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So I've been thinking on this for a while and I think I've settled on doing an apple/pear style DB, maybe 6lbs of each fruit. Brown sugar, from the little reading I've done, would also do much to punch up the flavor, so I may just replace it outright or do a 50/50 blend with white sugar. And...

I myself will be taking some wine science and wine making classes starting next month at the Northwest Wine Academy in Seattle. It's part of the community college system and so relatively cheap for school. I think they also give certificates in Food and Wine Pairing as well as Wine Marketing...

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I've read somewhere in the Dragon Blood thread that 20-24 cans of concentrate should be used to have the same effect as the 6lbs of fruit, that sound about right?

I think most people use kmeta as that is cheaper and more traditional. I use star San. They're just different. Kmeta works by off gassing and is good for containers while star San works on surfaces and so might be more suited for tools. They both work well for everything winemaking though, as I...

Those sound delicious! Would you recommend using frozen apples or cranberries in the same manner as one would with Dragon blood i.e. 6-?lbs of the fruit per 6 gallons?

Hey, so I hear a lot of talk about how these quickly made wines are perfect for warm weather drinking (and boy are they right! :dg). I was wondering though, about what would be some good wines/recipes/variations of the same quick type that would be perfect for old man Winter and the cold season...

I'm afraid I don't read you very well either. What do you mean by weaker? I was under the impression that wine yeast, formulated for higher ABVs, would be stronger.

There are a couple of reasons I don't use the S-type airlocks. First, they're almost impossible to clean and empty. You get a little overflow or a stain in the chambers, fuggedaboutit. Secondly, I know, even by my limited experience, that these are very prone to pop off if they're not bone dry...

'Dragon's Blood' Triple Berry Mix (Thanks, Dave!), 5gal: Coming along great, at 1.030 today, should be in a carboy soon, has nice fruity smell emanating from it! Lemon Wine/Skeeter Pee, 5gal: In the final stages of clearing, should be ready to bottle this coming week or the next, tested at...

Guess I am being a bit harsh on it, yes it was April of this year that I made it The original recipe called for 2 1/2 pints of grape concentrate, I used 100% grape juice. At some point, I topped it up with a cheap chardonnay after a racking. I'm thinking that I will make a 5lb banana flavor pack...

Thanks for bearing with me and relieving my anxieties, lol. Was just surprised when I opened the closet door and an open carboy is staring me in the face with attack squadrons of flies already preparing for their assault :gb. Ended up fitting my first universal bung instead of the traditional...

So at some point in the last nine hours after I had done an SG test on my skeeter pee which is in the final stages of clearing, the air lock popped off and left it exposed to oxygen for who knows how long, not to mention the fruit flies which are my bane. According to my ABV calculations, it's...

Thanks for all the useful info, ended up putting something like 8 cups or something (excuse me, was tasting a little bit, last night :dg) and ended up bringing it up to 1.092. I just added the extra sugar straight into the must and then gave it a vigorous stirring for 5-10 minutes. I hope that...

Hey all, I started a 5 gallon batch of carrot wine back in April with 18lbs of carrots and following Ray Massaccesi's recipe. Initial SG was 1.090. Final SG is 0.992. A quick run through the ABV calculator puts it at 12.86%. Yeast used was K1-V1116. Has been kmeta'd but no sorbate or clearing...

I'm certain this question has been asked before, but my search-fu was weak this time and I turned up nothing. Anyways: I'm starting my first batch of DB and I followed the recipe regarding sugar but only had an SG of 1.060 or so. Put in a little shy of four cups (ran out of sugar, :m) and...

# refers to lbs

Another update on progress. I measured the SG in the wee hours of the morning at 1.063. It seems like everything is moving along, if a lot slower than usual. Probably a combination of the temperature and the cranberry's natural benzoate. Interesting to have a ferment take so long, any insights...

The tasting! :dg My first Skeeter Pee and my first successful batch of wine! Of course it's not clear yet and so not yet ready to be bottled, but it sure is delicious!I haven't done the final testing of the SG and thus the ABV, but I can tell it works, that's for sure :D, a glass of this and...

Wow, the discussion here certainly is fascinating and has given me some key insights on how to correctly prepare yeast starters from now on! You guys rock! Anyways, I thought I should give you all some progress. I wrapped the primary in an emergency blanket to keep in whatever heat it had a...

So I just measured the SG tonight finally and it barely seems to have moved. See for your self: The frothy one is from 05/17 when the batch was first made up and pre-yeast and I take to read 1.094, the still one taken 05/19 three days after yeast cast, also reading 1.094. I know cranberry is a...