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  1. Grape Expectations

    Yeast is tougher than I realized...

    It does have a slight sweetness to it, even though the kit says it's a dry wine. Now you mention it I think it must be that. I always assumed if it had stabilizer added it can't start up again. 🤔
  2. Grape Expectations

    Yeast is tougher than I realized...

    It's not the microscopic suspended yeast... all the original yeast remains in the "stabilized" and "clarified" wine. It's a 1 inch layer at the bottom, flatter than a pancake after 12 days... but it seems to be coming back to life again like a zombified version! After reaching 0.992 SG that...
  3. Grape Expectations

    Yeast is tougher than I realized...

    I made a kit. It came to the end of fermenting after 14 days (at 0.992 SG) and so I added the kit supplied stabilizer sachet (two "E" numbers I can't remember, E202 and E224?) along with Finings A (Kieselsol) and Finings B (Chitosan) and the included "add back" flavour. After a few days, I...
  4. Grape Expectations

    I might be drinking too much, erm...

    That's quite interesting "up to 1 bottle each night". They would probably be referring to wine at around 12% and being a bottle, 750ml - that's 9 units. I drink a little more, like 15% ABV and 1,000ml which is 15 units, well that's not a little more it's 1.67 times more. That 1L at 15% ABV is...
  5. Grape Expectations

    Why do these hydrometer scales differ? Stevenson Reeves "S1011/U" vs "S1310"

    EDIT: I already posted about this a year back, but without the chart, sorry! https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/two-hydrometers-have-different-pa-at-the-same-sg.77396/ I have two Stevenson Reeves hydrometers: The S1011/U with a range of 5% PA to 17% PA and coloured bands, then the S1310...
  6. Grape Expectations

    Cranberry... why you do this to me again!

    After a while I ended up thinking it's because cranberry has a natural preservative in "benzoate".
  7. Grape Expectations

    Accidentally messed up finings.

    Cheers folks. The funny part is the garlic jar now smells of absolutely nothing. The flavouring (that smells like nail varnish or some sort of solvent) must have leeched all the garlic from the glass. So there you go, that's how to clean the garlic smell out of a glass jar - coat the inside...
  8. Grape Expectations

    Accidentally messed up finings.

    I have a wine kit that says: 1. Add stabilizer and one (of 2) "Finings A" sachet. Wait 1 hour. 2. Add "Finings B" sachet. Wait 1 hour. 3. Add the other "Finings A" sachet and add-back flavouring. This is about the 4th or 5th time making this same kit and it clears the wine in 24h. This time I...
  9. Grape Expectations

    Wine Kits Vs Orange Wine

    I've been making wine for 16 months now and I'm on my 20th batch, but I do still class myself as a beginner! I started off making orange wine and making it as strong as possible. The best result was 17.93% ABV using Youngs Super Wine Yeast compound, made in a 10L bucket. The stars must have...
  10. Grape Expectations

    Been keeping a chart of EC-1118 Vs Youngs Vs Kit Yeast

    I'm not sure about the different tastes from the different yeasts because this is the first time I've tried a kit with 3 different yeasts. Maybe Youngs isn't different, it might be EC-1118 since it's pretty much kept up with it, I mean what else is that aggressive? Today is the 18th day and I'm...
  11. Grape Expectations

    Been keeping a chart of EC-1118 Vs Youngs Vs Kit Yeast

    After 12 days the EC-1118 is the first to make zero gains in the past 24h. I wonder why it only got up to 15% when the gain would be 17% if it were to hit 1.000 SG. I am sure the reduced fermentation (Vs orange from concentrate or pure orange) is because of using this kit and its included...
  12. Grape Expectations

    Been keeping a chart of EC-1118 Vs Youngs Vs Kit Yeast

    I am doing a SG Gold Chardonnay Style kit (30 bottle) and while it's a cheap kit, it's certainly a step up from the wines I was making from orange juice. It's also about the same price as making wine from orange juice, making the kit a no-brainer. I typically use 1 sachet (5g) of EC-1118 per 5L...
  13. Grape Expectations

    I might be drinking too much, erm...

    I just worked out I made 210 Liters (of syphoned wine) in the last 398 days. That's taking off the 11L I have in bottles right now. I have never given away any of it, so I know I drank it all myself in that time. I always make my wine up around 16% to 18% ABV. I make it as strong as I can. That...
  14. Grape Expectations

    Other Solomon Grundy

    It's an old thread but I just started my first ever wine kit using one of these. This is my 17th batch of wine (I started out in Jan 2023) and every other time I have made it from pure orange juice. I had no idea these kits were so cheap which is why I never even thought to look at them. I got...
  15. Grape Expectations

    My wine has dandruff! Crystalline stuff floating around on surface...

    I drank it in the end. I'm still alive. :h I put chalk in that was past its date, or I somehow contaminated the chalk. The wine had a band-aid smell to it. I've never used that chalk again (or any acid reducer) and never seen those crystals again.
  16. Grape Expectations

    Pure orange Vs "from concentrate" - had no idea!

    Yes at Aldi (where I got the stuff from concentrate and now the pure squeezed juice) they have all 4 variants: From concentrate or pure + smooth or with bits. I always get the smooth stuff but just because with bits has always been weird to me, but perhaps then it's even better (closer to being...
  17. Grape Expectations

    Pure orange Vs "from concentrate" - had no idea!

    In the past I have typically bought the orange juice from concentrate because it's cheaper and to me, the taste of it from the carton isn't really any different to pure squeezed orange juice, that's about 22% more expensive. Recently the store had sold out of the cheaper stuff from concentrate...
  18. Grape Expectations

    Cranberry... why you do this to me again!

    Made 4 yeast starters with Young's... little to no foam. Pitched it... no change. Made 4 yeast starters with EC-1118... OK now I can see why people rave about this stuff! It's creating tons of foam within 15 mins of making a starter with 100ml water, 3 tsp sugar (aim: 1.050 SG) and a pinch of...
  19. Grape Expectations

    Has there ever been a poll on who makes a yeast starter, or not?

    That's just it, I don't know what strain it is. :confused: Another reason to just get EC-1118 for next time I think, or just use the Young's for orange wine and the EC-1118 for cranberry. I don't want to give up trying to make cranberry wine, it's miles nicer than orange :) EDIT: I put UK in...
  20. Grape Expectations

    Has there ever been a poll on who makes a yeast starter, or not?

    Young's Super Wine Yeast. It's given me 17%-18% regularly and is half the price of EC-1118, that seems to only be available in 5g packets. Still, I think I am going to try EC-1118 next time. If I get a 10-pack (50g) it's not expensive as such, but it is still nearly double what Young's costs...
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