I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
bottom of a carboy.
In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
which I broke of the radio antenna.
With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
Just a suggestion.
Dick

Most car antennas are stainless too, so your not really introducing
metal into the mix. Good idea. I use the wrong end of my long plastic
spoon (gotten at any beer/winemakers supply store) for 5 & 6 gallon
carbouys & a wooden canoe paddle for the big barrels.

Dick -
I'm glad this worked for you, but I think I'll just keep using my
food-grade plastic long-handled spoon. A major investment (I think it
was maybe $4) but I feel it's worth it. :-)

Doug

Richard Kruse" > wrote in message >...
> I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
> bottom of a carboy.
> In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
> which I broke of the radio antenna.
> With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
> rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
> Just a suggestion.
> Dick

"Richard Kruse" > wrote in message >...
> I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
> bottom of a carboy.
> In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
> which I broke of the radio antenna.
> With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
> rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
> Just a suggestion.
> Dick

I purchased a paint stirer from home depot which I sterlized by
soaking in BTF solution for an hour. It cost about $10.00 but works
great. I work with country wine only and found that it helps with
crushing up various fruit also. I also use the paint striner bags
which come in 1 and 5 gallon sizes and sell for around a buck each,
again sterelize them first. The paint striners work great with
blackberry, blueberry, scuppernong and muscadines. Aubrey

> I purchased a paint stirer from home depot which I sterlized by
> soaking in BTF solution for an hour. It cost about $10.00 but works
> great. I work with country wine only and found that it helps with
> crushing up various fruit also. I also use the paint striner bags
> which come in 1 and 5 gallon sizes and sell for around a buck each,
> again sterelize them first. The paint striners work great with
> blackberry, blueberry, scuppernong and muscadines. Aubrey

I thought of that too but I was concerned if it would fit through the neck
of the carboy and how I would lengthen it to the bottom. I am sure it works
well as you use it. We juice our "county" ingredients, but it would work
for incorporating,
Dick

"Richard Kruse" > wrote in message >...
> I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
> bottom of a carboy.
> In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
> which I broke of the radio antenna.
> With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
> rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
> Just a suggestion.
> Dick

I bought a piece of sturdy but flexible plastic tubing from home
depot. I looped the end and fastened it with a zip strip. Looks like
----O

I do the same as you, hook it to my cordless drill and whip it. I use
it for degassing and stirring in fining agents mainly. Works wonders
for degassing, it will degas a 6 gallon carboy in a 2-3 minutes.
Since it's somewhat flexible it's easy to sterilize because I can coil
it up. I think I paid a buck or two and got enough tubing to make 2
and gave one to my Dad.

I could have bought something for 20 bucks from my homebrew shop but
it's more fun this way.

David

"Richard Kruse" > wrote in message >...
> I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
> bottom of a carboy.
> In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
> which I broke of the radio antenna.
> With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
> rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
> Just a suggestion.
> Dick

Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from Home
Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great job
of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is little
chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC for
over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey

"Richard Kruse" > wrote in message >...
> I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
> bottom of a carboy.
> In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
> which I broke of the radio antenna.
> With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
> rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
> Just a suggestion.
> Dick

Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from Home
Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great job
of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is little
chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC for
over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey

Dick, I bought a 1/4 inch wooden dowel at a hobby shop around 30 years
ago for 25 cents. It has a bend about a quarter of the way down
because it had been stored wrong. I wipe it down with sulfite
solution for about 3 minutes and attach it to my electric drill with
the bent end fartherest from the drill. It whips the wine (cavitates)
to quickly degass it.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Dick, I bought a 1/4 inch wooden dowel at a hobby shop around 30 years
ago for 25 cents. It has a bend about a quarter of the way down
because it had been stored wrong. I wipe it down with sulfite
solution for about 3 minutes and attach it to my electric drill with
the bent end fartherest from the drill. It whips the wine (cavitates)
to quickly degass it.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Exactly what is BTC? I've seen it in a couple of posts on sterilization.
Robert

(Aubrey) wrote in message om>...
> "Richard Kruse" > wrote in message >...
> > I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
> > bottom of a carboy.
> > In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
> > which I broke of the radio antenna.
> > With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
> > rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
> > Just a suggestion.
> > Dick
>
> Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from Home
> Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
> black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
> using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great job
> of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
> use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is little
> chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
> strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
> are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
> to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC for
> over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey

Exactly what is BTC? I've seen it in a couple of posts on sterilization.
Robert

(Aubrey) wrote in message om>...
> "Richard Kruse" > wrote in message >...
> > I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
> > bottom of a carboy.
> > In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
> > which I broke of the radio antenna.
> > With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
> > rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
> > Just a suggestion.
> > Dick
>
> Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from Home
> Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
> black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
> using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great job
> of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
> use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is little
> chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
> strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
> are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
> to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC for
> over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey

