Making Homemade Wine and Beer

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Basil Wine
2007-03-16 12:24:00
1 cup basil leaves, loosely packed2 11-oz cans frozen 100% white grape concentrate14 oz granulated sugar (to specific gravity of 1.085)Water to make one gallon2-1/2 tsp acid blend1 Campden tablet, finely crushed and dissolved in 1/4 cup water1/4 tsp tannin1-1/4 tsp yeast nutrient1 pkt Champagne wine yeastWash fresh basil leaves and place in nylon straining bag and tie closed. Put all other ingredients except yeast in primary and stir well to dissolve. Cover primary and set aside 6-8 hours.Add nylon straining bag, activated yeast, recover primary, and set aside for 5 days. Tasteand remove bag and discard leaves if basil flavor is sufficient. If not, leave bag in an extra day. Recover primary until s.g. drops to 1.015. Transfer liquid to secondary, top up if required and fitairlock. Ferment to dryness, then rack, top up and refit airlock.Repeat every 30 days until wine clears and no new sediments form during a 30-day period. Stabilize and sweeten to taste if desired (if sweetened, wai...
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Building A Grape Trellis
2007-03-09 16:57:00
This is a rare Friday post, well actually it is suppose to be yesterday's post. We are in the process of prepacking for a move in a couple of months, so I spent most of my time working on that. I never really knew that I had so many wine and beer bottles laying around the house. So, I filled a bunch of them and will be giving them to my work buds.I researched quite a few sites and this site from Iowa State is the best one. It is 64 pages long, in PDF format and has lots of pictures. This is the one I would recommend that you read.If you just want the general idea of a trellis, this little excerpt from the Mother Earth News, sums it up. Trellis the grapes on a three-wire trellis. Sink 8-foot-long posts 2 feet deep at the end of each row and at 24-foot intervals within each row. That will give you four posts per row. Between the wooden posts, sink 8-foot-long steel fence posts 2 feet deep at 8-foot intervals. Along your 72-foot row you will hav...
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Pruning Grapes
2007-03-06 12:06:00
Ah, pruning, my favorite gardening activity. I just love taking the saw and hacking things down that have gotten out of hand. In the last post, I talked about planting your grapevines. I found this article on pruning and was one of the most informative of all that I read. Standing in front of a mass of tangled grape vine and wondering what to do with it can be a scary experience for the novice or even for the more experienced pruner. Keep in mind two essential ideas: 1. Don't be afraid to cut. When you finish, about 90% of last year's growth will be cut. 2. Grape plants are vigorous, and forgiving. Even if you make a mistake, you'll get a chance to fix it next year. With that said, you can approach your pruning in a spirit of learning and adventure, not panic. Grapes are best pruned in spring (February/March, or even as late as early April) because if prune...
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Planting Grapes
2007-03-02 00:34:00
With Spring just around the corner, 19 days to be exact, I thought it would be a good time to start talking about plants that can be grown to make beer or wine with. So for must of the month of March, I'll be covering how to plant and care for grapes and hops. I will also do a post on making your own malted barley. So first up, planting your grapes.Selecting a site Growing grapes well requires a long-term commitment. Vines require several years from time of planting to first harvested crop, and they normally do not reach full production until the fifth or sixth year. Grape plants can survive for 50 to 100 years, provided you care for them properly. Thus, it’s important to consider carefully both site selection and site preparation before you plant. The first step toward consistent production of high-quality fruit is choosing a sunny location. Avoid frosty areas, as new shoot growth in ...
