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So how is it going??

Check the gravity of the juice! Just replace juice for some of the water to get the gravity close the the OG of the recipe. If you need to top off when racking use the juice. 6 gallons of juice should make several batches!

I agree with Gratus, you should try it with an ale yeast. I started using safbrew yeast and am very pleased with the results. I still get a good 10.5% to 11% alcohol and am bottled or kegged in about 5 weeks. When doing any apple wines there will be period of yeasty smells but usually the rotten...

One packet of yeast is enough to do a 5 gallon batch. I have used multiple packet just to increase the amount of yeast at the begining but it is not required. When the nutrients are added in steps in the primary it allows for a steady supply of food for the yeast to multiply and work at top...

Good idea. I have started adding more blueberries to this as the difference in sweetness and flavor change yearly with the blueberries. A puree works nice in a secondary to improve the blueberry flavor and usually compacts well with the other lees.

Try a cyser. You don't need the large amount of honey to get a nice sweet flavor. Use a Lalvin D-47 yeast, as it works well. I am at work but you will need to add a bit of nutrients and a bit of pectic enzyme, I believe I put a 1/4 tsp of each in the last 1 gal batch. You can always back...

For all interested a new LHBS has opened in Montgomery. It's call Fairview Homebrew!

Hello all! Remember this is a wine not a cider, Apfelwien is a German cider. Depending on the apples you use will adjust the ABV and ending sweetness, you can test different apple juices and see the differing results. The apple concentrate adds more apple flavor while also increasing the sugar...

Hello all! Glad to hear everyone is enjoying this. I have found it a great addition to have berries in the secondary as long as possible. It will impart more flavor to a point and then the tannins in the berries tend to get bitter. No worries until about 90 days however. I haven't been on for...

Please keep looking until you find more suitable kinds. Different kinds of honey will impart different flavors, colors and taste. When I make Melomels I do not worry as much with buying the more expensive honeys, a clover or wildflower is good. If I make traditional Mead then I look at the...

My last 2 batches aged for a year in bulk after it finished and then bottled. It does smooth out a bunch.

don't shake or stir! The yeast is still suspended in the must and will get to the honey. I like to add the honey to the carboy and rack on top of it. It will get it mixed a bit better that way. Wish I had the stuff to make a new batch as it is all gone and since I moved I don't have the berries...

Yes, bananas do not part with their flavor near as well as other fruits, adding the bananas to the secondary help get more flavor extracted. All the yeast is added at the begining! The energizer and nutrients being added in steps has started becomming a much more popular way of brewing in the...

About the closest your going to get is a a good polish mead. I found this stuff at a polish store in the Chicago burbs. I now get a few bottles every time I am up that way. It does have a nice spice with ginger undertones worth investing the time. Try Slowianski or Kasztelanski if you can find...

There is not really a way to settle the yeast out unless you filter it out. Basically when you try to cold crash a milky must on a stuck fermentation you just kept everything suspended. The little yeasty buggers have a bit of O2 in their cells and are keeping them hanging suspended. Cold...

Hello all, Flyweed thanks for trying my Blueberry Melomel. One of the great things about D-47 is it's ability to surpass it's max % when you use step additions over time. With this receipe it will hit right at the 18% depending on the sugar content of the blueberries. The big variable is the...

I don't know about it being the king but it is my most used yeast. However if I use any tropical fruits I don't like the flavor D-47 imparts. Each yeast is designed to produce differing esters, the nose along with the taste will change. Many like to use the liquid yeast but I prefer the dry and...

Have you seen any change in the SG? Rack it and hit it with some campden and get it at a good 68 - 74 temp and watch it for the next few weeks.

Yep! I agree with Tusch. I much prefer to bulk age it all. I know this ties up the carboys but if you are not planning to drink it young then you will notice slight differences after the years go by.

Adding the strawberries to the secondary will give more intense flavors for some things. This however will not raise or increase the flavor very much. However, I would say that trying half of the strawberries in the primary and half in the secondary might work okay. Remember that the fruit just...