Search results

My harvest is officially done at a mind blowing (for me) 86.02 lbs. I used 71B for this one, different yeast next time.

I forgot to mention that I laughed after tasting the sweetened version - the berry flavor was SO unexpected. According to my notes I used 8 oz of raisins. And I used wild blackberry tips. I wonder if there would be any difference using black raspberry or thornless?

Well here's something for you to think about, @Raptor99 . I hit 1.020 this morning and transferred. 14 lbs of blackberries got me one gallon and one quart which, surprisingly, is the quantity I usually aim for with the secondary. After 6 hours the lees are starting to build and I'm really...

Sorry for the delay @Raptor99. The bramble tip has been in bulk for almost a year so I racked and tasted. Astringent? Big time! Okay, so maybe more time will help that. And I wonder what sugar will do? BAM! Blew me away! Tastes like a berry wine, swear to GOD! I back sweetened, sorbate, kmeta...

I understand your logic. But being old and retired mortality plays a role in my wine choices - drink the good stuff while I can.😂

So I decided to get a bit of exercise, a little cardio. My choices were the bicycle or the pedal boat. After some thought I decided some things are more difficult on a bicycle....and discovered I LOVE exercise! 😄

Gosh, I'm so sorry. The problem with having a large variety of wines is that it's too easy to keep drinking the favorites. Give me a couple days and I'll let you know. I remember being disappointed when it was young. But there's hope! I thought the same thing about black walnut leaf wine. At...

My records from the early years are incomplete but it appears to be roughly 1.3 kittens per ton of wood. 🤓

After years of observation I have come to the conclusion that wood piles make kittens.

If it helps even a little, great. I'm in new territory here so we can both learn. I have an update...and I may not have been too wrong. The basics: I use the whole berry (thornless), frozen then crushed. I put a brew bag in the bucket, extracting juice between the bag and bucket for SG...

OK, @Ohio Bob, I was doubtful about your 8 lb claim. In fact, I was thinking "No effen way!" Well, sir, I don't have a problem admitting I was wrong. To make it official - I was wrong.😄 Took blackberries out of the freezer today. Because of my package sizes I'll be dealing with 9.5 lbs. I'm...

I don't. Something very important to keep in mind, pears do not ripen on the tree. (They are "climacteric" if you're interested in the lingo.) When they're ready to pick I let them ripen, even over-ripen, then freeze. When thawed they're mushy, that's what I use. With all pear the must is like a...

No additional water for 8 lbs? I've been using 6ish lbs and it needed considerable water as I recall. (I've been known to mis-remember things, though. 😄 ) You really have me wondering now. My harvest should be done in a day or two and I think a couple blackberry wines need to be started as soon...

Yeah, @hounddawg , I should have been more specific. I prefer whole berries as well. I'm guessing 18ish lbs might get me a gallon but I could be wrong. Once I have a final tally on my harvest I'll decide what to do. As a side note, I made a couple all fruit pear wines. At 6-8 months in the...

Incredible harvest this year with wild and thornless. I'm wondering if there's a point of diminishing returns with blackberries. In other words, is all juice really worth it or will 10 or so lbs get me the same result?

Can't really add to what @winemaker81 said other than...Welcome to WMT!

That's pretty much what I read, too - the average person in decent health won't die...but it will hurt like hell! I believe we have four poisonous snakes in this part of Ohio. Haven't seen any, don't want to.

One of those things - some "experts" say it's folklore, other "experts" say it's true. Personally, I definitely smelled cucumber, an unmistakable aroma, but I didn't see a snake. For me the issue is still up in the air.

No, definitely not a copperhead. Pretty sure it was a ribbon snake maybe 20" in length. And SUPER fast! If I was on the menu I wouldn't have a chance!

I know to leave them alone and I'm probably safe but I don't like their habit of saying "Hi!" a foot away from me. I think that little guy was a ribbon snake. Folklore says copperheads smell like cucumber. I got a strong whiff of cucumber a couple times this year. Nervous and looking...