Recent content by Frank_The_Magic_Hobo

Extra yeast can crowd the ferment. But basically the worst that happens is there will be extra lees and sediment from the surplus yeast. I think it would be hard to really add too much yeast, since once fermentation begins the yeast reproduce and increase in number anyways. Extra yeast just...

There isn't much difference, personal preference mostly. Main point is chitosan should be avoided by anyone with a shellfish allergy.

I always give the test tube a knock on my bench , the plunge up and down with the hydrometer a bit to agitate the bubbles out. Once you're ready to take the reading, take the hydro between your thumb and finger and spin it, to release attached bubbles. It's worked so far.

Even with the shipping, that's a hell of a lot cheaper than I can get honey for locally. $5-10/lbs ? no thanks. To bad shipping internationally isn't so easy.

This sounds like a great idea. Any idea what was in the kit exactly? Sounds exactly like what I've been wanting to make when my skeeter pee starts getting old.

After doing an apfelwein, and two fruit wines I'll agree with WillPall, almost none to speak of. The only time I've had to use a blowoff tube was when I accidentally filled a carboy to about two inches below the mouth of the carboy.

Target gravity is however high you want it to be when it finishes. Higher the FG, the sweeter it'll be. TG is whatever you want it to be.

Unfortunately I've found yeast plugs up coffee filters just about instantly, try the pectic enzyme says I.

I'll just pop in and say, you might need to add pectic enzyme before you start fermenting, or it could end up cloudy. I might be wrong on that though, I've never used fresh blackberries in a wine. Also, many people don't like to boil the juice before fermenting. It gives the wine a "cooked...

Be careful, commercial makers stopped using sassafras because it contains carcinogens (chemicals known to cause cancer). Modern rootbeer uses mostly wintergreen, sometimes with some juniper thrown in.

Potassium Sorbate is what you add to wine after fermentation to stop the yeast from reproducing further. In fact, they probably use it as a preservative to prevent wild yeast from growing in it. Depends on how much sorbate is in there, but it would be tricky to make happen, if it's even possible.

You could try a Chitosan + Kiesolsol combo for fining. Creates thick, heavy lees. I've had carboys disturbed heavily, and the lees just fall back to the bottom in about 5 minutes, clear as ever.

The trick to lemon or lime wine is letting the yeast acclimatize. Make a standard yeast starter. Once it's looking healthy, add 1/2 cup of must to it every few hours along with a few tsp of sugar to keep the yeast going. Once you've got half a gallon of starter, you can add it to the must. Also...

The directions on that package aren't what you want to follow. Those amounts are for making a sterilizing solution in water, to sterilize tools with, not to put in the must! I'm pretty sure that's the problem anyways. I've bought 2 different kinds of k-meta, one said 1/4tsp for 4L (as...

I do a form of staggered addition, you could say. Two of the wines I've made have been 12% and 10% ABV, so I don't add everything at once, to give the yeast some room to breathe. I get the OG to around 1.080, and add the recommended yeast nutrient. After it's come out dry, I bump the SG to...