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NormandieStill wrote: ↑Wed Sep 20, 2023 10:52 pm

MooseMan wrote: ↑Sat Jul 22, 2023 6:10 am The French do this with champagne and even cider, to get the yeast plug out of the bottle. The official term is "Dégorgement" and I've tried it the way they do, by upending in a tray of salted ice until the yeast plug freezes, then opening quickly to pop the plug out and recapping, it's messy and wasteful, I only did it once! Haha

For what it's worth, in champagne they don't use ice water, there simple isn't time. A master craftsman opens the bottle disgorging the yeast and then caps with his finger in one smooth movement with almost no wastage. The bottles are then topped up and corked.

If you do the ice water trick you really need to make sure that there's an ice plug formed before opening (this works really well with the hollow plastic champagne corks as the lees settle in the cork). Then you open the bottle the right way up. The plug comes out and you can stick a new cork straight on. Or just drink it!

Well, I am most certainly NOT a master craftsman!
I got cloudy cider and yeast all over the place, and me, and ended up with quite a few flat, oxygenated bottles of what was previously a really good med-dry cider.
Different when you are selling a product I know, but I was very happy to just chill the yeast down in the bottles and pour carefully. When I gave it away I would just tell people to do the same.
Granted my way with cider is maybe a little different, stopping fermentation at a set gravity by chill crashing and multiple rackings, so I have very thin, firm yeast deposit in bottles anyway.

NZChris wrote: ↑Wed Sep 20, 2023 10:24 pm

jonnys_spirit wrote: ↑Wed Sep 20, 2023 5:01 pm Crab Trapper Whiskey. Made from green crabs… Ordered some to test. It’s good! It’s not peaty though

Is it something worth trying to make if you have crabs available?
Is it sweetened?
What is the ABV?

It’s a 4-year-old bourbon steeped with 90 pounds of green crabs and seasoned with spices reminiscent of a low-country boil.

It's a bit expensive to purchase again but some infusion/maceration might be worth it for a novel small batch if you had some wide cut new make or low wines. I'm not sure how different green crabs are from other types so that would certainly be a factor along with selection of botanicals - I didn't see a list but old bay might be a start along with a very small amount of cinnamon.

I certainly don't regret trying it

Cheers,
jonny

Mate gave me 2 bottles of wine. One pear other blueberry and Concord grape mix. pear ain’t fit to drink so i’m disposing of it.

SOCD’s all grain sweetfeed. Found bottle that had 2finger pour left in it. I’ve had it for 3 years n not sure how long he oaked it but it’s damn good. Even if it was put up to “clean”

A 5month old taste ( 2 shots at 65% on ice)of a wheated bourbon. Coming nicely .
Only 18 months to go

A Sazerac Old fashion. As I type this, I realize I still need to make a Manhattan with it, so maybe that will be my after-dinner cocktail.
I have a few more orders I need to fill before I get my stillin' space freed up to get hustlin.

A Plymouth mule.

I'm drinking someone else's white whiskey left over from Newyear's.
If this is what they were capable of making 2 yrs ago.
I'm looking forward to what's being put up for aging now.

Who ever said moonshining is a dying art was definitely mistaken.

Making my mouth water Shady, hand that jar over here.

Would it be weird to say I'm not much of a drinker?

Yeah....me either. .
Sipping a SH. Waiting on the good stuff.

Tequila shots with my adult kids at our condo in Canada.

A small glass of that missing 16 jars after a couple of weeks on oak chips. Turns out it was about 6 or 7th gen UJ with rye & a touch of oats. Damn, ain’t science wonderful?

Just pulled a small glass of the maker mark recipe I did in June/23.
It's starting to develop a very sweet smell,nice Carmel taste.
This is really coming around now.
I think I'll up the wheat next time like jimbo's recipe.
Super happy

Yuengling lagers and Miller lite tall boys.

Orancello + Chocolate Bourbon white dog = Terry's Chocolate Orange (at about 40% abv!). I think I'm going to have to forget how good this is or there'll be some more empty bottles in the cupboard before long.

NormandieStill wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:00 pm Orancello + Chocolate Bourbon white dog = Terry's Chocolate Orange (at about 40% abv!). I think I'm going to have to forget how good this is or there'll be some more empty bottles in the cupboard before long.

