Here is my problem. Last weekend I was bottling 5 gal. of Raspberry and 5
gal. of a white blend. I like to sample as I am bottling to taste the fruits
of my labor so to say. To my calculations I should have yielded
approximately 25 bottles per 5 gal. but I only ended up with 20 bottles of
each. To my calculation that is an approximate loss of 1 gal. of Raspberry
and 1 gal of white. This was a very frustrating situation and it didn't help
having these little guys running around me all the time as I was bottling.
So my question is how the heck do I stop these little wine thieves from
stealing my wine?

By the way they must have come back while I was sleeping and hit me in the
head a few times because I woke up with such a headache the next day. Any
help would be appreciated.

1 gallon = 3,785 liters. All other considerations aside, you should end
up with slightly over 5 bottles per gallon, 25 per 5 gallon carboy -
plus a little extra for the chef.

If you were 5 bottles short with each carboy, some possibilities might
be;
1. The 5 gal carboys were not full
2. You overfilled your bottles
3. There is always some loss due to sediment in a carboy
4. You sampled more than a little
5. All of the above - likely






Walter Venables wrote:
> Here is my problem. Last weekend I was bottling 5 gal. of Raspberry and 5
> gal. of a white blend. I like to sample as I am bottling to taste the fruits
> of my labor so to say. To my calculations I should have yielded
> approximately 25 bottles per 5 gal. but I only ended up with 20 bottles of
> each. To my calculation that is an approximate loss of 1 gal. of Raspberry
> and 1 gal of white. This was a very frustrating situation and it didn't help
> having these little guys running around me all the time as I was bottling.
> So my question is how the heck do I stop these little wine thieves from
> stealing my wine?
>
> By the way they must have come back while I was sleeping and hit me in the
> head a few times because I woke up with such a headache the next day. Any
> help would be appreciated.

On 6/28/2006 10:04 AM, Walter Venables wrote:
> Here is my problem. Last weekend I was bottling 5 gal. of Raspberry and 5
> gal. of a white blend. I like to sample as I am bottling to taste the fruits
> of my labor so to say. To my calculations I should have yielded
> approximately 25 bottles per 5 gal. but I only ended up with 20 bottles of
> each. To my calculation that is an approximate loss of 1 gal. of Raspberry
> and 1 gal of white. This was a very frustrating situation and it didn't help
> having these little guys running around me all the time as I was bottling.
> So my question is how the heck do I stop these little wine thieves from
> stealing my wine?
>
> By the way they must have come back while I was sleeping and hit me in the
> head a few times because I woke up with such a headache the next day. Any
> help would be appreciated.


Walter,

I have a solution: Invite a few friends over to help you bottle.
You might end up with even less wine in the end, but at least you won't
be drinking alone.


Cheers,
Ken

You were visited by a gang of degenerate hobbits who love raspberry.
"Walter Venables" > wrote in message
...
> Here is my problem. Last weekend I was bottling 5 gal. of Raspberry and 5
> gal. of a white blend. I like to sample as I am bottling to taste the
fruits
> of my labor so to say. To my calculations I should have yielded
> approximately 25 bottles per 5 gal. but I only ended up with 20 bottles of
> each. To my calculation that is an approximate loss of 1 gal. of Raspberry
> and 1 gal of white. This was a very frustrating situation and it didn't
help
> having these little guys running around me all the time as I was bottling.
> So my question is how the heck do I stop these little wine thieves from
> stealing my wine?
>
> By the way they must have come back while I was sleeping and hit me in the
> head a few times because I woke up with such a headache the next day. Any
> help would be appreciated.
>
>

Walter Venables > wrote:

> Here is my problem. Last weekend I was bottling 5 gal. of Raspberry
> and 5 gal. of a white blend. I like to sample as I am bottling to
> taste the fruits of my labor so to say. To my calculations, it
> should have yielded approximately 25 bottles per 5 gal. but I only
> ended up with 20 bottles of each. To my calculation that is an
> approximate loss of 1 gal. of Raspberry and 1 gal of white. This
> was a very frustrating situation and it didn't help having these
> little guys running around me all the time as I was bottling. So
> my question is how the heck do I stop these little wine thieves
> from stealing my wine?

This is a very simple problem to solve. You were filling 750ml
bottles. If you had used 1.75 liter bottles, your shrinkage
would have been less than 3 bottles.

> By the way they must have come back while I was sleeping and
> hit me in the head a few times because I woke up with such a
> headache the next day. Any help would be appreciated.

Always bottle on a full stomach and take aspirin, tylenol, etc.
before going to bed.

