# Is this a good start?



## mjdtexan (Feb 12, 2009)

I have made a list of things that I feel I need. Please let me know if I am on the right track.

(Equipment Kit) $89.95
7.9 DELUXE Gallon Fermenter with Lid 
6 Gallon Carboy 
Drilled Stoppers to Fit Lid and Carboy 
Airlock 
Bottle Brush 
Hydrometer 
Wine Recipe Book 
No Rinse Sanitizer 
CORKER 
(Choose TWIN corker or Upgrade to a FLOOR corker) 
30 Corks 
Racking Tube with Anti-sediment Tip 
5 ft. Siphon Tubing 
Fermtech Bottle Filler 
Plastic Shut Off Valve 
FREE ''Making Homemade Wine'' instruction book.
A Quality Wine and Ale Supply no charge extra! 


A few additives suggested for watermelon wine
Campden Tablets (100 count)
Acid Blend for Wine (1lb)
Yeast Nutrient (1lb)
Red Star Montrachet yeast (recommended for watermelon wine).

*Do yall feel this is the correct yeast for watermelon wine?*
Have I missed anything?


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## arcticsid (Feb 13, 2009)

Tex I just wrote you back and the thread was lost. If you can get all that for 90 skins..buy it!!!!I paid almost 20 just for my hydrometer, and around here(Alaska) a 6 gallon carboy, glass is runnin'round 40 bucks. The amount of chemicals you mentioned is enough to make thousans of gallons, I think. The recipe book is a nice thing they throw in, sorry you don't trust us. Someone in here would give you a good recipe. A corker too? Dang the cheapest one I seen was running around 80 just by itself! If you can actually find al that thangs on the equipment list for that cheap, please let us know, that is a hell of a price. I would like to know personally about it.
The chemicals, the rest of the gang would be better qualified to answer. You're thinking right though.

Do you have a recipe yet for watermellon wine? Maybe start there. Ever made rattlin wine? Starts with one of these rattlin thangs!


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## arcticsid (Feb 13, 2009)

*Rattlin Wine Ingredients*

Aint never been to Texas but my best buddy Phil is from Loveland, he told me a bit bout rattlin' wine. He said yall drink enough of that watermellon stuff and you never even here it rattlin 'fore it bites you in yo aeah! Having a hrad time fore som e reason uploading thid phot, I'll get it to ya, give me a sec or so,
Troy


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## mjdtexan (Feb 13, 2009)

arcticsid said:


> If you can actually find al that thangs on the equipment list for that cheap, please let us know, that is a hell of a price. I would like to know personally about it.
> !




$89.95 Kit<-----Klick

I didnt post the source because I couldnt remember if it was ok to do so here. I would love to here peoples watermelon recipes. I was just doing some research on the subject because it was suggested on here that watermelon must spoils really fast. From what I can tell that is a correct assessment. I found a really good article on it HERE


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## arcticsid (Feb 13, 2009)

gonna try to send this photo again.
Troy


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## arcticsid (Feb 13, 2009)

Thats a great deal Tex enough to get you going for sure. I hope someone can get you a good recipe.Troy


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## Luc (Feb 13, 2009)

I think you are on the right track.

However when you do have some spare change I would go for an auto-siphon instead of a regular one.

And I would certainly invest in an acid testing kit.
This really is a must when you will be making more wines and
will not cost a lot. If you need to chose, chose the acid testing kit above the auto-siphon. But do yourself a favor and buy both.

Some bottle cleaning brushes would come handy.

Now I do whish you a lot of luck with the watermelon wine as most batches fail. Watermelon juice will spoil fast is what I know from hearsaying.

Free literature can be found on my web-log.
On the right side there is a column which has somewhere an entry like 'free downloadable books'. Some pretty neat stuff there.

Luc


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## arcticsid (Feb 13, 2009)

*Great Site to Visit*

Tex, this is a great link for you, take a look at it. Jack Keller is a well respected name in the home wine making circles. You'll be able to find some valuable and reliable resources and info in here. There may even be a watermelon wine recipe in there.
Talk at Ya Later
Troy
www.winemaking.jackkeller.net


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## mjdtexan (Feb 13, 2009)

Luc said:


> I think you are on the right track.
> 
> However when you do have some spare change I would go for an auto-siphon instead of a regular one.
> 
> ...



Thank You for the link to the free downloadable books Luc. I absolutely love to read. Yeah, I will buy more stuff as I develop skill. I expect that I am going to enjoy wine making but I need to verify that before I buy much more equipment. I am going to get the brushes though. Probably gonna order Sunday or Monday. I am just trying to find a better deal elsewhere before I commit. I will shop stuff to death.



arcticsid said:


> Tex, this is a great link for you, take a look at it. Jack Keller is a well respected name in the home wine making circles. You'll be able to find some valuable and reliable resources and info in here. There may even be a watermelon wine recipe in there.
> Talk at Ya Later
> Troy
> www.winemaking.jackkeller.net



Arcticsid, I have already pored over the Jack Keller site. Some good stuff. Thanks


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## arcticsid (Feb 13, 2009)

what about the nake?


