CC's not so fine WINE diary

[CrealCritter]

Sassafras is done I used my new cleaner label design, which I think I like better. My buddy was out of straw colored toppers, so they will have to go on later, I guess.

 

[CrealCritter]

I racked my wife's red clover wine. It all but stopped fermenting at .994 gravity, which puts the ABV at 13.6%, so I stabilized it. I did sneak a taste, it's not all bad actually. I think she'll like it after back sweetening with a little honey.

 

[CrealCritter]

I went to go rack my apple juice wine. First thing I do is pull a gravity reading. I dropped my hydrometer in the carboy and it disappeared. Usually .990 is like rock bottom but this was way below .990, so I have no idea what the real gravity was. But i know the original gravity 1.105 and it was way below .990, so that means the the alcohol by volume is more than 15.6% .

I tasted the wine and I have never tasted anything so dry and tart in my life . So I added a bunch of simple sugar syrup to bring the gravity to 1.030. Surprisingly, the yeast went crazy when I added the first little bit of sugar. So I decided to feed it more. I also added 6 cinnamon sticks, 6 whole cloves and 6 whole allspice into a muslin bag, all sanitized. I hope the yeast gives up the ghost at about 1.010 or so. That would leave a highly alcoholic wine that's semi dry and hopefully spicy. But we shall see... It may turn out like total crap also, who knows? If it turns out bad, I'll just add a little braggs ACV mother and let it go to apple cider vinegar. Either way I have a plan

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Hope it works out - but if not - nothing wrong with a good spicy vinegar!

 

[sumi]

Hope it works out - but if not - nothing wrong with a good spicy vinegar!

Yes!

 

[CrealCritter]

I think there is wine somewhere in this mess. Cranberry is a nasty dirty ferment, lots of pectin and pulp to deal with. Its definitely time to rack again after only a little over two weeks. Its still fermenting strong, but honestly I can't take the mess inside the carboys any longer., I gotta get this mess cleaned up soon.

Nasty thick layer of lees

Pulp in the neck.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Ick!

 

[CrealCritter]

My wife asked me "which one are you drinking now?" So I handed her my glass and said guess. She took a slip and said alcohol. I laughed but what kind? then she said apple cider alcohol. Then she went and poured herself a glass. I have to admit it is really good, who would have thought that apple cider fermented to semi-dry, with cider yeast, to a high alcohol content and finished as a wine would be worth drinking, let alone good.

Wine making is such a interesting hobby. There's lots of room for creativity, and trial and error. Now I have good Pear and Apple Cider Wine recipes. I'm going to have to make both these again soon.

 

[CrealCritter]

I found 6 gallons of wine in the cranberry mess it looks much better now in clean and sterile carboys. Gravity was .997 which puts it at 15.2% alcohol by volume produced so far. I'll let it ferment until the yeast gives up the ghost or it runs out of sugars. Perhaps a couple more weeks, before I rack it again and stabilize it for clearing.

 

[CrealCritter]

Watermelon is out of 34 degrees cold crash after 10 days. It still doesn't look clear to me despite the instructions say it should clear after a week. I think I may need to clear it with bentonite but I'm going to let it warm up first before deciding.

I'm still on step 7 waiting for it to clear.