Dar,
I bought half from a berry farm, and the other half I picked myself and
all are very ripe. I use 5 lbs+ per gallon and put them in a straining bag.
I have used the hot water method in the past with no complaints, but I plan
on using just warm water this time as it seems a bit fruitier. I always try
to freeze the berries first to help break them down and aid extraction. I
think that you have to be cautious not to over press or "grind up" the seeds
on the strawberrries to avoid the bitterness I think Rick is alluding to. So
I just mush up the berries in the bag and give it a kneeding type squeeze
and stir daily until I pull the berries out. Much like my raspberry I dont
wring the bag out, but rather let it drip out for a few hours and then toss
it. As a general rule I make an acid correction on all of my fruit wines to
the area of .65 TA.
In regards to the color- it isn't a problem per se, I just think a
bright red like the raspberry would be more appealing than the off red rusty
color I end up with. It looks as red as could be in the carboy, but in a
glass it just doesn't carry the color as well. Likely I wont add any
artificial coloring, but as always I am interested in other's experiences
with things I haven't tried yet. I haven't seen an appreciable difference in
the color from hot or cold extraction, so I am moving more towards the cold
side for now.
John Dixon
"Dar V" <ask...@aol.com> wrote in message
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