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## cpfan (Feb 13, 2009)

mjd:

The following is pretty much all encompassing. I hope it gives you (and perhaps others) some ideas.

If for some reason (house burned down?), I had to start over again, here is what I would be buying for wine making...

from the local HBSes

3 primary fermenters (46 litre, roughly 12 US gallons)
7-8 carboys (23 litre, 6 US gallon) mostly glass, maybe 2-3 Better Bottles
4 glass US gallon jugs (plus a couple of Imperial gallon jugs if possible)
bungs and airlocks for the above (plus a spare airlock or two, they do break)
2 stirring spoons
Fizz-X drill mounted stirrer
2-3 hydrometers (got to have a spare or two)
1 large floating thermometer
4-5 hydrometer jars (I use them to store the hydrometers & thermometers when not in use)
2 Fermtech Wine Thiefs
1 large auto-siphon and 7/16" x 9/16" hose
1 regular auto-siphon with 5/16" x 7/16" hose
2 bottling wands (to fit 5/16" id hose)
1 Mini Jet filter
1 blue Ferrari floor corker
bottle and carboy brushes
bottle sanitizer
bottle washer to fit kitchen tap and adapter (Fermtech Blast and/or Double Blast)
potassium metabisulphite
citric acid
iodophor (iodine based sanitizer)
cleaner (I use Saniton from Spagnols in Canada)
yeast energizer
yeast nutrient (Fermaid-K if possible)
pectic enzyme
wine tannin
acid blend and/or malic acid
bentonite (preferably agglomerated from Vineco)
yeast (EC-1118, RC-212, K1-V1116)
isinglass
Super Kleer KC (or equivalent)
ascorbic acid
half a dozen wine kits
wine kit cap de-bagging tool

from the Dollar Stores (or similar)
whisks, syringes, ordinary can opener
measuring spoons, and cups
small hand towels

and I've probably missed something.

On top of that for beer, I would need...
1 more primary, and
1 glass carboy (23 litre)

God, do I really own all that? (and more) YES, and more.

and since I live in Canada, some of this stuff may be easier to find there than in the USA.

Steve


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## Wade E (Feb 13, 2009)

Auto siphon and floor corker, and when you get a few more bucks a bottle tree and sulfiter/vinator. these 4 items are back/time savers!!!!! Thats not a bad ass snak, here is a bad ass snake!








Just to give you an idead of how big this is, those wires are 12" apart from each other in height.


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## arcticsid (Feb 13, 2009)

*Dag!*

Got me there brother, that picture was one a friend from Texas got from a cousin, but your nake would whip the other nakes AEAH!! Pretty cool! Where was your photo from?
Troy


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## mjdtexan (Feb 14, 2009)

arcticsid said:


> what about the nake?



That was just a worm.


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## mjdtexan (Feb 14, 2009)

cpfan said:


> mjd:
> 
> The following is pretty much all encompassing. I hope it gives you (and perhaps others) some ideas.
> 
> ...



Shheessssshhhhhhhhhhh, I would have to drink alot of wine. Seriously, I imagine that half of the fun is improving your wine collection. Am I right¿ I already have been sketching out a nice mahogany wine rack treated with a nice potassium dichromate to bring out the color. Yall probably give some to family and friends. I had a great grandfater who used to put up wine when someone was born of his blood.

What is the difference between an Imperial gallon and a U.S. gallon?


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## cpfan (Feb 14, 2009)

mjd:

US gallon is 3.78 litres. Imperial gallon is 4.54 litres. I think that`s 128 oz versus 160 ounces (could be wrong).

We like a number of different wines, and some need a bit of aging. For example, over the last 10 days, we have bottled one white and two reds. All three should be early drinkers. IE in a month or so they should be pretty good. The red in particular will continue to improve for a few months afterwards, but I`m expecting this to be the bulk of our drinking this summer.

We have another white ready to bottle, and I believe that it will require a bit more aging. There are two more reds and another white on the go. I probably won`t be drinking them for 6-9 months or longer. I have another red coming in March and it will probably require over a year until its really ready to drink.

My favourite store is having a sale next week, and knowing me, I`ll probably pick up another red kit, although I shouldn`t. Fortunately, the flyer didn`t list anything that I REALLY REALLY want to make, so perhaps I`ll get out clean.

Steve


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## Wade E (Feb 14, 2009)

My sister sent me that photo but not sure where she got it from. I believe that snake came on someones land and=s eating the animals on that property until it got all snagged up pn that wire. I dont think Id be going in near him without a 10 gauge or my AR-10!


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## arcticsid (Feb 14, 2009)

I think I know what kinda snake it is, it is a "bad mahmba jahmba"!


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## Wade E (Feb 15, 2009)

Roflmao!


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