Search results

Dillinger broke out of the old Lake County jail in Crown Point. They filmed a few scenes from the movie "Public Enemies" at the old jail. Good catch! Peace, Bob

Just started this kit on Sunday 12/11/11. It's an interesting change from the normal WE kits I've done the past couple of years. The grape skin pack raised the SG from 1.092 to 1.106 overnight, that's after adding the two packs of RC212 it came with. Lot's of oak with this kit. 2 packs (60g)...

Welcome Back! :b Peace, Bob

I have three "6" gallon carboys, one has a slight bluish tint to it and holds less than the other two, I usually use that one for my final racking for the kit wines. When I'm doing fruit wines I'm not worried as much, because between the volume of the fruit, the sediment, etc I usually end up...

The kit's good...it's not going to be great, but if you're looking for a good early drinkable dry red, it fits. I picked this one up so I would be less tempted to crack open the Australian Cab, Argentine Malbec, and South African Pinotage I have down in the crawl aging. Peace, Bob

It's the "What If's" that get you... I probably wouldn't feel so bad, but I'll confess, I used the other hydrometers on the last couple batches. You can't expect "ol bessie" to just stand around, waiting... *sniffle* Peace, Bob

I feel...hollow, in a way... I just checked the SG on a batch of Fresh Strawberry, put it under some hot water to rinse it, and it just fell apart. This was my "Go To" hydrometer...I have a couple of spares, but, yanno...choke!!! It just won't be the same. I'm sure I'm babbling, but...

I did the Selection Original White Merlot last year and it turned out great. If you're looking for a wine for this summer, one of the mist kits might work better for you. If I remember correctly, the kit was ok right after bottling, but it got better after 6 months. Peace, Bob

Yes, this kit comes with an F-Pack. I made this kit last year (still have a couple of bottles left). It's not bad, but I probably won't make it again, I just prefer the dryer whites. Peace, Bob

I've actually stopped doing the last "this will make your wine brilliantly clear" step on my kits. I just let it sit a few weeks longer, and make sure the lees get good and compact, then bottle from there. You just have to be careful not to disturb the lees, but so far I haven't had any...

The Luna Rossa was my "take to holiday party" wine this year, it was about 15 months old and everyone (including myself) really loved it...I'll definately be making another this year. Peace, Bob

Hi Steve...how dare you not agree with me...?!?!?!?...LOL! :: I think we can agree that if you follow the instructions on the kit, you don't need to stir everyday, twice a day, like you need to with fruit wines. The kits are formulated to be pretty much "hands off" for the first 6-7 days...

Stirring might have made the fermentation react faster, but yes, it would have been inconsequential overall. Since you don't have the correct equipment for a wine kit, you do what you gotta do. It would be best to combine the 5 gallon + 1 gallon into a bucket, then add the sulfite, sorbate...

One of the main purposes of stirring is to introduce oxygen into the must. Kits are conditioned so stirring isn't necessary. Every other wine I make, whether from fruit or supermarket juice get's stirred and the cap gets punched down. Peace, Bob

First you need access to a vinyl cutter and plotting software. I'm lucky, we have a sign shop at work. Being the tech support guy, I kinda know how everything works there. Peace, Bob

This is an "Off-Dry" kit, not super sweet. Compare it to a white zinfandel, it's just the blush version of a zinfandel (slightly sweeter, lighter color). Same with the white merlot...it's just the blush version of merlot. Make it per the instructions, and it will turn out great. The only...

That's a great story Brad...:b Thanks for sharing! Peace, Bob

Yeah, I looked at a few recipe's on the net, and it's anywhere from 3lbs to 10lbs per gallon. I'm going to err on the side of caution with the 1 gallon. Peace, Bob

I have no problem, making wine for myself, then giving it away to other people. A friend of mine's Mother asked me to make some elderberry wine out of 8 lbs of elderberries she picked. I've never made elderberry wine before, nor have I tasted it, but I couldn't say no. My plan is to make a 1...

I wish I could give you a helpful answer. Hopefully, when you get the scores back, that will shed some light on why silver and not gold. I can say that this is a transitional year for this competition. It's no longer affiliated with the Indiana State Fair. The "Indy" competition was held at...