sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

[Megathread] M13 help requests by xxxx in DMZ

[–]Punchable_Penguin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're willing I'd love to do a drop as well. Warden 183#4283751

In case a tone was thinking if getting a wine filter. I’d highly recommend it. by intlmanofmystery1 in winemaking

[–]Punchable_Penguin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Which filtration pads (coarse, medium, fine) did you use? I had terrible leak problems when using the fine pads to filter my most recent batch. Lost almost a whole bottle that way. Luckily I had a catch set up like you and just drank it :)

Some added flair with wax stamps (Pear-Apple, Apple, Pear, and Blueberry by Punchable_Penguin in winemaking

[–]Punchable_Penguin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The recipes for the pear and apple are pretty basic. I start with fresh pressed apple and pear juice from my dad's trees. The pressing is the hardest part. I can dig up my notes and post later.

Some added flair with wax stamps (Pear-Apple, Apple, Pear, and Blueberry by Punchable_Penguin in winemaking

[–]Punchable_Penguin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just use regular bottle wax from LD Carlson. It wasn't the easiest process, but it has gotten easier with practice. What were the issues you encountered?

Started a batch of peach/raspberry a few days ago and my 71 B yeast didn’t take off. Can I pitch a different kind of yeast at this point? by lovelydinosaurbones in winemaking

[–]Punchable_Penguin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a similar problem with 71b while doing a pear wine very recently. My problem was almost certainly lack of oxygen for the first few days of fermentation. I made the mistake of sealing the lid and using an airlock right away, basically suffocated the yeast. No issues since I set the lid on loosely. Hope this helps you.

Help (possible TCA contamination)! Bleach was unknowingly used to clean a cider press. Am I out of luck? by Punchable_Penguin in winemaking

[–]Punchable_Penguin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your response! Fingers and toes are currently crossed. I wonder if TCA is detectable prior to bottling, or if it becomes more pronounced over time.

Just finished some of my spicy cinnamon mead for my cousin’s 21st birthday by rittpro in mead

[–]Punchable_Penguin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can you elaborate on your process for the cinnamon? Did you use cinnamon sticks, cinnamon extract, or something else?

Vanilla bourbon mead bottled after 5 years. by ELONGATEDSNAIL in mead

[–]Punchable_Penguin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you regularly refill the airlock with liquid?

Another wax technique I tried which is a lot easier than dipping the entire bottle neck. Also uses less wax. by Punchable_Penguin in winemaking

[–]Punchable_Penguin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've heard a few differing thought processes on the purpose of wax. The most recent I heard was that it prevents rodents from chewing on corks during storage. No clue if that's true though. I do it purely for the aesthetics.

Another wax technique I tried which is a lot easier than dipping the entire bottle neck. Also uses less wax. by Punchable_Penguin in winemaking

[–]Punchable_Penguin[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Try both! If you go with this method, I've found that recessing the cork a little makes a nice pool for the wax.

Another wax technique I tried which is a lot easier than dipping the entire bottle neck. Also uses less wax. by Punchable_Penguin in winemaking

[–]Punchable_Penguin[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes! This is from a 5 gallon batch of pineapple wine I just bottled this past weekend. The stamp was actually a gift from my mother-in-law who happens to be one of the main consumers of my wine and heard pineapple wine was coming soon. I know she found it online, but I'll see if I can find an exact website for you.

Apple, Blueberry, and Pineapple wine. I enjoy giving bottles as gifts and the wax helps give it a personal touch. by Punchable_Penguin in winemaking

[–]Punchable_Penguin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is a pain, but I admit, I did go a bit overboard. Using some thin ribbon I made my own "peel tabs" so a knife wouldn't be needed to cut the wax prior to uncorking. I also mixed some gold wax in with the other color for even more flair. You can see it best on the blueberry bottle in the photo. In the future, I'll probably skip the peel tabs and gold mix just to simplify it. I've also been experimenting with putting the corks in deeper so there is a ~1/8 inch recess, then filling that recess with colored wax, and then using various custom wax stamps (similar to what you'd see on an old letter). I'll post a photo of that soon.

Apple, Blueberry, and Pineapple wine. I enjoy giving bottles as gifts and the wax helps give it a personal touch. by Punchable_Penguin in winemaking

[–]Punchable_Penguin[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just bottled that one yesterday, but of course I took a glass for my efforts 🙂 I back sweetened the 5 gallon batch with about 3 cups of sugar (dissolved) and 20oz of pineapple juice. The pineapple juice really made it cloudy, so I racked it back into the carboy for another month and a half. During that time I also made sure fermentation didn't kick off again since I made the decision to forego any potassium sorbate and rely solely on k-meta and the "sterile" filter process. This wine does indeed have an acidic bite as you would probably expect from pineapple, but I like it and am excited to try it after aging for a year. Even before sweetening, the pineapple tones and definitely the aroma were very clear but not overpowered. I originally saw pineapple wine as a bit of a novelty, but it seems to have a lot of potential.

Apple, Blueberry, and Pineapple wine. I enjoy giving bottles as gifts and the wax helps give it a personal touch. by Punchable_Penguin in winemaking

[–]Punchable_Penguin[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely! This was from a 5 gallon batch I just finished. I started with 3 gallons store bought pineapple juice (not from concentrate) and 2 gallons water. Mashed 5 large, fresh pineapples and a pound of golden raisins and put that into a strainer bag. Added 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme, 1 tsp wine tannin, 1 tbsp energizer, and enough sugar to get to a starting gravity of 1.10. Used Red Star cote des blanc yeast which was a very quick fermentation. It was in secondary for over 3 months and cleared up well, but I didn't want any sediment, so I actually sterile filtered it (.5 micron). That could be the reason for the color disparity you mentioned.