Least effort method - the Range makeyourowndrinks kit

Hi guys n gals, thought I'd say hello and share what I've been doing with the Range makeyourowndrinks kit.

I've made them all now (barring the cider and IPA) and can say I've not had a totally failed batch that wasn't my fault. (umm, added vanilla essence (too much, sweet vanillaery white wine), ribena (too much, too sweet red wine), a jar of blackcurrant jam (WORKED!) and demerara sugar to a lager (jury's out).

I was getting a faint funny smell which I *think* is sulfur - its not eggy or really bad fart - just kind of very mild yeasty-ish which fades in the glass. I have found this method to be the best.

Least effort method - Rose kit
Step 1 - clean everything. I dishwasher the bucket, paddle and syphon kit. Then rinse, then swill out with the steriliser fluid.

Steps 2-3 - Empty syrup into bucket, fill the pouch with boiling water three times. Use normal sugar - Lidl do the cheapest - add 250g more for fun, and make sure it is fully dissolved. Put the thermometer strip on now.

Step 4 - buy 10 bottles of cheap mineral / spring water. Tesco's do a mineral one for 17p a bottle which has the same trace minerals as evian (which is more expensive than petrol). Empty the bottle into the bucket and immediately replace the cap. You do not need to sterilise the bottle, just keep it for later.

Steps 5-7 Check the thermometer and adjust temperature with bottled or boiling water accordingly. It should land around 30 degrees. I use an aquarium heater (£10.99 from the Range) drilled through the top of the lid with the airhole mostly sealed up with duct tape. Set the temp about 23 degrees. Click the lid down (instruction says not to, but if you use the aquarium heater there will be an imperfect seal for gas to release.
Add yeast and oak chips (plus any experimental flavourings in very small quantities). DO NOT ADD STABILISER like I did and watched my wine do nothing for a week

Step 8 - store it in a cool dark place. Don't worry about the temperature if using the heater. DO NOT PEEK INTO THE BUCKET. It sucks air and bacteria in when you open the lid. Generally leave for 9 days, not the 7 stated.

Step 9-12 If you've left it for 9 days, it will be dry unless something went wrong with the temperature. Add the stabiliser. Add sugar to taste, not 750g as it will be too sweet. Add finings A and stir the **** out of it or use the coat hanger drill bit method. Personally, a whipping action with the paddle suffices. When your arm is ready to drop off you're probably done.

Leave for 2 hours with lid resting on top

Step 13 - it should be largely settled. I now lose about 2 litres of wine by racking it into a fresh sterilised bucket so it doesn't clear sat on sediment. Then I add finings B.

Step 14 - clear for 5 days, not 3. Lid fully clicked down, cool dark place preferably, sat somewhere high so you can syphon it off without moving the bucket.

Step 15-16. You will get better quaffable wine by syphoning it into the 2litre water bottles and leaving it a couple of weeks somewhere cool and dark. If you decant it into a normal glass screwtop to give to a friend etc, just rinse a freshly emptied bottle and decant. As long as it gets drunk within a few hours it'll be fine.

:drink:

Costs:
£40: 2 x Bucket, paddle, syphon kit, thermometer, aquarium heater.
£26: Rose kit, sugar, water.

£66 - about £3.00 per litre on first run.
Subsequent runs, £1.20 a litre (90p a 75cl bottle).

Enjoy :)

Welcome to the forum :

You say -

Add finings A and stir the **** out of it or use the coat hanger drill bit method. Personally, a whipping action with the paddle suffices. When your arm is ready to drop off you're probably done.

Leave for 2 hours with lid resting on top

Step 13 - it should be largely settled. I now lose about 2 litres of wine by racking it into a fresh sterilised bucket so it doesn't clear sat on sediment. Then I add finings B.

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I have made this kit several times and the instructions didn't say to leave two hours between adding part A and B finings (it was one hour) and there was no mention of racking to a second FV, letting it clear on the sediment is not a problem as that is what the instructions tell you to do, please don't take this the wrong way but i would not call it the least effort method and would not want new members to think ignoring instructions is the right way to go.

You are right about not addition the 750g of sugar unless you like your wine very sweet and i mentioned that in the review i posted in 2013 - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=33697

Full Instructions here - http://www.makeyourowndrinks.co.uk/instructions.asp?Category=Wine

I've made them all now (barring the cider and IPA) and can say I've not had a totally failed batch that wasn't my fault, ribena (too much, too sweet red wine),

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When adding ingredients care should be taken as preservative will kill the yeast, Ribena has it and that is why it ended up sweet as it probably didn't ferment to 995 or below.

.

Hi Chippy, no offence taken.
The two hours allows for the majority of dead yeast to settle and I suppose is a personal preference. I also think it helps with the degassing as it creates a lot of foam (similar to the whipping it) when transferring it to the new bucket. Observations genuinely requested though, as I could be just fooling myself. Is there a taste benefit to clearing the wine after an initial racking? (Insert correct term here!

The least effort bit mainly comes from the aquarium heater and the use of cheap bottled water - it saves a ton of time washing, sterilising and corking bottles, and the wine develops quicker in PET than in a glass bottle apparently. Plus 20litres of wine in my house would NOT last three months haha.

Thanks for the pointer re the Ribena - that explains it. I do like a tinker but I'll have to check for preservatives from now.

I'd also like some expert opinion on Step twelve - is that lid on, lid off, lid fully clicked down? It doesn't say. I've tried it both ways and can't decide which delivers best flavour and alcohol content.

Is there a taste benefit to clearing the wine after an initial racking?

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I have never tried racking a kit so cannot say if there is a taste benefit, i do rack my supermarket juice wines as there is a lot of sediment and they can be a pain to clear.

I'd also like some expert opinion on Step twelve - is that lid on, lid off, lid fully clicked down?

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My FV has an airlock hole so i seal it, laying the lid on top is fine during fermentation but i would seal it once you have killed the yeast.

If you have signatures turned off you may have missed this - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=49462

I'm definitely lid on during fermentation (and considering jury-rigging a an airlock system with the aquarium heater setup) but I was wondering specifically about the 1-2 hour period between finings A and finings B.

Karate Kid? Lid on, lid off??

Lid on, you don't want anything to get in there and spoil it.

MrPike said:

I'm definitely lid on during fermentation (and considering jury-rigging a an airlock system with the aquarium heater setup) but I was wondering specifically about the 1-2 hour period between finings A and finings B.

Karate Kid? Lid on, lid off??

Click to expand...

when I do it and immediately after degassing, I'll replace the cap on my carboy and leave it with he airlock in, just on the off chance that it lets some more co2 out before I bottle it