(Jack Keller) wrote in message . com>...
> Dick, I bought a 1/4 inch wooden dowel at a hobby shop around 30 years
> ago for 25 cents. It has a bend about a quarter of the way down
> because it had been stored wrong. I wipe it down with sulfite
> solution for about 3 minutes and attach it to my electric drill with
> the bent end fartherest from the drill. It whips the wine (cavitates)
> to quickly degass it.
>
> Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
> http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Sorry, Had a senior moment. It is B-T-F, not BTC. It is iodophor sanitizer. Aubrey

(Jack Keller) wrote in message . com>...
> Dick, I bought a 1/4 inch wooden dowel at a hobby shop around 30 years
> ago for 25 cents. It has a bend about a quarter of the way down
> because it had been stored wrong. I wipe it down with sulfite
> solution for about 3 minutes and attach it to my electric drill with
> the bent end fartherest from the drill. It whips the wine (cavitates)
> to quickly degass it.
>
> Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
> http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

Sorry, Had a senior moment. It is B-T-F, not BTC. It is iodophor sanitizer. Aubrey

Aubrey wrote:


> Sorry, Had a senior moment. It is B-T-F, not BTC. It is iodophor sanitizer. Aubrey

Funny you should make such a slip, as BTC is a widely used disinfectant
& additive which is more commonly known as Benzalkonium Chloride. It is
commonly used as a preservative in mouthwashes & cosmetics, and as a
disinfectant for cold sterilizing dental & medical eqpt. It's also
widely used to sterilize dairy eqpt. and the like. Also as pool
algaecide. Very safe stuff, it seems. The only doubt I have regarding
its use in winemaking is that it might possibly leave residual chlorine,
and whether that might lead to those other three letters, TCA. ;-)
--


Mike MTM, Cokesbury, New Jersey, USA

(Aubrey) wrote in message om>...
> "Richard Kruse" > wrote in message >...
> > I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
> > bottom of a carboy.
> > In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
> > which I broke of the radio antenna.
> > With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
> > rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
> > Just a suggestion.
> > Dick
>
> Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from Home
> Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
> black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
> using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great job
> of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
> use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is little
> chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
> strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
> are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
> to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC for
> over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey

Where do you get your berries? Are they available year around?
Thanks
Jack

(Aubrey) wrote in message om>...
> "Richard Kruse" > wrote in message >...
> > I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
> > bottom of a carboy.
> > In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
> > which I broke of the radio antenna.
> > With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
> > rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
> > Just a suggestion.
> > Dick
>
> Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from Home
> Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
> black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
> using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great job
> of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
> use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is little
> chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
> strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
> are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
> to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC for
> over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey

Where do you get your berries? Are they available year around?
Thanks
Jack

(jack) wrote in message . com>...
> (Aubrey) wrote in message om>...
> > "Richard Kruse" > wrote in message >...
> > > I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
> > > bottom of a carboy.
> > > In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
> > > which I broke of the radio antenna.
> > > With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
> > > rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
> > > Just a suggestion.
> > > Dick
> >
> > Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from Home
> > Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
> > black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
> > using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great job
> > of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
> > use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is little
> > chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
> > strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
> > are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
> > to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC for
> > over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey
>
> Where do you get your berries? Are they available year around?
> Thanks
> Jack

To Jack: I purchase most of my fruit locally in season. I am in the
process of growing my own. This last year I planted six blue berry
plants and three muscadine or black scuppernong vines. Will take a
couple of years to be able to harvest much of a crop, but eventually
it be plenty I hope. Also planted twelve thornless black berry bushes
which should be productive next year. I have three bronze scuppernong
(muscadines) that are several years old and produce a lot of fruit
although last was not good. As you can see, I am trying to product
most of what I need for myself. I am not aware of any one in this area
that has frozen fruit of this type for sale. Most of what I have is
Pick your own at a very reasonable price. Aubrey

(jack) wrote in message . com>...
> (Aubrey) wrote in message om>...
> > "Richard Kruse" > wrote in message >...
> > > I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at the
> > > bottom of a carboy.
> > > In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled vehicle from
> > > which I broke of the radio antenna.
> > > With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this driven by my
> > > rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into solution.
> > > Just a suggestion.
> > > Dick
> >
> > Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from Home
> > Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
> > black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
> > using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great job
> > of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
> > use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is little
> > chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
> > strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
> > are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
> > to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC for
> > over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey
>
> Where do you get your berries? Are they available year around?
> Thanks
> Jack

To Jack: I purchase most of my fruit locally in season. I am in the
process of growing my own. This last year I planted six blue berry
plants and three muscadine or black scuppernong vines. Will take a
couple of years to be able to harvest much of a crop, but eventually
it be plenty I hope. Also planted twelve thornless black berry bushes
which should be productive next year. I have three bronze scuppernong
(muscadines) that are several years old and produce a lot of fruit
although last was not good. As you can see, I am trying to product
most of what I need for myself. I am not aware of any one in this area
that has frozen fruit of this type for sale. Most of what I have is
Pick your own at a very reasonable price. Aubrey

I started a Brew King Chianti Kit last week. The kit calls for water to make
6 gallons but I always just make it to 5 gallons. At 6 gallons the specific
gravity would most likely be around 1075 I prefer my wines to start from
1090 or 1095. 5 gallons is just right for this.

