Ha, It is a fantastic piece of homebrewing equipment! I got a 5-gallon for $75. At least, that was the price last year. May have changed. The first batch came out tasting like straight bourbon after 4 days. After 7 more batches, I can leave the wine in for a month or more, and it picks up some...
Ha, the real key I've found is to forget about it! The longer it sits, the better it tastes. I started with EdWort's recipe, and now I use a combination of honey, brown sugar, and cherry juice to improve the strength and flavor. I also branched out from Montrachet, now my favorites are D-47...
Hey guys! Been lurking a bit, but I don't think I've introduced myself.
I live in Cola, been brewing for a few years, though lately it's been less beer and more apfelwein. I bought a once-used bourbon barrel from Crouch distilling and I've aged a few batches of what is probably more...
Definitely post your results, if only for future google searches!
A whole packet of Montpellier should be able to handle the amount of sugar in one gallon at that gravity. Looking through my Apfelwein notes, apparently I pitched a packet of that yeast into 5 gallons at ~1.080 and it brought it...
I've used Montrachet a lot. It attenuates well, is cheap, and doesn't leave a strong yeasty flavor. I've also used S-05, Narbonne, D47, K1-V1116, RC-212, MA33, and SN9. I think I like the Lalvin D47 best.
I've used cherry juice (from Juicy Juice to quality tart cherry stuff) with good success. Usually a gallon of that with 4.5-5 gallons of apple juice. I haven't tried cranberry juice, fearing that it would turn out too tart. But I'm sure it'll be fine.
I've also been using honey in place of...
I've experimented with Montrachet, S-05, Narbonne, D47, K1-V1116, RC-212, MA33, and SN9. I like the D47 and Vintner's Harvest SN9. Both of these have a non-stinky fermentation and they finish fast and clear, with very little yeasty flavor.
That's what I would do. If you add it before fermentation, you will lose a lot of the aromas while the yeast pumps out CO2. Since it's a delicate aroma anyways, you want to give it the best chance to come through.
I wouldn't want to put them in fresh, as they likely have some natural yeast on them. I might think about pasteurizing them and making an extract. Similar to the process of making an "essence" or a homemade body spray.
Call it "Eau de Joy."
I vote for letting it sit two more weeks. The clarity and overall quality of the beer with improve from staying on the yeast a little longer.
What yeast did you use? It may actually benefit from staying upstairs in the warmer temperature.
Worst case scenario:
The initial underpitch stressed the lager yeast as it tried to reproduce to sufficient numbers to handle all the sugar. This would result in estery, unclean, and generally un-lager like flavors. This process would likely be finished by the time you added more yeast.
In...
When reusing slurry, I like to make a small starter and pitch at high krausen. Last time, the lag was about 4 hours before fermentation started.
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My rice wine smells and tastes like cream cheese frosting.
I'm not sure what I did, or where I went wrong. It's not bad, but it's really sweet and doesn't seem to have that much alcohol.
It's so interesting the myriad flavors that come out of tweaking this recipe. Already planning my next batch.