Tasted this cheese in-store, and have bought it whenever I could from then on. a very strong cheese on crackers with a good summer sausage, or mixed into ground beef for a burger.
Showing posts with label wine on line. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine on line. Show all posts
Red Dragon Cheese (8oz or 1lb)
Tasted this cheese in-store, and have bought it whenever I could from then on. a very strong cheese on crackers with a good summer sausage, or mixed into ground beef for a burger.
Vino Italiano 4 Week Wine Kit, Cabernet Sauvignon, 15.5-Pound Box
Having never made wine before, we decided to give it a try, mainly because of the price of this kit. Once we purchased the wine-making equipment (fermenter, carboy, siphons, air locks, hydrometer, etc) from a home-brew supply company, we were ready to make this wine. We used Midwest Homebrewing and Winemaking Supply () for the equipment package. They have a starter kit that is reasonably priced. I would also recommend purchasing a wine thief (to take samples with) and a container to hold your samples in when testing them, in addition to an auto siphon and maybe some oak chips for this kit. All in all, we spent about $60 on the equipment we needed to use this wine kit.Having read reviews about this wine-kit company's wines being "watery" I decided to make 5 gallons instead of 6. Later, I read that this can be VERY tricky with kits because they are specifically tailored for that particular volume of wine. Maybe I got lucky, but our batch came out pretty good. I also added some extra tannin, a little citric acid and I soaked some oak chips in it during the final phase. I was careful to keep everything sterile (with the sterilizer that came with my equipment packagenever use bleach or other household chemicals on wine equipment) and I also paid attention to the fermentation temperature, having read that two of the most important things in home winemaking are sterilization and temperature.
I just bottled 23 bottles of this wine a couple of days ago and we drank the 1/2 bottle that was left over. It tastes like an inexpensive table wine you'd get in a restaurant in Italy or France. Nothing special, so far. However, I've read that even a few months of aging in the bottle can do wonders for these kit wines so I'm eager to see how it tastes later this year. As of bottling it was clear (no haze) and had a nice, light raspberry color to it. It was semi-dry with lots of fruit undertones; decent legs and an okay nose. There was a faint hint of oak, probably from the chips, which soaked in the carboy for about 5 days before bottling.
All-in-all, I've paid more for wine that wasn't as good. I've already started my second batch (a Vinter's Reserve kit purchased locally) and today I started a small batch made from organic grape juice purchased at the grocery store (we'll see what happens there).
Warning, wine making can become addictiveit's one part science, one part art. I'd recommend this kit to a beginner who doesn't want to invest the $100 in a higher-end kit. Good luck!
Buy Vino Italiano 4 Week Wine Kit, Cabernet Sauvignon, 15.5-Pound Box Now
I have had several of these kits, and mostly they come out pretty thin. It has been suggested to cut back to 5 gallons. This still leaves a wine that is thin and lacks any acceptable mouth-feel. Here's how I do it with a red wine kit.White wines are treated the same only I make them to the 5 gallons, not 4; still reserving some juice concentrate.
1. Pour off 1 1/2 cups of concentrate into a sterile Ball jar. Place this in the freezer.
2. Make the remainder up to 4 gallons. Do primary fermentation.
3. From primary, rack to secondary (for me that is a 3 gallon carboy and a one gallon jug) Top up with simple syrup (2 parts sugar to one part water OR up to 1/2 of your retained juice) This is where I would also add in the oak chips if I am using them.
4. This will not finish fermenting in the 4-6 week time frame. More like 8 to 16. I rack again at about 4 to 5 weeks.Clear, stablize and de-gas.
5. At bottling time (here is were I filter w my mini Boun-Vino)
6. Add 1/4 teaspoon Potassium Sorbate.
7. Pour the retained juice that has been thawed to room temp into the filtered wine before bottling.
Yes, I know. 4 gallons from a 6 gallon kit. But believe me, it is worth the loss.
This 4 gallon volume is still a great bargain, especially if you have an Amazon Prime membership to cut the shipping costs. It comes out so well that I have put this item on subscription to save even more.
Considering the fact that you get both corks and shrink cap (and labels, I suppose, I like to design my own) Even 4 is gallons cheaper (bottle for bottle) than a premium kit.
All that being said, it is still a kit with kit quality. Don't expect a great wine to come from this. But follow my method and you'll have a wine you would be proud to serve your friends.
(An additional note: I've also done this with Amazon's Reserve du Chateau kits, but adjusting the primary fermentation to 5 gallons because of the extra 3 pounds of juice in the kit. This comes out very well).
Read Best Reviews of Vino Italiano 4 Week Wine Kit, Cabernet Sauvignon, 15.5-Pound Box Here
I was very satisfied with this kit. I have made about 5 batches since the first try. Its very important to remember that young wine is not super tasty. Within 6 months of bottling the product is excellent and so far just keeps getting more tasty as it stabilizes. Im a fan, no need to pay a higher price for really good results.Want Vino Italiano 4 Week Wine Kit, Cabernet Sauvignon, 15.5-Pound Box Discount?
I liked the wine overall, so does my gf so that helps too. I thought it was a bit bubbly but maybe I didnt stir out the bubbles enough. Decent body and is definatly worth the money you pay for it and the lables are very good. Not something you could make up easily by yourself.
