One for the wine makers

[Balog]

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f2/dangerdaves-dragon-blood-wine-41825/

Looks interesting. One of my highest priority projects is getting the garage cleaned out so I can finally start home brewing, but I have to say that wine making looks simpler and easier. I'd like to try both. Anyway, I know we have some amateur vintners around here so I thought they might find this interesting.

[charby]

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f2/dangerdaves-dragon-blood-wine-41825/

Looks interesting. One of my highest priority projects is getting the garage cleaned out so I can finally start home brewing, but I have to say that wine making looks simpler and easier. I'd like to try both. Anyway, I know we have some amateur vintners around here so I thought they might find this interesting.

Why garage? I used to brew in the house.

[SADShooter]

Wow. Interesting, thanks. Closest I've gotten to wine has been mead, looking to try it.

I've heard it said that making drinkable wine is easier than beer, but making great wine is harder than making great beer.

[Balog]

Why garage? I used to brew in the house.

Small house, big dog, a toddler... I can fence off some space in the garage, nowhere to set stuff up in the house without it getting knocked over or tampered with.

[charby]

Small house, big dog, a toddler... I can fence off some space in the garage, nowhere to set stuff up in the house without it getting knocked over or tampered with.

I hope your wine doesn't pick up any off odors/flavors from chemicals/fuel in the garage.

[Gewehr98]

Went through his recipe.

I must caution folks that Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast has a high alcohol tolerance, around 18% ABV.

It's a good, aggressive yeast for making wine out of damned near any vegetable matter, but you'll have rocket fuel at the end if you don't watch your sugars.

(IOW, to keep the ABV down, starve it just a smidgen...)

[MechAg94]

I hope your wine doesn't pick up any off odors/flavors from chemicals/fuel in the garage.

Is that worse than what might get added by the dog or toddler?

[brimic]

Small house, big dog, a toddler... I can fence off some space in the garage, nowhere to set stuff up in the house without it getting knocked over or tampered with.

do you have a basement?
its very easy to control fermentation temperatures in a cold basement,

[charby]

Is that worse than what might get added by the dog or toddler?

I brew with two dogs, never a problem. I use a 6.5 gallon carboy though.

[bedlamite]

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f2/dangerdaves-dragon-blood-wine-41825/

Looks interesting. One of my highest priority projects is getting the garage cleaned out so I can finally start home brewing, but I have to say that wine making looks simpler and easier. I'd like to try both. Anyway, I know we have some amateur vintners around here so I thought they might find this interesting.

Couple things on that recipe.
He's way light on the fruit. I use a minimum of 3 lbs per gallon, but you can cut it back some if you use juice instead of water. I have 24 lbs of blueberries fermenting right now.
Temp is too hot, run it in the mid 60's and the final product will be much better and not need as much aging.
Don't add all the nutrients at the start. Add 1/4 of it twice a day for the first two days: https://www.google.com/search?q=staggered+nutrient+addition

[Balog]

do you have a basement?
its very easy to control fermentation temperatures in a cold basement,

I wish! Not many basements in WA, I think because of the shallow water table?

[charby]

Have you thought about a full size fridge with a temperature control to have consistent fermenting temps?

Temp control: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/johnson-refrigerator-thermostat.html?gclid=CJiFlIHN97wCFckWMgodNAwAGw

there are many on the market.

I'm going to go that way so I can lager year round.

[Balog]

Have you thought about a full size fridge with a temperature control to have consistent fermenting temps?

Temp control: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/johnson-refrigerator-thermostat.html?gclid=CJiFlIHN97wCFckWMgodNAwAGw

there are many on the market.

I'm going to go that way so I can lager year round.

I've considered it, but I should've probably actually make some beer before buying an entire new fridge and dedicating it and the floor space to brewing. :)

[charby]

I've considered it, but I should've probably actually make some beer before buying an entire new fridge and dedicating it and the floor space to brewing. :)

Brewing is like reloading, it takes a long time to recoup your costs.

[RevDisk]

It's a good, aggressive yeast for making wine out of damned near any vegetable matter, but you'll have rocket fuel at the end if you don't watch your sugars.

Feature, not bug. 

I try to specialize in wines that have high alcohol content. Basically, I try to make rocket fuel that doesn't taste like rocket fuel.

[brimic]

Brewing is like reloading, it takes a long time to recoup your costs.

Corollary- you don't save any money, you just drink more.

[Gewehr98]

There are tricks to make it more palatable.

Chilled, sweetened, mixed with Sprite, etc.

My first batch of plum wine went directly to 18%, because I used Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast (the counterpart to Lalvin EC-1118)

You need a very strong fruit flavor to offset that much ABV.   Otherwise, it's so much Thunderbird/Night Train/Ripple/Mad Dog 20-20. 

[Balog]

Brewing is like reloading, it takes a long time to recoup your costs.

True, although I'd assume when what you like is $6 a bottle it takes much less time. 

[charby]

True, although I'd assume when what you like is $6 a bottle it takes much less time. 

$25 a bottle even quicker. :)

[charby]

Just remember cleanliness is godliness when brewing/fermenting.

I prefer One Step over bleach for sanitation. Mostly because bleach fumes really irritate me. 

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/one-step.html

[RevDisk]

Just remember cleanliness is godliness when brewing/fermenting.

I prefer One Step over bleach for sanitation. Mostly because bleach fumes really irritate me. 

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/one-step.html

This. There are two "tricks" to brewing. Sterilization and quality of your ingredients. If you keep your stuff extremely clean (sterilized ideally) and use good quality ingredients, you will make good alcohol. Going to "excellent on a consistent basis" quality gets tricky.   

No rinse acid sanitizers is friggin awesome, and makes sterilization very easy. I avoid bleach personally.

[brimic]

True, although I'd assume when what you like is $6 a bottle it takes much less time.

I have a Brunello kit that cost me around $180 that has been sitting for over a year and is ready to bottle, though I might let it sit for another year....
The cheapest I've seen Brunello wines go for was around $35/bottle.

[Gewehr98]

I use OxyClean Free.

I'm also a big fan of the polymer Better Bottles, which weigh less and are more forgiving than their 3, 5, and 6 gallon glass carboy counterparts.

50+ gallons of wine settling, clearing, or otherwise biding their time before bottling in my winery:

[RevDisk]

I use OxyClean Free.

I'm also a big fan of the polymer Better Bottles, which weigh less and are more forgiving than their 3, 5, and 6 gallon glass carboy counterparts.

50+ gallons of wine settling, clearing, or otherwise biding their time before bottling in my winery:

That's gorram impressive.

Only 200 gallons per year, right? Otherwise, BATFE might be unhappy.

[Gewehr98]

Yes.  Although 200 gallons/year would make alcoholics out of us, if we didn't give it away. 

I'm lucky to maybe do 80 gallons/year, so far.