Recent content by spannerx

I've got something going right now that seems relevant to the thread. My sister recently moved out of her college dorm and gave me her barely used mini fridge to use as a fermentation chamber. I haven't been able to order a temp control unit yet, so the fridge's built-in thermostat is all I...

Here's my Orange Blossom Cyser. I did 2 gal AJ / 2 lb orange blossom honey. Added a few tablespoons of homemade orange blossom tincture (vodka infused with macerated fresh blossoms) at bottling, and back sweetened with another lb of orange honey. Once the flavors melded, a week or so after...

Bottled today. I back-sweetened the batch with 1lb orange blossom honey, and added 6 tsp of my very fragrant homemade orange blossom tincture. Final ABV, by my calculations, is right around 10.5%. Final yield was 8 x 750ml bottles, plus a few glasses that I drank. Unfortunately, I think I may...

Here's an update, if anyone is interested: My SG after 21 days in primary is 0.996 @ 80 deg F. According to Rooftop Brew's ABV calculator, that gives me an ABV of 11.1%. I added k-sorbate and k-meta per instructions and racked to secondary. Now to wait until the orange trees bloom so I can...

I love designing my labels, but I'm very low tech. I find art I like using Google Image search, mostly based on the idea for the name I want to give the batch. I've also amassed a stock of jpegs of old Art Nouveau / Art Deco liquor, beer and wine posters that I like for future use. I edit the...

Here's a sampling of some of my labels. Some are just for ideas I haven't actually brewed yet. But hey, designing labels for brews I'm daydreaming about is a great way to waste time at work :) I've made the Dirty Dickens, the Grape Ape, and the Cranberry Apfelwein. I've got the ingredients...

I've only got a few batches under my belt thus far, but I love designing labels. Here's my 66% apple - 33% red grape wine I called "Grape Ape", and a Cranberry Apfelwein.

Not to threadjack, but I'm wanting to do something similar with orange blossoms. Has anyone heard of an orange blossom extract using vodka? I know about orange blossom water, but I want to make my own, and I want to make sure that its sterile. Thoughts?

Yep. 3 weeks in the bottle. Primary (Mr. Beer) was probably about 2 weeks. No secondary. Fermented with EC-1118. ABV was around 10% I believe. I think I added a little brown sugar too - maybe around 1/4 lb. or so. The sugar/honey were just what happened to be available in my kitchen cupboard.

My best tasting batch to date (only been doing this for 6 months or so) was an apfelwein with honey. I did 1.5 gallons store brand apple juice and 1 lb of Sue Bee clover honey. At bottling, I primed with thawed apple juice concentrate dissolved in a little water that I'd simmered a couple...

Ok, will do. Thanks.

Thanks to everyone who has posted in this thread thus far. Based on your collective advice, my plan right now is to let the cyser ferment until it has finished and cleared, then add potassium campden, wait a few days, and rack onto potassium sorbate. At which time I will also back sweeten with...

You're right; this is a good opportunity for me to learn how to do a still wine. Thanks for the advice. So if I'm going to do it still, what's the best additive to stop fermentation when the time comes? Is potassium sorbate enough, or should i use Campden tablets? Are there any significant...

Yeah, I only bottle in empty Martinelli's sparkling cider bottles. I've made several batches of carbonated apfelweins/ciders with good success. I've never made a STILL one before. I'm asking for feedback on whether people think this recipe sounds better carbed or still.

Btw: I know this may not "technically" be a cyser -- more of cider with added honey -- but I wanted it to be drinkable sooner. Once something's bottled, I'll be damned if I just can't keep my hands off it... I'm sure you guys can sympathize...