Well, I had intended to bottle my raspberry apple cider this evening, but it needed a bit more time.
So I pulled out this little half-gallon of red wine I’ve had on oak for a few months to throw out as a failed experiment. To my astonishment and utter surprise, it is quite drinkable. Not utterly fantastic, but not the biting hobowine it was after secondary.
Good enough that I bottled it.
Not bad for a first go. Amazing what a little bit of time and oak can do.
Oh hey, what’s this?
Well, last weekend I pulled out the AUX and iPod jacks from my car and went to work adapting proper connections on the ends for standard car head units – namely a 3.5mm plug for the AUX and USB for the iPod/other USB devices.
The 2009 Scion tC has its iPod and AUX wiring done differently from most other (previous) Toyota/Scion vehicles. The standard connection at the head unit that the AUX comes in does not exist, you only have the iPod HU plug and the one used for the speed-controlled volume and steering wheel control.
This necessitates all new… Continue reading
Just did some plugin consolidation and reconfiguring, testing things out.
Last batch of cider failed. It was good right up until bottling, and then it seems something got into the jug and turned the cider by the time we got to drinking it. Horrible.
This weekend is going to be wiring up a harness in my Scion tC to provide proper USB access via the stock iPod port in the center console, as well as adapting the AUX input harness in the console to standard 3.5mm minijack to plug into a non-OEM headunit.
There isn’t anything quite like this posted… Continue reading
Well, not *quite* yet.
A friend on IRC has VERY generously ordered a Peaberry SDR kit to be shipped to me.
It’s a relatively inexpensive, low-power HF band transceiver (1W transmit power). It does come as a kit, with primarily surface-mount components, so I’m going to need to get a 1/32″ soldering iron tip.
I have some ideas for it, as it’s designed as a fixed-range transceiver. Normally when you assemble it, you have to choose between the 160m, 80m/40m, 40m/30m/20m or 30m/20m/17m bands. Not all of them.
I’m going to peruse the schematic and build instructions, and see if… Continue reading
Ok, that last batch of cider turned out quite well. Very much like Strongbow in taste. I used a rather tart store-bought filtered apple juice as a base (Mott’s brand, to be precise).
The “Spike Your Juice” kits come with the yeast in little packages, pre-measured for a 64oz bottle of juice. It’s not raw yeast though, the yeast is encapsulated in dehydrated cane juice and an emulsifier. The cane juice serves as starter nutrient, and it seems the emulsifier holds it all together in the packet, and then serves as a mild fining agent after fermentation is complete –… Continue reading
No resolutions, just glad we made it without blowing ourselves up.
As for things to come in the next year:
More cider!
Maybe beer!
Finally finishing the packet radio interface!
Acquiring HF gear! (looking at the peaberry)
That’s probably most the major ones there.
Have a merry and safe New Year, everyone!
Anyhoo.
Started a small batch of cider, this time using a yeast packet from the “Spike Your Juice” kit that a friend of mine bought me for the holiday. It recommends not letting it finish fermenting due to the fact that you’ll end up with almost no residual sugar in the cider.
I let it finish primary completely, and racked it this evening.
Trying something new though. I added a little more sugar to give it some fizz with whatever yeast may be left, and then backsweetened with xylitol – it’s just as sweet as sugar, doesn’t have the aftertaste,… Continue reading
Well, the cider didn’t turn out how I liked at all. I think partially from putting the mulling spices in at primary, and partially due to the yeast culture I used… it said it was a cider yeast, but everything’s turning out rather beery.
Pretty sure the rest of the batches I made with it will be turning out similarly, unfortunately.
I’ve got a new yeast to try for the next batch though, and will be trying for a more basic dry cider. No spices, no funny business, just a clean cider.
Also been looking at this kit on northernbrewer.com… Continue reading
Alrighty, the spiced apple/pear is in the final stage before bottling – fining.
The particular method I’m using is gelatin. You mix up a very little bit in with some hot water (1 teaspoon of gelatin to a cup of water, per FIVE GALLONS of beer/wine/cider) and stir it in with the cider. The gelatin will congeal around all the particulate matter in the cider and precipitate it to the bottom over the course of a few days, after which you bottle it.
I started the fining a couple of hours ago, and it’s already quite visibly precipitating all the… Continue reading