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Beer & Wine Articles Needed
2007-02-28 00:01:00
I’m looking to expand the features of this site and I need you (the reader’s) help. I would like to include wine or beer recipes along with tips and how-to’s that are reader generated. Yes, you the reader can have your own recipes, etc. highlighted on this blog. Initially, I would like to have the last post of the month filled with reader submitted articles. If I get enough material, I may even expand the weekly postings to 3 times a week. This is strictly a non-paying adventure. You will get the benefit of having your name in lights as being the author of the article, recipe etc. So, if you have a favorite recipe, a new way to filter, or different fermenting technique please send it in. You can submit it to benevert1@gmail.com
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Wine Making In 8 Simple Steps
2007-02-23 02:15:00
After about six years of wine making and learning about acid testing, pH, balance etc., you wonder if you can condense the process down to just a few simple steps. These simple steps are assuming the following: 1. You are going to use store bought juice’s. ie. Welch’s frozen or any other that does not have preservatives added; 2. You plan to consume your wine as early as possible, usually about 2 – 3 months after primary fermentation; 3. Your not out to win any awards but what something you can kick back with and enjoy. I know many winemakers would cringe with the 3 assumptions above, but I feel there numerous people looking to get into winemaking and would like to take a simple approach. Or, maybe your are an experienced winemaker looking to make a batch for quick consumption. Either way, here are the simple steps to making wine. This procedure is designed to make 1 ½ gallons which will probably end up being about 1 gallon bottled....
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Happy Fat Tuesday !!!!
2007-02-20 23:58:00
Hey, instead of playing with your computer today, go out and celebrate Mardi Gras. Sometimes we just need to take a break from all the daily stresses. So go enjoy today.
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American Pilsner
2007-02-16 01:30:00
SpecificsRecipe type: ExtractBatch Size: 5 US GalStarting Gravity:Finishing Gravity:Time in Boil: 1 hourPrimary Fermentation: 7-10 daysSecondary Fermentation: 2 weeksIngredients: * 4 pounds Munton's Light DME * 1 pound Corn Sugar * 1 pound Malto-Dextrine * 1 oz Hallertau (full boil) * 1 oz Kent Goldings (finishing-last 10-15 minutes of boil) * ½ tsp Irish Moss (last 10-15 minutes of boil) * M&F Lager Yeast (dry) Procedure:Boil 60 minutes -cool quick. Siphon into fermenter, aerating well. Top up to 5 gal w/ water Pitch yeast and stir well, further aerating. When fermentation starts, move to 48-52 degree lagering room. One week in primary, at least two in secondary (or rack again in a week, if necessary). Bottle and let condition for at least 2 weeks in lagering room.Tech Tags: Beer, Homebrewing, America n, Pilsner, Recipe Brick Cheese 2.5 Lbs
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Sangria Recipe
2007-02-14 01:02:00
We finally got hit with a winter snow that amounts to anything and I've been outside most of the day either scrapping or shoveling. I'm in more of a "drinking" mode than "making" mode and thought I would pull out an easy drink recipe. Besides, I usually associate sangaria with summer and partying, not scrapping or shoveling snow.So, Enjoy !!!INGREDIENTS* 1 lemon* 1 lime* 1 orange* 1 1/2 cups rum* 1/2 cup white sugar* 1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine* 1 cup orange juiceDIRECTIONS1. Have the fruit, rum, wine, and orange juice well chilled. Slice the lemon, lime and orange into thin rounds and place in a large glass pitcher. Pour in the rum and sugar. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours to develop the flavors.2. When ready to serve, crush the fruit lightly with a wooden spoon and stir in the wine and orange juice. Adjust sweetness to taste.Tech Tags: Wine, Winemaking, Sangaria, Reci pe

Ascorbic Acid
2007-02-14 00:06:00
Often called "Vitamin C" by laymen, for a short time ascorbic acid was thought to be a viable substitute for sulfur dioxide (SO2) in wine; i.e. it was thought that ascorbic acid would protect wine against oxidation as well as SO2 does. Research has demonstrated this belief to be false. In an oxidative environment, ascorbic acid leads to rapid browning of catechin, a component of wine. The co-presence of SO2 delays the browning, but the delay is prolonged without ascorbic acid present. In other words, the wine ages better with sufficient SO2 present and without any ascorbic acid.
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Are You A Beer Snob?
