Wine Thief Question

If you were 5 bottles short with each carboy, some possibilities might be;

1. The 5 gal carboys were not full
2. You overfilled your bottles
3. There is always some loss due to sediment in a carboy
4. You sampled more than a little
5. All of the above - likely

Walter Venables wrote:

Walter,

I have a solution: Invite a few friends over to help you bottle. You might end up with even less wine in the end, but at least you won't be drinking alone. :)

Cheers, Ken

This is a very simple problem to solve. You were filling 750ml bottles. If you had used 1.75 liter bottles, your shrinkage would have been less than 3 bottles.

Always bottle on a full stomach and take aspirin, tylenol, etc. before going to bed.

Dick

This is a very simple problem to solve. You were filling 750ml bottles. If you had used 1.75 liter bottles, your shrinkage would have been less than 3 bottles.

Always bottle on a full stomach and take aspirin, tylenol, etc. before going to bed.

Dick

This also happens when I buy bottles of wine in the store. I bring it home, open it, start drinking it, and pretty soon the bottle is empty. It just ain't right! If you pay good money for a bottle of wine it should last a while.

Was each in a 5-gal carboy? How much head space was there? Consider that carboys can vary in terms of actual volume.

Remember you probably lost a bit due to sediment, dregs and such. which you wouldn't want to bottle anyway.

I usually only yield about 22-23 per carboy at bottling - and yes, some of that is due to sampling. :)

I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Thanks,

David

Walter Venables wrote:

When making a batch of Mead, one must allow for shrinkage due to QAT (Quality Assurance Testing). I too have noted that the shrinkage is getting out of hand and must be attributed to my cat, aliens, or sinister forces. My solution is 18 gallon batches - I don't think those suckers can drink that much!

Dick

I do understand that. I have this batch of basswood mead that is a bit too sweet, yet it is very good. So while waiting for a new batch to get to the point I can combine them, the dryer to the sweeter... I have to QAT, just to be sure that it hasn't taken care of itself . The only problem I do have ( although friends, neighbors and wife would care to list others) not enough time to sit back and enjoy the batch. My five year old granddaughter in about 15 years might have some good stuff around...

QAT is a skill that needs perfecting and continuing maintenance.

There is an advantage to being a recluse - the time to sit back and enjoy the batch.

If you started this young woman on 15 year old Mead, she could become a very expensive date!

Dick

QAT is a skill that needs perfecting and continuing maintenance.

There is an advantage to being a recluse - the time to sit back and enjoy the batch.

If you started this young woman on 15 year old Mead, she could become a very expensive date!

Dick

My five year old

I remember reading skeptically that meads are much better with age but I am certainly not one now. My first was made in 97, we only made 4 bottles the last of which we just had. It was good then, better now. Mead is very interesting.

Joe