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Cabernet Sauvignon #1 – Production Diary

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August 1, 2008

Water – 11
Concentrate – 2 cans
Sugar – 8 cups (4 lb)
Yeast Nutrient – 5 tsp
Ascorbic Acid – 5/4 tsp
Acid Blend – 6 tsp
Yest (71B-112 Saccharomyces Cerevisiae) – 1 packet

Specific Gravity = 1.092

I see a note that says for white Wines. when racking should add 1/2 Campden tab/gallon.

Campden slows down yeast.

Yeast starter (for 5 gallon):

  • 2 cup water
  • 2 table spoon Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp nutrient
  • 1/4 tsp citric acid
  • 1 packet yeast

Mix, shake, add to must next day.

August 5, 2008

Have stirred must each day. SG = 1.006
Must is still bubbling pretty fiercely

August 10, 2008

Moved must into secondary. Nice purple color. added 6 capden tablets. added ~1 gal water to top off. Filled airlock with Gin.

August  16, 2008

Racked wine. added 1 cup water. Still smells of bread.

October 6, 2008

Racked cab, topped off with 1 cup of water.

January 6, 2009

Cab SG = 0.998
Cab has no noticable particulates. Should be stirred at each racking to release CO2.

January 24, 2009

Stirred Cab to release CO2.

April 28, 2009

Bottled the batch. Boiled #9 (45mm x 23mm) corks in water to sterilize. Filled two 3 L bags, 7 375 mL bottles, and 19 750 mL bottles. There was about 300 mL left. No sugar was added.
SG = 0.996 @ 75°F for a finished alcohol content of 12.97%

The tannins are very nice in this wine. The wine looks a little watery, and feels a little weak on the palate. I think that’s the kind of thing that aging fixes. There is still a fruity semi-sweet aspect that is pleasant and not overwhelming. It’s definitely right to characterize this wine as ‘young’.

I'm not sure how long to age the wine for. I suppose trial and error is the way to go.

Cabernet Sauvignon Bottling

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Powell and I bottled our Cabernet Sauvignon last night. We noticed very much that at this stage it feels like a young wine. It still tastes/smells a bit like yeast, which isn't necessarily bad.

The tannins are very nice in this wine. If I could do it, I'd probably like to have the same level in the scuppernong wine.

The wine looks a little watery, and feels a little weak on the palate. I think that's the kind of thing that aging fixes. There is still a fruity semi-sweet aspect that is pleasant and not overwhelming. It's definitely right to characterize this wine as 'young'. Did I say that already?

Overall, I'm pleased with this wine.  I'm excited to start another.

Sugar Snaps

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The sugar snaps are growing very well. Beans have a well deserved reputation for being hardy.

I think the tomatoes I transplanted into the rear garden have been eaten. of most of what I planted I can only see two pepper plants. With the season approaching I think I'll have to purchase a couple plants instead.

The corn is doing pretty well, it's about time to put the pumpkin seeds out.

Planting Seedlings

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I planted all of the plants that I had growing in the seed tray. Well, the ones that survived anyway. The tomatoes and peppers look like they are going to do really well.

I'm excited about my fruits this year. All except for one raspberry plant is doing really well so I should have a decent crop this year and a great crop next year. All of the blueberries look good and are flowering. The scuppernong vine has started to break out in leaves. I'm very happy to have my grape vine. I hadn't really expected to get one this year, much less one this large. If you haven't had the please of having a scupperong grape I highly suggest you try to find some this year. The seeds and tougher skins make them harder to just munch on like other grapes but it's worth it. They're like eating hot wings, after eating a bowl of them you're hands and face may be covered in juices and it will be totally worth it.

I haven't quite kept up with my calendar. I still need to seed the muskmelon and eggplant. Also, it looks like I won't have nearly as many tobacco plants as I had hoped. I'll try to seed a few more this year, but I don't expect to have very many.

Apple Tree Transplantation

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I transplanted the apple tree last week. It has obviously outgrown it's tiny pot. I probably should have moved it earlier, but I don't think it will have any problems going forward.

The apple tree had been kept indoors at a southerly facing window and was well acclimated to it. I'm attempting to harden it off by keeping it out doors in a place with mostly shade all day. I'll gradually move it to more and more sunlight.

3448290111_564d379f67The pot is filled with a mix of compost, seed starter mix and top soil. Once in the pot I watered it thoroughly.

Electric Lawn Mower

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This probably doesn't really fall under my gardening theme as clearly as some things might, but I wanted to mention it anyway.

This week a friend from work gave me his old electric Lawn Mower, at my favorite price, free. According to him the batteries aren't holding their charge very well anymore. If I have to I'll replace the batteries, other than that the lawn mower is in good condition.

Now if only I could make it remote controlled…

So Much for Blackeyed Peas

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Here's what happens when you don't give plants enough light when you're growing them, also when you don't harden them off before planting outside. It's OK though, these were just extra and for fun. I might try a couple more straight in the ground.

Irish Red #1 – Production Diary

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January 24, 2009

Started Irish Red.

Should have made starter a couple days ahead per instructions. Used WYEAST 1056 Propagator. Did make starter, used for ~2 hours.

Used a ~5 gallon pot. Didn't have any problems with over foaming.

Cooled the wort by placing pot inside fermenter and adding ice to sides and inside while stirring. Only two applications were required.

The stirrer did an excellent job of cooling and aerating the wort. Angled at ~45 deg did a great job of getting air into wort. SG = 1.05 @ 78° F.

All ingredients smell great.

Made up water with 4lbs ice to cool and half gallonish for volume. boiled 4 gallons of filtered water for wort.

February 1, 2009

Specific Gravity = 1.012@ 65° F

Huge yeast colony on bottom of primary. 1-2 inches thick. Topped off with 1-2 quarts of filtered water.

February 13, 2009

SG = 1.011 @ 68° F

Using the starting and ending SGs a value of 5.3% alcohol/volume was found.

Roughly 47 bottles were made.

  • 13 Grolsch
  • 1 large
  • 1 – huge
  • 32 – regular

Had enough beer for at least two more bottles.

Beer tasting day. This beer tastes quite good, enjoyed by all.

Effects of Low Light on Plants

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I have noticed recently in a couple applications the effects of not enough light on plant growth. With a normally healthy plant when faced with poor light it will cauase the plant to become thin and leggy, often with long stretches between leaves. The stems are often weak as a result. This makes for poor plants for transplanting outdoors. When growing plants indoors, it is essential to provide adequate lighting.

Yard Work Safety – Underground Utilities

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Whenever you are preparing to do any digging in your yard you should always call to have utility lines marked. When beginning my lawn work I called my local utility and set up an appointment to have my lines marked. The call was simple and I was able to make an appointment for the next day. It's a free service which can save you hassle and serious injury.

When my lines were marked I found that my electrical service goes all the way around the back of the house to get to the panel. If I had only been working in the backyard I might not have had the lines marked, and this would have lead to trouble. Even if you think you know where your utilities are buried, stay safe and dial 811 before digging.

Practice Smart Digging.