Drew's All Natural Smoked Tomato Dressing/Marinade 12x12oz
- Ingredients Cold pressed soybean oil, red wine vinegar, plum tomatoes, garlic, Dijon mustard (water, mustard seeds, distilled vinegar, citric acid), liquid smoke (water, hickory smoke), balsamic vinegar (grapes, naturally forming sulfites), barley malt, citric acid, xanthan gum, herbs & spices.
Assam Tea Bag Squeezer
This is a great product it is long enough to reach into a large cup and pull out the wet tea bag then you can squeeze out all the flavor left in the bag! No dripping. I will always own one!
2 x Spike Your Juice Kits, "Value Pack"
EDIT: I found an even better way to work this stuff. Read on for good tips.Buy TWO (or more) bottles of the same juice. Apple or peach grape are good options. Let one ferment out dry...takes about a week.
Then, pour about 75% out into a pitcher. Refill the original container with fresh juice. Put the vapor lock back on...you've created Batch #2.
Pour the pitcher of dry alcoholic juice into the new container (with 25% juice). Squeeze the bottle to remove the rest of the air. Re-install the lid. Wait 24-48 hours until the bottle is stiff again and then refrigerate. Drink and enjoy perfectly sweet/dry/carbonated spiked juice.
The advantages?
1. No worrying about how long it'll take to ferment. You can run your first bottle dry and then add the fresh juice right before the weekend to prime the carbonation. You can leave the first bottle with vapor lock in a finished fermentation state for days/weeks without issue.
2. You control the sweetness/dryness. Vary the mix ratio to suit your taste.
3. You control the carbonation. Adjust the refrigeration and/or vent carbonation to avoid overpressure. (Squeezing out all the air helps prevent oxidation).
4. You get cleaner drink. The yeast drops out of suspension and is left in the next batch.
5. YOU REUSE THE YEAST AND SAVE MONEY! Do this just once per batch and you cut your cost by 50%. Plus the next batch starts up quicker than if you'd pitched new yeast.
As a side note, this yeast is particularly well-suited for this task. I tried some white wine yeast once and it turned my apple juice into a STINKY ROTTEN EGG SULFUR BOMB! No kidding....the yeast got all stressed out and burped sulfur. Yuck. This yeast has never let me down in 10-20 batches.
Original Review:
Wow, this stuff is fun. Thankfully, it comes in double kits so you can experiment faster ( or make twice as much) without waiting.
Go grab a variety of 64oz 100% juice bottles from Trader Joes. I've tried pear cider and blackberry so far...and both worked great. Or save some money and get apple juice or peach grape from Walmart. Choose your poison.
Check it after 2 days. You'll probably want to go 3 or 4 days to get rid of a good amount of sugar and get enough alcohol. But check it daily after that, as the fermentation will be geometrically faster as the yeast multiply. After 4 days, you'll probably have a much drier taste...too dry for some.
I use a strainer to filter out the largest chunks of dead yeast, but they won't hurt you.
And I left the cap on in the fridge to have the residual yeast carbonate the drink. Yes, I was risking explosion, but it tastes MUCH better. And the cold temperature slows the fermentation...just check the bottle rigidity twice a day. If it's too stiff, HAVE A DRINK! The nice thing is, it'll repressurize itself a bit, unlike soda that goes flat after you open it.
Give it a try....you can't go wrong.
One thing to note, when you've reached the desired fermentation, remove the yeast from the bottom. If not, it will continue fermenting, even if you put it in the fridge. I did this by pouring the juice on the top into a pitcher, and leaving the sludge in the bottom of the juice bottle. Just wash it out, and put the juice back in, and you're set.
Also, be sure to keep the airlock on the bottle once it's in the fridge. Don't use the bottle cap! Since the yeast is still doing its job, if you use the bottle cap, pressure will cause an explosion.
Buy 2 x Spike Your Juice Kits, "Value Pack" Now
I got this as a gift for an old roommate of mine. Despite our propensities for beer and whiskey, neither I nor he have anything against prison wine. When life gives you pomegranate juice, probably the best thing to do is to ferment said pomegranate juice. This product really does work, and it's incredibly easy, and cost effective, and pomegranates have antioxidants.Read Best Reviews of 2 x Spike Your Juice Kits, "Value Pack" Here
As long as you follow the instructions, you will have a great tasting, slightly alcoholic drink in a few days. The longer you let it ferment, the drier the taste gets (less sugar). Since I can't drink conventional wine due to health issues (allergic to grapes, histimines, tannins), I was able to use my favorite blueberry juice and make an easy blueberry wine. I even cook with it. Great stuff!Want 2 x Spike Your Juice Kits, "Value Pack" Discount?
This stuff works greatand you can control the alcohol content and dryness.The longer you brew the higher the alcohol content will get, and at the same time your juice will get dryer from the lack of sugars. So if you want a higher alcohol content but want it to stay sweeter then just add about 1/2 cup of sugar to the juice beforehand, shake it up real good, then add the mix and brew it for a day or two longer than the initial 24 hours. The taste of your brew can change pretty dramatically from day to day so taste test it as you go along.
Also make sure to remove about 1/2 cup of the juice from the bottle before you brewthis will prevent spillover and problems when you push the rubber cap onto the bottle.