Now that sounds interesting, compared to my sip of a sugarhead. Not enough aged to dip into

Bradster68 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:36 pm Now that sounds interesting, compared to my sip of a sugarhead. Not enough aged to dip into

I don't have a lot of aged stuff lying around either. I had a slow year for distilling whisky and simultaneously discovered a joyous cocktail involving bourbon, bitters, and fresh apple juice. I'm trying to build up stock again, but it's gonna be a year before I've anything much with any time on wood.

That was the end of the second glass. I'm switching to tea now... it's a school night!

We're onto Labatt Blue Light.

NormandieStill wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:13 pm

Bradster68 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:36 pm Now that sounds interesting, compared to my sip of a sugarhead. Not enough aged to dip into

I don't have a lot of aged stuff lying around either. I had a slow year for distilling whisky and simultaneously discovered a joyous cocktail involving bourbon, bitters, and fresh apple juice. I'm trying to build up stock again, but it's gonna be a year before I've anything much with any time on wood.

That was the end of the second glass. I'm switching to tea now... it's a school night!

Is this your own invention or is there a recipe somewhere? I'd like to sample sometime.

The Apple One is a variant of an old-fashioned. 1 shot bourbon, 2 shots fresh apple juice, 3 dashes of bitters. Served on ice.

The Chocolate Orange is a work in progress, but simple. Roughly 1 part orangcello to 4 parts chocolate bourbon (Mine is HBB with a Chocolate Light Malt substituted for the Honey Malt. I suspect ShineOnCrazyDiamond's Chocolate Sundae Bourbon would work equally well). I'm still playing with the ratio to get enough of the chocolate to not be overpowered by the orange.

NormandieStill wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:50 pm The Apple One is a variant of an old-fashioned. 1 shot bourbon, 2 shots fresh apple juice, 3 dashes of bitters. Served on ice.

The Chocolate Orange is a work in progress, but simple. Roughly 1 part orangcello to 4 parts chocolate bourbon (Mine is HBB with a Chocolate Light Malt substituted for the Honey Malt. I suspect ShineOnCrazyDiamond's Chocolate Sundae Bourbon would work equally well). I'm still playing with the ratio to get enough of the chocolate to not be overpowered by the orange.

Perfect

I've got yet another cold, sore throat, blocked sinuses and mild headache.

Can't taste my gin as well as I should, so I'm onto SBB Rum rum and coke.
Nice and big bold flavours pushing through the coke, I'm really enjoying it.

Last night I enjoyed some all rye whiskey aged 20 months (so far) on toasted Oregon oak. I have two batches, one made from cleared ferment while the other was made from the cloudy, settled, ferment. I refer to the latter batch as my dirty rye. Drinking it straight up. Both very yummy.

Right now I am proofing down for tonight some of the same two batches (clear and dirty) that are aging on toasted American white oak. Also 20 months so far.

I’m just taking enough now for a few glasses of each. I intend to let most of these batches continue aging until our next PWN get together, when I will have a chance to share with some distilling friends.

We are at our condo in the mountains with our family it is a tradition that we drink duck farts in the evening.

Bushman wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 5:50 pm We are at our condo in the mountains with our family it is a tradition that we drink duck farts in the evening.

Good lord .Was having too much imagery reading that Bushy . Had to google a duck fart

Yummyrum wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 10:10 pm

Bushman wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 5:50 pm We are at our condo in the mountains with our family it is a tradition that we drink duck farts in the evening.

Good lord .Was having too much imagery reading that Bushy . Had to google a duck fart

We put them in small glasses just larger than shot glasses then put them in the freezer. Being alcohol they never totally freeze but are very tasty cold. An after dinner toast for a great day!

OtisT wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 3:55 pm Right now I am proofing down for tonight some of the same two batches (clear and dirty) that are aging on toasted American white oak. Also 20 months so far.

I’m just taking enough now for a few glasses of each. I intend to let most of these batches continue aging until our next PWN get together, when I will have a chance to share with some distilling friends.

Cool experiment! I'm curious if the difference between the two is noticeable.

Duck farts

Make it a round of boilermakers.