The only problem is that of course I loose a gallon from the kit. Has
anyone here tried adding sugar to a kit wine to customize it? I wouldn't
think it would hurt anything but I don't want to go and waste a 45 dollar
kit if I don't have to. They say on the kit to do everything exactly right,
but I have made many of these 6 gallon kits with 5 gallons many times and
they always turn out good.

Thanks,

David



"Aubrey" > wrote in message
m...
> (jack) wrote in message
. com>...
> > (Aubrey) wrote in message
om>...
> > > "Richard Kruse" > wrote in message
>...
> > > > I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at
the
> > > > bottom of a carboy.
> > > > In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled
vehicle from
> > > > which I broke of the radio antenna.
> > > > With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this
driven by my
> > > > rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into
solution.
> > > > Just a suggestion.
> > > > Dick
> > >
> > > Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from Home
> > > Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
> > > black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
> > > using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great job
> > > of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
> > > use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is little
> > > chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
> > > strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
> > > are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
> > > to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC for
> > > over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey
> >
> > Where do you get your berries? Are they available year around?
> > Thanks
> > Jack
>
> To Jack: I purchase most of my fruit locally in season. I am in the
> process of growing my own. This last year I planted six blue berry
> plants and three muscadine or black scuppernong vines. Will take a
> couple of years to be able to harvest much of a crop, but eventually
> it be plenty I hope. Also planted twelve thornless black berry bushes
> which should be productive next year. I have three bronze scuppernong
> (muscadines) that are several years old and produce a lot of fruit
> although last was not good. As you can see, I am trying to product
> most of what I need for myself. I am not aware of any one in this area
> that has frozen fruit of this type for sale. Most of what I have is
> Pick your own at a very reasonable price. Aubrey

I started a Brew King Chianti Kit last week. The kit calls for water to make
6 gallons but I always just make it to 5 gallons. At 6 gallons the specific
gravity would most likely be around 1075 I prefer my wines to start from
1090 or 1095. 5 gallons is just right for this.

The only problem is that of course I loose a gallon from the kit. Has
anyone here tried adding sugar to a kit wine to customize it? I wouldn't
think it would hurt anything but I don't want to go and waste a 45 dollar
kit if I don't have to. They say on the kit to do everything exactly right,
but I have made many of these 6 gallon kits with 5 gallons many times and
they always turn out good.

Thanks,

David



"Aubrey" > wrote in message
m...
> (jack) wrote in message
. com>...
> > (Aubrey) wrote in message
om>...
> > > "Richard Kruse" > wrote in message
>...
> > > > I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at
the
> > > > bottom of a carboy.
> > > > In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled
vehicle from
> > > > which I broke of the radio antenna.
> > > > With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this
driven by my
> > > > rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into
solution.
> > > > Just a suggestion.
> > > > Dick
> > >
> > > Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from Home
> > > Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
> > > black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
> > > using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great job
> > > of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
> > > use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is little
> > > chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
> > > strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
> > > are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
> > > to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC for
> > > over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey
> >
> > Where do you get your berries? Are they available year around?
> > Thanks
> > Jack
>
> To Jack: I purchase most of my fruit locally in season. I am in the
> process of growing my own. This last year I planted six blue berry
> plants and three muscadine or black scuppernong vines. Will take a
> couple of years to be able to harvest much of a crop, but eventually
> it be plenty I hope. Also planted twelve thornless black berry bushes
> which should be productive next year. I have three bronze scuppernong
> (muscadines) that are several years old and produce a lot of fruit
> although last was not good. As you can see, I am trying to product
> most of what I need for myself. I am not aware of any one in this area
> that has frozen fruit of this type for sale. Most of what I have is
> Pick your own at a very reasonable price. Aubrey

