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Bungs form a better seal than screw tops. If you're going to be keeping it in there for any length of time, bungs will protect the wine much better.

I'd use a bung before a screw top for long term storage.

Yes. It appears to be the Mystic kit from that line.

We have a salsa like that at home that we love, but I don't think I'd enjoy a wine with those flavors. That's the beauty of experimenting though. Your wine, your time, your call. I agree with Jim that it would be good to start small, both in amount of flavor and volume flavored. I over...

Perhaps. Please be careful with terms. I would hate to see someone lose a batch because they were trying to clean with a sanitizer, or vice versa.

Star San is not a cleaner. I can only imagine the amount of foam caused by running those scrubbers attached to a drill inside a carboy half filled with Star San though.

Brettanomyces. A kind of yeast you generally don't want (unless you're brewing a sour beer).

If you added half the fpac during clearing, you're going to need the sorbate. Refer to the "I did a bonehead thing" thread. Edit to add: If those bottles warm up enough to wake up the yeast, you'll likely end up with CO2 and sediment in the bottles. Probably not a whole lot, but probably more...

If memory serves, the instructions are specific to the lemonade kits. The Winexpert kit lists separate instructions for the Hard Pink Lemonade and Hard Limeade kits. I imagine it was the same for the BB lemonade too. *Note: My memory is terrible so I went to the website.

The Bravado was a limited edition kit, so it will be hard to come by at this point. For giggles, I did a quick Google search and found one place that has it in stock, but total would be about $200 with shipping.

Fun idea. Personally, I'd start with 1 piece and increase from there. You can always add more, but not the other way around. I don't know what size barrels the wineries use when making theirs (surface area/volume ratio) or how long they it let soak, so I'd play it safe. It will likely be...

I'm not disagreeing with the concept that adding less water is generally better. Just trying to make sure the terms aren't being confused. I think most people assume that "standard" simple syrup follows the 1:1 ratio, so saying standard and then specifying a 2:1 ratio is contradictory and...

I think this is a great idea for a thread. None of the few batches that I've made have jumped out at me yet, but based on all the recommendations the Stag's Leap Merlot will be my next kit, probably after a chardonnay bucket this fall and a cider.

Star San is not a cleaner. It is a sanitizer. There is an important distinction everyone needs to be familiar with. I would not wash anything with Star San, but sanitize everything with it.

Everything I have read says that "standard" simple syrup is a 1:1 ratio. If using a 2:1 ratio, it is considered "rich" simple syrup.

I don't actually believe any of B-Brite, PBW, or One Step have any sort of stamp of approval as a sanitizer. My understanding is that they have been approved as cleaners. I think it would be helpful if you edited your post as to not confuse people.

I've had bottled conditioned stout in Grolsch bottles for 2+ years and they held carbonation just fine. I think you might have lost most of the CO2 during the transfer and not through any fault of the flip tops. It's quite a different process just pulling a pint off the top vs. transferring...

I've not kegged any beer yet, so haven't done any transfers to bottles, but as mentioned in another thread, I like doing lots of research. Everything I've read says that keeping everything that touches the beer cold helps in retaining carbonation. If you ever feel like trying again and have...

Awesome. I'll end up with a similar timeline then. Was the wine cold when you carbed? Were the flip tops cold when you filled them? Every little bit helps when you know you're going to have some unavoidable losses.

That's reassuring. Thanks for sharing. Based on earlier posts, it's been about 2 months since you started? I might be able to get this bottled up for a family party in late August then. If you try carbing again, it might help to cool the bottles down first, based on everything I've read...