Dick

Good advise and remember to never begrudge the mead faeries their share.
Steve
"Dick Adams" > wrote in message
...
> Walter Venables > wrote:
>
>> Here is my problem. Last weekend I was bottling 5 gal. of Raspberry
>> and 5 gal. of a white blend. I like to sample as I am bottling to
>> taste the fruits of my labor so to say. To my calculations, it
>> should have yielded approximately 25 bottles per 5 gal. but I only
>> ended up with 20 bottles of each. To my calculation that is an
>> approximate loss of 1 gal. of Raspberry and 1 gal of white. This
>> was a very frustrating situation and it didn't help having these
>> little guys running around me all the time as I was bottling. So
>> my question is how the heck do I stop these little wine thieves
>> from stealing my wine?
>
> This is a very simple problem to solve. You were filling 750ml
> bottles. If you had used 1.75 liter bottles, your shrinkage
> would have been less than 3 bottles.
>
>> By the way they must have come back while I was sleeping and
>> hit me in the head a few times because I woke up with such a
>> headache the next day. Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Always bottle on a full stomach and take aspirin, tylenol, etc.
> before going to bed.
>
> Dick

I also noted on my recent mead, which I am letting sit in a carboy to age a
bit before bottling(and a bit too lazy to bottle it) the volume seems to
drop after I test it to make sure it still tastes great.
"Dick Adams" > wrote in message
...
Walter Venables > wrote:

> Here is my problem. Last weekend I was bottling 5 gal. of Raspberry
> and 5 gal. of a white blend. I like to sample as I am bottling to
> taste the fruits of my labor so to say. To my calculations, it
> should have yielded approximately 25 bottles per 5 gal. but I only
> ended up with 20 bottles of each. To my calculation that is an
> approximate loss of 1 gal. of Raspberry and 1 gal of white. This
> was a very frustrating situation and it didn't help having these
> little guys running around me all the time as I was bottling. So
> my question is how the heck do I stop these little wine thieves
> from stealing my wine?

This is a very simple problem to solve. You were filling 750ml
bottles. If you had used 1.75 liter bottles, your shrinkage
would have been less than 3 bottles.

> By the way they must have come back while I was sleeping and
> hit me in the head a few times because I woke up with such a
> headache the next day. Any help would be appreciated.

Always bottle on a full stomach and take aspirin, tylenol, etc.
before going to bed.

Dick

"Joseph Toubes" > wrote in message
news:5iQog.805555$084.392869@attbi_s22...
>I also noted on my recent mead, which I am letting sit in a carboy to age a
> bit before bottling(and a bit too lazy to bottle it) the volume seems to
> drop after I test it to make sure it still tastes great.

This also happens when I buy bottles of wine in the store.
I bring it home, open it, start drinking it, and pretty soon
the bottle is empty. It just ain't right!
If you pay good money for a bottle of wine it should last a while.

Joseph Toubes > wrote:

> I also noted on my recent mead, which I am letting sit in a
> carboy to age a bit before bottling(and a bit too lazy to
> bottle it) the volume seems to drop after I test it to make
> sure it still tastes great.

When making a batch of Mead, one must allow for shrinkage due
to QAT (Quality Assurance Testing). I too have noted that the
shrinkage is getting out of hand and must be attributed to my
cat, aliens, or sinister forces. My solution is 18 gallon
batches - I don't think those suckers can drink that much!

Dick

I do understand that. I have this batch of basswood mead that is a bit too
sweet, yet it is very good. So while waiting for a new batch to get to the
point I can combine them, the dryer to the sweeter... I have to QAT, just
to be sure that it hasn't taken care of itself . The only problem I do
have ( although friends, neighbors and wife would care to list others) not
enough time to sit back and enjoy the batch. My five year old
granddaughter in about 15 years might have some good stuff around...

Joseph Toubes > wrote:

> I do understand that. I have this batch of basswood mead that is
> a bit too sweet, yet it is very good. So while waiting for a new
> batch to get to the point I can combine them, the dryer to the
> sweeter... I have to QAT, just to be sure that it hasn't taken
> care of itself.

QAT is a skill that needs perfecting and continuing maintenance.

> The only problem I do have (although friends, neighbors and wife
> would care to list others) not enough time to sit back and enjoy
> the batch.

There is an advantage to being a recluse - the time to sit back
and enjoy the batch.

> My five year old granddaughter - in about 15 years might have
> some good stuff around...

If you started this young woman on 15 year old Mead, she could
become a very expensive date!

Dick

My five year old
> granddaughter in about 15 years might have some good stuff around...

I remember reading skeptically that meads are much better with age but
I am certainly not one now. My first was made in 97, we only made 4
bottles the last of which we just had. It was good then, better now.
Mead is very interesting.

Joe