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It happens right after fermentation, but it doesn't worsen really... it only take a few days and it's over. It's nearly impossible to accurately diagnose this issue unfortunately. If we were all there... looking, smelling, tasting... it might be different. However, with the vinegar barrel...

That's a cardinal sin... you're asking for an acetobacter infection if you keep vinegar anywhere near wine production.

Acetic acid can be produced from acetaldehyde oxidation, which is a simple flaw of fermentation. You might just have a flaw and not a total loss. Acetaldehyde is usually a product of using too much sugar (dextrose or sucrose). It is often described as tasting like green apples or a cidery flavor.

I just started my kits today. I was a little surprised to find that they don't have any chaptilization sugar and only start at an SG of 1.115 so they will likely dry out completely to ~16% ABV. The f-packs don't look very large so I'm guessing the FG in the bottle will be 1.010 give or take...

I don't make WE kits, so I have no comment regarding the accuracy of their advertised juice content.

We used to have a "wine" called TJ Swan. It had cool names like Easy Days, Mellow Nights... etc. It was probably Welches with 5% ABV. Red Foxx had another one... Cream + ripple = Cripple!

OMG! You could be my Dad! :sh

I really don't think so. The Winery Series come with 2 jars of wet skins... which might add up to something close to a liter. No way is it 2 liters. I'll send RJS an email and find out for sure.

How do you know this? I can't say I've measured the bag, but it says 18L right on the package. I've done quite a few winery series kits and the package is much larger than a Cru Select 16L kit.

Same here! Although I'm also making a 2nd caramel and I'll be adding some homemade coffee liqueur to that one, effectively making a caramel/coffee port. I made the chocolate raspberry 2 years running and people love it. Just put 2 small (3-4 oz) apéritif/cordial glasses together with a 375ml...

I always use my ice cube coolers. These were made originally for lager beer. I can hold a perfect 70 for fermentation and a perfect 50 for cold conditioning with little effort. It's best in a basement with a floor drain... much easier to let some water out and then add ice or hot water.

Yes, my RQ Nero D'Avola is coming along really nicely. If you can find one, I'd grab it!

Drugs and alcohol. Look at how many we've lost... Philip Seymour Hoffman, Heath Ledger, John Belushi... the list goes on and on. I sat next to a comedian (Mitch Hedberg) on a plane once, and we talked up a storm because he was about my age (5 years younger) and he grew up in St Paul, MN. A...

Interesting plan; I hope it works for you. The EC-1118 is going to have one hell of a time getting started in 13%. I'd recommend a starter (a big one!) and transition the yeast by adding some of the partially fermented wine into the starter. You can easily shock almost all of that dry yeast...

The thing is, you add an F-Pack before bottling and the FG goes up ~20 points. You actually want to hit 1.000 or even a little lower. The real trick is to get the OG at 1.120 (as close as possible) and coax the yeast to ferment it all the way down. You don't have to catch anything... the yeast...

It's a matter of taste. I had a batch of chocolate raspberry that was 1.020 and it was all the rave by everyone that tasted it.

I must be the only one that doesn't like mine so sweet. I gauge everything from the beginning on fermenting to dry, or 0.994. For me that means a OG of not more than 1.120. I only add enough sugar to get it there, and nothing more. I also add nutrient and energizer at the beginning, and more...

One thing I've noticed.... I have to be careful what's going on with my palate when I do a tasting. You need to do whatever it takes to neutralize your palate first, because tasting is usually a small amount and we're all set to be very critical of that tiny sample.

It was a blend. I've been blending wines just to see what comes from it. I was watching something on TV about wine blending, and the expert said that almost every wine can be improved with blending. In this particular case, 2 goods made a better :h Last night I blended 2 blends. A 3 year old...

South of DT StP. In other words, clear across town :sm