Recent content by mmadmikes1

Campden does not kill yeast! I find for best results I make a good starter of the yeast I want before I even start making the must. I don't even both with K Meta or campden. The strongest yeast will win and I make sure its mine. Sulfates can stress yeast as well and some will give off some nasty...

You may of added stabilizer to early. Adding K-Meta is done at end of fermentation . After you have had the same SG reading 3 days in a row. It may ferment a little more and you may need to de-gas again but it will be ok in end, may take longer to clear.

Check SG. if its to high the yeast wont like it. The raisins have a lot of sugar and some have preservatives that will prevent or retard fermentation. Check temp. get it into middle 70's. check ph, should be about 3.5 or so. stir it up and get O2 in for yeast to grow. O2 good in primary bad in...

I made Riesling using them. Used 3 cans to make 5 1/2 gallons. I hate weak wine

Reds make one hell of a mess of carpets when they go. Oxy-clean is for bottle labels and wine stained carpets

Rack it off the lees. Dont worry about getting some with the racking because you will be doing it again and dont need to lose any more volume than needed. Yes for most part there will be enough yeast suspended to do the job of finishing.

You need to get it off the gross lees or they will leave a bad taste in the wine. If all you have is a 5 gallon carboy then use it and put extra in gallon jug.You can use it as topping off and taster later. You are going to loose some of you volume. Until you have some experience, follow the...

Strawberry always has a ton on bottom any way so don't panic if it seems like you have way to much. It will seem like it because you transferred early.

http://grapestompers.com/calculations.asp

It has only started fermenting once, the first time. Now I wait 6 months or more to bottle. It could go longer because mead this strong needs at least a year to drink and be good. Some of the locals don't seem to agree and always want it, sometimes, out of the primary. I have done this with...

Of course it changes, other wise we would be making fruit juice:)

The fruit adds both sugars and water at the levels of original juice. That means your SG stays the same. If you add sugar to must , how much does it ntake to raise your SG .01? The fruit does not have any where that amount of sugar left in it to give up

I use two different methods 1. I allow wine to ferment dry then add simple sugars to 1.0 SG. It may or not re-ferment. when it is dry again I again sweeten to 1.0( that's is my idea of right sweetness). If it re-ferments again I do it again. At some point the yeast will reach its tolerance and...

I like to ferment white as cool as possible, 66 degrees seems to be as low as I can get with out stalling fermentation. Fruit wine and meads I stay at 72. Reds I start at 75 and cool down to 70 after a week. I go to 68 after I move to secondary with reds. I do all the above for taste I like and...

Sorbate prevents yeast from reproducing. Does not stop the ones already there. It does not leave the wine so NEVER re-sorbate unless you like the taste of sorbate. Infections in wine are rare. You can add extra K-Meta but it will not be drinkable as soon. A double dose of K-Meta (1/2 teasp for 6...