Middlesbrough calling

[RockySpears]

Hi,
Signed up to help with some one needing a North East Brew shop. I just visited this lunch time and can say It does grains and hops and things.
I am a wine and cider person, first started 5 years ago with a bucket, a dozen old oranges and bakers yeast. Turned out good enough for me to continue.
I am a bit hap hazard, don't keep much for very long (other than a spectacularly strong Beetroot from 2014, still sitting in the dark in the garage).
I do gins and things and frequent / ed http://www.homewinemaking.co.uk/yabb2/YaBB.pl from the start but have no real affiliations, just so long as I can be of some help and get some in return. Stuck ferments are my bane (Blackberry wine stopped at 1.028, grr, but the cider made it to 0.995, yay).
If any one has any ideas for apple smashing, that is not the plaster stirrer (even sharpened with a grinder it is pointless) I would appreciate it as there is at least a cwt sitting boxes in the garage awaiting the shoulder killing 4x4 fence post treatment.

Thank you,

RS

 

[Dutto]

Welcome to The Forum! (and hope that you stick around).

There are dozens of designs for apple scratters on You Tube ...

... but at a pinch it looks as if cutting them into small pieces with a knife and then squeezing them gently (but with great pressure) in a home-made press gets the juice out.

 

[GerritT]

How about a juicer? Ought to separate the solids from the juices.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

How are your DIY skills?

 

[RockySpears]

I have a home made one like that with spikes in a barrel, but it is painful to use, even small crab apples need persuasion to pulp up. I have 10s of Kg and more waiting, so I may have to take the plunge and get one that can cope with whole apples, I do not have time to cut up each apple.
I have kept an eye on ebay and gumtree and preloved etc etc, but folks think their scratter is somehow worth more than they can be got new for. There is a farm about 20 miles away that has open days for you to use their kit, but I have more than a cars worth, or two, and they are only open once every 2 weeks or so. The apples are falling now and I need to get a move on.
If any one knows of, or has, something in the North East I'd really appreciate it,

Thanks,

RS

 

[ScottE75]

Stuck ferments are my bane

I have similar problems with stuck ferments with some of my wines. I recently read about ways to remedy them https://www.brew2bottle.co.uk/blog/2015/09/30/how-to-rescue-a-stuck-wine-ferment/ It said try Vitamin B1 tablets, which I've tried on 4 wines I would usually have stuck ferments on, and so far no stuck ferments...famous last words!

 

[RockySpears]

I have used B1 from day 1, sorry.
How can Blackberries not have enough nutrient in them anyway? Could it be too acidic? But why does fermentation start? And the same Blackberry forage was used as a cider base and ferments straight out,

God knows,

RS

 

[Dutto]

How about a juicer? Ought to separate the solids from the juices.

For two or three apples a Juicer is ideal ...

... but (from my experience of them) for two or three hundred you would spend more time cleaning it out than it takes to brew it and drink it. aunsure....

Nowadays, whenever I need juice I use one of these ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001IWXG0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It's not much good for apples though!

 

[GerritT]

For two or three apples a Juicer is ideal ...

... but (from my experience of them) for two or three hundred you would spend more time cleaning it out than it takes to brew it and drink it. aunsure....

Nowadays, whenever I need juice I use one of these ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001IWXG0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It's not much good for apples though!

One apple or 10 apples, it's gonna need a cleaning anyway. Now the missus showed some interest in brewing wine, but not from extract (she doesn't want that, trust me) so I've already been looking for appropriate grapes and amounts. And we defi gonna use the juicer!
But more about that hopefully later :)