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10-12-2008, 03:09 AM
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#1
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Nothin' like a lil 60 grit...
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Southwest
Posts: 13,326
Liked 381 Times on 238 Posts Likes Given: 40
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First full batch of wine
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Why didn't anyone tell me that making wine was so damn easy?!?!
After several batches of apfelwein and an agave wine experiment, I finally broke down and bought a real wine kit ( Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Austin Homebrew). During today's pumpkin ale brew day, I took a break from brewing to follow the first step in the wine kit's instructions. 10 minutes later, I affixed the airlock and walked away. Seriously? It's that easy?
I tasted the initial hydrometer sample, and that's some mighty fine grape juice! Even though it's an inexpensive kit, I'm really looking forward to the results.
Assuming the wine progresses as it should, we're going to bottle in early December and have 375 mL bottles to hand out for Christmas (with explicit instructions to age it).
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10-12-2008, 12:59 PM
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#2
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Frau Administrator
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Upper Michigan
Posts: 51,707
Liked 1967 Times on 1509 Posts Likes Given: 89
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yuri_Rage
Why didn't anyone tell me that making wine was so damn easy?!?!
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I didn't tell you how easy it was? My mistake.
And.........those kits are actually pretty good. The inexpensive ones make a decent table one in a relatively short period of time. I bought a more expensive kit recently (when AHS had a big sale) and I'm really looking forward to that one. It's the kit with the grape skins and pulp along with the juice, and I've heard that these turn out really well. I'll be sure to post the differences when I get it finished.
Since you like making a kit wine, you should seriously consider making country wines out of local produce (or even frozen grocery store fruit). A nice strawberry wine is easy, and not very expensive. Pretty soon you'll be walking through the grocery store and everything will look fermentable.
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Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006
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10-12-2008, 02:08 PM
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#3
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Nothin' like a lil 60 grit...
Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Southwest
Posts: 13,326
Liked 381 Times on 238 Posts Likes Given: 40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by YooperBrew
Pretty soon you'll be walking through the grocery store and everything will look fermentable.
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Oh, that happened a long time ago...
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10-12-2008, 04:14 PM
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#4
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Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: N.E.PA.
Posts: 249
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Yeah I'll second that everything looks fermentable quote.... I go nuts now all summer long waiting for various fruits to come in-I ran out of primaries this year-I don't wanna rush the wines but I gotta brew more beer !
Maybe this is a sign from above to buy more carboys and stock yeast year round.... Shane
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Wine Primaries--
Cider Pimaries--
Beer Primaries--What ??-None !! again ??
Wine secondaries-2010 Clover honey mead,2011 Dandelion wine
Kegged--
Bottled--10'tomato wine,10' Plum,09' Plum
Bottled/Conditioning--Munich Lager brewed winter 06'
On deck(grains in house)--Yooper's "Fat Sam",Bourbon barrel ale
Gone--07 ciders,07dandelion,07plum
BIG DADDY BREWING CO.
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10-12-2008, 04:29 PM
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#5
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Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Oakland, California
Posts: 1,416
Liked 14 Times on 11 Posts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SAS98M
Yeah I'll second that everything looks fermentable quote.... I go nuts now all summer long waiting for various fruits to come in-I ran out of primaries this year-I don't wanna rush the wines but I gotta brew more beer !
Maybe this is a sign from above to buy more carboys and stock yeast year round.... Shane
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I've got a slightly different disease, I walk through the organic section or past a local fruit tree and go "I wonder what kind of yeasties are on that fruit...." and proceed to nab it to add to my wild yeast bank.
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Primary:Russian River Redemption clone, Kelly's Melomel, Graham's English Cider 22-23
Clearing:Apple Wine
Aging:Public House Dry Stout, Procrastination Porter, Mr. Brown Ale, Westvleteren 12 Clone, Mead, Duvel Clone, Graham's English Cider 6-21, Belgian Draak Strong Ale, Fig Melomel, Acerglyn, Restorative Tonic Metheglyn
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10-13-2008, 12:56 PM
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#6
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Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Damascus, MD
Posts: 586
Liked 10 Times on 10 Posts Likes Given: 8
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I have made quite a few batches of wine from the Vintner's kits. Never had any problems and they make very good wine! I have tried all the kits from the cheap series to the Cruschendo series (comes with crushed grapes).
BTW: Sometime last year, I stopped taking hydrometer readings throughout the process and just racked/bottled the wine when the clock said it was time. That is the most tedious part and I have never had an issue doing that.
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10-13-2008, 06:39 PM
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#7
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Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Hollywood, FL
Posts: 396
Liked 9 Times on 4 Posts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by YooperBrew
...Since you like making a kit wine, you should seriously consider making country wines out of local produce (or even frozen grocery store fruit). A nice strawberry wine is easy, and not very expensive. Pretty soon you'll be walking through the grocery store and everything will look fermentable...
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Yep, I went and picked up the book " The Joy of Home Winemaking" about two weeks ago at B&N, finished it a few days ago. Really nice, simple and pleasant sounding wine's that I could have never imagined. I cruise the local grocery store and now I see all this potential. All I need to do is pick up a handful more of airlocks and get to work. 
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Primary: None
Conditioning: None
Kegged: Nut Brown Ale
Bottled: Pyment | Strawberry Melomel
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10-13-2008, 07:21 PM
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#8
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Feedback Score: 0 reviews
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Lafayette, IN
Posts: 118
Liked 1 Times on 1 Posts Likes Given: 1
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My sickness runs to wandering around the nursery/garden center and wondering what to I grow to get fruit to ferment.
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Planning:Choke cherry wine, brown ale.
Fermenting:
Bulk Aging: Oud bruin with elderberries, Brett Saison, ordinary bitter.
Bottled: Oud Bruin, cider, black raspberry mead, Elderberry wine.
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