I think I want to give wine a shot...
- Thread starter Walker
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Caplan said:Good news that it's tasting like wine! 16 points til done? For someone who doesn't like hydrometers you've sure been examining the meniscus of that test jar!
EVERYBODY ALL TOGETHER: give walker sh!t for using a hydrometer.
All of you combined will not equal the internal lashing I have been giving myself since the day I bought the damn thing.
Sometimes in life you have to do the things you hate.
I hate visiting with my mother-in-law, but every once in a while I do it.
I hate mowing the lawn, but I have to do it.
I hate cleaning out the rain gutters, but I have to do it.
I hate paying taxes, but I have to do it.
I hate using a hydrometer, but I have to do it (to retain my 'warranty' basically for this wine kit)
I stand firm in my position that hydrometers are evil devices!
-walker
sudsmonkey
Well-Known Member
Imperial Walker said:EVERYBODY ALL TOGETHER: give walker sh!t for using a hydrometer.
All of you combined will not equal the internal lashing I have been giving myself since the day I bought the damn thing.
Sometimes in life you have to do the things you hate.
I hate visiting with my mother-in-law, but every once in a while I do it.
I hate mowing the lawn, but I have to do it.
I hate cleaning out the rain gutters, but I have to do it.
I hate paying taxes, but I have to do it.
I hate using a hydrometer, but I have to do it (to retain my 'warranty' basically for this wine kit)
WTF ? Why is a hydrometer bad ? Is a screwdriver bad ? A torque wrench ?
Don't get your bloomers bunched up over a simple tool. Not when there's so many poor, sober people living in Muslim countries who'd give their right arm to use your hydrometer to measure alcohol content in their wine kit. Maybe even in their homebrew ?
Remember to relax. Keeping it loose is where it's at.
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
Caplan said:No thanks! It wasn't the actual road trip that put me off - just was the company!
Degassing is very important. It depends on your processes of trying to extract the CO2 i guess. Drill attachments seem extreme to me! I'm in agreement with Sasquatch's Guru (his Dad!) - Don't try and 'rush' the primary ferment and secondary racking - let a wine ferment out in primary, when it slows down then rack it off the lees into secondary under airlock with campden added to clear for a few more weeks or so - it will throw more sediment as the yeast dies with the higher alcohol levels and campden. i rack again, degas and add more campden and finings - again under airlock to allow CO2 escape. At this point it usually pretty clear to be racked again with campden and aged in a carboy for a few months. My point is with using airlocks and allowing the CO2 out in the secondary and tertiary it helps to clear a wine without the need to 'over worry' about it
Thanks... Shortly after I made my post to you, I called it a day on the degassing. I'm not seeing any bubbles creeping to the top any more on their own. I'm sure I can get some more headed that way with the vacuvin device, but I'm going to wait until it is moved to the tertiary for that.
The Winexpert kits are designed to use the absolute minimum amount of finings to get the job done. That way the wine isn't stripped during the clarification process. I'm going to pretty much follow the instructions. Longer times in the secondary after stabilizing and in the tertiary withstanding.
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Walker,
I need to correct part of what I said way up above. After you initially degas and stabilize your wine with the sorbate and all, do not go back and stir the wine to degas it further. I read today where that voids the warranty. I had stated that some guys do some more stirring for two or three more days. Don't do it....
BrewStef
Well-Known Member
Interesting thread! 
I too am a homebrewer that wants to expand my horizons to include wine.
Is there an alternative to sulfites which works just as effectively?
Cheers!
Brewstef
I too am a homebrewer that wants to expand my horizons to include wine.
Is there an alternative to sulfites which works just as effectively?
Cheers!
Brewstef
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
PanzerOfDoom
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Not sure if anyone posted this link yet. If it 'aint here you don't need to know it.
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/winemake.asp
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/winemake.asp
Cap'n Jewbeard
Well-Known Member
Walker, congrats on it tasting like wine. Did you say you already bought a corker? 'Cuz if not, there's a Portuguese-style jobber for like 12 or 14 bucks, looks almost identical to the beer capper (but bigger). Worked fine for me.
