Fermenation Diaries: Episode Two

I can’t believe that I haven’t fermented anything since summer 2008. Those were the hippie kombucha and yogurt days. 2009 was a lost cause, but 2010 brings things anew.

This winter I began my first batch of wine, which is slated for drinking in at Brian and Rebecca’s wedding in June.

This inaugural batch is based on the Coastal Red (Bourgeron Rouge / Red Burgundy) kit from Vinters Reserve. I got it at Northern Brewer in St. Paul, MN. $60 in ingredients will yield roughly 36 bottles of wine.

For this project I treated myself to a new 6-gallon carboy, brew hauler, a drill-mounted aerator, and a Portuguese floor corker, which will be documented shortly.

Here’s a few action-packed photos of the wine moving from the primary to secondary fermenter.

The process seemed strange to me at first, given my orientation towards brewing beer. However, once you get the equipment setup, it’s not terribly difficult. In fact, I look forward to brewing a another batch (Chilean Malbec) later this spring.

The only truly tedious part so far has been washing and de-labeling several dozen bottles, shown below.

Tip: I have found that a warm bath of PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) will help you remove labels with ease. In fact, most labels just float off. It’s environmentally-friendly, too.

On the beer front, Justin has been working on his own lineup (honey porter), which got left me itching to start a beer for the tail-end of winter.

Here’s a few photos of the Scottish 60 i have going, moving from wort to primary and secondary. It undergoes a longer, cooler fermentation. Fewer hops and less boozy.

Things are looking good on the fermentation front. I’ll follow up with bottling and tasting in the next few weeks.