Saturday, January 08, 2005
Finding My Way to Brewing (Part Three)
Finding my way to Brewing, Part three
After a few more days, I strained the juice off the pulp and siphoned it into one of those large green glass wine making bottles. They are not quite like carboys, looking more like a tear drop. The capacity of the one the kind gentlemen loaned me was about 7 ½ gallons. After getting the apple liquid into the fermenting vessel, I put a rubber cap and air lock on. My advisor had instructed me to leave it like this for about a month the duration of which it continued to gently ferment as evidenced by the occasional gurgle emanating from the air lock. After this initial period, I siphoned the liquid off into another vessel of the same size and shape of the initial one. This time, I left about an inch of sediment laden liquid behind. At this point, I was to top the second vessel up the 7 gallon mark with commercial apple juice.
I was told to repeat this process for six months which I did. Slowly but surely, the wine got clearer and clearer and I was topping off with apple juice less and less each time. Also, the fermentation of the added juice was less and less each time since I was adding less and less.
At about the seven month point I was advised that I should bottle the stuff. Before doing this, I was told to infuse the wine with an additive that would arrest the fermentation. I do not recall the substance but it is something commonly used in wine making, I believe. Anyway, I added this product according to the quantity and procedure my advisor instructed. Once this was done, I bottled the wine and pressed fresh, new corks in with the corking tool that was lent to me.
I was told to wait about another three to six months and then it would be ready to drink. However, while waiting, I kept some of the white, milky colored dregs that were left behind from the siphoning. I stored it in the refrigerator and would periodically drink of that stuff. It had quite an alcoholic kick to it and it tasted tolerable. I was new at this whole business and was excited that I had produced something from the natural world that was marginally drinkable with an alcoholic effect to boot. (continued)
After a few more days, I strained the juice off the pulp and siphoned it into one of those large green glass wine making bottles. They are not quite like carboys, looking more like a tear drop. The capacity of the one the kind gentlemen loaned me was about 7 ½ gallons. After getting the apple liquid into the fermenting vessel, I put a rubber cap and air lock on. My advisor had instructed me to leave it like this for about a month the duration of which it continued to gently ferment as evidenced by the occasional gurgle emanating from the air lock. After this initial period, I siphoned the liquid off into another vessel of the same size and shape of the initial one. This time, I left about an inch of sediment laden liquid behind. At this point, I was to top the second vessel up the 7 gallon mark with commercial apple juice.
I was told to repeat this process for six months which I did. Slowly but surely, the wine got clearer and clearer and I was topping off with apple juice less and less each time. Also, the fermentation of the added juice was less and less each time since I was adding less and less.
At about the seven month point I was advised that I should bottle the stuff. Before doing this, I was told to infuse the wine with an additive that would arrest the fermentation. I do not recall the substance but it is something commonly used in wine making, I believe. Anyway, I added this product according to the quantity and procedure my advisor instructed. Once this was done, I bottled the wine and pressed fresh, new corks in with the corking tool that was lent to me.
I was told to wait about another three to six months and then it would be ready to drink. However, while waiting, I kept some of the white, milky colored dregs that were left behind from the siphoning. I stored it in the refrigerator and would periodically drink of that stuff. It had quite an alcoholic kick to it and it tasted tolerable. I was new at this whole business and was excited that I had produced something from the natural world that was marginally drinkable with an alcoholic effect to boot. (continued)
# posted by CrankyFrankie @ 4:03 AM 
