Yesterday FedEx delivered my FWK Ultima Cab Sav right before lunchtime, so I spent my lunch break putting it together! Followed all the instructions except I am using Renaissance Avante yeast instead of the included RC212. I pitched the yeast this morning.
The must is around 67 degrees F and the Avante temp range starts at 65 degrees, so I decided to bump it up just a tad with a heating pad set to 70 degrees. I don't mind if it ends up being a slow fermentation, so I may end up turning the heating pad off once the yeastie beasties get going.
I am using my Tilt hydrometer to measure progress and temp rather than the exact numbers, because the SG started at 1.110 before I added the skins and oak chips; those additions changed it to 1.102. I don't care about the exact numbers at this point as long as I can see the SG going down.
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