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My son is working on his driver's license, and needs lots of hours of driving. I think I'll have him take me up there to be my "designated driver" :) I'd love to wait until the next weekend to go up, but this weekend works much better. I'm looking forward to this batch. it will be my first...

I'll be up there Saturday to pick up a bucket of South African Cabernet juice and a lug of SA cabernet grapes. I've got no good wine to swap out with anyone right now :( That is to say I've bottled a bunch of stuff (country wines) that isn't quite ready to gift/share. Since they are all among...

Welcome to the forums. There's some experienced folks here that don't mind us young'uns asking lots of questions. I'm only 6 months out from my first fermentation (apple cider). In that 6 months I've had 15 different fermentations now. And at least a few of them will be good enough to share...

So my first batch of JOAM is now 5 months out from pitching the yeast. At bottling the pith taste was enough to make me thing I'd have to waste the batch. Now at 5 months it's wonderfully smooth. I think I'll actually start another batch now that I can see how this is ending up. I didn't use...

Yesterday I transferred the Cherry Mead into secondary. I had to leave town for a bit, so the bucket (with fruit) sat in the fridge for a week before I pitched the yeast. When I rechecked the SG right before pitching, it was 1.140. Last night it was at 1.030, and the bubbling was way down, so...

I am hoping for a little on the tart side. I already added all the nutrients before pitching the yeast. (I had forgotten I had planned on doing a planned addition. Oops!) Last time I used the 71B it went to 15.5% before it stopped. I have no idea where it will go this time. I'd be happy if...

I'm looking at my old threads and thought I'd update a few. My JOAM went two months (average temp close to 65 I think, maybe closer to 60) and was then bottled into swing-top bottles. It had too much pith taste originally. I had a bottle a few weeks ago, and it's already coming along quite...

Update: I had to leave town suddenly, so I put the bucket in the fridge for almost a week (prior to pitching yeast) while I was taking care of family. I pulled it out Sunday night, and pitched the yeast last night after hydrating with GoFerm. The SG had fallen to 1.140 prior to pitching. I'm...

It was 1.144 actually. I didn't recheck, since I had a family emergency and I'll be gone for several days. So I put it in the fridge (I hadn't pitched the yeast yet) and I'll end up pitching it early next week.

No pits in the sweet cherries. (Only 12 oz cherries to top off my gallon of cherry juice/honey) I could probably get away with pitching and leaving, but I'd feel better waiting to get started once I get back. So it's not sitting in the fridge. Thanks all for the help! Watching parents get...

Yesterday I started my Cherry Melomel, putting all the juice & frozen fruit in a bucket along with the pectic enzyme, nutrient, etc in anticipation of pitching the yeast tonight. However, I now have a family emergency and have to head out of town for several days. I'm thinking since I...

Today I started a cherry Melomel. I had asked some questions about it on a seperate thread, but I will put it here for all it's glory. (I hope it ends up better than last month's recipe. That one might be a dud.) Cherry Vanilla Melomel (One Gallon) 64 ozs 100% tart cherry juice (Trader...

Today I went ahead and took it off of the settled lees (it was looking really clear) and I sneaked a taste. Not going to lie. Not a fan right now. I think it's primarily because it's super gassy. I whipped degassed it several times and also put the vacuvin on it to pull some more. (I...

So I started this today. Starting gravity (before I threw in the frozen cherries) was 1.044. No water needed. I also added an over-ripe banana on the suggestion of @Jericurl. I purchased some goferm to help with the hydration and to really kick the yeast off well. Other things I added...

Like they say - If at first you don't succeed. . . give up skydiving! (I couldn't resist! Have fun.)

My only comment would be that there isn't much reason to filter the must prior to fermenting that i'm aware of. Strawberries don't always have lots of flavor, so you want to give as much contact as possible. I don't think the floating bits will impact the readings that much (if that's why you...

I'm not sure every wine needs to be filtered, unless you are trying to do something specific to it (like sterile filtering before back-sweetening). I know they say that red wines can lose something if they are filtered, so it would be a thing of last resort I imagine. I wouldn't do it before...

Winexpert Eclipse Napa Valley Stag's Leap District Merlot Wine Recipe Kit I have only made one kit so far (a one gallon one), and look forward to making something bigger and better! And since you are sponsors of an awesome board if I don't win I might just have to order one myself ;)

Sounds wonderful. Do you plan to carbonate, or will it be still? I have some cyser I'm trying to decide which way to go (bubbly or not). I can't force carbonate it.

How much honey per gallon do you use in your cyser? Just curious.