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Even if it started at 1.155, that yeast should get it down to 1.020ish. What temp are you fermenting at?

Well hold on there Josh. Many yeasts will work just fine for winemaking (not only Lavlin EC-1118). Active Dry yeast is actually very common in making prison hooch type wines (such as cider). While it won't create a perfectly refined wine, it will create an alcoholic drink that you can enjoy...

Well, lets see. You're using Lalvin EC-1118 which has an alcohol tolerance of 18% per Lalvin's website. http://www.lalvinyeast.com/strains.asp You started at 1.140 which would be 18.5-19% if fermented dry and that falls within the realm of what that yeast could handle. Since fermentation is...

Depending on what your desired end result is... You could add sugar to whatever starting SG you want which would most likely get you up to 2 gallons. Or, you could start with a base of something else (grape juice concentrate, skeeter pee, etc), then use your 1.5 gallons to add a distinct extra...

You can bottle and drink it even if it isn't totally clear as long as you don't mind that. You could also try adding sparkolloid to help in clearing. Is the trip over labor day weekend (meaning in just a couple days)? If so, don't add any additional clearing agents as they won't have time to...

No willpower.... :slp

Depending on the acid level of your grapes, you will either need to add acid or calcium carbonate. I was told by FVW that tartaric acid is better for grapes (vs acid blend) if you need to raise the acid so that's what I have. I'm hoping to get my batch started this weekend...super nervous!

Well, Dave came up with Dragon's Blood so to him its just another variation (which he can give another name). But yes, it would be a mixed berry wine. Depending on how many pounds of berries you add, it could end up a blush, but more likely a deep red. My Tinkleberry is a dark blush using 1...

Stir it up vigorously to add in more oxygen. That should help.

+1 to jswordy for using concentrates for backsweetening. I forgot to mention that. +1 to BobF on water quality. I tend to forget that since my water here is great but I have lived places with nasty water where I definitely wouldn't want to add it to a wine.

One campden tab per gallon 24 hours prior to pitching yeast is normal. Actually, that's what the bottle of tablets suggests. I do that for most of my wines (other than skeeter based recipes).

Both will work. However, concentrate is just that, a concentrated form of the juice. When making wine and looking for a fuller body with more flavor, the only way to achieve that is by concentrating your solution. To do that you either have to boil down juice, or start with frozen...

With 3 pounds of sugar for 1 gallon, I'd say your starting SG was over 1.100. So you'd be looking at above 13% ABV (maybe 16%). If your SG is down to .995, it should be just about done fermenting. Test it again in a few days and if it hasn't dropped any lower, its done and time to clear...

hehe...all the more reason to get another batch going asap! You just never know how much will be lost to "evaporation"...

If you're at 1.095 either you just got a more accurate reading or fermentation has started and your yeast has already eaten .035. Patience truly is key in this hobby. Of course patience is easier to come by after you have a few batches bottled. ;)

A groupon deal like this earlier in the year is what reminded me to pull all my equipment out of the attic and start back up again. I didn't buy the groupon kit but at least it got me back into the hobby!

You can either let it go as is and end up with a higher alcohol content or you can dilute it down with straight apple juice which would reduce the SG and make a larger batch than the original recipe.

Robin's should ferment dry, then she can backsweeten to taste. Even if the initial SG truly was 1.120 (16% ABV), that's the rated limit of Red Star Champagne yeast so it should go all the way. Usually you ferment dry, stabilize and backsweeten as it is a more accurate way to get the exact...

It could be that the yeast got going already. Right when active fermentation starts, its hard to get an accurate SG reading. So it could just be that your SG reading is off now. Try it again in another day. If its still over 1.1 then maybe you added too much sugar that was sitting on the...

Yeah, I love my apple cider and apple pie cider. But I bet both will be even better over the holiday season (when it cools off out). I'm tempted to heat some up to see how it tastes warm.