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For sale: (3) ball lock corny kegs, $30 each (2) 6 gallon carboys, $15 each (3) 5 gallon carboys, $15 each (2) 3 gallon carboys, $10 each (3) 6.5 gallon fermenter buckets, $7 each Or make me an offer for the whole lot. Items can be picked up directly in Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA 90042. No...

I bought three Dark Star burners, a 20 lb. propane cylinder, and a three-outlet propane distribution post. The idea was to have all three burners connected for convenience and also in case I need to run two at once (for example, maintaining mash tun temperature while heating sparge water)...

Nope. I added 5 tsp of Fermax a few days ago, followed by a few spoonfuls of distiller's yeast. There was visible fermentation for about a day but then it slowed down almost to a stop. I checked it with a hydrometer today and the gravity is still the same as the last time. If I give the carboy a...

Well, the distiller's yeast slowed down to a crawl before long. However... Yesterday I decided to move one of the jugs up off the floor and next to the wall heater. I measured the specific gravity this morning and it was 1.014! Progress! I moved the other jug and carboy into the same area and...

I hydrated 10g of distiller's yeast in 1/2 cup of distilled water and let it soak for 15 minutes. Then I stirred in 1/2 tsp of sugar. Holy crap, this yeast came on like Gang Busters! It didn't smell as good as other strains but it looks stronger than all the others. I let it grow for another...

Still 1.018! The airlock continues to bubble, although this could simply be the release of dissolved gas. I tried to make two more EC-1118 starters but they both seemed to die before I could pitch them. Maybe it's the natural fig juice or the pinch of Fermax I added to the starter, or maybe...

I'd like to see someone try to ferment cider in one week. I imagine it would require extra yeast nutrient; some acid addition to reach the right pH; and possibly some grapes, grape juice concentrate, or ripe bananas for a more ideal sugar content. One of my strongest, fastest fermentations was...

It's at 1.018 as of November 16. I've been giving the carboys a quick spin whenever I have a chance, which agitates the lees/trub and releases a rush of tiny bubbles up into the neck. I'm going to make a big EC-1118 starter tonight. If that stuff can't do the job, little else will.

I put the hydrometer inside a wine thief and pulled a sample out, then released it back into the carboy. I'll try again later and look more closely but I don't think it's sticking.

The big carboy formed a krausen in the neck and has been bubbling steadily since I racked it. However, I checked it with the hydrometer last night and it still reads 1.020. I thought at least I'd see it change by one mark by now.

No, I made kilju for the novelty of it and also because I was curious to know what the fermentation of sugar alone (no fruit) tastes and smells like. It's definitely an acquired taste (and mine ended up with high residual sugar) so it's just sitting in jugs for now. Maybe I'll find a use for it...

I made another Montrachet starter on 11/6, built it up overnight, and then pitched it on 11/7, along with some Fermax. I also added some pectic enzyme and lysozyme a couple of days later to help clarify it and eliminate the possibility of malolactic fermentation. I generally use lysozyme as a...

Probably not, as long as you sanitized it. I accidentally pushed a silicone bung into a carboy full of wine and it was OK. Granted, I racked it only a couple of weeks later once the lysozyme I had added settled to the bottom. I can't speak for rubber bungs, though. I always smell that rubber...

Yet I will try the last. I've rescued a botched bochet before and turned it into something drinkable. I'll try adding another starter and see if I can ferment it to dryness.

I bought 5 gallons of fresh apple cider from a cider mill up in Oak Glen, CA and decided to follow EdWort's apfelwein recipe. The only variations I made to his recipe were the addition of 5 Campden tablets (erring on the side of caution) and the creation of a yeast starter instead of pitching...