Only thing you have to know, and I heard this from an exasperated LHBS staffer who had dealt with one too many calls about bottling complaints, is that when you get that cork in there, you have to do it fast. Like, fast. Like, get it in position, and jam the crap out of it. "Slow-corking" basically means it will get stuck half-way down. A quick, sharp corking will let some of the displaced air... uh... "fart" around the cork, and get out, and make a nice comfy seal.
My only concern was that, using the natural corks (number 9, I think? Or maybe 6? Is there a 6?) I ended up with a "dimple" in the top of each cork from where the corker pushed into it. Is that normal for you all?
Only thing you have to know, and I heard this from an exasperated LHBS staffer who had dealt with one too many calls about bottling complaints, is that when you get that cork in there, you have to do it fast. Like, fast. Like, get it in position, and jam the crap out of it. "Slow-corking" basically means it will get stuck half-way down. A quick, sharp corking will let some of the displaced air... uh... "fart" around the cork, and get out, and make a nice comfy seal.
My only concern was that, using the natural corks (number 9, I think? Or maybe 6? Is there a 6?) I ended up with a "dimple" in the top of each cork from where the corker pushed into it. Is that normal for you all?
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
P Funky,
I remember reading that Walker bought a corker. It's probably the 12 or 14 dollar one you described. Never heard it called Portuguese, though. Those are usually floor models, I think.
I still need to get a corker. Glad you told us about the fast insertion trick. Thanks.
I remember reading that Walker bought a corker. It's probably the 12 or 14 dollar one you described. Never heard it called Portuguese, though. Those are usually floor models, I think.
I still need to get a corker. Glad you told us about the fast insertion trick. Thanks.
BrewStef
Well-Known Member
Caplan said:
SWMBO gets wicked headaches from sulfites, so finding an alternative would be great. Perhaps the campden tablets does not have a sufficient quantity to result in a bad headache - perhaps only if you add additional sulfites for long-term ageing, but I would rather not risk it if possible.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Stefan
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OP
LL and PFunk...
yeah, I got a corker. It looks kind of like the twin-lever bottle cappers and cost about $15.
This thread has been living on without me, but I'll add my update here:
added stabilizing and clarifying agents on Friday, beat the hell out of the wine with one of those gizmos that attach to a power drill (and realized during the process that this would work GREAT for aerating my beer wort, too.)
I had lost a decent bit of wine when racking to the secondary (siphon issue with the oak chips), so after adding the stabilizers and clarifiers, I had to top off my carboy with 4 bottles of store-bought wine. Had I gotten a good siphon, I would have only needed 1 bottle of wine to top-off. Oh well.
This weekend, I'll rack to a tertiary fermenter and let it sit for a month before bottling.
The only thing that annoys me is that this is sucking up 50% of my brew-fridge capacity, so I can only brew beer every three weeks. Every two weeks is what matches my (and my friends') consumption, so we're going to be a little lean on homebrew until the wine is bottles and out of the way.
-walker
yeah, I got a corker. It looks kind of like the twin-lever bottle cappers and cost about $15.
This thread has been living on without me, but I'll add my update here:
added stabilizing and clarifying agents on Friday, beat the hell out of the wine with one of those gizmos that attach to a power drill (and realized during the process that this would work GREAT for aerating my beer wort, too.)
I had lost a decent bit of wine when racking to the secondary (siphon issue with the oak chips), so after adding the stabilizers and clarifiers, I had to top off my carboy with 4 bottles of store-bought wine. Had I gotten a good siphon, I would have only needed 1 bottle of wine to top-off. Oh well.
This weekend, I'll rack to a tertiary fermenter and let it sit for a month before bottling.
The only thing that annoys me is that this is sucking up 50% of my brew-fridge capacity, so I can only brew beer every three weeks. Every two weeks is what matches my (and my friends') consumption, so we're going to be a little lean on homebrew until the wine is bottles and out of the way.
