Homebrewer who is interested in wine

[smurfe]

I really like the clear bottle. It shows off your wine. Is there any disadvantage to clear. I'm used to beer where everything has to be in brown bottles to keep it from getting skunky.

It depends on the wine type as to the color of bottle I use. I try to bottle the same as the commercial wines. On the average, most all of the whites I make go in a clear bottle and reds in the darkest bottle I can get. I have an excess of olive Burgundy bottles so I have bottles a few batches of whites in those as well as a couple reds.

I am out of Olive Bordeaux bottles and have 2 reds ready to bottle. I am going to bottle one batch in the Burgundy bottles (a Super Tuscan Crushendo) and have to break down and buy a couple cases of olive Bordeaux bottles for a Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon. I am almost out of clear Bordeaux bottles and need to collect a bunch of those as I need to make a couple kits of the White Zin.

Smurfe

 

[RichBrewer]

It depends on the wine type as to the color of bottle I use. I try to bottle the same as the commercial wines. On the average, most all of the whites I make go in a clear bottle and reds in the darkest bottle I can get. I have an excess of olive Burgundy bottles so I have bottles a few batches of whites in those as well as a couple reds.

I am out of Olive Bordeaux bottles and have 2 reds ready to bottle. I am going to bottle one batch in the Burgundy bottles (a Super Tuscan Crushendo) and have to break down and buy a couple cases of olive Bordeaux bottles for a Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon. I am almost out of clear Bordeaux bottles and need to collect a bunch of those as I need to make a couple kits of the White Zin.

Smurfe

Wow! and I thought I had it rough because I need 30 bottles.

 

[RichBrewer]

I've actually thought of a couple more questions.
My fermenter is in the laundry room that gets a lot of light. Does excessive light harm wine? I've actually covered the carboy with a black t-shirt so it is protected if needed.
The instructions say to sanitize the hydrometer and flask. Is this done so the must can be poured back into the fermenter? I didn't do this because my flask is extremely grungy in the bottom. I just threw the must down the drain. I guess this could add up over time if I have to check the gravity a lot.
Do I need to get a new flask and a wine thief?

 

[smurfe]

I've actually thought of a couple more questions.
My fermenter is in the laundry room that gets a lot of light. Does excessive light harm wine? I've actually covered the carboy with a black t-shirt so it is protected if needed.
The instructions say to sanitize the hydrometer and flask. Is this done so the must can be poured back into the fermenter? I didn't do this because my flask is extremely grungy in the bottom. I just threw the must down the drain. I guess this could add up over time if I have to check the gravity a lot.
Do I need to get a new flask and a wine thief?

If your flask is grungy, you did the right thing. You are correct as well about sanitizing so you can add the sample back to the carboy. I have Fermtech Wine Thief / Test Jar Combo that works well. You just sanitize it and dip it into the carboy. There is a one way valve in the bottom that allows wine to enter. When you lift it out the valve closes. After you obtain your reading you place the bottom tip of the device back into the carboy and place the trigger against the side of the carboy and your sample goes back into the carboy.

You are doing the right thing covering the carboys with a t-shirt to keep light of of the wine. This is what I do. Constant exposure to the light will discolor the wine. Another thing you want to watch is the fluctuating temperatures of a laundry room. Constant temp swings are hard on wine as well. My laundry room keeps pretty cool and consistent in temp in the winter months but in the summer is too warm for me to ferment or store wine.

Smurfe

 

[cpfan]

Also the vibrations of the washer & dryer may cause problems with clearing.

I am a BIG FAN of Fermtech's Thief and Auto Syphons. Can't live without 'em, and I run a Ferment on Premises.

Steve

 

[RichBrewer]

Oh I need one of those! I could even use it for my home brew.
The laundry room has the warmest and most stable temp in the house. It stays at about 71 degrees.
I never thought about the vibrations. That could be an issue because the fermenter is on the floor. Can I put the wine in a cooler place in the house for clarification? I'm talking about 62 degrees.

 

[smurfe]

Oh I need one of those! I could even use it for my home brew.
The laundry room has the warmest and most stable temp in the house. It stays at about 71 degrees.
I never thought about the vibrations. That could be an issue because the fermenter is on the floor. Can I put the wine in a cooler place in the house for clarification? I'm talking about 62 degrees.