2007-02-08 06:11:00
Hey you! Are you the guy that puts down commercially made beer? Are you a true beer snob? I must admit, that until a few years I could have been any one of the snob types listed below. As I get older, I have taken a less snobby view of beers and categorize them into: Enjoyable, Drinkable, and Nasty. Very few make the nasty list, so I guess I have turned into the guy that will drink just about any beer. This list is from Modern Drunkard Magazine Online and the entrie article is a riot.Types of Beer Snob sDeciding you want to be a beer snob is not enough. You also have to decide what sort of beer snob you want to be.The Beer FuehrerThis curmudgeonly gentlemen will declare he would rather guzzle urine than drink what he considers “bad beer.” And by bad he means any beer that comes in a can, has commercials on television, or has been heard of by more than fifty people. He can only pity the poor fools who sit in bars drinking the swill disgorged by the vast corporate vats, when the...

Bass Clone Recipe
2007-02-08 06:10:00
Ingredients:6.6 lbs Munton & Fisons light unhopped liquid malt extract 2 1/2 gallons Artesian bottled water or boil and cool water, store in sanitized plastic milk jugs 1 1/2 lb Crystal Malt 20L 1 oz. Kent Goldings hops 5.0 AA (boil) 1/2 oz. Fuggle hops 4.8 AA (boil) 1/2 oz. Willamette hops (finish) 1 tsp Gypsum 1/2 tsp. Irish Moss 1 pkg. #1098 British Ale Liquid Yeast1 1/4 cup Light DME or 3/4 cup corn sugar (priming) Procedure:Add crushed grains to 2 1/2 gallons of cold tap water, add gypsum. Heat to 170 degrees, remove from heat cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Remove grains from liquid, add liquid malt extracts and boiling hops. Boil for 60 minutes. Add Irish moss in last 15 minutes of boil. Add finishing hops last 2 minutes of boil. After boiling cover pot and set into cold water bath in sink for 30 minutes. Add 2 1/2 gallons of cold water to the 5 gallon carboy. Add cooled wort to carboy. Shake carboy to add oxygen to wort. Add yeast pkt., shake carboy again to mix yeast.Here...
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Conditioning
2007-02-08 06:01:00
Period of maturation intended to impart "condition" (natural carbonation). Warm conditioning further develops the complex of flavors. Cold conditioning imparts a clean, round taste.
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Wine Grapes - Part 2
2007-02-06 06:55:00
Part 2 of the SeriesThe Merlot grape is a close cousin to Cabernet Sauvignon in many respects. It is lower in tannins and makes wines that mature faster and are softer in texture. Merlot is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon in order to soften the blend. At its best, Merlot makes a wine that is dry, rich in flavor and smooth as it finishes in your throat. At its worst, Merlot makes wine that is dry but thin in taste and texture, and not very pleasant to consume. Most of what you will come across are likely to be of pretty good quality.Merlot is able to mature in regions that are cooler than those required for Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot is more susceptible to fungus and mold diseases and therefore a bit harder to grow. Merlot varies widely in quality around the world depending on location and producer. This variety was first known for its success in the Saint Emilion and Pomerol areas of Bordeaux. Chateau Petrus is the stellar example of fine Merlot.Pinot Noir is one of the most d...
