all again for all the answers to my questions and the little tips you threw in here and there

of course im starting more soon as i get a few more things watching the blueberries come in has given me ideas

oh and just for fun heres a pic of my homemade contraption

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/album.php?albumid=39&pictureid=225

yeah the top of my jar has a few rust spots on it and the bucket looks a little cruddy on the outside but be assured this was all scrubbed with very hot water and bleached out to kill anything left behind bfor i started

 

[phatuna]

This sounds a bit like Edworts award winning Apfelwein. Do a google search for it, they won't let me post a link as I'm a newb here
Try that someday, it's delicious!

 

[Nubz]

This sounds a bit like Edworts award winning Apfelwein. Do a google search for it, they won't let me post a link as I'm a newb here
Try that someday, it's delicious!

there is a recipe for that in the recipe section

and this was going to be until i couldn't find corn sugar anywhere

 

[phatuna]

I've only used corn sugar for the apfelwein, but I have read that you can also use regular cane sugar or brown sugar.
The cane sugar is apparently a bit tougher to disolve, so some people heat it mixed with water for a few minutes to disolve, then add to primary.

I'm interested to hear how yours turns out, please keep us posted.

I have been making beer for a while but my wife LOves wine. I just purchased a cabernet kit for her birthday coming up. So I'm lurking around here trying to pick up some knowledge.

Cheers!

 

[Tom]

1st WELCOME,
Which kit did you get? You should have most of the equipment since you also make beer.

 

[Wade E]

Welcome Phatuna, start your own thread in Introductions and tell us about yourself, also please fill in the location under User Controls so we can better help you as far as giving you ideas where to get stuff and what fruits may be available. Glad youre liking your batch so far Nubz.

 

[phatuna]

Thanks Tom, I ordered the Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Kit from the online store that I use for my beer supplies called Homebrewers Outpost. I don't know much about it, I'm sure that I should have done some more investigating before purchasing so I hope she likes it.
My wife is a big wine enthusiast with a (perhaps common) aspiration to own a little winery in the CA central coast

We have had a great time brewing beer together, but she isn't very interested in the final product. I know that she is going to enjoy winemaking.

 

[phatuna]

Welcome Phatuna, start your own thread in Introductions and tell us about yourself, also please fill in the location under User Controls so we can better help you as far as giving you ideas where to get stuff and what fruits may be available.

Thanks Wade, I'll do that now

 

[Tom]

Thanks Tom, I ordered the Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Kit from the online store that I use for my beer supplies called Homebrewers Outpost. I don't know much about it, I'm sure that I should have done some more investigating before purchasing so I hope she likes it.
My wife is a big wine enthusiast with a (perhaps common) aspiration to own a little winery in the CA central coast

We have had a great time brewing beer together, but she isn't very interested in the final product. I know that she is going to enjoy winemaking.

LOL My wife likes the DRINKING part and NOT the winemaking part..

 

[Nubz]

LOL My wife likes the DRINKING part and NOT the winemaking part..

my girlfriend sounds disgusted on how long she has to wait to get into it i know the feeling Tom lol

 

[Luc]

Not that I want to hound you over anything.
I'd use the juice of one lemon per gallon. They are not as acidic as you'd think. Apples need a bit more acid or they have no bite after fermentation.

Allie

A bit late but Allie is right.

To substitute acid by lemons look here:
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2008/03/citroensap-lemon-juice.html

Measurements learned me that 1 gram pure lemon juice just imparts 0,07 gram acid.
Meaning that if you would need 15 gram acid you would have to add the juice of 4 lemons. Reed the full article for the right calculations.

Luc