the other is more complex although physically less demanding.
i know the feeling everytime i have to carry my spent grain out to the garden.....
the other is more complex although physically less demanding.
I will say BIAB can get pretty rough when I have to pull a steaming brew bag full of grain out of the pot of sparge water, then hold it there while it slowly drains and burns my forearms. In retrospect, maybe I’ve been doing everything the hard way.i know the feeling everytime i have to carry my spent grain out to the garden.....
maybe I’ve been doing everything the hard way.
Yeah a pulley would be the logical thing to do, but since I can technically get by without one on 5 gallon batches, I’m probably going to keep abusing myself in this way for the foreseeable future.i thought you BIABers used a pulley? i still use a round cooler...
Exactly! Great wine can be a thing of unrivaled beauty and haunting, otherworldly complexity. But you just summed up the entire reason I make (and drink) mostly beer.making wine on the professional level is at least 50% about growing the grapes. As a home beer brewer, I have access to almost the exact same ingredients as the best breweries in the world….
On the other hand, I do not have access to the same grapes as the best wineries.
Or a large collander that can sit on top of the pot and hold your grain bag?Yeah a pulley would be the logical thing to do, but since I can technically get by without one on 5 gallon batches, I’m probably going to keep abusing myself in this way for the foreseeable future.
Or a large collander that can sit on top of the pot and hold your grain bag?
Here's a picture from another thread that shows how I do it. I lift the bag up by hand, don't try to hoist it up because that would put double the load on the cabinet handle. After it drains just a little, I tie it off. I typically mash about 8 pounds of grain.Yeah a pulley would be the logical thing to do, but since I can technically get by without one on 5 gallon batches, I’m probably going to keep abusing myself in this way for the foreseeable future.
Sorry, as soon as I mentioned my plight with BIAB, this whole thing just went off the rails
Actually i'm still here talking about cider!@bitterbad is probably hanging out at "winemakingtalk" now anyway.....
I make wine, cider, mead and beer.To me, wine is more about chemistry. Way more than beer. Acid titration and stuff like that. There seem to be way more “chemicals” or additives that go in wine than beer.
Doing it from fresh juice or squeezing your own grapes would be a whole different challenge. Again, its all chemistry.
It seems like we have a very similar philosophy about beer, wine, cider and mead. I wouldn’t say that your minimalist approach is lazy. For everyone’s sake, I’m going to refrain from going on a rant about needlessly adding synthetic chemicals to food and drink. Instead I’ll just limit myself to saying that chemical interventions for the sake of manipulating the wine might get you something that tastes more like mass produced supermarket wines, but frankly, those are a dime a dozen, so I wouldn’t neccesarily call that an improvement, just a different style of wine.I make wine, cider, mead and beer.
I don't use any chemicals at all except campden at racking and some Fermaid O in the mead. (not really a chemical?)
I choose to go the "natural" route, that means letting the wine be what it will be and solving flavor issues by blending.
Some of my wine is better than others, I start with local grapes or buckets of west coast juice, I've never used a kit.
I recently picked 100 lbs of Marquette grapes at $1/lb. I made 3 gallons of rose, 4 gallons of "free run" red and 3 gallons of lower abv "second run red" (added about a gallon of water to the free run must) so about $2 a bottle, but there was a lot of labor involved. White wines are much easier and are ready much faster.
Wines made with the west coast grape juice is more like $3 a bottle, but its also way less work.
My red wines would probably be improved by intervention with chemicals, but I'm just too lazy and if I'm really picky about what grapes/juice I use, it comes out fine. I've tried many varieties of grapes and juice and there's just some that don't work for me and my lazy ways.
As far as a disparity in wine making/brewing clubs, yeah that is real, but there are some wine making clubs around, start with your local brewing/winemaking store and see if they know anything.
