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I just started 2 batches of wine 4 days ago. The SG on one was 1.090 and the other was 1.906. The elderberry raspberry is down to 1.046 but when I took another reading of the possum grape wild plum wine the SG now reads 1.24! What the heck? How could that be? It has been fermenting like...

What is LWS? I used the first carboy brush I had thinking it was for bottles and the tight diameter of the neck destroyed the bristles. I ordered some brushes from Amazon. I will see how well these work.

These simply weren't rinsed after they were used. I don't use any that look like they may have had any chemical in them. One had a BIG black spider and another one had a June bug. They probably died from intoxication.

Thanks for the reply. I went ahead and ordered that pair. I have about 40 bottles sitting on my counter tonight that I have cleaned the labels off but I need to be sure to get the insides clean before I store them.

I'm cleaning bottles again. I'm doing an oxiclean soak. What is the BEST bottle brush? The one that came with my original kit lasted for about 6 bottles then it was shot. Some of the bottles I'm doing this time look like they weren't rinsed out, plus they have been sitting out in my shop for...

This one was full of gewurztraminer! I hated to loose it. So far I haven't broken my hydrometer but I know I should order an extra. I assume it will happen to me sometime.

It is essentially just a wild grape. There are several different native varieties this term might refer to. I assume the name comes from opossums eating the fruit.

Thank you so much! I just started last fall, but I've done a lot of reading and have help from a number of knowledgeable folks on this site!

Oh dang!!! I just broke a bottle of wine. First time I've broken one.☹

Thank you. I'm still working on making my winemaking area more user friendly. It is slowly getting better.

Raptor 99. No, it's not a Costco shelf, but it is just like the chrome plated shelves that they sell in a number of places with the exception of the wine shelves. I ordered this complete unit off the internet but I can't remember from what company. If you google chrome plated wine rack you...

Scooter 68-LOL! Organized, yes. Neat? That's highly debatable! Right now I'm enjoying a glass of my skeeter pee failure that was rescued with some tart cherry, so it's cherry lemon. It's some from the bottom of the carboy that I put in the fridge to let the sediment settle. It's pretty...

I started winemaking last fall and with the help of this forum and YouTube I'm feeling like it's been a success so far. I've made gewurztraminer, wild plum, raspberry, tart cherrynand just started a batch of possum grape wild plum combo. I have more elderberry to make next.

I save the extra juice of what's left over and I use that to can the next years batch. That way I don't have to add as much sugar/syrup. I do end up adding some simple syrup each year. I have 3 quarts of juice left over and I will use that to start next years batch.

Many times for many years for many things.

I use a water bath canner for fruit. We eat them over the period of a year, but I have had some that I have kept for up to 3 years. I suppose they would "keep" longer than that but loose nutritional value as time went on.

40 quarts of peaches. Done

That sounds like what I would like to do. I'd like to get a good sized utility sink with a drainboard down there. It would be pretty simple to get hot and cold water hooked up there, but that is a future project. As far as the floor goes it is plain cement. It does get enough moisture that I...

I did go ahead and order a carboy heater. I shouldn't have to use it much except for getting fermentation going. This basement should work a lot better than the crowded little utility room where I had my wine before. It got really warm in there because there was a big boiler in there. I'm...

The temperature in my basement is in the 60's. Since we just moved in I don't know what it would be in the winter. I'm considering purchasing a carboy wrap heater just in case a little warmth would be needed to keep the yeast happy.