Recent content by nickjam

This higher SG just means you got a better yield from the grains than expected or something along those lines. The beer might be slightly higher in ABV than the original receipe called for, but nothing your tongue will notice, just your brain after a few! Relax about the hops I have added...

Two schools of thought: 1) SANITIZE, SANITIZE AND SANITIZE - These people will triple santize EVERYTHING, wear clean suits, etc. If you are this type of person and would cry for months about a ruined batch. Better safe than sorry and biol the water and then cool it. If you are thinking...

Wow! That was a blast. Took about 5 hours from start to finish to get everything setup complete the mini, boil, cool, carboy, and cleanup. One question came to mind when I was running the sparge water trhough the grains. I ran 2 gallons of sparge water through at a rate of 1/3 cup every...

Just got back from my HBS shop with a 2 keg kegging system. The kegs came under pressure from the HBS and the store owner said that getting a seal can sometimes be tricky but just keep moving it a little and you will get a seal. I have the cleaner in the keg and put on the lid. I then...

I stopped by a local winery today that gives you their juice straight from the tank. I got a strain of yeast (Lalvin Bourgovin RC 212). That is what the resident vitner recomended. He handed me a "How to Sheet" they had printed up and I went on my way. When I got home I was surprised to see...

Thanks everyone!

I don't like stuff carbonated (I know I'm wierd) so I figured I would keep it flat in wine bottles so that will work right?

What is the typical vessel to store Applewein? I want to use wine bottles and corks, but don't know if I am only spelling disaster for myself. Brewing my first 5 gallons of the stuff right now. 2 days into it and surprised at how gentle the fermintation is, I should have filled my 6.5 gallon...

What clearing solution did you use?

I just mixed everything together and pitched my yeast. 100 degree water for the yeast! That felt wierd. But that's what the instructions on the back of my yeast said. The wine stuff was probably about 80 degrees, but the 1/4 cup of water that I hydrated the yeast in was 100 degrees. Now I...

Brewing a Chardonnay from William Brewing Kit. 1) Ok, so I have read a little bit on doing wine. I am about to start my first batch from a kit. 5 gallons of wine. My kit says to throw on an airlock in primary yet I have read to use a towel or napkin which should I go with? 2) Do I...

If you have an old racking cane you can cut that, attach the siphon tube and place that into a bowl of water. Otherwise you can do what I did with my first beer that foamed over and just add vodka to the airlock and change every 5-8 hours with a new airlock full of new vodka. Until you can get...

Thanks. Exactly what I was thinking in my gut, but had to hear from everyone before I could go with it. The trick to the story is I leave tommorow for a 3 day trip and if I rack tonight when the kit says to then I can, but otherwise it sits for an extra 3 days regardless. I will wait until I...

Put on a blow off tube!

Agree with pit, blanch and freeze. A friend of mine did this with great success. The cherries turned whitish as the juices left he cherries and entered the beer.