Well, we're overdue a booze update and I have a bunch more stuff on the go now.
Problem is, brew days are pretty tiring/demanding for me, they use up my store of enthusiasm for the topic (which feels really good, to drain that all the way dry for a bit) and then I don't want to write it up for awhile. I expect as I get more experience and have to concentrate less hard on all the steps it'll be less demanding of me.
I'll start with the fun stuff.
So I went out to Abbotsford to Taves Family Farm and filled up 2 6gallon sanitized carboys with fresh-pressed Jonagold apple juice. I did some sciency stuff with it and determined it had 6g/L acid and was at 1.04 specific gravity (though again I'm taking this measurement a little warm) or 5% potential alcohol. It also tasted lovely, much tarter than I was expecting.
I did a bunch of stuff all at once with it, so:
Juniper Apple Wine
4kg table sugar, heated in some of the apple juice with 1gm grains of paradise and 1oz juniper berries till it dissolved well then finished filling carboy with apple juice (it was pasteurized on the farm). I popped in 1/8 tsp potassium metasulphite and yeast nutrient and pectic enzymes as per package instructions. 12 hours later I pitched some Red Star Cotes Des Blancs yeast. It smells amazing, I love my idea. 12 hours later the yeast isn't doing much, but there's a tiny bit of activity. That's the same yeast I used for the kousa wine, and it worked great there, so we'll see.
Started at 1.1 specific gravity on the nose, or 14% potential alcohol.
Apple Sweet Mead
6L of honey was melted into some of the apple juice on the stovetop till it was pretty warm, then poured in and topped up till the 6 gallon point. I then added a double dose of yeast nutrient because this yeast is gonna be working really hard, some pectic enzyme, and a 1/8 dose of potassium meta as per above. Again I let it sit for 12 hours or so. I pitched a pack of Wyeast sweet mead yeast, one of those smack-pack things which poofed up well. 12 hours later it's showing tiny tiny bubbles but the airlock isn't doing much.
Started at something close to 1.35 specific gravity (it was hard to get a reading with honey-bubbles and sticky and being so low on the hydrometer. That's 18% potential alcohol, but this yeast will not take it that far. I am making a dessert candy here, folks.
Graff Take II
There was a remaining 2.5-3lbs apple juice, so this is where I went with it. First I gave it 1/16 tsp potassium meta, then left it the same 12 hours as everything else.
When that wait was done I steeped 1/2lb organic crystal 60L cracked malt with 3oz cracked carapils in 3L 155-165 degree water (I have so much trouble holding the temp even on my stove), atrained, then the grains sparged (rinsed) with 170 degree water (The rats loved the used-up grains). Added 1.5lbs light liquid malt extract and 1.25lbs amber liquid malt extract, brought it to a low boil, added 0.5 oz wakatu hop pellets. Boiled for 1/2 hour, poured it into the carboy on top of the remaining maybe 2.5-3 gallons of apple juice, then pitched Nottingham dry yeast after a good swirl. The carboy (I'm not using a primary bucket, that story later) was somewhat over half full and I was out of juice, so I figured I'd pitch the yeast and get it started fighting it out, then come home with store apple juice to top it up today. The yeast is just bubbling along with now, I haven't added more apple juice yet.
I didn't get a specific gravity because I wasn't done adding apple juice when I pitched the yeast. We'll see how it goes.
I pitched the yeast and did the boil for the graff this morning before work.
Morning seems to be when I have energy for doing things, so the daylight savings thing is great, it gives me extra time at the good part of the day. I just need to get to bed on time still.
Now I'll go back and update my kousa wine and graff: batch 1 stories.
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