-walker
Cap'n Jewbeard
Well-Known Member
OKay, gotta ask now or I'll never remember: what's SWMBO? Sounds like significant other? single white male with B.O.?
OP
OP
She Who Must Be Obeyed
The way i get round the air pressure that can force a (natural) cork back out is a piece of sterile string! Before corking put the end of the length of string into the bottle (just long enough for the cork length plus an extra half inch or so). Cork it. Then slowly pull the string back out. If you soak your corks (another thread ey?Lounge Lizard said:
) then you'll see and hear the bubbles/air pressure released. I've never used synthetic corks but i'd guess it would work there too!
OP
OP
I went to the tertiary last night with the Merlot. I tried to estimate how much sediment was in my 6 gallon carboy so that I could decide wich route to take:
(1) rack to a 5 gallon carboy so that no head-space existed.
(2) rack to another 6 gallon carboy and top off with more store-bought wine.
I didn't like option (2) because when I racked from the 6.5 to the 6 the first time, I lost some wine and had some sediment, so I had to top off the 6 gallon with a bunch of store-bought wine. If I did that again, I was fearful that my wine kit was slowly turning into the store bought wine I was topping the fermenters up with!
So, I chose option (1). Wouldn't you know it, I had 1/2 gallon of wine in the 6 gallon carboy that I could not fit into the 5 gallon carboy. So... I have a 1/2 gallon jug that I put the remainder in.
I prefer making beer.
-walker
(1) rack to a 5 gallon carboy so that no head-space existed.
(2) rack to another 6 gallon carboy and top off with more store-bought wine.
I didn't like option (2) because when I racked from the 6.5 to the 6 the first time, I lost some wine and had some sediment, so I had to top off the 6 gallon with a bunch of store-bought wine. If I did that again, I was fearful that my wine kit was slowly turning into the store bought wine I was topping the fermenters up with!
So, I chose option (1). Wouldn't you know it, I had 1/2 gallon of wine in the 6 gallon carboy that I could not fit into the 5 gallon carboy. So... I have a 1/2 gallon jug that I put the remainder in.
I prefer making beer.
-walker
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
Did you add the extra 1/4 tsp of sulphite to the tertiary? I did, cuz I plan on saving some of these bottles for a few years. A few years may well turn out to more like ten for some of them.
I didn't have to top up with anything when racking into the secondary. I may have had a hair over six gallons in the primary. Moving some sediment shouldn't be too much of a concern. When you add the stabilizer and fining agents into the secondary, it is stated to be sure and swirl the sediment back into suspension. This helps the clarification process, due whatever is in packet number one (that was added at the beginning) helping with the clearing. The instructions want you to move to a secondary when they say, because some people don't use an air lock on their primary. And it is also probably a good idea to get the wine off of the oak chips. Our kits came with a 120 grams of oak. That is a quite a bit if you don't like oak.
If you look at the instructions carefully, it says to only top up with water if you have to in the secondary. I read on another forum that you don't want to add mature stabilized wine into the mix at that point. Could cause issues. What kind I'm not sure. You had already posted about topping up before I could say anything. I'm sure your wine will be fine, though.
When I racked to the tertiary, I had to top up with about a liter of similar wine. I wouldn't have had to use so much if I didn't cram the autosiphon into the secondary so fast, causing me to lose wine all over the table top! LOL
Whatcha talkin' 'bout, Walker? This wine making is fun....
Maybe we ought to exchange bottles later this year so we can compare notes.
Back to bottling my Coopers Draught kit....
I didn't have to top up with anything when racking into the secondary. I may have had a hair over six gallons in the primary. Moving some sediment shouldn't be too much of a concern. When you add the stabilizer and fining agents into the secondary, it is stated to be sure and swirl the sediment back into suspension. This helps the clarification process, due whatever is in packet number one (that was added at the beginning) helping with the clearing. The instructions want you to move to a secondary when they say, because some people don't use an air lock on their primary. And it is also probably a good idea to get the wine off of the oak chips. Our kits came with a 120 grams of oak. That is a quite a bit if you don't like oak.
