Similar to brewing beer?

[Tyler]

I am a Culinary student and I am taking a Le Cordon Bleu wines class. We did our first wine tasting the other day and now I am hooked. Wine making seems alot harder then brewing beer. I have two carboys, hydrometer, juicer, keggle, and some wine bottles. Can anyone tell me where to go first. Maybe a kit that is really good. Anyone have suggestions on what is similar to brewing beer? I have a habit of running before I crawl. I used a kit once when I brewed beer then went straight all grain. Do we boil the must? Nad what about all of the chemicals. Can someone give me a basic run down. IE...

Juice grapes> add whatever chemical to do whatever
Place in carboy> let sit for however long
Secondary Ferm> for some period of time
Just trying to get the Idea. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Malkore]

There's a few ways to make wine (kits vs. pressing your own juice and measuring acidity, etc) and there's a few ways to make beer (extract kits, partial mashes, and all grain brewing).

Wine making is a faster 'brew day' process because you're not mashing grains or boiling wort for an hour or more...

However if you're picking your own grapes there's a lot of prep work like de-stemming and then pressing the juice.

wine ferments longer and usually has to age a little longer than a typical beer.

I would pick one or the other to learn first, then learn the other if it still interests you.

its not the cheapest hobby out there either...lots of tools and gadgets you can collect.

 

[TheTooth]

I make beer all-grain and I make wine kits. I find the wine kits to be far easier.

There is no boiling your wine must. You simply follow the instructions, which amounts to pouring juice in a fermenter and adding some nutrients, stabilizers, and clearing agents at specific times while transferring from one carboy to another a few times. There is a degassing step as well as you want to drive off any CO2 in solution.

 

[Luc]

I suggest you start making a wine from store bought juice.

If you do have a hydrometer and an acid meter you can give us volumes and measurements and we can help you decide how much of the ingredients you would need to add..

It would help enormously if you were willing to work in the metric system in stead of these crummy gallons ounces and cups .....

Luc

 

[Tyler]

Okay. I stopped by the local home brew shop that I was a frequent visitor at, I was greated by name and I havent been there in a few years. Thats customer service. Anyways. I figured that I would start with Welches white grape juice. Add some yeast and put it in my carboy place my air lock on it and watch the magic. Should I dilute the concentrate first? How man juice cans do I need for a Six gallon carboy? Or should I use my 22 galllon Demi? I figured I would start using metric since there are alot of people that could help me from around the world. I have tasted 12 new wines so far in my wines class. I do like the whites from Germany and a few complex reds from washington state. I have a 2200 sq ft unfinished basement that I think is going to become my new wine and beer area. anyone from Colorado springs, Colorado area? I would love to exchange wines to see how mine come out after a few goes. I did that with beer and made alot of friends. That you all for the knowledge. Anyone know of a really good eiswein kit?

 

[St Allie]

I suggest you start making a wine from store bought juice.

If you do have a hydrometer and an acid meter you can give us volumes and measurements and we can help you decide how much of the ingredients you would need to add..

It would help enormously if you were willing to work in the metric system in stead of these crummy gallons ounces and cups .....

Luc

I have missed you Luc!!!

yes I wish more people could work in metric also.. I spend my days converting imperial recipes to metric.. it's a pain in the proverbial..

Allie

 

[Wade E]

I dontn like your metric crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[St Allie]

we are trying to drag you ( kicking and screaming) into the present Wade!!

Allie

 

[TheTooth]

I much prefer the metric system, but it's hard in the US since everything is sold in non-metric units and most of the recipes I find aren't metric.

Honestly, I just use whichever system the recipe I have is. Since I create my own brewing recipes at this point, they are mostly metric. It's an odd mix because pounds/ounces are so ingrained in my head for grain bills... but I find grams easier to use when measuring my hops. LOL

 

[vvolf34]

I have not used the cans yet, but I have been thinking about it. I think most recommend 3 cans per gallon. Add water to get your 6 gallons. Most recommend that you use spring water or tap water, stay away from distilled water as it is missing some minerals. Basic things to have on hand, yeast nutrient and energizer. Potasium sorbate and Potasium metabisulphite. I made a very simple apple beer and would have to say wine is easier.

 

[BobF]

I dontn like your metric crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right! They hate our gallons but love our dollars (even now)!!!!