I just wanted to lend my idea on how I brew and rack that works really well.While a bit moreexpensive it works really well.For my container I went to wally world and bought a 2 gallon clear watercontainer with apour spout on the front.I put 4 cans of welch's concord grape in it along with 14 containers ofwater. What I do isreserve about 7 cans of water out and mix in 4 cups of sugar in that then addit. It getstough to mix in the container. Add 1 tsp yeast and place on a heating pad on lowsetting. Itstarts to bubble in less and 4 hours.Where the lid goes on top I put a piece of plastic wrap with a little slitin it about 3/4 ofan inch. A pin hole for that amount makes it slightly carbonated.The great thing is that the container already has a spout that is higherthan the sludge soracking is very easy. The sediment settles in the two indentations in thebottle. It fits decentin my fridge. So when it's clear enough for me I drain it off and that's it.Anyway, I have been making wine like this for many years and never had aproblem yet.Hope this helps someone out.XrayORGINAL POSTER: xray4545

--- "lsjakes" wrote:>> I have trouble making wine in the winter. Too cold. Any ideas?>> Any good recipes?> Thanks>Hi I use a heat pad just sit the bottles on top,, When making wine iuse welches frozen white grape juice,, One can of juice to 4 cans ofwater it's very nice hope that helpsORGINAL POSTER: tracy

I have trouble making wine in the winter. Too cold. Any ideas?Any good recipes?ThanksORGINAL POSTER: lsjakes

I have also had very good result with a 'fresh' or 'short' mead,winning prizes with mead that had been in the bottle 36 hours after a20 day ferment. It really comes down to the tastes of yourdrinkers. If the flavor of the mead comes off harsh, or too bright &bold, let it sit for 6 months and try it again. If it hasn'tmellowed to YOUR taste, wait another six months. If it's STILL toobold, give it to me; I'll still appreciate it!--- "Gene" wrote:>> Sorry, I didn't really answer the question completely.>> Many, including Adams and myself, consider six months to be the> minimum time to age the mead _in the bottle_.>> Mead is the bonsai of beverages...two to four months primary> fermentation (with perhaps a racking in between), then six months in> bottle. There are some who suggest aging in bottle for a minimum of> two years, claiming that the mellowing over that time is worth the> wait. When I make a batch, all bottles save one are aged for six> months. The last is my two-year-plus private stock. And yes, putting> that single bottle aside is worth it.>> Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Festive Festivus, Blessed Solstice,> or whatever you are celebrating.>ORGINAL POSTER: willum

I have heard over the stove and over the refridgerator work well. Ihave had good results with on the water heater. In my experience,light or the absence theroff doesn't matter. Yeast likes to beslightly warmer than people are, so any warm, cozy place in the housewill do nicely.Happy Brewing!--- "Kevin Barnes" wrote:>> i know they have to be at room temprature, does light effect the> process in anyway? at the moment the bottles are in a cupboard whereno> light can get to it, out of the way.>ORGINAL POSTER: willum

Sorry, I didn't really answer the question completely.Many, including Adams and myself, consider six months to be theminimum time to age the mead _in the bottle_.Mead is the bonsai of beverages...two to four months primaryfermentation (with perhaps a racking in between), then six months inbottle. There are some who suggest aging in bottle for a minimum oftwo years, claiming that the mellowing over that time is worth thewait. When I make a batch, all bottles save one are aged for sixmonths. The last is my two-year-plus private stock. And yes, puttingthat single bottle aside is worth it.Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Festive Festivus, Blessed Solstice,or whatever you are celebrating.ORGINAL POSTER: gene

6 months?!Does anyone actually have an exact measurement / time method for makingmead?--- "tjenkins4162" wrote:>> --- Souns like you id correctly Rachel. Good luck.>ORGINAL POSTER: ronan

I'll quote from "An Essay on Brewing..." by John F. Adams, whoseguidelines I use for making mead:Mead ferments rather slowly. By its very nature, honey is antiseptic,which means to the brewer that it tends to kill the yeast which arefeeding on it.... In a mild, consistent temperature, it will take twomonths at least and probably longer...if you have used four pounds ofhoney per gallon.*****Most of my mead batches are jugged for two to four months, thenbottled just before the fermentation has worked out, giving a mildsparkle.Enjoy.--- "Ronan Mc Nulty" wrote:>> 6 months?!>> Does anyone actually have an exact measurement / time method for making> mead?>ORGINAL POSTER: gene

i know they have to be at room temprature, does light effect theprocess in anyway? at the moment the bottles are in a cupboard where nolight can get to it, out of the way.ORGINAL POSTER: kevin

Hi,I just received my ez caps the other day and have a batch of ciderbrewing currently. However, I'm particularly interested in brewingbeer/ale. I bought a beer brewing kit a few years ago but it seemed socomplicated and time-intensive that I never got around to using it.This is why I'd really like to use a hopped malt extract for mypreliminary batches of beer/ale instead of boiling a bunch ofingredients together and risk messing everything up!My questions are:Can anyone recommend a variety of hopped malt extract and recipe thatworks well with the ez caps and is easy enough for a beginner? What'sthe shelf life of the liquid hopped malt extract and is there a dryversion?What type of yeast have you had success with and is there a preferencebetween ale and lager yeast? What's the difference?Is the addition of sugar or corn syrup required for brewing a beer/alein this manner? If so, is there a preferred sweetener and how muchshould I use?Finally, has anyone added fruit juices (apple or grape) to theirbeer/ale with any success? What other flavors are commonly used andare they added at the beginning or the end?Variations on the standard cider recipe would be very helpful as well.On a side note, I generally prefer a drier, not overwhelmingly sweetcider (aiming for around 6% alc) so I made my current batch with 1/2cup of sugar instead of the full cup. I plan on brewing it for about aweek. Does this sound right or did my logic fail somewhere along the way?Thank you all in advance for your help!ORGINAL POSTER: lafaria28