Word On The Vine

It's Strawberry Wine Season - I saw the Sign!

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

I saw the Sign - the U-Pick-Em Sign at Adams Farm on Highway 54 West in Fayetteville. This makes Strawberry Wine Season official.

So right before you go to pick or pick up your Strawberries, come by to get fresh ingredients for your wine.

It will take about 18 pounds of Strawberries to make 5 Gallons of Wine. Make sure they are the ripest and freshest looking. If they taste good to eat, they will be good for making wine.

Go to the How To Make Wine area of our website to learn more about making wine from fresh fruit and check out our Recipe for Strawberry Wine.

A Few Extra Hop Rhizomes

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:21:00 +0000

We just wanted to let you know that we ordered a few extra hop rhizomes just in case you did not have a chance to pre-order. These have been shipped and will be arriving at our store in the next 3 days.

Just call to reserve yours.

Look at our growing Cascade Hop Bine!

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:44:00 +0000

Our Cascade Hop Bines have really taken off. This is what second year growth looks like. We could plant our hops in the ground, but we have found that we have much better success planting in raised beds and planters in our part of Georgia.

This plant will get transplanted to a new home in a large re-purposed whiskey barrel. Then it will get trellised to give it lots of room to grow. We will also trim back initial growth to improve production of the bine.

How to Hack Your Slow Cooker

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:17:00 +0000

I know it sounds like a joke, but during the Cheesemaking class on Saturday we started talking about how nice it would be to have a slow cooker that would heat by temperature.

Tonight I decided to go online and see how much one of these puppies would cost. After discovering the $299 price tag, I did yet another search and found this helpful video.

Who would o' thunk?

Kat

Malolactic Fermentation (MF) in My Cellar

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:52:00 +0000

Wine Making 201

If you have ever made wine from fresh grapes or from fresh grape juice (not Welches frozen concentrate) late winter becomes an interesting time of the year. Your wine has been in the secondary for several months and is nice and clear. Not much is going on...the holiday season is over, the grapes from the southern hemisphere have not yet arrived (Chilean grapes and juices) and you begin thinking about filtering and bottling your wine.

The picture to the left is Malolactic Fermentation currently going on in the wine one of the wines in my cellar. The little white ring is an accumulation of tiny bubbles.

This is the time of year that something interesting can happen to your wines. If the acid has a good amount of MALIC acid and fairly low amounts of sulfite, AND the temperature of your cellar goes up a few degrees, Malolactic Fermentation (MLF) can begin. That's the MLF you occasionally see in the winemaking publications and books you may have read.

This can be a good thing given the right circumstances. If your wine is a bit high in acid, the MLF will reduce the acid by converting the harsher MALIC acid into the softer LACTIC acid. It happens when bacteria that is naturally in your wine wakes up and begins a new kind of fermentation. You may find that your wine is nice and clear, but there is a low level fermentation activity in you air lock. You may also see a fine band of bubbles around the neck of your carboy. If you shake the carboy, you WILL blow off a bit of carbonation! During this fermentation, the wine will of course have a reduced titratable acid level AND it may take on a slight buttery/butterscotch aroma and flavor. A nice combination for a Chardonnay!

Can I sweeten my wine when I rack it into the secondary vessel?

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:39:00 +0000

Before you sweeten your wine, it is important that you wait until the fermentation has completed, and the wine has had plenty of time to clear out all the wine yeast. Quite often, this does not happen by the time you do the second racking.

Actually, the best time to sweeten a wine is right before bottling. This gives plenty of time for everything to settle out. There is no upside to sweetening the wine before this, only a potential for problems.

The reason clearing the wine is so important is because the wine must become stable before sweetening, otherwise all the new sugars will end up as fodder for a renewed fermentation.

Cloudiness in a wine usually indicates it still has excessive wine yeast. It is very hard to stabilize a wine that has residual wine yeast still floating throughout the wine.

Potassium sorbate is what has to be used to stabilize a wine when sugar is being added. While either potassium metabisulfite or Campden tablets should be used as well, each is not sufficient enough on its own to stabilize the wine.

Potassium sorbate stabilizes a wine in an entirely different way than any type of sulfite. It does so by putting a restrictive coating on the outside surface of each of the few remaining yeast cells. This does not necessarily kill the yeast. They will die on their own in hours or days. But it makes them unable to reproduce themselves. The ability to reproduce is the real threat that can manifests itself as full-blown fermentation.

