Making wine in my beer equipment?

[agentbud]

I only brew beer but someone recently gave me a wine ingredient kit and I was thinking about giving it a try. Is there anything about making wine that would be detrimental to my beer equipment (fermenter, tilt, siphon, hoses, etc) or should I keep the two separate? I am not familiar with the wine making process so I don't want to introduce anything into/onto my beer equipment that might affect future batches.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I only brew beer but someone recently gave me a wine ingredient kit and I was thinking about giving it a try. Is there anything about making wine that would be detrimental to my beer equipment (fermenter, tilt, siphon, hoses, etc) or should I keep the two separate? I am not familiar with the wine making process so I don't want to introduce anything into/onto my beer equipment that might affect future batches.

Should be no problem just clean and sanitize the equipment. Making beer is wort +yeast, and wine is pasteurized juice (when using a kit) + yeast.

 

[passedpawn]

No worries. I do both beer and wine side by side.

Do you keg, or bottle?

 

[lumpher]

I make wine and beer in the same equipment. I just grab a clean fermenter when it's time for a next batch of either 1. Been doing that for 15 years.

 

[Jorgen Fagerquist]

I only brew beer but someone recently gave me a wine ingredient kit and I was thinking about giving it a try. Is there anything about making wine that would be detrimental to my beer equipment (fermenter, tilt, siphon, hoses, etc) or should I keep the two separate? I am not familiar with the wine making process so I don't want to introduce anything into/onto my beer equipment that might affect future batches.

No detrimental effects to the equipment. Just keep all equipment and the surrounding environment sanitized and clean.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

I’ve been doing both for years, with the exception that I only do wine in carboys; I like to watch it work.
Also, I keg my wine for the same reasons most like to keg beer; no bottles to wash, store, and sanitize. Just use enough pressure to push out a bottle full, release excess pressure, charge with a little to keep the lid tight.

Other than the the carboy thing, I use the same equipment for all.

 

[agentbud]

No worries. I do both beer and wine side by side.

Do you keg, or bottle?

Keg. I assume I could keg the wine too but just not pressurize it? Or only apply enough CO2 to force the wine out, right?

 

[odie]

I've seen places with draft wine. Not sure what they are pushing it with or how much psi.

 

[day_trippr]

Normally wine is pushed with Argon and sometimes Nitrogen. And assuming one isn't dispensing sparkling wine the dispensing pressure isn't critical, just need enough to provide a timely pour rate...

Cheers!

 

[lumpher]

If you keg wine and use CO2, try to keep pressure no more than 3 psi.

 

[passedpawn]

Keg. I assume I could keg the wine too but just not pressurize it? Or only apply enough CO2 to force the wine out, right?

Use nitrogen. If you use CO2, you will likely end up with carbed wine. Ask me how I know. People might like that (odd I know, but they did).

Here's what I use now. That regulator is made specifically for nitrogen.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

Use nitrogen. If you use CO2, you will likely end up with carbed wine. Ask me how I know. People might like that (odd I know, but they did).

Here's what I use now. That regulator is made specifically for nitrogen.

View attachment 828121

I’m glad you found something that works for you. I’ve been using CO2 for years and never ended up with a carbonated wine. I only use enough pressure to push out enough to fill a bottle, (or two…). After I am done filling my bottles, I disconnect the CO2 and pull the PRV on the keg, which is typically just a slight depressurization if I have been stingy with the CO2.
This works. It’s simple. I already have CO2 for my beer. Before I kegged, I just bottled my wine. That works, too.
If for some reason, you end up with carbonated wine, either enjoy it, or degass it. It’s as simple as shaking it up, or letting it sit with the cap off; the same way you would make a soda go flat.

 

[passedpawn]

It wasn't originally carbonated. I but over time, with enough bursts of gas, it was carbonated at the end (not a lot, more "spritzy", which is what I think is called asti in wine parlance).

 

[whoaru99]

I as well use the same equipment, albeit N gas and regulator with the wine rather than CO2.

Have a 40cf cylinder for N and big old Harris two-stage inert gas regulator for that.