(Part 3) Best wine making equipment according to redditors

For the record, oaking sticks aren't just used "to make cheap booze taste like less cheap booze".

I'm a home winemaker. Buying an oak cask for aging wine is cost prohibitive, and requires a large amount of maintenance while not in use, making it entirely impractical for home use.

Oaking spirals are an easy way for home users to give their wines and spirits an "oaked" flavor, even if brewing or aging in glassware.

I bottled mine in 375ml bottles so there would be more of them.

I think that's a plastic cork, these specifically.

https://www.amazon.com/Knowhow-Brews-Foods-All-Plastic-Reusable/dp/B074Q6PHK6/targid=pla-834472227816

It's a tasting cork, they don't seal particularly well so they won't grenade. They may be too oxygen permeable for long term aging.

I couldn't figure out what to get my dad for his birthday this year so I decided I may as well make him some cocktails.

I bought the bottles from amazon, the labels are Avery Pearlized Ivory 3"x3 3/4", and designed using their online software, printed at home.


This gave me an excuse to pick up a few bottles I have been meaning to get but just hadn't gotten around to yet - Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon, Punt e Mes, Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth, and Avua Prata Cachaca.

Boulevardier

• 45ml Elijah Craig
  
• 22.5ml Campari
  
• 11.25ml Carpano Antica
  
• 11.25ml Punt e Mes
  
• lemon twist to garnish
  
  Black Manhattan
  
  
• 60ml Buffalo Trace
  
• 30ml Averna
  
• 1 dash ango
  
• 1 dash Peychaud's
  
• 1 dash Fee Brother Black Walnut
  
• bar spoon Luxardo Cherry syrup
  
• Luxardo cherry to garnish
  
  Cartographer
  
  
• 22.5ml Bols Genever
  
• 15ml Avua Prata Cachaca
  
• 7.5ml Appleton Reserve
  
• 15ml Amaro Abano (I can't lay my hands on Abano, so after playing around, I used Meletti)
  
• 15ml Punt e Mes
  
• 1 dash Peychaud's
  
• 1 dash Bittered Sling Clingstone Peach Bitters
  *no garnish
  
  The credit for Cartographer goes fully to Blake at Amor y Amargo. I fell absolutely head over heels for this cocktail when we were in NYC last month and he was more than happy to supply me with the spec so I could take it home and continue to enjoy it.
  
  All cocktails are stirred and served in a chilled coupe, for the purposed of bottling them, they are all pre-diluted so they can simply be poured and enjoyed.
  
  ETA:I suck at formatting

Reverse google image search

https://www.amazon.com/Copper-Distiller-Moonshine-Stainless-Distillation/dp/B01N42URXC

Would placing what's left into a smaller bottle like this, then sealing with parafilm help? That's what I've been doing lately but I haven't opened any back up to check.

You should use a champagne corker, champagne corks, and champagne bottles for sparkling. Regular wine bottles can't handle the internal pressure and will explode.

For everything else, I generally use clear claret bottles and #9 1 3/4" natural corks. You can also use #8 1 3/4" corks. Or if you can't lay the bottles flat to age, use synthetic corks of the same size.
Good bottles: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071NH97MF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_JHkQBbP8JBQRB
Decent corks:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M110D66/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_LJkQBb1SH5FGR

For special batches, I use some good looking 375ml bottles with #9 1 1/2" synthetic corks.
Bottles: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYF170W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_UMkQBbTGW0S5Y
Corks: Nomacorc Synthetic Wine Corks #9 x 1 1/2" Bag of 30 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064GWTJE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_BNkQBbVBDY8EB

This style is my favorite for ciders. I use crown caps (same 26mm my 12/22oz take) and have no trouble using a wing capper. Can you get them where you're at?

They don't have the same aesthetic and can't hold as much carbonation, but 22oz bombers aren't a far cry short in volume and I suspect much easier/cheaper to come by.

https://www.amazon.com/EJWOX-Gallon-Stainless-Cheese-Tincture/dp/B07791TQHN/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543261329&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=grape+press&psc=1&smid=A3TAX0K2WG2NP6

I’m sure this would work

Low teck? Probably a press. I have seen people use two chopping boreds in a tin baking tray and drive a car on it lol. Only works for smallish volumes.

This kind of thing is more sanitary:

https://www.amazon.com/Liter-3-75-Gallon-Fruit-Press/dp/B077XNBVRT/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=apple+press&qid=1565150842&s=gateway&sr=8-4


Another option is to do the 1st extraction with some high centration spirit (>80%) then use the water method, I discribed, as the water to cut it down to 30% while recovering most of the alcohol.

