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Good Luck. I like the trash can idea!

yes, add more fruit. I add 3-4# of fruit per gal for Dragon Blood. I found it way too watery with just 1# per gal.

What John said - I have a 8 gallon fermenter I use for 5 gal recipes. Your other option is to split the initial ferment between 2 6 gal. buckets. I did that once. Mixed the water, sugar, etc. established the sg and the ph and then divided it in 2 buckets & added 1/2 the fruit to each and a...

I have not personally tried it - I have read where others have. It's sort of like an F-pac. If I were going to try this - I would probably heat up the jam & then liquefy it in a blender with a little water to make it easier to stir in. It may affect the clarity - you may have to give it...

John - did you add fresh/frozen fruit or fruit juice? Did you add it after K-meta & pot. sorbate treatment? Is it still under airlock? I've added juice concentrate to backsweeten - I just let is sit under airlock for a month to see it fermentation started and for anything to settle out. If...

Thanks - will do. I did a ph test on the must and it was way too alkaline (6.83). I did add acid blend and citric and tartaric acid, too in addition to some lemon juice and zest. Got the ph down to 3.65 as of this morning. Most of the recipes I saw called for cloves and I don't like...

Just started my first batch of beet wine (4 gallons) on Sunday, pitched the yeast yesterday. I used 16# of beets that had been peeled, vacuum sealed then frozen since last fall. I have no intention of doing as an exhaustive write up as the original post - but I will try and post the recipe I...

Smelling "yeasty" right now would be normal - the yeast is still active or just finished doing it's thing. As for the "not much flavor" - I had issues with the flavor of my first batch of DB. I found it weak & watery, too acidic and not much flavor. After racking, adding the pot. meta &...

I don't ordinarily weigh down the bag with fruit. But you could use marbles (glass) after washing and sanitizing them. I just made some mint wine and put a bag of mint leaves into the secondary - I weighed it down with some polished stones. I made the "tea bag" from some retired sheer...

I live in E Central WI - near Oshkosh. Those are exactly the reasons most folks have cut them down, I think. I thought about planting my own - not sure I'd live long enough to see it really produce.

Things are......less bad, thanks. Some things don't get better, but I'll take stable for now. Mulberries seem to be a vanishing fruit. No real commercial value, too messy for most people to have in the yard and hardly anyone makes jam anymore. Except me. There was a nice tree down the...

I learned a lot here - ask and it shall be answered. I also earned a lot from Jack Keller's website. There's more info there than I can probably comprehend in what's left of my lifetime. http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/index.asp

It is indeed. And it can change your direction and priorities in a heartbeat. Literally. Thanks, Jim - it is a good selection. I need a couple more reds, tho. I would like to try some Mulberry wine - but I can't find anyone with mulberry trees anymore.

Thanks. It's been quite a medical learning curve - these are life-changing events when they happen in isolation. All at once - it's just a blur. And there are still on-going issues. But we all have stuff we deal with, eh? Hopefully, I can find a new normal. Got a batch or Dragon's blood...

The end of 2017 and most of 2018 was a real s**t-storm for me. My wife had valve replacement & repair surgery and then my elderly parents had multiple issues - that's the ultra-condensed version. Not much time for wine making. Didn't even get out fishing once. Fortunately, I had started a few...

I'm no Salcoco - but his initial answer said this - "additionally the fermenter is covered with a cloth to allow inspection and stirring of the must every day." No airlock during primary fermentation. Just lay a clean towel over the top. The yeast need oxygen. Stir at least once a day -...

Since % ABV stands for the Percentage of Alcohol by Volume - it only stands to reason that adding syrup or juice concentrate after fermenting will change that ratio. If you add more liquid (thereby increasing the volume) but you don't add any additional alcohol - you have decreased the % of...

Very nice - beats my little notebook!

Those seem to be a light aluminum on many bottles. I have modified a 3" putty knife into a concave shape and sharpened it - works on the stubborn labels and the top sleeves. Watch your fingers, tho.