I sometimes use my ez caps bottles to make starterswhen I brew five gallon batches of beer, they workvery well! Use boiled cooled water, however muchyeast you plan to add and DO NOT FORGET the SUGAR. Ifthe yeast has nothing to eat it will not activate. Iuse about a cup of dry malt extract and a pint ofwater for a five gallon batch of beer. for 2 litersof ez caps wine, I use 1/8 teaspoon of ezcaps yeast ordried champagne yeast, 1/8 cup of corn sugar (get itfrom your brew supply store, they sell it forcarbonation priming sugar) and a cup of water. Put itin a sanitized 20 oz soda bottle and cap it with an ezcap. Let it sit for at least 24 hours at room temp.I've also found that the same corn sugar works betterfor making a drier, tastier grape ez cap wine. 4.5 ozper 2 liter batch.--- Patrick Tan wrote:> You are referring to what is commonly known as Yeast> Starter.> Yes, you may do this which will kick start the> fermentation as well as check if your yeast actually> still good for use. Imagine preparing all your> ingredients and pitching yeast that are "dead"??>> Dee and Ken wrote:> Would making a mash of yeast and warm water help> to kick start the> fermentation process when added to the brew? Any pro> or cons to this?> Thanks.>> Ken>>>>>>> SPONSORED LINKS> Winemaking supplies Winemaking kits> Winemaking equipment Cap Wine and spirits>> ---------------------------------> YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS>>> Visit your group "E-Z-Caps" on the web.>> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email> to:> E-Z-Caps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com>> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the> Yahoo! Terms of Service.>>> --------------------------------->>>>>> ---------------------------------> Blab-away for as little as 1¢/min. Make PC-to-Phone> Calls using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.__________________________________________________Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection aroundhttp://mail.yahoo.comORGINAL POSTER: shannon

I made cran ras with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/8 yeast. I don't see muchaction going on the surface with the foam at all. I only put the 1/2sugar in because my wife didn't want it strong. Is this ok or should Iadd something more to it like more sugar or and or yeast? Thanks.KenORGINAL POSTER: dee

Do I have to do anything specific using citrus juices? I want to makehard lemonade. Thanks.KenORGINAL POSTER: dee

Got it. Thanks.KenORGINAL POSTER: dee

At 12:11 AM 5/19/2006 +0000, you wrote:>Would making a mash of yeast and warm water help to kick start the>fermentation process when added to the brew? Any pro or cons to this?>Thanks.>>KenSo long as you add some sugar, yes there is pros. Your millionsof yeast cells will quickly turn into billions. In brewing it's called a"starter" and it kick-starts the fermentation.ORGINAL POSTER: steve

To have higher giggle juice, ferment longer, 10 days is ok.Better if you can decant the 10 day fermented one into another sanitized bottle.Leave behind the trub at the bottom, this will clear in about another week or two. Using coffee filter is fine to clear the brew.By now the fermentables should be almost exhausted, you may choose to cap with regular cap, this will cause carbonation (bottle will be rock hard). Place in fridge to stop further fermentation. (Careful here, if brew s too young and you use a regular cap, bottle may explode because of pressure build-up by CO2). Dee and Ken wrote: I made 3 batches. I made cran ras with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/8 yeast, apple cider with 1 cup sugar and 1/8 yeast, and hard ice tea with 1 cup sugar and 1/8 yeast. How does this all sound? My wife's will be the cran ras. She doesn't want it too strong. How long should I let it ferment? I want the other 2 with high alcohol content, I plan to let them sit at least 10 days. Any ideas or opinions? Also when I put them in the fridge to stop fermenting what is the safest way to stop it completely? And would be filtering the brews through a coffee filter, then putting them in a new bottle be good? If so should I put a regular cap back on or the ez cap back on? Thanks. Ken__________________________________________________Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection aroundhttp://mail.yahoo.comORGINAL POSTER: patrick

You are referring to what is commonly known as Yeast Starter.Yes, you may do this which will kick start the fermentation as well as check if your yeast actually still good for use. Imagine preparing all your ingredients and pitching yeast that are ""dead""??Dee and Ken wrote: Would making a mash of yeast and warm water help to kick start the fermentation process when added to the brew? Any pro or cons to this? Thanks. KenBlab-away for as little as 1¢/min. Make PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.ORGINAL POSTER: patrick

Either works fine, just make sure what you use doesn't have anypreservatives (sorbates or sulfites) in it.Willum the Weaver--- Steve wrote:>> At 09:44 PM 5/17/2006 +0000, you wrote:> >Which would be better to make hard apple cider, regular applejuice or> >apple cider?> >> >Ken>> There really isn't any difference. In the old days in theUSA> "apple cider" was fresh apple juice. In Europe "apple cider" isfermented> apple juice, what we in the USA call "hard cider". In somelocales, "apple> cider" is unfiltered/unpasteurized apple juice that will either rotor> ferment (depending on conditions) if not properly refrigerated.>> The stuff you see on grocery store shelves labeled "applecider"> is pasteurized apple juice, the exact same concoction that sitsnext to the> bottle that says "apple juice". The different label is strictlyfor> marketing.>> One company insists that their "apple cider" has adifferent> acidity than their "apple juice", but that is an internal corporatedefinition.>> While people in different geographical areas may arguewhat the> difference between apple cider and apple juice is, the ultimateauthority> on the matter, the same US Government entity that forbid labelinganything> as "white chocolate" until 2004 has no definition of "apple cider".>ORGINAL POSTER: willum

Would making a mash of yeast and warm water help to kick start thefermentation process when added to the brew? Any pro or cons to this?Thanks.KenORGINAL POSTER: dee

I made 3 batches. I made cran ras with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/8 yeast,apple cider with 1 cup sugar and 1/8 yeast, and hard ice tea with 1cup sugar and 1/8 yeast. How does this all sound? My wife's will bethe cran ras. She doesn't want it too strong. How long should I let itferment? I want the other 2 with high alcohol content, I plan to letthem sit at least 10 days. Any ideas or opinions? Also when I put themin the fridge to stop fermenting what is the safest way to stop itcompletely? And would be filtering the brews through a coffee filter,then putting them in a new bottle be good? If so should I put aregular cap back on or the ez cap back on? Thanks.KenORGINAL POSTER: dee