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Burgundy Wine Recipe
2007-02-06 06:40:00
This was the first wine that I made using canned juice purchased from other than the grocery store. It took almost a year before it really mellowed out but it was worth the wait. Only wished that I had made more.Burgundy July 13 2003Primary Fermentation was 7 Days QuantityIngredient46 ouncesAlexander’s Burgundy Juice4 cansWater4 cupsSugar2 TeaspoonsYeast Nutrient1 ½ Campden Tablets1 TeaspoonAcid Blend½ PacketNarbone Yeast½ PacketPasteur Red Yeast Original Gravity 1.10 Vinometer Reading 15% Secondary Fermentation 6 weeks Bottled in Gallon Jugs August 29, 2003 along with Oak ChipsYou might want to pair it with an Italian Onion Soup Reci pe . Here are a couple to choose from:The Recipe LinkCopykat.comRecipeland.comTech Tags: Wine , Winemaking, Burgundy, Onion, Soup, Tuscany, Italian

Wine Press
2007-02-06 06:20:00
A wine press is a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during winemaking. There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by winemakers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts controlled pressure in order to free the juice from the fruit. The pressure must be controlled in order to avoid crushing the seeds and release a great deal of undesirable tannins into the wine. Press Types A basket press consists of a large basket that is filled with the crushed grapes. Pressure is applied through a plate that is forced down onto the fruit. The mechanism to lower the plate is often either a screw or a hydraulic device. The juice flows throw openings in the basket. The basket style press was the first type of mechanized press to be developed, and its basic design has not changed in nearly 1000 years. A horizontal screw press works using the same principle as the basket press. Instead of a plate being brought down to put pressure on th...
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Health Benefits of Beer
2007-02-02 02:23:00
You might be wondering why all the links to articles about beer being good for you. Well, part of the reason I make my own beer or wine is that I can control the process and what goes into what I am drinking. I have always felt that moderate amounts of healthy foods each day will keep me from falling apart. Of course, healthy foods can mean different things to different people. For me, it means "fresh from the farm" or as fresh as possible for meats, vegetables, fruit, etc and with very little chemicals added. Just like when you make wine or beer.So, here are a few articles for you to check out:The Health Bene fits Of Beer Research increasingly indicates health benefits of beer could surpass wineCheers! Health benefits of beerGuinness good for you - official Tech Tags: Beer, Homebrew, Health
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Guinness Clone Recipe
2007-02-02 02:16:00
This is probably the primary reason I got into homebrewing. With a case of Guinness , in my neck of the woods, costing around 35 bucks, it doesn't take a genius to fiqure out that it is cheaper to make your own. The original recipe is for an all-grain brewer, but I have listed the substitutions for the extract brewer.Ingredients:7 pounds, Crushed pale malt2 pounds, Flaked barley1 pound, crushed roast barley1 ounce, bullion hops3 ounces, northern brewer hops1 tsp. CaCO3 (if you are in a soft water area)yeast starter made from a bottle of Guinness or a liquid yeastOG: 1045-1053Extract brewers: Substitute 2 cans of a light extract for the 7 pounds of pale malt. Also, if you don't want to make a yeast starter use Whitelabs Irish Ale yeast or Wyeast Irish Ale yeast.I generally boil at 60 minutes, 30 minutes and 15 minutes and add my hops in at those intervals. At the 15 minute mark, I also use Irish moss to help settle the solids.Technorati Tags : Beer, Homebrew, Guinness, Clone , Recipe
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Brew Pub
2007-02-02 02:11:00
Pub that makes its own beer and sells at least 50% of it on premises. Also known in Britain as a home-brew house and in Germany as a house brewery.Tech Tags: Beer, Homebrew, Pub
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Wine Grapes - Part 1
2007-01-31 01:04:00
Part 1 of the Series Aah, Spring is just around the corner (in my neck of the woods) and the grapevines will soon be sprouting. Being that I have a considerable amount of time on my hands (not allowed to go back to work unit next week), I can take the time to put together a mini-series about the different types of grapes that are used in making wine. I'll try and cover a large variety and try to include some from each region of the world. Let's get started with some of the red grape varieties. Barbera is a wine grape that is most used in Italy. It has some of the flavor characteristics you would find in a Cabernet Sauvignon but with higher acid levels. The higher acid levels make it an especially good match for full flavored foods with tomato sauces involved. Other characteristics of wines from this variety include light tannin levels, deep garnet colors and medium to full body. Barbera is grown in many places around the world but is at it's best in northern Italy. In Italy, it ...
