What you need - Recommended kit for Cider & Wine

[ScottM]

Apologies if this has already been covered but I'm looking to get a nice little kit put together for TC and Wine. I was thinking that perhaps this could be a definitive list of what is required and maybe put as a sticky for future members?

My "to buy" list at the moment consists of....

Demijohn x2 (1 Gallon ones for me, for now.)
Airlock & Stopper (To monitor activity & keep **** out while doing so)
Syphon tube (To transfer your brew. Lots of options here but 1" sediment trap and a decent length of hose (1.5-2m) is recommended IMO)
Bottling wand (Optional, I quite like it though, makes bottling a doddle.)
Hydrometer (To measure the SG of your brew, to calculate alcohol etc)
Test Tube (For use with hydrometer)
Turkey Baster or large Syringe (Just to take out samples for testing)
Syringes (Little cheap plastic ones from ebay. I got 10ml ones. Optional, but will make life easier when using additives.)
Thermometer strip (I stuck mine to the side of my bin to monitor temps. Again optional.)
Sterilizer (A must, I tend to use VWP. Everything to contact your brew should be sterilized to avoid bacteria etc.)
Immersion Heater (Depends on your climate and how stable your brew area is. I do mine in the loft so it keeps my temps stable)
Mixing Paddle or Spoon (For stirring your ingredients)
Bottles (Unless you want to drink straight from the Demijohn?)
Caps/Corks/Capper/Corker (Your choice here really. I'm recycling old screwtop wine bottles so no need for this stuff just yet)
Brushes - Straight and angled (for cleaning off the grubby stuff)
Soda Crystals (Optional, helps to clean off the grubby stuff)

Ingredients:

Glycerine (Adds body?)
Yeast Nutrient (To keep the yeasties happy in your brew.)
Campden Tablets (To stun the yeasties when you're happy with what you have and to get rid of any unwanted brood.)
Wine Stabiliser (To stop the yeasties from continuing)
Pectolase (To aid clearing)
Tannin (To add that bit of bite to your vino, grape substitute. Strong Tea can also be used.)
Malic Acid (Depending on the ingredients you use there could be a deficiency)
Citric Acid (As above, supermarket ingredients may be low)

Some of the above I already have but I wanted to make a complete list. Should I be adding anything else to my shopping list other than the actual wine making ingredients?

 

[graysalchemy]

Not wishing to get accused of banging on but if you are doing TC then Malic acid is pretty important IMHO. :thumb: also citric is also useful in some wines as well.

 

[ScottM]

Not wishing to get accused of banging on but if you are doing TC then Malic acid is pretty important IMHO. :thumb: also citric is also useful in some wines as well.

Ideal, thanks. Might be "banging on" to others but certainly not to me, it's all new

Edit: Is my reasoning for using the acids correct? I'm just guessing

 

[oldbloke]

If you're going to do wine you'll need more demis, wine can occupy a demi for a couple of months easy, sometimes more, and while it's in there you can't make anything else. I have 2 demis dedicated to TC: one yeast sachet can split across them happily, and as soon as I bottle one batch I start the next. Then I have (currently) 4 demis with wine working away, a couple with wine bulk aging, and half a dozen empty waiting for inspiration. I've occasionally been down to just one empty, a lot of good wine-making stuff all comes into season at once in the autumn. So watch the car boots and freecycle etc, and grab as many as you can. And you need as many bungs and airlocks as you have active demis.

Some wines - anything with a lot of solids in the first stage - are best started in a bucket, and you want at least a fine sieve or preferably nylon or muslin for straining those solids out.

If you've got tried and tested recipes, you can just about manage without the hydrometer.

 

[ScottM]

If you're going to do wine you'll need more demis, wine can occupy a demi for a couple of months easy, sometimes more, and while it's in there you can't make anything else. I have 2 demis dedicated to TC: one yeast sachet can split across them happily, and as soon as I bottle one batch I start the next. Then I have (currently) 4 demis with wine working away, a couple with wine bulk aging, and half a dozen empty waiting for inspiration. I've occasionally been down to just one empty, a lot of good wine-making stuff all comes into season at once in the autumn. So watch the car boots and freecycle etc, and grab as many as you can. And you need as many bungs and airlocks as you have active demis.

Some wines - anything with a lot of solids in the first stage - are best started in a bucket, and you want at least a fine sieve or preferably nylon or muslin for straining those solids out.

If you've got tried and tested recipes, you can just about manage without the hydrometer.

No doubt I'll end up doing just that

For the moment I'll be happy with 1 plastic and 1 glass DJ though as it's only really a trial. I have a few bins and 2 barrels to keep me occupied with other stuff for now. If the TC turns out good then I'll no doubt crack on with the wine in the DJ and up the batch of TC to 5 gallons in the buckets :)

 

[oldbloke]

You can of course get 5l bottles of water from a shop, use the water in your brew and ferment the brew in the bottle. You can get caps for them to take an airlock but it's not hard to drill it out yourself and use a grommet or sealer. They'll last quite a few brews.

Did you have bottle brushes in your list? A straight one for bottles and a bent one for demis. Soda crystals are good for shifting stubborn muck out of bottles.

 

[ScottM]

You can of course get 5l bottles of water from a shop, use the water in your brew and ferment the brew in the bottle. You can get caps for them to take an airlock but it's not hard to drill it out yourself and use a grommet or sealer. They'll last quite a few brews.

Did you have bottle brushes in your list? A straight one for bottles and a bent one for demis. Soda crystals are good for shifting stubborn muck out of bottles.

Good call, I use bottled water anyway. Just used 4 5L bottles in my last batch

I forgot brushes, good shout :thumb:

 

[alanywiseman.]

Hav a look HERE Scott :thumb:

 

[ScottM]

Hav a look HERE Scott :thumb:

Great catch. Think I'll shoot the seller a wee email. Happy to split them with you if you want, as I'm not really after as many as that at the moment. Half a dozen would keep me quite content :)

 

[alanywiseman.]

I would love to but I think SWMBO would have my head!!!

Cheers though :thumb:

 

[ScottM]

I would love to but I think SWMBO would have my head!!!

Cheers though :thumb:

I've had to leave it myself for the time being. Don't want to bite off more than I can chew and I already have a TC, WOW and Lime Lager planned