If your wine is still even slightly visually cloudy, there may not be enough potassium sorbate to go around to do a complete stabilization. This is the downside to sweetening/stabilizing the wine sooner the necessary.

Danny V's Wine Making Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:36:00 +0000

We are quite impressed at the quality of wines folks are bringing into Barley & Vine for us to try and to comment on. To help if you have questions about your wine, feel free to stop by the shop with a sample if you have questions about whether it is ready to be bottled. Please be sure to also bring the original gravity of your wine and the type of yeast you used.

#1 - Remember that time is the secret ingredient to making good wine.
#2 - Always allow your wine to thoroughly clear before bottling. You should be able to see through it. This often requires 2-6 months in the secondary.
#3 - Always condition your clear, finished wine with Potassium (not sodium) Meta-Bisulfite AND Potassium Sorbate. This both stabilizes your wine (keeps it from re-fermenting and causing your bottles to explode) and keeps your wine from oxidizing.
#4 - Always thoroughly clean your wine bottles inside and out. Also sanitize your bottles before filling. Potassium Meta-Bisulfite makes a great sanitizer.

New Malt Grains at Barley & Vine!

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:30:00 +0000

Briess Malting
- Cherry Wood Smoked Malt
There’s nothing like brewing a beer with smoked malt. Smoked malt delivers exceptional brewing creativity, making it possible to develop complexity in Scotch Ales to rich, robust smoky flavor in Rauch Beers and Porters.

- Extra Special Malt
This intense 2-Row specialty malt is not for the faint of heart. It contributes distinctive flavors associated with darker, high gravity beers like Doppelbock. Even used at small quantities, you'll find it lives up to its name and delivers something "extra special" to your biggest, maltiest brews. 130L

You can always find an updated list of new products here.

Your Yeast and Cold Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:26:00 +0000

I have been brewing beer for over twenty years. When it gets cold outside, the places where we typically ferment our beer also gets cold. Last Sunday, we brewed a batch of Chocolate Bock and I decided keep the fermentor on the kitchen counter until the following morning when the fermentation was off to a good start. I later put the fermenter in our pantry so it would remain at a good fermentation temperature. (our pantry is now my "aroma therapy" on steroids!)

Stanton, a very accomplished homebrewer, told me about a "miracle" product that saved me several boil-overs and now, a foam over from a high gravity brew fermenting in glass, in my pantry. It's called FermCap-S As the foam in my 6.5 gallon glass carboy was approaching the top, I put 3-4 drops of FermCap S in the fermentor and the head dropped down to about an inch of foam. Amazing! If you haven't seen this work and you're tired of boil-overs and foam-overs, be sure to get a bottle from Barley & Vine today and use it in your next batch. (click here for details)

Another item to consider using is a "Brew Belt". Simply belt this handy item around your fermentor and plug it into an outlet. It will keep your brew nice and warm so the yeast will be on their merry way fermenting your brew as if it were summertime!
(click here for details on the Brewing Belt)

I also found that a better than normal batch of yeast must go into your fresh brewed beer. Some brewers grab two packs of yeast to keep things simple. Yes it costs a dollar or two more, but your yeast will thank you! Another plan it to use a yeast starter. Barley & Vine has a good price on growlers and both 1L and 2L Erlenmeyer flasks.
(For details with pictures on making your yeast starter...)

Featured Brewer's Best Kits

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Russian Imperial Stout

While this beer is pretty easy to brew, it will surely impress you with the HUGE character.
Truly the King Kong of beers!

This full-bodied dark brew has an intense roast flavor with a huge malt influence. The hop bitterness is offset by a touch of sweetness from the big malt character. Give this beer some time to mature and consider using an oak alternative for added complexity. Check out the kit!

Baltic Porter

This beer has a complex malty flavor profile containing prune, toffee and nutty notes with a hint of roast in the background. Due to its high gravity, a subtle alcohol flavor comes through. A full-bodied, smooth beer that benefits from cellar aging. Check out the kit!

Ready for All-Grain Brewing?

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:04:00 +0000

PolarWare 30 Quart Brew Kettle

This 7.5 gallon brew kettle is perfect for full five gallon boils. Heavy duty 18-8 gage stainless steel will give you years of brewing!

Because this kettle is economically priced, you can easily outfit it with a Kettle Valve and a Kettle Screen to build your own, easy to use mash kettle. One of the advantages of this configuration is that you can easily step up your grain mash through several rests: protein rest, saccrification rest at 152°F, and the mash-off at 172°F.