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Cranberry Wine Recipe
2007-01-31 00:50:00
Crushin’ the net yesterday afternoon and stumbled on this recipe for Cranberry wine. Even though it is too late to enjoy it for this past holiday season, the cranberries are plentiful in the stores and now is the time to buy them. You can replace the Sultanas with golden raisins. Cranberry Wine Cranberries 1 lb Water 1 Gallon Sultanas (minced) 1.5 lb Sugar 2 lb Yeast Yeast Nutrient Citric Acid 0.5 tsp Place the minced sultanas in a fermenting bin and cover in 2 liters of boiling water. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the acid and allow to cool. Cover the cranberries with boiling water and crush all of the berries. Pour into the fermenting bin and allow to cool. Once cooled, add the pectic enzyme and stir well. Cover and leave to stand for 24 hours. Add the yeast and nutrient and stir well and then cover and move to a warm place to ferment. After 10 days, strain off into a carboy and fit a bung and airlock and then leave in a warm place to ferment out. Clear and bot...
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Dry Wine
2007-01-31 00:48:00
A wine lacking or deficient in residual sugar. A wine becomes dry when all or most of the sugar within it has been converted through fermentation into alcohol and carbon dioxide. A wine is usually perceived as dry when residual sugar is at or below a specific gravity of 0.999. Tags: Wine , Winemaking, Dry+Wine

Hydrometer Correction Chart
2007-01-26 00:23:00
Did I ever tell you I hate winter. Cold weather really sucks. Having a cold sucks. Having a cold in the cold weather really, really sucks.Well enough bitchin'. One thing that I always find handy when making beer or wine is a hydrometer correction chart. I usually pitch beer yeast at higher temperatures than the 70 degrees that most people recommend. So for me, this little chart is an essential.Tech Tags: Beer, Homebrewing, Hydro meter
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Noah Body 2008 Presidential Ale
2007-01-23 06:01:00
It's not even 2008 and the race for the next President is on. Personally, I don't like any of the candidates from either the Democrats or the Republicans. So I've decided to support Noah Body for 2008. Reason why? Because of this great scotch ale recipe. Strong and bold, just like any President should be.Actually, this recipe is from "The Homebrewer's Recipe Guide" page 110. I just thought it would be great to mix a little politics with beer. Just like during the Revolutionary War days. So grab a tankard and check this recipe out.10 pounds light malt extract1 pound crystal malt 40L2 ounces chocolate malt1 cup light brown sugar2 ounces Williamette hops1/2 teaspoon gypsum1 teaspoon Irish moss1 package yeast (Scottish ale is preferred)3/4 cup corn sugarSteep crushed crystal and choclate malts at 155 degrees for 30 minutesRemove spent grains and add the malt extract, brown sugar, gypsum and hopsBoil for 1 hour addint the Irish Moss during the last 10 minutesCool wort and pitc...
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Beer Linking
2007-01-18 06:02:00
50 beers to drink before you die, Part 1 A while back the BBC posted a feature titled "50 things to eat before you die" and I thought at the time that this would make a good topic for beer. So in the spirit of adventure and living life to the fullest, etc. etc., I'm coming up with the 50 beers to drink before you die, in ten weekly installments listing five beers each (in no particular order, other than whatever theme I fit them into).Read More at the Brew Site. Skunking Beer ExperimentWe took five beers - four low carb beers plus one standard beer - and exposed them to sunlight. You'll be amazed to learn how quickly the sunlight completely destroyed the beer's flavor. We have a friend who makes beer and works in a beer home brew shop. We brought him over for his expert palate, along with his beer drinking wife. We therefore had four tasters for this test.Read More at Bella Online How drinking beer can land you a career ...
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Update on Blog
2007-01-17 00:30:00
There must be a bite of truth in Darwin’s theory of evolution. Everything tends to evolve into something different and this blog is one of them. I started this blog in October of 2005 with the purpose of providing information on how to make wine and beer. Being cheap, I started it on Blog ger and started to post. Soon afterwards, I found Adsense and thought that I would soon be an “internet millionaire” by pasting ads all over the blog. Well, that didn’t happen, so things had to evolve. In January 2006, I got the idea that posting 3 times a day will bring tons of traffic. Recipes and terminology began to appear as posts. Tons of posts but nothing that was top notch as far as article quality goes. So things had to evolve. End of Spring 2006, I started to publish on Tuesday’s and Thursdays. First thing that really worked. I wasn’t burned out from posting, ideas came easier and articles had more quality content then the previous months. I got the brigh...
