|
Post by Ali on Sept 26, 2011 23:01:44 GMT 1
Decided that the syphon tube I have is far too big! Was running down chin when syphoning ;D ;D Need smaller tube - nice work tho !!
Well from all the advice on thread so far.......
this was made in May re-demi-jonned in Sept so should be bottled in Dec/Jan?
Does it get better as time goes on, its brilliant now, or can it go bad?
|
|
hellfire
I'm settling in nicely
Posts: 224
|
Post by hellfire on Sept 27, 2011 11:29:41 GMT 1
It should mature intime, we always leave our bottled stuff at least three to four months or longer before opening. It should not go off unless the vinegar fly has got in during fermentation or racking but you will notice this by the taste anyway. Watch out for leaking corks too as some do shrink and we use those melt on plastic covers for our bottles to keep the corks from going mouldy - Point Vert for those and all you do is place them over the cork, invert the bottle into a pan of boiling water for asecond or two and the plastic melts around the neck sealing the bottle.
|
|
|
Post by Ali on Sept 28, 2011 9:20:25 GMT 1
HF I've bought the plastic 'corks' coz have a lot of bottles that used to have cheapo fizzy wine in them - they'll be ok won't they?
|
|
hellfire
I'm settling in nicely
Posts: 224
|
Post by hellfire on Sept 28, 2011 10:43:33 GMT 1
We use all sorts of bottles but only use corks to shut them down.Those plastic stoppers have a nasty habit of gradually working loose so you will have to wire them down like fizzy but again depends how long you plan to keep your brew.Corks swell don't forget when the bottles are laid down so no air can get in or they can work loose. The plastic stoppers they sell here are mostly for cider making. Another tip is if you manage to get hold of a litre wine bottle, keep that for fermentation uses whenyou have more than your demijohn will hold, plus lots of those little beer bottles too as they are handy for odd amounts kept and used to top up.You may have to fashion a bung from cork with a hole pushed through to take an airlock, but it does work well.
|
|
|
Post by Ali on Oct 10, 2011 21:46:54 GMT 1
Now saving all 1 Litre bottles Right !! Down to bizniz ........... Today from PointVert I have bought an alchymeter !! Hydrowatsit. I carefully read and understood the instructions - plunged it into what said on the box 13% proof red wine in a long glass ............. well !!! That wine was only 11% proof ! swindlers. Just to check I poured pure water into another long glass as a 'control' plunged the alchymeter into that and it read zero. Rip off 'La Croix du Pin Merlot' - only 11% and not 13% as stated on the box ;D ;D ;D I now have bunches of grapes ready so need a cooking thermometer apparently......... oh and the last of the seasons rhubarb. Donk and Hellfire what have you conceived ;D ;D
|
|
|
Post by Ali on Nov 23, 2011 17:22:07 GMT 1
Oh dear - more wine on the go Did some apple and rhubarb (50/50) wine in October, that stopped working a bit soon so I chucked a tad more yeast and sugar in it and it's bubbling away nicely and clearing well ! Started some 'Ginger wine' early in November and thats looking really good, bubbling away like a trooper. Also ...... now have 2 x 16L lidded buckets with chopped apples, water and yeast fermenting in them for a week as stage I ...... Apple wine Also ........ have set aside the spare downstairs bedroom as a fermentation room kept at a constant 21 C with an oil fired rad in (Pls dont tell fli) ;D ;D ;D So, currently, in the cave I have about 9 litres racked off but still in their demis from May. 9 Litres fermenting in the 'fermenting room' along side perhaps another 9 litres of apple......... errr 27 litres so far...... Hic
|
|
|
Post by Ali on Mar 29, 2012 17:29:44 GMT 1
Update. Have upgraded to a thinner pipe to syphon as was getting ****** when racking off ;D Looked in Bricos etc for a clear pipe that would do but haven't been able to find one so short of nicking the tube off the Vax I bought a plant watering device for cheap that contained the tube I needed. Bottled up 5 ginger wines today Was quite impressed, is like a sherry come ginger flavour be right good for this Christmas I reckon. Invested in lots of parsley seeds and have sown them on parsley day specially for the empty demi-johns. It'll be a few months yet til I know any of this is any good, meanwhile the rhubarb is growing and thats also bound for the wine pot
|
|
|
Post by Ali on Apr 8, 2012 15:54:13 GMT 1
HM Wine update: Bottled up 6 apple and rhubarb (50/50) wines today that I'd made last October and 6 apple from November. Think I'm slighty p*****. The smaller syphoning tube helps tho ;D ;D ;D I've decided that it's a very good idea to rack off at least twice into new demis so I've racked again another apple also today. The muck in the bottom is a lot less and seems to settle much better the more times one racks off. QUESTION 1 - I tried a May 11 Rhubarb that I'd bottled only about 2 months or so after it had 'finished' in the demi-jon. It does taste good I must admit and had a slight, very slight, fizziness to it. I think this means that the wine is actually still working in the bottle a bit - would this be right??
QUESTION 2 - Donk - when would you like your 3 demis back? I've not bottled so they are available and can drop them up to you pretty much anytime. Sincere thanks for the loan !!!!
I have the feeling that a few photo's should appear on this thread by now, apologies, I will take some
|
|
|
Post by Ali on Jun 21, 2012 21:02:18 GMT 1
Well I shalt forth continue with this thread even tho nobody ever replies Yesterday............... Was following an old recipe from an old book. Basic mats are Rhubarb, sugar, yeast, water. Recep said to dry soak the Rhu in sugar for 24 hrs then add some water and sieve into demi, etc etc to make up the 4.55L demi-john. Then it said 'if you want a Hock type wine, add one crushed Campden Tablet now'. Well............... I did all above, perfik, added Camp tab duly crushed, wine started to bubble through wriggly thing after about 1/2 hour. Then I decided to give the whole lot a shake to loosen up the yeast and since then no bubbles Have I killed it?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2012 21:06:43 GMT 1
|
|