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I can’t speak to the rest, but CO2 comes from fermentation. I assume after all this time that SG is not changing and nothing is left to ferment.

Did you follow the recipe exactly? What temp is your must? How much lemon juice did you start with? I tried SP once and couldn’t get it to ferment either. Since then I’ve learned that partly why the recipe calls for a slurry, a healthy colony of yeast from a previous fermentation, is to improve...

I hear you. You might not notice any difference between bread yeast and wine yeast. If so, awesome, no need to spend an extra $0.05 per bottle. I don’t want to belabour the point, but... I’m a computer guy. If you buy a game that recommends a certain minimum CPU, graphics card, and RAM, and you...

Yes, that’s a must (pun intended). Do yourself a favour, for experimenting with SP and DB, get some EC-1118 or similar. Take that variable out of the equation for when (if) you have problems.

I'm a bit more paranoid. I would rather not over-sweeten an entire batch, so I take an 80 ml (1/3 cup) sample. Every 1/4 tsp sugar added is equivalent to 1/4 cup per gallon. Get it how you like it, then subtract 10 to 25% to account for the changes as it spends time in the carboy/bottle. You can...

Documentation. Yes. Best advice I ever got. If you enjoy the result, that's all that matters. If other people do too? BONUS... you can share. SP and DB are inexpensive. It takes just as much time to baby 1 gallon as it does 6 (or 18!!). I suggest you pick one (if DB, maybe add a little extra...

As of yet, I can't speak for the Pee. I tried to make it once, and couldn't get it to ferment, so I "converted" it to Dragon Blood. I'll be doing it again very soon though (I'm going to try it like @hounddawg does it!). Dragon Blood (DB) is based on the Skeeter Pee (SP) recipe, so if you like...

I imagine you found the Skeeter Pee thread. If not, check it out. If you give it a try, I've read it's a lot easier to get it to ferment if you only use 32 oz of lemon juice up front. Add the rest after fermentation is complete.

Ahhhh, never thought of that. Without a lubricant the rubber still gets chewed up a bit.

NICE analogy! That’s a perfect way to visualize it.

For a standard 6 gallon batch, the original recipe calls for 6 lbs of fruit. It is not like any wine you would buy. Based on Lon’s Skeeter Pee (which is no fruit), it adds enough fruit to make a beautiful colour and to enhance the SP recipe with as much or as little complexity as you would like...

And that works for you? I gave up asking for expecting the bottle back. But I have wine-drinkers that save me their bottles. They get more gifts. Lol.

I'm not the expert, but what I've read is that very few things are too acidic. And adding water doesn't reduce acidity, really. If your must is too acidic, you can adjust with a few different things, calcium carbonate (chalk) being one, but I think potassium carbonate or bicarbonate is...

I have a hard time believing anyone here would put you or your wine down, Dawg. But the great thing about a forum, is you can simply ignore them. Don't take offense, don't give offense. Exactly the point. There's no need to make fancy grape wines, when you are a fancy fruit wine connoisseur...

Highly doubtful. If you plan to do even one more batch, please invest in a hydrometer. They are cheap, and for the price, THE most important piece of equipment you need. And buy 2. If you only have one, it will be sure to break. Without having a series of SG measurements, you have no way of...

What sour_grapes said, plus, if you’ve bottled this a few weeks after starting the kit, without finings, even if it appears clear, there is a very strong chance that sediment will drop out in the bottle. It won’t hurt you, so no big deal, but be aware that if you give it away, you should let the...

I’ll take it! You’d have no trouble shipping that across the border to Canada, I’m sure. 😉

I’m 59, but sometimes (like now, lying in bed with an ice pack on my back) feel like I’m 95. I obviously don’t drink enough wine! 🤣

I’m with @winemaker81, I would be leery about taking any chances with a severe allergic reaction. How much is “even a small sample”? Any chance you got chemicals mixed up? It’s your first homemade wine, so maybe post a picture of the packages to make sure you’re using the right stuff. If you are...

According to the description, it can pull wine from 4 m below an empty bottle. That indicates a vacuum of over 11.5” Hg, which is about half as much vacuum as the AIO can pull, plenty enough to speed up degassing I would think. My only caution is that the system may not be designed for the...