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Wine and Beer Vacation
2006-12-13 09:17:02
What's a wine and beer vacation? Well for me, it is taking the next 3 weeks off from blogging to slow down, drink some wine and beer and enjoy the Holiday season. After 14 months of writing articles, I'm pretty well spent. It also doesn't help that I'm working 60 -70 hours a week and my wife is going through chemotherapy. I do plan on working on some new articles and such, but won't post them until the new year. So, I'll see you next year. Enjoy your holidays. Give generously to those less fortunate. P.S. - Here are some links to some interesting articles. Is your holiday cheer hot mulled wine or cold, strong beer? American Homebrewers Association Sees Surge in Homebrewing Students get credit for learning the fine art of brewing Technorati Tags : Wine , Beer , Homebrewing, Winemaking, Vacation , ChristmasPowered By Qumana
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Welch's Grape Juice Wine Recipe
2006-12-13 09:17:02
I still get a lot of hits for this recipe.  Is it because it tastes great?  Or is it because it is cheap and the ingredients are easy to get?  Anyways, here it is again. 1 Gal Batch, adjust as required 2 cans (11.5 oz) Welch's 100% frozen grape concentrate 1-1/4 lbs granulated sugar 2 tsp acid blend 1 tsp pectic enzyme 1 tsp yeast nutrient water to make 1 gallon wine yeast As with ALL recipe's the canned or fresh ingredients you use will differ in there sugar content so you MUST check starting SG before adding sugar amounts listed. The goal is a starting SG of 1090 for alcohol content of 12%-13%. Bring 1 quart water to boil and dissolve the sugar in the water. Remove from heat and add frozen concentrate. Add additional water to make one gallon and pour into secondary. Add remaining ingredients except yeast. Cover with napkin fastened with rubber band and set aside 12 hours. Add activated wine yeast and recover with napkin. When active fermentati...
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Beer and Wine in Colonial Times
2006-12-06 09:11:06
With the holidays fast approaching and everyone in a hurry to get things done, I thought that it would be nice to take you back to a less hectic time. When everyone had a time to stop and grab a pint of beer or glass of wine and enjoy the company of friends and family. To try out each families homemade recipes and just enjoy life. To actually relax and not be stressed out.I orginally printed this article last December and it reminded me of lot of what spirit of the holidays. The article at the Colon ial Williamsburg site is really facinating and you should give it a read. Original PostWhen I visited Monticello several years ago, I was fascinated by Jefferson's farming techniques. I was also fascinated how that just about every family during that time period made their own beer and wine. Just think how cool it would be if everyone now made their own wine and beer. Millions of varieties to taste and enjoy. Well if you want a little background about that period, check this out fro...
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Paw Paw Wine Recipe
2006-12-02 15:07:39
I don't know what inspired me to post a recipe on Paw Paw wine.  Maybe it was because I had one about a year ago and enjoyed the flavor?  Or, maybe it was because I wanted to post something a little different?  Who knows.  Well the recipe is listed below and right after that is a little description from Kentucky State University about paw paws. PAWPAW WINE 2-3 lbs ripe pawpaws 2 lbs granulated sugar 7 pts water 1-1/2 tsp citric acid 1 tsp pectic enzyme 1/2 tsp grape tannin 1 tsp yeast nutrient wine yeast Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, peel the fruit and cut into pieces. Put fruit in nylon straining bag, tie closed, and place bag in primary. Mash fruit in bag, pour sugar over fruit and, when boiling, pour water over that. Cover primary and set aside to cool. When room temperature, add all ingredients except yeast. Recover and set aside 12 hours. Add yeast. When the must is fermenting vigorously, stir twice daily for 7 days. Drain ...
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