Edits: soz, haz the dyslexic

This kit comes with everything you'd need to get started. I have almost all of this stuff by purchasing piece by piece, but it cost me WAY more than a hundred bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/North-Mountain-Supply-Gallon-Complete/dp/B07DJZF99M/ref=sr_1_12

To piggy back on u/stormbeforedawn's comment.

This is the equipment I used that I've had good luck with so far. It's what he recommended, I'm just providing links to the specific product I used.

• 2 gal primary bucket
  
  
• 1 gal secondary glass
  
  
• Autosiphon
  
  
• racking cane
  
  
• Hydrometer
  
  
• Starsan
  
  
• GoFerm
  
  
• I used Fermaid O, not Fermaid K, because I was following a specific nutrient regimen. It's called TONSA 2.0. Popular, but apparently not cost efficient with larger batches. People better at this than I can answer nutrient schedule questions.
  
  
• Bubbler/Airlock.
  
  
• Bottles and cap method are your preferance. You can get bottles of tons of shapes, colors and styles. Corked, capped, swingtop, etc. Just make sure the bottles are food-safe and not decorative hobby/thrift store stuff. If you use corks, same rule, don't use decorative stuff. You'll want #8 agglomerated cork and a hand corker tool to put the corks on. #9 corks work too, but you'll need heavy tools (like a floor corker) to do that..

Yeah for sure! It’s a 3.2 gallon fruit press I ordered from amazon. It works really well with berries and softer fruits. Just a quick breakdown of the actual pieces and operation of the press. It has a threaded pipe that goes a little lower than half way down and a nut threads into it. The nut has three holes for the handle. As you spin the nut down it presses a rectangular piece of wood onto a circular piece of wood which in turn presses the fruit. The fruit is stored on a mesh bag that comes with the press. One thing to note is that the press comes with two small pieces of rectangular blocks of wood that are used to stack onto the the other wood pieces to ensure the fruit at the bottom is pressed. It doesn’t always work if you do a small amount of fruit (a couple pounds). So what I had to do is cut some additional blocks to go with it. I recommend any hard wood just because anything softer like poplar or pine may split or crack.

No problem! It’s actually really easy to make your own pressed hash. All you need is a grinder and a pollen press (like $15 on Amazon). Grind your nug, put a quarter in it, and leave it in the freezer for 10 min. After that, take it out and shake for a minute or less (it’ll knock mostly all of the kief off) and you should have a lot more kief in your catcher than usual. Put the kief in the press, press it into a puck and voila, you grinded weed and a hash puck! Used to do this all the time when I smoked bud, fuck a plug make it your own way!

Here’s the kief press I have:
T Press Tool 3.5 Inches Fully Brass Metal T Shape, Spice, Tincture Crusher https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N0YIZ5B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_iM0XBbA394M84

I got your back.

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Brew-Ohio-Winemakers-Multicolor/dp/B071RN55BY/

I’ve seen faucet extenders, most notably being the flow control shank adaptor, which also allows you to dial in some flow resistance and run shorter beer lines.

Flow Control Shank Adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074D9F91P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_zPJQBb203AZ1A

https://www.amazon.ca/Stainless-Household-Moonshine-Distiller-Essential/dp/B076SP1F7F/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521137748&sr=8-1&keywords=still+spirits

Champagnes are easier. The bottles are usually tinted so you can put any light-colored liquor in it, and cheep champagne foils cover your tampering. Only difficulty may be trimming the cork down to get it back into the bottle.

Maybe something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C9BW4HD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ouYXDb7ET5ZN8

Or a decanter you can have customized with his favorite team name/motto?

That's actually not bad but as mentioned below, a decent pot will go a long way. I bought a 30quart turkey fryer and put in a ball valve and that's been one of the best upgrades I've made. I have a fermentor now, but I got some free 6+ gallon food grade icing buckets from my grocery's bakery. Spigots, air locks, and bottling wands are $6 on Amazon. Tubing can be found pretty cheap online or at LHBS/hardware store.

Kettle - $25

Ball Valve - $22

Bazooka Screen - $9

Buckets - Free

Spigot - $6

Airlocks - $7

BIAB Bag - $5

Bottling Wand - $5

Capper with Caps - $18

Various Tubing - $15

This doesn't include your first beer kit, but you can pull off an all grain BIAB as long as you've got fire. My second favorite piece I own is my mash tun which is just a 10 gallon cooler with a bazooka screen and ball valve. I don't bottle anymore, but I feel like if I were to do it again that's all I would need to start. Oh, and a thermometer and some StarSan.