How many wine makers do we have here?

[Totalcolour]

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So, are you going to be making some of this wonderful "moonshine" then

 

[oesdog]

moonshine is - Poitín over here!!!!!

Still illegal in the North

but not in the south!

Oesdog

 

[sgtmom52]

I started 5 gallons of hard cider on Sunday and it is very actively fermenting. I am really looking forward to tasting it but it is going to be a long wait!

 

[oesdog]

My beer is a monster animal !!!!!!!!!!! Fermenting like mad!!!!!

Oesdog -

 

[Totalcolour]

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I've never made beer - I heard it's harder than wine, got to pay close attention to the temps or it goes wrong. Is that true?

 

[oesdog]

I am not entirely sure about temp in Beer making, we were not that careful? - We just did it from a packet! Last time and to be honest with you we thought it was horrible because we opened one of the bottles and it was flat and nasty! We put more suger in the bottom of each bottle ( re bottled them all) and put them in a dark cupboard in the garage. Within a couple of weeks the stuff was great - no longer flat and looked and tasted like beer. Now a few months in the couple of bottles we have left from the first batch are in the fridge and they are perfection! Sooooooooo nice and better than bought ones! - I am sorry I am so new to this brewing lark - this is our first year so all very new. This is the secind Keg of Beer and the second batch of wine. The first lot of wine was so nice it really didn;t last long.

I think something is wrong with the strawberry wine at the moment as now we put the clearing stuff in I think its got a bit of mould on the top?

DH says hes gonna do that draining thing with the tube and let it stand again. - Sorry my none scientific side comming out again!

Oesdog - Anyhow we will play with that later.

 

[muddstopper]

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There is nothing illegal about distilling essential oils, and you can purchase legal

"stills" for just that purpose. I like Oils of Apple and Peach, and try to stay away from the grains like corn and rye.

 

[muddstopper]

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I seriously doubt that my wines will ever win any awards, The only person I am trying to impress is myself. I have never purchased any wine that I actually liked the taste of, I suspect your wines would be no different. Thats not to say yours, or anybody elses wines are bad and mine are better, only that we all have specific taste. If all commercial wines or award winning wines taste bad to me and I like my wines, I think it would be safe to say my wines probably wouldnt suit the taste of any judges. I am happy for you that you can win awards with your efforts, it something you can be proud of to be the best at any particular moment and shows your efforts have paid off. As long as family and friends keep coming back asking for bottles of what we make, I am perfectly content with the quality of my wines.

 

[Totalcolour]

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Having come from an area where "Wine" meant "Grape", the "Professionals" frequently looked down their noses at fruit or country wines. But, there are those Winemakers (grape) who understand the difficulty of making a nice country wine, and they respect us hobbyists for doing it. I've had a lot of help from some of them. We have made some Cabernet and Zinfandel, but now we are in Washington, we don't find so much grape crop available anymore.

I have tasted some really wonderful country wines, and also some bad ones. Same with Bought wines. I do enjoy some commercial wines; but at this time we are trying to make most of our wines ourselves, just as we are trying to grow most of our own "meat" (chicken, duck, rabbit, goat, and we trade for elk).

So you may be surprised by the wines you make. You probably could win awards if you chose to enter any shows. It's true, we all have different tastes, but with so many fruits and veggies we can make wine with, there's going to be something to suit everyone.

The only reason we entered shows in the first place, was we were new at it. We had joined a club to learn how (fruit winemaking is a bit different than grape), and our club encouraged us to enter. They all said it was a good way to learn techniques, and how to improve our winemaking skills. The judges makes note and you get to read the notes after the show. We learned a lot, but now, like you, we just do it for ourselves (and good friends who may stop by).

 

[muddstopper]

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Amazing how many new friends you can gain once they find out you make wine