To me, wine is more about chemistry. Way more than beer. Acid titration and stuff like that. There seem to be way more “chemicals” or additives that go in wine than beer. Beer takes longer and is more of a process on brew day with mash and boil and hop utilization but we have software that makes all that easy. I always found the chemistry part of wine making to be more challenging and feel like you almost need to be a chemist to make good wine.
We drink wine regularly, usually with food more so than beer. I buy almost all my wine but brew a significant portion of the beer I drink. Because I still also buy good beer.
My experience related to wine making is box kits from Wineexpert. Literally dump, add water, and stir. They give you pre-adjusted must and numbered, pre-measured packets with each chemical additiion. Thats easy enough and I’ve had decent results, though honestly not better than even most of the “cheaper” wines you can buy for $8 a bottle nowadays. The kits are expensive, now around $150-$200 for a 6 gallon kit that makes about 30 bottles.
Doing it from fresh juice or squeezing your own grapes would be a whole different challenge. Again, its all chemistry.
Love this. I live by this honestly. I like coffee so i learned how to make every espresso drink, I like pastries and bread so I learned how to bake, I like all sorts of cooking traditions so I learned those too, gardening, fishing, foraging. Most of these I learned simply because I'd rather have them at home than have to go to a cafe/grocery store/restaurant for them and spend 5 times as much money. Crazy to me how this isn't just the standard way to live.As long as I’m able I plan to keep making everything.
Love this. I live by this honestly. I like coffee so i learned how to make every espresso drink, I like pastries and bread so I learned how to bake, I like all sorts of cooking traditions so I learned those too, gardening, fishing, foraging. Most of these I learned simply because I'd rather have them at home than have to go to a cafe/grocery store/restaurant for them and spend 5 times as much money. Crazy to me how this isn't just the standard way to live.
I've been doing the same thing minus the coffee, since I drink it straight. It is so much more satisfying and rewarding. Sipping on some juneberry wine I foraged, using home canned tomatoes from the garden in a recipe, a deer roast I shot and butchered, furniture I made from dead fall. I couldn't agree with you more!Love this. I live by this honestly. I like coffee so i learned how to make every espresso drink, I like pastries and bread so I learned how to bake, I like all sorts of cooking traditions so I learned those too, gardening, fishing, foraging. Most of these I learned simply because I'd rather have them at home than have to go to a cafe/grocery store/restaurant for them and spend 5 times as much money. Crazy to me how this isn't just the standard way to live.
Have you gotten into roasting your own coffee yet?Love this. I live by this honestly. I like coffee so i learned how to make every espresso drink, I like pastries and bread so I learned how to bake, I like all sorts of cooking traditions so I learned those too, gardening, fishing, foraging. Most of these I learned simply because I'd rather have them at home than have to go to a cafe/grocery store/restaurant for them and spend 5 times as much money. Crazy to me how this isn't just the standard way to live.
Now you're talking! ... my approach as well. But it sound to me like you might just be making grape cider? - which would be great. I don't know anything about wine I just make ciders with a variety of other flavoring 100% pure juices. I'd guess with what you described you're at about 8% alcohol - which would be fine, but would that be wine?There’s no sugar added, no preservatives or chemicals, and the Concord grape is excellent choice for wine. The good part is that you don’t have to grow, pick, clean, squeeze grapes and you don’t have to worry about on “off” year. Dial in the recipe to your preferences, and you can expect consistent results.
Technically, even apple cider is a type of wine.Now you're talking! ... my approach as well. But it sound to me like you might just be making grape cider? - which would be great. I don't know anything about wine I just make ciders with a variety of other flavoring 100% pure juices. I'd guess with what you described you're at about 8% alcohol - which would be fine, but would that be wine?
