Recent content by Erik the Awful

I did this a couple years ago. Here's my notes: Old Jam Wine Started 20221203? Approx 2 gallons old Jam, apple butter, and other preserved fruit Approx 2 gallons water (dumped jam into bucket, refilled mason jar with water and added) 20221203? Opened old jars and dumped into pot with equal...

I was interested in making sake as well, but the least expensive Koji I could find was $10 a packet. With Angel Leavening I was able to get 30 packets for $4. At those prices I figured it was a good idea to practice making huang jiao before trying to make the jump to sake. I failed at my first...

Bentonite followed by sparkolloid is the magic 1-2 clarifying punch for me, but I've never made a solely banana wine. My "banana" wine I made a few years ago was 2/3 apple and 1/3 banana. I don't think I'd want to try just bananas.

Is it particulate or cloudiness? Banana is a pain to clear. I've used it in some of my wines, and I usually have to resort to screening the particulates, even after using pectic enzyme. The problem with screening later in fermentation is the aeration can spoil the wine. If it's particulate, I'd...

I also do not like boiling fruit. In my experience, it releases more tannins and can make the wine cloudy and bitter. I prefer to simmer the fruit for an hour or so. The milder heat still kills bacteria and helps release the sugars.

I reuse wine and liquor bottles. If the wine bottles were corked instead of screw caps, I put flip tops on them. Sometimes you have to tweak the wire arms that hold the flip tops tighter, but I've had zero issues.

Don't over think it. I have a 1.5 gallon batch on my counter right now. I left it on the counter in a bucket for two months with a paper towel and bucket lid to cover it. Last week I passed it through a screen to separate the rice from the wine, and I put the liquid in a gallon bottle and a...

It's white label Angel Rice Leaven, with rhizopus oryzae according to the packets. I was in tractor supply last week, once again stocking up on wood pellets for the winter, and saw they have cracked corn right now. If I weren't in the middle of a batch of rice wine, I'd have gone for round three.

Put the following into a pitcher, stir well, and rest in the fridge for a day: 1/2 gallon corn wine 1/2 cup rum 1/2 cup triple sec 1/2 cup sugar 1 sliced orange 2 sliced lemons 1 sliced lime 8 maraschino cherries

I also worry about over-sulphating, so I rarely add campden after pitching the yeast. I add enough sugar that my yeast max out and die and can't ferment any more. This means my wine has more kick than some people like (especially since I also use EC-1118). If your alcohol content isn't high...

I have one decent-sized bramble, and I got three gallons off it this year. I used all my blackberries as filler for my jalapeno-cherry wine.

I make a lot of random fruit wines. I use pectic enzyme in primary fermentation, bentonite when I start secondary, and two weeks before bottling I add sparkolloid. They're all vegan friendly, but also effective. This week I posted about my corn wine, and it was about half sediment. It clarified...

I bottled it tonight. Most of the musky flowers-of-wine smell is gone; the sparkolloid did a good job of dropping that into the lees. It is an exceptionally clear pale yellow color. It is extremely sweet. A dash of lime helps mellow the sweetness and bring a little more flavor in. It's not good...

I'm racking again tonight and adding sparkolloid for a final two-week shot at glory. I'm having to add about a quart of water to replace what was lost to sediment. The liquid level dropped in the carboy, and the flowers of wine tried to return. The flavor is "good", but it has a musky smell. If...