Grampa_Improviser
Hid Some Good Stuff
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2012
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
Hello to all. I have chosen this community because from the posts I have read you seem to be a good, down to Earth bunch.
I do not consider myself a home wine maker yet by any measure. So I call my stuff Black Box Hooch as I have made a wood box that will hold up to five 5 gal. plastic jugs and is heated to 70-75 for fermentation.
I live in central Wisconsin and my basement is down to 50 already but the box stays at 70 - 75.
I started this home wine making in May of 2011 and am now on my 24th 5gal. batch.
I learned by reading a ton of threads and just started to do it.
Some of my batch's were hard to choke down but some were surprisingly good. Most were a fuzz too sweet but all had 8% to 12% Al.
My mix is as simple as it gets, that's why I'm here, I need to move to the next level.
I do use and understand my two hydrometers and bubblers on the jugs and keep start to finish records.
Frankly, I started this because I'm broke. Sooo, my set up is functional but home made also.
In use = 5gal. plastic water jugs, Lalvin 1116, organic juice or wild berries, when I can pick them.
My simple method =
Fill a tub with hot (100-105) water to keep the 5 gal. jug hot with 3 gals. of filtered water and most often 12 lbs. of sugar dissolved completely.
Then add one qt. organic juice as any berri or cherry or mixed berri juice, then top off with more hot filtered water leaving room for rehydrated Lalvin K1-1116, also at 100-105.
Shake mix and stir the 5 gal. jug well, at this point I take my 1st SG reading, then add the yeast, one more good stir, put the jug into the box, put on a bubbler and let it sit.
With this method the bubblers are at 17 to 18 bpm in 24 hours.
As far as racking, as I have been using juice for the past 10 months I'll rack it off the yeast cake at about 2-3 weeks, take another SG reading and then back in into the box it goes.
We had such hot dry weather last summer the elderberries and others were just not available. When they were rich in the woods, last September 2011, I was happy to use them, they were very good. Also made starting a batch and racking different than as described above.
Point is I am really enjoying this hobby, I have concocked a whole "lab" if you will to perform this task of home brew, but now I need to use methods I have only read about. Such as yeast nutrients and I have an acid kit but am confused about it plus I have Compton tabs and powder and bentonite and so on and so on.
Well, I'll be posting a question at a time and looking forward to telling you more and hearing from you, until then, chow. Grampa_Improviser
I do not consider myself a home wine maker yet by any measure. So I call my stuff Black Box Hooch as I have made a wood box that will hold up to five 5 gal. plastic jugs and is heated to 70-75 for fermentation.
I live in central Wisconsin and my basement is down to 50 already but the box stays at 70 - 75.
I started this home wine making in May of 2011 and am now on my 24th 5gal. batch.
I learned by reading a ton of threads and just started to do it.
Some of my batch's were hard to choke down but some were surprisingly good. Most were a fuzz too sweet but all had 8% to 12% Al.
My mix is as simple as it gets, that's why I'm here, I need to move to the next level.
I do use and understand my two hydrometers and bubblers on the jugs and keep start to finish records.
Frankly, I started this because I'm broke. Sooo, my set up is functional but home made also.
In use = 5gal. plastic water jugs, Lalvin 1116, organic juice or wild berries, when I can pick them.
My simple method =
Fill a tub with hot (100-105) water to keep the 5 gal. jug hot with 3 gals. of filtered water and most often 12 lbs. of sugar dissolved completely.
Then add one qt. organic juice as any berri or cherry or mixed berri juice, then top off with more hot filtered water leaving room for rehydrated Lalvin K1-1116, also at 100-105.
Shake mix and stir the 5 gal. jug well, at this point I take my 1st SG reading, then add the yeast, one more good stir, put the jug into the box, put on a bubbler and let it sit.
With this method the bubblers are at 17 to 18 bpm in 24 hours.
As far as racking, as I have been using juice for the past 10 months I'll rack it off the yeast cake at about 2-3 weeks, take another SG reading and then back in into the box it goes.
We had such hot dry weather last summer the elderberries and others were just not available. When they were rich in the woods, last September 2011, I was happy to use them, they were very good. Also made starting a batch and racking different than as described above.
Point is I am really enjoying this hobby, I have concocked a whole "lab" if you will to perform this task of home brew, but now I need to use methods I have only read about. Such as yeast nutrients and I have an acid kit but am confused about it plus I have Compton tabs and powder and bentonite and so on and so on.
Well, I'll be posting a question at a time and looking forward to telling you more and hearing from you, until then, chow. Grampa_Improviser
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