hikin' wine

[warraghiyagey]

I can tell we're going to be friends some day.

Sweet. Ever had Mead? Mixes well with cider - especially at Ren Faires.

[Jerm]

i like french rabbit, i've had the cab and the merlot.

http://www.frenchrabbit.com/

i have tried three theives mentioned already, but like french rabbit better. unfortunatly all i can tell you is it tastes better, it's my wife that is the wine drinker.

[mozzie]

SIGG bottles,bombproof,no after taste,cork it stash it and go

[mozzie]

RODNEY STRONG pinot noir,the pains just drift away

[JAK]

Sweet. Ever had Mead? Mixes well with cider - especially at Ren Faires.

I have made mead. I recommend making it the first time without any spices. You can always add them. I am currently making a cider. If it is not so great, I will mull it. I also want to try making a mead and a ciser over the holidays. Ciser is apple juice and honey fermented together. I want to see if it is any different then fermenting them seperately then mixing them. I have never been able to make cider before, but finally found a source for unpasteurized juice without preservatives. I am no expert, but I find it is much simpler to get good results than many people will lead you to believe. If you use good basic ingredients you can compete with all the big boys, so long as you are content to only please yourself, and a few good friends.

[Alligator]

I have made mead. I recommend making it the first time without any spices. You can always add them. I am currently making a cider. If it is not so great, I will mull it. I also want to try making a mead and a ciser over the holidays. Ciser is apple juice and honey fermented together. I want to see if it is any different then fermenting them seperately then mixing them. I have never been able to make cider before, but finally found a source for unpasteurized juice without preservatives. I am no expert, but I find it is much simpler to get good results than many people will lead you to believe. If you use good basic ingredients you can compete with all the big boys, so long as you are content to only please yourself, and a few good friends.

Let it sit, it takes much longer than beer. The apples that make fresh cider aren't the best for making hard cider.

[EWS]

I've used pasturized apple juice to make hard cider. Why the need for the unpasterized stuff?

[Farr Away]

Smoking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon, and my latest find - Banrock Station Merlot, most wonderful.

In the woods? Wild Turkey.

[JAK]

Alligator, EWS,

Thanks for the tips. I should tried making cider from plain apple juice sooner. It is not so much the pasteurization but the preservatives I was worried about. I think I will drink this cider while it is still sweet and bubbly. I am using a Lager yeast because my cold room is running 10C to 15C these days. After another week I am going to put it out near freezing and let the yeast settle, then rack it into the other gallon jug, then see how it tastes. The fellow said he used 5 different apples. Not sure what kind. For my ciser I will add 1 pound of honey into the gallon of apple juice, see how that goes. For my next mead will try 3 pounds of honey to a gallon. These are all intended to be quick, for the holidays. After the new year I will try something stronger and longer, and perhaps try distilling it also.

[EWS]

You can use super/turbo yeast if you want to get the percentage up fast at room temp.

[Alligator]

I haven't made a cider in about 7 years, but I remember the second racking taking about 3 months to clear. I usually let everything sit about 9-12 months, bottling after clearing.

I think you want to avoid the sulfur. I heated mine to about 170F to kill any microorganisms. I think any higher and it doesn't clear well.

A while back I read there were three classes of apples to making a good cider. All I recall is that one class was crabs at around 10%. It's tough to get a fixed variety unless you know an heirloom orchard.

In the future, I'd recommend a cider yeast, and I believe there are at least two mead varities available (sweet, dry) plus you can always use a champagne yeast for great gain. It does dry it out though. I once used a Kolsh yeast in my cider, I recommend that. I made a cyser once also, I think I used a champagne yeast.

[amac]

I'm bumping this thread in the hopes of hearing of the latest thoughts on backpacking with wine. What are some good wines in half-bottle size?