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...also be sure to sterilize the spices. I toss mine in boiling water for about 30sec then strain them out before adding to my cider.

I like French oak for more cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, and toasted bread-type baking spices to American's vanilla, coconut sweeter spices. For the spices def use a BIAB or cheesecloth. Test the spice level after 2 days. If it needs more leave another day then remove. Wait an additional...

Couple of thoughts... First off, congrats on the new baby boy! Hope his health continues to improve. My major fears of aging something for that long would be infection & oxidation. Even fine wines can only age if it has the right acidity, tannins, ABV, storage environmental conditions. I...

one small note... one picture looked like you maybe had the carboys on a kitchen counter in front of a window. Try to avoid direct sunlight on them or they can turn tawny-brown & dull or off-flavors. Throw a towel or tshirt over them if they are going to live there.

Looks like they're happy. I'd say you're in good shape for a nice clean ferment.

One thing you'll find as you get further into this hobby... You can never have enough fermenters 🤣🤣

Humidity won't bother it. That's probably a good temp range for the yeast in this case. The slightly cooler temps will slow down their metabolism so they don't try to go too hard & fast creating off-flavors. D47 has an alcohol tolerance of about 15% but can be fragile and with your higher...

You may have stall issues anyways by the high gravity causing yeast stress & osmotic pressure. You'll still be able to split the batch if it stalls early. What type of yeast are you using & what temperature are you fermenting at?

That one likes all the same conditions. The good thing about corn is that it stores well til you're ready for it. 😉

If only I had an auto-siphon 30 years ago when I was stealing gas outta Dad's Pontiac on a Saturday night

This year I used AC-4, AS-2, and S-04 all using the same apple blend. AS-2 had a helluva bad H2S issue [did not think to add DAP til after I almost passed out]. AC-4 is thin but apple-y. S-04 is the most balanced of the three. Last year S-04 won out against D47 & 71B. I left it on the...

It's true that it can be a crapshoot or at least inconsistent as the wild yeast may have a low alcohol tolerance or different requirements and if it lags other microbes may take hold. Def try it but keep a close eye & have another commercial yeast handy

40 fluid ounces of honey is roughly 60 ounces by weight. [+20oz] You can transfer to a bigger fermenter & add 20oz [weight] honey plus water up to 2gal or split the batch diluting both with about a quart of water each. My math could def be off but you get the idea...

If it is the "yellow label" Angel yeast, it has a fungus - Aspergillus and/or Rhizopus I think - that breaks down the starch into sugars for the yeast so you don't need additional enzymes. It likes fairly warm conditions, around 80+F. The finer you grind the corn, the easier time it has...

Personally I would rack it into the carboy & let it clear as much as possible on it's own before I filtered it. Fine filter pads can gunk up quick on a young brew. You can just siphon it if you don't have a pump. Be careful & avoid sloshing it around or it may oxidize. A good time to sulfite.

Thanks gang. There's always a few ways of doing things in these hobbies, and I'll still be doing my homework before asking questions 🤔 but I appreciate the welcome. :thumbsup:

...but a newbie nonetheless... Took the probably unusual path of winemaking[10yrs] to distilling[7yrs] and now finally getting my feet wet in beer/cider for the past year. I like the faster turnaround I can get with beer over wine & spirits. I've been enjoying making up different recipes for...