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Thanks for the feedback, guys. The smell is much reduced now this morning compared to last night. Here's what I did: A couple hours after the first dose of fermaid k, the smell came back and it was much worse. I checked sg and it was down to 1.060 from 1.090. I figured I had added enough...

I have a cab juice bucket from Chile I'm doing. Got it on Thursday, it didn't start fermenting even though it was supposedly inoculated. I realized temps were a bit cold. So I brought it upstairs where it's 70F, still didn't ferment. So yesterday I rehydrated some rc212 and added it, and it...

I think they always were (and I'm pretty sure Midwest and Northern Brewer are owned by the same folks), but they eventually realized a dedicated master vintner site wasn't necessary.

I haven't. Not even sure where to get them now that FVWs is closed

I've done the Sommelier Select Nebbiolo. It's only a few months old in the carboy still, but it's just sort of boring at this stage. Hoping it livens up a bit over time. This kit does not habe skins, however.

Mine has been out of the 8 week EM for two weeks. Pic below shows the color of a little bit in a glass. Sort of a dusty, bricky red color. Little bit of orange/yellow around the edge, which had me worried about oxidation at first. But I don't really taste any "off" flavors. The wine isn't "good"...

I'm sure many folks here have seen this but here's his first of several YouTube videos on the subject, where he discusses this phenomenon.

As I recall from Tim Vandergrift's explanation on the side by side EM test he did, it does more than just extract all the goodies from the skins. There are other chemical/biochemical reactions that take place in the presence of the skin, gross lees, seeds, etc during the extended period. Those...

By my calculations, this will be 15% ABV. What was yours the first time around!?

Took this wine out of the EM bucket on Monday. SG apparently finished at 0.996, which was a little disappointing, though I only used the 212 without the 1118. I let the skins float and by mistake I forgot the bentonite, so I got a bunch of sediment coming over when I squeezed out the skins. Oh...

In two days, it will be 8 weeks from the day I pitched the yeast. The wine is still in the primary bucket, on the skins. The airlock water still shows there is extra pressure in the bucket, so I'm not at all worried about oxygen. Maybe next weekend I'll crack it open and see what's happening!

I've also found, by doing the same kit different ways, that the cheap kits can benefit from a little extra alcohol. One of the first things I noticed was the increased fruit forward and mouthfeel, similar to what you describe with the glycerine. In this case I was taking the kit from about 12.7%...

I could see how sorbate would affect the flavor of a dry wine, since it has a slight sweet taste. But if you're adding an f pack anyway, it's it really even noticeable at that point?

Awesome. I plan to do EM as well. Glad to hear it turns out well

I have this kit in the basement, waiting to be started. Last post on tasting was a year and a half ago. Any final word after 2+ years aging how this one turned out?

This kit is really going like gangbusters Or, as a former colleague used to say about his chemical reactions in the lab: "This one really plows!" 3 days in and already at 1.045

I keep seeing people say this about the eclipse Lodi cab...Too bad that even after several years it's still kinda meh Edit: now that I go back and reread the OP, maybe it just needs a few more years ;)

I'm doing this one as an extended maceration, so the time lines won't look anything like the kit instructions!

Yeah, I hear you. It's sound reasoning! There are a few reasons I still make cheap kits. We like to drink a lot of wine and with our budget, making only premium kits would require us to either spend more than we want, or drink less wine than we want! Plus my wife enjoys the cheap kits, and I...

Starting to see some airlock activity 12 hours after pitching the yeast. It smells yeasty and wonderful. The juice in this kit is unlike any other I've ever done. It's an odd red color (almost a brownish tint, such that at first I thought it might be spoiled), and smells amazing. This is the...