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I've read a bit lately about extended maceration--up to 21 days on skins--and the benefits of its application to red wines, but I'm wondering if I could apply this to the 5 gallons of blueberry wine I have in the primary right now. The must read 25 degrees Brix with a T.A. of .65, so it seems...

Quick update: it's been over a month now and the wine is still cloudy. It's interesting: in both the primary and now in the secondary there is a layer of compacted lees on the bottom with 3/4" or so of loose stuff above it. This is the same case for the original bottle of prickly pear nectar...

Well, I divvied up the whole gallon amongst friends and a local sommelier. She--the som--noted it was better than she expected, but would definitely recommend boosting the sugar. So, next batch I'll be shooting for at least 22 degrees Brix, probably more. That is all :)

UPDATE: I ended up inoculating with Lalvin EC-1118, following my better judgment. We'll see if a future batch would stand to benefit from Safbrew T-58 or not. The aromas it's producing right now have me incredibly excited for this batch! There's a depth that draws the senses in... definitely...

My wife bought me a quart of local prickly pear fruit juice, as I've been talking up a prickly pear fruit brew for a while. Whelp, here's what I did: 1/3 cup Sonoran prickly pear fruit juice (~$40 for a quart--it's pure, no water) 1 gallon organic apple juice (Whole Foods, fermenting in that...

I have some French "House Toast" oak cubes that I will be tossing in a gallon of my 50/50 filtered/unfiltered organic juice, organic cane sugar Apfelwein. I'm even more excited after reading of your success.

I also want to point out a major time difference in Yooper and my recipes: Yooper's aged for over a year, mine has aged about 4 months and--according to the Home Winemakers Companion--should be consumed at young at 5 months.

LOLz ...too much Apfelwein :)

Hey, can I join?! 13,653 +1 = 13,654 Used .5 gal unfiltered organic juice, .5 gal filtered organic juice, 1/3# organic cane sugar, and original yeast :) I have some oak cubes that I may rack onto in secondary... This is the quickest fermenting must I've ever seen--in 1.5 hrs I have a krausen...

The recipe I used said to ferment on the skins until SG was 1.040 or under, which ended up being 3 days. At this point, fruit was pressed and removed. I should note that the color early on was a nice light red, but as precipitate fell out and after the first (after pressing) and second racking...

Hi all, just wanted to add my experience here: I modified the recipe from the Home Winemakers Companion: 4 lbs organic tomatoes .5 lbs raisins ~1 gal water 1.5 lbs sugar 1/4 ts grape tannin 1 ts acid blend 1 ts yeast nutrient 1 package Red Star Premier Cuvee yeast EDIT: no boil was involved in...

I'm down Tucson and the prickly pear fruit are looking about ready to pick. Do you burn the glochids (tiny spines) off, or just wash them? I'm considering washing, freezing, then squeezing... maybe pureeing a small amount.

Thanks for the warm welcome. Cheers! :mug:

@pbjosh Tomato wine: yes! I modified the recipe from the Home Winemakers Companion: 4 lbs organic tomatoes .5 lbs raisins ~1 gal water 1.5 lbs sugar 1/4 ts grape tannin 1 ts acid blend 1 ts yeast nutrient 1 package Red Star Premier Cuvee yeast Using this recipe, I had a starting must with...

Thanks so much! Yes, I was curious about lowering the pH without bringing up the TA. Is this a common adjustment for the home-winemaker, or does TA adjustment suffice?

I recently read on his site, as well, that raisins add body and yeast nutrients that are often lacking in fruit wines.

[drool!] ...amazing cellar... beautiful labeling

Hi all! I have a pretty solid chemistry background, but from the reading I've done I have yet to learn how TA and pH are related. Is it a linear correlation? In making wines, I measure the TA, but I don't take pH readings (unless pH is directly related to TA sans a mathematical translation)...

I understand! I haven't happened across a place called the Bum Steer, and a Google search turned up a place in Waco, TX. There is a relatively new establishment called 1702 that serves the most & best beer on tap. It's at speedway and campbell, basically. They have about 50 beers on tap, all...

Go Spartans! I went to school at MSU and used to live in East Lansing (Cedar Village and right above Rick's, yuck!) and Lansing. I miss my home state, especially now in this killer AZ heat. ...and I miss Oberon, my first craftbrew love. If you haven't already, head to Brighton where Bell's...