If you look at the instructions carefully, it says to only top up with water if you have to in the secondary. I read on another forum that you don't want to add mature stabilized wine into the mix at that point. Could cause issues. What kind I'm not sure. You had already posted about topping up before I could say anything. I'm sure your wine will be fine, though.
When I racked to the tertiary, I had to top up with about a liter of similar wine. I wouldn't have had to use so much if I didn't cram the autosiphon into the secondary so fast, causing me to lose wine all over the table top! LOL
Whatcha talkin' 'bout, Walker? This wine making is fun....
Maybe we ought to exchange bottles later this year so we can compare notes.
Back to bottling my Coopers Draught kit....
OP
OP
Yeah, I added it for aging purposes.Lounge Lizard said:
My issue was that my siphon was a disaster, clogging with oak chips. I eventually lost the flow and had to try and re-start it. HEREIN LIES THE DOWNSIDE OF USING THE CARBOY CAP AND LUNG-POWER TO SIPHON. I was not able to get the flow started again due to the massive amount of volume I was trying to increase the pressure of in the nearly empty primary carboy. I had to sacrifice about a gallon of wine(!). There was no way in hell I was going to top that off with water, because it would have seriously diluted the product.Lounge Lizard said:
It's fine. It finished where it was supposed to, is very clear, and taste pretty damn good. I'm just bummed that I had to add 4 bottles of store-bought wine to it to keep the level within 2 inches of the bung in the secondary. If I had gotten a better siphon run, I would not have had to do much topping off after clarifying and would have used some water, and topped with wine in a 6 gallon tertiary.Lounge Lizard said:
In short, I need to be more careful with the siphon, and get another 6 gallon carboy. That will solve a lot of the problems I had this time around. (This is exactly why I tried to convince SWMBO to use a cheaper kit for our first attempt... I didn't want to trail-blaze with a $130 kit!)
Sounds like a plan to me.Lounge Lizard said:
-walker
BrewStef
Well-Known Member
LL + Walker,
I have been enjoying reading this thread. It has inspired me to go out and get the Winexpert Island Mist kit (Wildberry Syrah). It should arrive early next week.
Has anyone here tried this kit?
Prost,
BrewStef
I have been enjoying reading this thread. It has inspired me to go out and get the Winexpert Island Mist kit (Wildberry Syrah). It should arrive early next week.
Has anyone here tried this kit?
Prost,
BrewStef
OP
OP
The only kit I have made is the one in the fermenter now. However, the guy at my local brew shop says that the Island Mist kits are more like wine coolers than 'real' wine. Take that how you will. I am not much of a wine drinker, but I can say that I would drink a merlot before I would drink a wine cooler.
-walker
-walker
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
Walker,
I'm going to bottle mine in a couple of months or so. Using an autosiphon and tilting the carboy, allowed me to get right down to the bottom without picking up much trub. Actually, I think winemakers call trub, lees. I'm not going to worry about getting so close to the bottom when moving to a bottling bucket. It sure doesn't make sense when doing that.
When I bought my kit, I ordered the Stag's Leap District Merlot labels for my bottles. Don't know if I will use them. I would rather have some with my name on them. Maybe something like Jeaux's Merloux... though Merlot is already French, maybe I can Cajunize the name further...
BrewStef:
I haven't tried the Wildberry Syrah. I think I'm also going to do an Island Mist kit soon. That way I will have some wine to drink while the Merlot ages. Island Mist kits need little if any aging. Wildberry Syrah sounds pretty good to me.
Is Stef short for Stephanie?
Liquid Panty Remover?
I'm going to bottle mine in a couple of months or so. Using an autosiphon and tilting the carboy, allowed me to get right down to the bottom without picking up much trub. Actually, I think winemakers call trub, lees. I'm not going to worry about getting so close to the bottom when moving to a bottling bucket. It sure doesn't make sense when doing that.
When I bought my kit, I ordered the Stag's Leap District Merlot labels for my bottles. Don't know if I will use them. I would rather have some with my name on them. Maybe something like Jeaux's Merloux... though Merlot is already French, maybe I can Cajunize the name further...