Thanks for the reply - yes, I'm vaguely aware of that but there must be something odd that's different because I enjoy thoroughly fermented down-dry ciders but can barely swallow wineTechnically, even apple cider is a type of wine
That just seems like a stylistic preference. I have a friend who loves pale ales and wheat beers but I gave him a 9% ABV Belgian beer once and he hated it. Cider is generally lighter on the palate and more subtle than wine. Have you tried any lighter sparkling white wines like Spanish Cava? there is one I get at Trader Joes for $6.99 that is only around 10-11% ABV and is reminiscent of a more refined strong dry cider.Thanks for the reply - yes, I'm vaguely aware of that but there must be something odd that's different because I throughly enjoy cider but can barely swallow wine
Nope, but I've roasted and winnowed my own chocolate beans. Every year relatives or friends gift me coffee beans, but I'm starting to run out so I might make my own soonHave you gotten into roasting your own coffee yet?
Thanks for the recommendation. Haven't tried much wine because I unfortunately gasp when I take a tiny taste. Wonder why that would be? Everything you've written is exactly right so the mystery endures. And when I make ciders I add flavoring juices definitely including grapes and ferment to flat bone-dry and they're fruity with ideal residual sweetness. The mystery endures....That just seems like a stylistic preference. I have a friend who loves pale ales and wheat beers but I gave him a 9% ABV Belgian beer once and he hated it. Cider is generally lighter on the palate and more subtle than wine. Have you tried any lighter sparkling white wines like Spanish Cava? there is one I get at Trader Joes for $6.99 that is only around 10-11% ABV and is reminiscent of a more refined strong dry cider
That’s something I did when I was a teenager lol. Never cared for the taste of beer back them. I remember some old flat white wine my parents had. Reminds me of the jackass episode with the horse. Of course you can develop a taste for things. I find reds easier to take than whites. But the sweet wines like ice wine, port and cream Sherry are really good.Thanks for the recommendation. Haven't tried much wine because I unfortunately gasp when I take a tiny taste. Wonder why that would be? Everything you've written is exactly right so the mystery endures. And when I make ciders I add flavoring juices definitely including grapes and ferment to flat bone-dry and they're fruity with ideal residual sweetness. The mystery endures....
You might find this article quite pertinent to you. Sounds like your tongue is sensitive to the tannins. Mine is too which is why I only like sweet wines, but i also really like sweet wines. I got into the hobby so I could make things tailored exactly to my own tastes, I recommend you try making wine in the same way. Don't add extra tannin, keep it sweet, maybe don't add yeast nutrients so that they die quicker, keeping the ABV down and the sweetness up. Or just experiment and find what you like. Maybe try making an apple wineThanks for the recommendation. Haven't tried much wine because I unfortunately gasp when I take a tiny taste. Wonder why that would be? Everything you've written is exactly right so the mystery endures. And when I make ciders I add flavoring juices definitely including grapes and ferment to flat bone-dry and they're fruity with ideal residual sweetness. The mystery endures....
Yeah ok, I'm reading that article - just got started, coolYou might find this article quite pertinent to you.
I should have been more clear; the “no sugar added” was in reference to the juice as it comes from the store. This allows me to add the proper amount of sugar to get a 14% wine.Now you're talking! ... my approach as well. But it sound to me like you might just be making grape cider? - which would be great. I don't know anything about wine I just make ciders with a variety of other flavoring 100% pure juices. I'd guess with what you described you're at about 8% alcohol - which would be fine, but would that be wine?
Roasting your own coffee is well worth the trouble unless you want to pay premium prices, just like beer and wine. You also get to dial in the roast you like. I personally do a blend of dark and medium roast that suits us. Fresh ground each morning; nothing could be better!Have you gotten into roasting your own coffee yet?
This part for me at least is true. I am 1 Gallon brewer due to the space in my current place and I tried my hand at mead, when I first got into brewing. I just found the wait was not worth the small amount I could make. In time I could make mead and let it age properly, I could easily make 6-8 beers that were ready to drink.My guess is that beer just takes less time to make, so it's easier to make something, show it off, get feedback, and then make something else; is this accurate?
Enter your email address to join: