the big 4 ohhh

[metalmickey]

Hi All,

yes i know you cant believe im gonna be fourty this year...

SWMBO has asked me for a list of kit id like for birthday so im asking you all if theres anything that a newbie wine and cider brewer just couldnt do without.

ive seen a syphon that you just shake to get going but cant find it online.
also theres some attachment that will start/stop the syphon flow when pressed against the bottom of the bottle, but again cant find it anywhere.

i think i could also do with some more DJs and maybe a bigger fermenting vessel should i get a 25L one or larger?

if any of you can add any suggestions that i just couldnt do without and stuff i should simply steer clear of id be grateful.

Cheers

Neil

 

[31bb3]

corny kegs

 

[fermentall]

Hi MM the syphon is called an Auto Syphon and the other gadget is called A Little Bottler available on ebay and HBS'S : ken.

 

[aneray]

You think being 40 is bad. I'm getting married on mine.

 

[fermentall]

Yes, but you get 20 years less grief than someone who ties the knot at 20 :rofl: :lol: :

 

[metalmickey]

Ha ha, Married or marred!

may all your troubles be little ones....

 

[fermentall]

:rofl: Wish you all the best for the future MM :

 

[metalmickey]

Cheers,

i went to a carboot this morning and picked up 4 djs, a hydrometer, a wine thermometer a bottle corker and a "boots thermostatic warmer" all for lady gdiver.

The bung on the warmer is rockard and must be over 20 years old, looks like ive got myself a small project to replace it.

Neil

 

[Cussword]

Take off the plug, when you drill your new rubber bung, make sure the hole is smaller than the wire, & force it through with vaseline or it will leak air. My thoughts are with you, it's a B*LL ACHE

 

[metalmickey]

ha ha ha, i havent even thought about it yet, but having said that how do you drill rubber? spade drill, holesaw? ill need to make ahole about 16mm for the glass tube and about 4mm for the flex. Infact should i put the bung in the freezer for a bit to "stiffen" the rubber.

Ta

 

[Aleman]

Best way to dril' rubber is to do it when it's 'ard . . . The colder the better -20C should be enough, although we did use the freezers at work (Many works ago) as they were at -60C . . . really easy to drill then

 

[Sean_Mc]

Its easy to find bungs with holes, but seems to be hard to find bungs without holes

 

[Barkie]

Mine is coming up soon too (50 something - 4 I think) I have asked for a filter, an auto syphon would be a good gadget too.

 

[metalmickey]

A filter sounds good... is that a straining bag type thing?

oh also can anyone suggest anything to aid the racking process. Racked my WOW last night and had trouble with the last bottle sucking up the lees.

ive got a bit of hose and rigid tube which has a cup thingy on the end. The tube tends to wander around the DJ stirring up the sediment. Ive tried tilting the jar but to no avail.

 

[sueelleker]

I put a clothes peg on the hard bit of the tube, to stop the cup touching the bottom of the DJ. Then when I get to the last bit I just hold it in place.

 

[Samarith]

I use a bucket clip on the mouth of the DJ and stick the cup directly on the end of the flexible tube. The tube tends to curl naturally so I twist it to curl to the wall of the DJ and lower it slowly as I transfer.

I'd also advise racking the cleared wine into a clean DJ. Then after cleaning out the old DJ, filter the wine back to polish it. Then you can syphon direct to bottles with zero sediment and no need for any further wastage.

 

[metalmickey]

Right, can anyone point me to a link to a "wine filter". It sounds like an essential piece of kit.

Neil

 

[Samarith]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Boots-Wine-fi...cmd=ViewItem&pt=Home_Brew&hash=item45f445e1b4

Just remember they are for polishing cleared wines, not clearing cloudy wines.

 

[Barkie]

I've taken a cork bung, made a shallow groove up one side top to bottom, made a hole large enough to take the rigid part of the syphon tube after taking the cup end off, threaded it through then put the cup end back on. The bung keeps the tube vertical and the cup end stays perfectly still.

I can rack with two hands free but the downside is I can't tip the Dj as easily.

 

[metalmickey]

Nice tip!

Thanks for sharing it with us. Its the little tips that remove small annoying problems that make the job soo much easier.

i might try the idea with a minor mod...drill the groove at about 30 degrees ( from the top centre to the bottom edge) so the tube angles to one corner so when the jar is tilted the tube will take up the last of the clear must.