"news-server.triad.rr.com" > wrote in message
...
> I started a Brew King Chianti Kit last week. The kit calls for water to
make
> 6 gallons but I always just make it to 5 gallons. At 6 gallons the
specific
> gravity would most likely be around 1075 I prefer my wines to start from
> 1090 or 1095. 5 gallons is just right for this.
>
> The only problem is that of course I loose a gallon from the kit. Has
> anyone here tried adding sugar to a kit wine to customize it? I wouldn't
> think it would hurt anything but I don't want to go and waste a 45 dollar
> kit if I don't have to. They say on the kit to do everything exactly
right,
> but I have made many of these 6 gallon kits with 5 gallons many times and
> they always turn out good.
>
> Thanks,
>
> David
>
>
>
> "Aubrey" > wrote in message
> m...
> > (jack) wrote in message
> . com>...
> > > (Aubrey) wrote in message
> om>...
> > > > "Richard Kruse" > wrote in message
> >...
> > > > > I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at
> the
> > > > > bottom of a carboy.
> > > > > In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled
> vehicle from
> > > > > which I broke of the radio antenna.
> > > > > With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this
> driven by my
> > > > > rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into
> solution.
> > > > > Just a suggestion.
> > > > > Dick
> > > >
> > > > Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from
Home
> > > > Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
> > > > black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
> > > > using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great
job
> > > > of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
> > > > use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is
little
> > > > chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
> > > > strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
> > > > are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
> > > > to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC
for
> > > > over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey
> > >
> > > Where do you get your berries? Are they available year around?
> > > Thanks
> > > Jack
> >
> > To Jack: I purchase most of my fruit locally in season. I am in the
> > process of growing my own. This last year I planted six blue berry
> > plants and three muscadine or black scuppernong vines. Will take a
> > couple of years to be able to harvest much of a crop, but eventually
> > it be plenty I hope. Also planted twelve thornless black berry bushes
> > which should be productive next year. I have three bronze scuppernong
> > (muscadines) that are several years old and produce a lot of fruit
> > although last was not good. As you can see, I am trying to product
> > most of what I need for myself. I am not aware of any one in this area
> > that has frozen fruit of this type for sale. Most of what I have is
> > Pick your own at a very reasonable price. Aubrey
>
>

"news-server.triad.rr.com" > wrote in message
...
> I started a Brew King Chianti Kit last week. The kit calls for water to
make
> 6 gallons but I always just make it to 5 gallons. At 6 gallons the
specific
> gravity would most likely be around 1075 I prefer my wines to start from
> 1090 or 1095. 5 gallons is just right for this.
>
> The only problem is that of course I loose a gallon from the kit. Has
> anyone here tried adding sugar to a kit wine to customize it? I wouldn't
> think it would hurt anything but I don't want to go and waste a 45 dollar
> kit if I don't have to. They say on the kit to do everything exactly
right,
> but I have made many of these 6 gallon kits with 5 gallons many times and
> they always turn out good.
>
> Thanks,
>
> David
>
>
>
> "Aubrey" > wrote in message
> m...
> > (jack) wrote in message
> . com>...
> > > (Aubrey) wrote in message
> om>...
> > > > "Richard Kruse" > wrote in message
> >...
> > > > > I had a situation where there was an amount of undisolved sugar at
> the
> > > > > bottom of a carboy.
> > > > > In my wanderings around my acreage I happened upon a disabled
> vehicle from
> > > > > which I broke of the radio antenna.
> > > > > With adjustments to length and a bend or two I found that this
> driven by my
> > > > > rechargeable drill did a dandy job of stirring the sugar into
> solution.
> > > > > Just a suggestion.
> > > > > Dick
> > > >
> > > > Adding to the same subject, I purchased a large paint stirer from
Home
> > > > Depot and it does a great job. I work only with fresh fruit such as
> > > > black berries, Blue beries, muscadines etc. After my initial crush
> > > > using a flat bottomed wine bottle, this paint stirer does a great
job
> > > > of mashing up or mixing, almost purring the remainder of the must. I
> > > > use it in my battery powered 3/8 inch drill and think there is
little
> > > > chance of crushing the seeds with this set up.I also use paint
> > > > strainers which come in one and five gallons sizes. These mesh bags
> > > > are a real cheap source of fruit bags for wine making. Do not forget
> > > > to sterelize them before they are ever used. I soaked mine in BTC
for
> > > > over night and am very happy with them. Aubrey
> > >
> > > Where do you get your berries? Are they available year around?
> > > Thanks
> > > Jack
> >
> > To Jack: I purchase most of my fruit locally in season. I am in the
> > process of growing my own. This last year I planted six blue berry
> > plants and three muscadine or black scuppernong vines. Will take a
> > couple of years to be able to harvest much of a crop, but eventually
> > it be plenty I hope. Also planted twelve thornless black berry bushes
> > which should be productive next year. I have three bronze scuppernong
> > (muscadines) that are several years old and produce a lot of fruit
> > although last was not good. As you can see, I am trying to product
> > most of what I need for myself. I am not aware of any one in this area
> > that has frozen fruit of this type for sale. Most of what I have is
> > Pick your own at a very reasonable price. Aubrey
>
>