Brewing with Chocolate/Cacao

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 04:41:00 +0000

- Cacao Nibs

With Valentine's Day coming soon, it's time to think outside of the box. Ditch the box of chocolates and brew a batch of chocolate brew! Two weeks ago we brewed a batch of the Sam Adam's Chocolate Bock Clone and just last night, we racked the Bock onto 4oz. of Cacao nibs. Yep, a LOT different from dry hopping! So far, the brew has cleared and the "nibs" are slowly floating around and really giving the brew an amazing aroma!

Make Wine Year-Round!

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:53:00 +0000

Washington Merlot

This elegant ruby-colored Merlot features a rich aromatic bouquet of fresh red cherries, toasted oak, and herbs. Medium-to-full-bodied, it is characterized by Merlot Winery Grape Skins which adds expressive flavors of dark ripe plums, berries, and silky tannins. Well structured and balanced, it culminates dramatically on the palate. This wine was recognized as a 2007, 2008 and 2009 WineMaker International Award Winner. Click here to see our Cellar Classic wine kits.

Italian Valpolicella

Elegance and style come together to build this wine of true character. It boasts of a fruit forward nose distinguished by aromas of raisins, dark cherries and toasted oak. Drawing inspiration from the Primitivo Winery Grape Skins, it showcases firm tannins on the palate embraced by concentrated notes of sweet chocolate and fresh, dark fruit. The finish is dramatic, peppered with layers of dark fruit and aggressive oak. This wine was also recognized as a 2007, 2008 and 2009 WineMaker International Award Winner. Click here to see our Grand Cru wine kits.

Chocolate Bock Anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:38:00 +0000

This past week week a customer, we'll call him Ron, came in asking if we had a recipe for Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock. We are not sure if Ron realizes what he inspired.

After several days of research, evaluation and re-evaluation, we now have a clone of the Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock as a Recipe Kit, which we will be brewing on Sunday, January 8.

So what do you think, should we call Ron and let him know that we have his Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock clone? See you later, I've got a phone call to make.

We brewers tend to brew our beer in locations often depending on the weather. We ALSO tend to put our fermentor in the same place, regardless of temperature.

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:03:00 +0000

Problems with getting Yeast Started...
Most of us brewers brew our beer either on the back porch, in the garage, or in the kitchen, depending on the weather, right? We also tend to ferment our brew in a single favored place...regardless of the weather. Every year, just as it gets consistently cold, we get calls from brewers who brewed a week ago, pitched their yeast and even after a week, not much is going on in their fermentor. Ever been there?

Again, the cold weather often sneaks up on you and you find yourself with a unique problem, like no fermentation. Really, this happens to all of us some time or another. The solution is pretty simple. If the temperature of your brew is in the lower 60's or less, the ale yeast is going dormant because of the cold. It needs warmer temperature at least to get started. After it gets off to a good start, you can move it to the cellar and it will complete fermenting normally.

If you find yourself in the position where you have the fermentor in the garage or some other cool place, simply bring the fermentor to a warmer place, like the kitchen counter. To speed things up, you can place it in a sink full of warm water. You will find fermentation will begin quickly as the temperature rises above 70F.

Once it gets off to a good start, you can move it to a cooler location. Remember, the core temperature of the fermenting brew is about 10F warmer than the outside temperature. If your cellar is 62F, the brew will be fermenting around 72F, but not above 80F.

If you have never fermented before, this is what your beer wort looks like when it is actively fermenting. Don't worry if your fermentation is a lot more active than this. Some yeasts are robust than others and tend to kick up more foam.

When you get into lagering and you want to cold ferment, you need to increase the amount of yeast you pitch. Lagers need often twice the yeast as ales. For more information on yeast pitching rates, go to http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

Welcome to Barley & Vine

noreply@blogger.com (Barley and Vine) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:13:00 +0000

Welcome and thank you for visiting our blog! We started this blog in order to better share our expertise in the areas of home wine, beer, soda and cheese making. These are not only elements of our business-- they are also our biggest passions!

To give you a little tour of what this blog will consist of, we will have three writers-- Kat, Dan & Stephanie. Kat will be sharing her expertise in home wine making, Dan in home brewing, and Stephanie in cheese making as well as beer and wine related topics.

We'll be basing our experiences and commonly asked questions from working as a LHBS, with the hopes to extend our knowledge as well as learn new things from readers! Questions, comments, and general feedback are encouraged.

Thank you for your time and we look forward to sharing the journey ahead!