If your temps stay a constant 71 degrees even while running a dryer, it is fine as is. In my opinion, vibrations aren't a real issue during fermentation. It is a different story while resting in a bottle. The 62 degree temp is fine for clarification. It is a little cool for fermentation but would work. It will just take everything longer at that temp. If you do use this area I suggest when it is time to degass to move the carboy to a warmer temp and try to gradually bring the temp of the must up around 72-75 degrees. It will be much easier to drive off the CO2 at this temp.

Smurfe

 

[RichBrewer]

Man this sucker has been bubbling since yesterday evening, It is really going now and no trace of foam whatsoever. I think the 6 1/2 is going to work for this one.

 

[cpfan]

Patience to our Brewer. Wine yeasts are slower than beer yeasts. I moved a wine to carboy today after 7 days. Still a nice layer of foam, and obvious bubbles. I think sg was .998 (could be wrong moved 5 wines & a beer today).

Steve

 

[RichBrewer]

Here it is after 28 hours. It is bubbling hard. So far no foam at all.

[/IMG]

 

[cpfan]

Rich:

A 6.5 US gallon carboy and a 6.0 US gallon kit. Aren't you missing some liquid?

Steve

 

[RichBrewer]

Rich:

A 6.5 US gallon carboy and a 6.0 US gallon kit. Aren't you missing some liquid?

Steve

My carboy is marked at 6 gallons. I did this by actually pouring 6 gallons of water into the carboy then marking it. The must was right at the mark when I added the top off water. I'm fairly confident that I have the correct amount of liquid. The OG was 1.090 and folks have told me that it is about right.

 

[Todd]

Here it is after 28 hours. It is bubbling hard. So far no foam at all.

[/IMG]

Looks great!

 

[Todd]

Rich,

Could you please update us on how much foam you get, I'd love to try a reisling or gwerterber (spelling big time) in my 6.5G bucket but I'm not sure how well it will fit with foam. I'm thinking it won't work since your carboy is actually over 6.5.

Todd

 

[Luc]

Looks great Rich.

Congratulations

Luc

 

[cpfan]

Todd, 6.5 US gallons is 24.5 litres, so it's a bit tight for a 23 litre kit. But with the large surface area of a pail you might be OK.

I prefer a 46 litre pail.

Steve

 

[RichBrewer]

Rich,

Could you please update us on how much foam you get, I'd love to try a Riesling or gwerterber (spelling big time) in my 6.5G bucket but I'm not sure how well it will fit with foam. I'm thinking it won't work since your carboy is actually over 6.5.

Todd

I have gotten zero foam from this kit. The surface of the must looks like it is boiling but no foam is being generated. I have a feeling, from what I've read, that this is the exception not the rule. I'm going to get a large plastic fermenter before I do another kit.
I'm a total newbie so I have no idea if the wines you mentioned will work in a 6 gallon fermenter. Good luck!

 

[smurfe]

Rich,

Could you please update us on how much foam you get, I'd love to try a reisling or gwerterber (spelling big time) in my 6.5G bucket but I'm not sure how well it will fit with foam. I'm thinking it won't work since your carboy is actually over 6.5.

Todd

Neither the Reisling or the Gewürztraminer foam much at all. Normally you see a lot of foaming from the big red wines. I would still recomend getting a 7.9 gallon fermentor. Although many do it, I still can not recomend using the same bucket to ferment beer and wine. You can transfer odors.

I have 3 fermentors. Each smells distinctly of wine, even after sanitizing. Two have been used many time and one has only been used once but each has a distinct, sweet, juice odor to them.

I have never brewed beer but I can only imagine the buckets will have odors as well. In winemaking, these potential odor transfers could really play an effect on the end aroma and flavor of your finished product.

Smurfe

 

[RichBrewer]

I have never brewed beer but I can only imagine the buckets will have odors as well. In winemaking, these potential odor transfers could really play an effect on the end aroma and flavor of your finished product.

Smurfe

Plastic fermenters definitely take on the aroma of the beer. I haven't used mine in ten years and they still smell like beer. I don't think it would be a good idea at all to use plastic for both.

Rich

 

[Luc]

Plastic fermenters definitely take on the aroma of the beer. I haven't used mine in ten years and they still smell like beer. I don't think it would be a good idea at all to use plastic for both.

Rich

Rich,

Look if you can find a friendly baker or so in the neighborhood, and talk to him.
Give him one or two bottles of your wine

Now bakers will get their supplies of cream, baking materials etc in food grade buckets, and they will dump the buckets when empty.

This way I got myself and endless supply of 3 gallon fermentors.

Luc