Recent content by theDREWery

I don't get a whole lot of yeast character from Guinness, I'd go with the US-05.

I made a rasin wine awhile ago that went to 20%, and had to be sweetened. I rehydrated about twice as much yeast as I needed in 100*F water. After ten minutes, I added a ladle of must. Every half hour I added another ladle or two, until my 4 cup pyrex was full, and then pitched on the main must...

Ditto on the warrior/willamette combo, or just goldings is good, too. I'd also consider some cold brew coffee at flameout, if the second runnings are lacking roastyness.

I used them for a couple small batches, stopped after pulling the first cork. The threads cracked from the pressure and shattered from the corkscrew. Not worth the risk of drinking broken glass, IMO.

I know the Knudsens juice I've used has all had sediment. It should just be pulp, no worries.

If it's a fruit flavor that's an issue I'd omit the fruit and consider using honey instead of sugar. Use some sort of nutrient addition, like the TOSNA schedule, to avoid any off flavors from stressed fermentation. That should come out as a floral flavor bomb.

I'd look more towards untoasted oak, as tea may leave some weird flavor. Also, look for yeasts that leave some diacetyl, like Red Star Côte de Blanc. These would both add to mouthfeel and be in line with what commercial producers use.

Sounds good for dipping cookies, or a beer float

I don't think I'd dilute at all. With balsamic vinegar, they leave it in barrels for years so that water will evaporate out, concentrating the flavors. I would always prefer a more flavorful vinegar, but if it's too intense for your pallet dillution might be the thing to do.

I've had good success with rice yeast balls using several kinds of rice, and all of them turned out very similar to soju. I also tried pearled barley and oats, and wouldn't reccomend either. I think the high protein level of these grains contributed to the rancid smell and flavor I got.

K meta prevents oxidation, so it's not a matter of the sugar being gone. The color change is only temporary, and the k meta will help to prevent the wet cardboard flavor that oxidation brings.

To be fair, all chaps are assless. If they had an ass, they'd just be pants...

The problem with small barrels is that they have a large surface to volume ratio, meaning that they add oak character very fast. And you don't want to leave a barrel empty and dry, so you'd want to have a lot of mead lined up, as you may only be letting it sit in there for a week or two. Once a...

I know my pickle crock holds a good amount of smell, especially the unglazed weights. I didn't notice any carry over between batches, like dill from a pickle ferment over to a kraut ferment. But that doesn't mean that it wont carry over to wine. The two big problems would be any residual...

There's an article like this every few years. I think the last one was fluctuating air pressure. While it may speed up oak extraction it will not affect micro oxygenation or the softening of acids and tannins over time.