BrewStef:
I haven't tried the Wildberry Syrah. I think I'm also going to do an Island Mist kit soon. That way I will have some wine to drink while the Merlot ages. Island Mist kits need little if any aging. Wildberry Syrah sounds pretty good to me.
Is Stef short for Stephanie?
Liquid Panty Remover?
Baron von BeeGee
Beer Bully
Leghump Porter?Lounge Lizard said:
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
Oops... sorry Stefan!
I see up the thread what your name is...
Make all the Liquid Panty Remover you like. In fact, if you were a Stephanie, I still wouldn't care... We might just ask for pictures of the results, though...
I see up the thread what your name is...
Make all the Liquid Panty Remover you like. In fact, if you were a Stephanie, I still wouldn't care... We might just ask for pictures of the results, though...
BrewStef
Well-Known Member
Baron von BeeGee said:Leghump Porter?
LPR is the Coffee Toffee Milk Stout which Dude has posted previously. I am not really into the sweet stuff, but I think SWMBO will really like it (once she has our baby in August).
I think a good part of the fun of this hobby is hearing the great names people give to their beers... The first time I heard about LPR I nearly fell out of my seat laughing! As long as it is true to its name...
The Wildberry Syrah was picked by my wife as well. I like the fact that it can be enjoyed quicker than regular wines. I also felt that a "summer wine/wine cooler" beverage would be more forgiving than a regular wine with regard to taste, and I do not really like the idea of botching up my first wine batch, AND, I would rather only pay $45 for my first batch than $120.
LL - Only some Asians call me Stephanie. I don't get it, but they for some reason cannot just stop at "Stefan". Must be a linguistics thing.
Cheers
Stefan
aka BrewStef
BrewStef
Well-Known Member
Lounge Lizard said:Oops... sorry Stefan!
I see up the thread what your name is...
Make all the Liquid Panty Remover you like. In fact, if you were a Stephanie, I still wouldn't care... We might just ask for pictures of the results, though...
No worries...
Maybe someday my upgrade to "Gold Supporter" will take effect and I would be able to upload pictures.
Baron von BeeGee
Beer Bully
Yeah, I know...Ol' Leghumper is the porter he was brewing yesterday, and since LL was leghumpin' while he thought you were of the gentler persuasion...BrewStef said:
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
BrewStef said:No worries...
Maybe someday my upgrade to "Gold Supporter" will take effect and I would be able to upload pictures.
Mine took affect (or is it effect. I can never keep this straight) instantly back in November. I used PayPal. Send TXbrew a private message and I'm sure he will activate your status.
I'm sure Walker is correct, in that the Island Mist kits are a bit coolerish. With summer approaching, that doesn't sound too bad. And I can always serve it to my special lady friends. NO leghumping going on here... lol
OP
OP
I will never complain about de-labeling beer bottles again. the wine bottles were easily 10 times worse.
With beer bottles, many just fall off (after a soak in ammonia solution) totally clean, many fall off and need a quick wipe with a scrubby to get the glue remnants off, and a few require some elbow grease.
With wine bottles, everything is backward. I swear to god, it took me about 10 minutes to clean one Blackstone bottle off. The ammonia did SQUAT to the label/glue. That one was basically scrubbed off totally with manpower and a plastic scouring thingamajig.
I have one more batch of bottles to clean off tonight (REALLY looking forward to it, too), and then we bottle on Wed.
-walker
With beer bottles, many just fall off (after a soak in ammonia solution) totally clean, many fall off and need a quick wipe with a scrubby to get the glue remnants off, and a few require some elbow grease.
With wine bottles, everything is backward. I swear to god, it took me about 10 minutes to clean one Blackstone bottle off. The ammonia did SQUAT to the label/glue. That one was basically scrubbed off totally with manpower and a plastic scouring thingamajig.
I have one more batch of bottles to clean off tonight (REALLY looking forward to it, too), and then we bottle on Wed.
-walker
