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I like my cider sweet and carbonated, so I normally use Pot sorbate and pot meta. The method I am used to seeing and use myself is the same up to the sweetening. I add the chemicals then wait two weeks for them to work. then backsweeten and wait another two weeks under airlock to see if the...

Hah, don't believe published tempertures. I once used a yeast for soda that had a lower temp of 59F. Put it in the fridge at below 40 and had the first one wrap the cap around the opener. Other yeasts will stall out 3 degrees above the lower temp. I bought kegs because of this.

I just bought the strong magnet in a plastic blister package. Never took it out. I store it on stuck on the flourescent light above me. Works well for harvesting slurry too. Sanitize the stir bar and pitch it after the batch is racked out. Swirl the magnet around to break up all the yeast...

I am not infected with bugs, but spiders love water in the winter. If nothing crawls in, then evaporation is the only other issue.

Technically, you didn't mash them you steeped them. After 30 minutes of boiling your enzymes would be long gone and have zero diastatic power. Not sure of the flavor change. Will probably leave it cloudier, but its a NEIPA, so who will be able to tell? Probably lost a bit of gravity too, or...

Lid definitly. every time I leave something open a spider or something hops in. If I am venting chlorine I put a towel. I primary wines with a sanitized bandana held with a bungie cord. Breathes well, no bugs. Unless you need a name and Arachnaphobia Ale sounds good.... Actually, I might...

I do 4 liter starters for mead. I decant right down to what the racking cane will pull out. Then I take a loose strong magnet and pull the stirring magnet around the flask for a while to breakup the yeast. On heavy sludge I even use the magnet to shove it around for the pour. I try not to go...

I had a similar problem. The big issue was that the original tower was 2.5 inches and all the replacements are 3 inch. So I could not use the bayonet, and I needed to cut larger openings in the top plastic, and the drip tray would not fit. I only wanted to use it for a few parties, and those...

The biggest problem is keeping them fresh. With 10 there are always some slow movers. But you don't get as bored. I keep a few kegs of pop for the kids, and you can do meads, ciders and sparkling wines as well, and still have a variety of beer. But there are still days when I want something...

Not worth the risk to me. I put off two rackings for Covid last November. I ended up in ICU for 33 days, and Rehab for 22 more. Finally had my wife do the rack while I gave directions from my bed in rehab. I just couldn't imagine telling someone, "sorry about being sick, but it was a...

Just got hit with a big power surge the other day. Blew out 7 breakers in the panel. The toll so far is three surge suppressors and an inkbird. It still read fine, and the compressor turned on, but the relay sticks turning off. I will try to fix it later. I don't blame the inkbird, it was...

Tortuous My usual and unintentional path

All of the above is good stuff. Just pulling things out of my head, I would say the following things: You can't over sanitize or over clean. Mead likes to age, aging and contaminants are a bad mix. If you are not heating your ingredients, use potassium metabisulphite (campden). I have made...

That might be a rather bad idea. Remember the headspace is there for expansion. If you bottle cool and later transport or store warm, you may have the liquid expand to fill the bottle, and then stretch or break the bottle. Really the carbonation wouldn't be affected much. At 2 liter volume...

I use very warm PBW for cleaning, cracked my racking canes. Bought this next time.... Stainless Racking Cane

Little clips like you would use in a garage for brooms. Got them off Amazon.

There is no sake Forum in the Wine, Mead, Cider & Sake section...

Lost one to a bad ball lock connector (off brand), but never lost any to a bad picnic tap. When mine break it is the pins on the handle. but it stays sealed. I have read multiple stories about family pets pulling a standard faucet. And I also use these with soda, at 25 psi. That is probably...

I always attributed the overuse of 'brewing' to beer brewers branching out to other things. Reading peoples posts you can often tell whether they started in beer or wine and are trying 'new waters' as it may be... I have seen someone refer to unfermented wine as a wort. But I don't think I...

Hahaha..... All this time I have said I make mead, but now you are telling me I brew mead. I boil to extract the flavor from the hibiscus, so technically it would be a brew. I certainly don't ferment it, that job belongs to the yeast.