Search results

I think maybe I found the culprit from the MoreBeer PDF that LovesIPA posted... DMS... I wouldn't describe the flavor as "Cooked vegetables, especially creamed corn, cabbage, tomato, shellfish/oyster-like flavors" but this line smacked me in the face: "Avoid letting condensation drip back into...

So I just did my first batch of beer recently after about a year of winemaking, an Irish Red Ale. All in all, it came out really good, but there's a few things I noticed that I think I can do better next time. 1, a few of the last bottles got overcarbonated really fast, and I think this was...

God I love Maker's. Thinking about it's got me sad I bought scotch instead of bourbon on my last booze-run. I think Jim Beam might do in a pinch. I find Daniel's too harsh, but maybe that's just me.

I caught the tail end of one of those "How It's Made" or "Factory Made" shows on Science or Discovery or whatever where they were talking about how ice apple ciders are made, and it got me intrigued. Now I've been thinking about making some of Edwort's Apfelwein for awhile now, and I've seen...

The bottle doesn't say what type of cherries, but I did find one of Jack Keller's recipes for morello cherries, which are apparently sour/tart, that I think I can adapt: I'm working from juice rather than fruit, so obviously I'll adjust my process to suit... but I notice he doesn't include any...

I haven't done anything yet. I've been considering trying some fining agents, perhaps starting with some bentonite and seeing if that does any good, but I've been too busy with other projects to tackle it just yet. I'm preparing myself for the possibility that chelleomi raises, that I may...

I was under the impression that if it was pectin, it would be more evenly distributed through the wine... but maybe I'm confusing myself after reading hundreds of different posts and articles. Do you think more pectic enzyme might help at this point?

I scored at the local grocer today on a great deal on Organic Just Tart Cherry juice -- http://www.rwknudsenfamily.com/products/just-juice/organic-just-tart-cherry -- and I want to try making a cherry wine with this, picked up a gallon's worth. Any clue as to where I might find an amenable...

I've got a blackberry melomel that I started back in February, it's been in the secondary now since May... I was hoping by now it would have cleared out much better, but you can see there's still quite a haze hovering around the bottom 1/4 of the carboy... I added the appropriate amount of...

I'm finally ready to bottle my first batch of mead. It seems like it's been ages (it's been about 7 months) since I started, and I can't wait to taste it. I know I should wait at least a couple of weeks after bottling to let the bottle shock wear off before I drink it, but I did have one...

:ban: :rockin: My 6 gallon rig arrived today from Midwest. So stoked. I've been doing little 1 gallon batches while I learn the art, but now it's time for some serious zymurgy! Days like this, it is an evil thing to work from home. I've got a to-do list a mile long, but all I want to do...

Hey guys, I've been practicing home winemaking for about 6 months now, and I've got a few gallons of various things bulk-aging in the closet. I've always used boiled distilled water in my airlocks, and have never had a problem, but today I went to peek at my bulk-aging carboys, and my first...

Hey guys, So I stumbled across a recipe for blackberry wine, as such: LHBS just happened to have these 49oz Vintner's Harvest cans so I picked one up on a recent trip. However, I wanted to try substituting the sugar with honey and making a melomel... I realize my blackberry flavor will...

You got me :p The hardest part of this hobby so far is patience. The only thing I can do to keep myself from wanting to mess with the stuff I've already made of one thing is to set off and try something else... by the time my first batch is ready to drink, I'm going to have a closet full of...

Katy would be nice... still not exactly close to me, but likely easier to than going down the 610 in the afternoon....

I'm curious if anyone has a picture of this once it's cleared? Mine's been in secondary for a week or so and it's still really opaque, even though I added pectic enzyme in the beginning (only let it sit for about 8 hours before pitching yeast, I was impatient... hope this won't reduce the...

I swear if someone doesn't open a brewstore in NW Houston soon, I'm going to do it myself... this traffic is brutal out here, I can't keep making 2 hour round trips just to buy a couple new airlocks and some yeast!

I'm itching to try my hand at a cherry wine, but as the little buggers aren't in season for several more months, using fresh cherries will be a very expensive proposition. I did come across, in my local grocery store, a cherry juice concentrate... says 1 quart is made from 25 pounds of...

Oops, wound up with an OG of 1.095, think I poured a little too much sugar when I eyeballed it... This is going to be very strong and/or very sweet. I guess we'll find out in a few months. (That's why I call these early attempts at fermentation "experiments"...)

One more question -- after reading through all 38 pages, I get the impression that red grapes will ferment much harder than the mead or cider I've already done... but I used a 2 gallon bucket as primary for 1 gallon batches. Is there a danger of it foaming up that much? It seems like most...