Wine Making Supplies

To make a gallon of wine you will need a few supplies, most of which can be found in the average kitchen. You will need a large glass, plastic, or glazed ceramic bowl which holds one and a half gallons to put the wine in during its initial anaerobic phase. A loose fitting cover, which can be simply a clean dishtowel to cover this container. You will also need a stainless steel or plastic spoon to stir things with and a measuring cup.

You will need a clean gallon jug of some kind. A plastic milk jug, thoroughly cleaned, will work. Don't use bleach or other jugs which may have held some kind of cleaner. The plastic may not be approved for food products and it will prove almost impossible to get the odor out of the container, which would ruin the wine. If you use an old vinegar jug, make sure it has been cleaned thouroughly or you will have vinegar instead of wine. A small piece of plastic food wrap and a rubber band can be used to cover the opening while the wine is fermenting. Be sure to save the cap for use when the wine is finished fermenting.

A short piece of food quality plastic hose, like the type used for ice makers, is good to have to siphon the wine after it has finished fermenting. And of course and wine glass to drink the wine with when it is done. It is best to gather all the wine making supplies before you make it to make sure you have what you need when you need it.

Home Wine Making

According to Federal law since 1978 a homeowner may make up to 200 gallons of wine and beer for their own consumption. Home wine making before that was illegal, but many people still did it. Since it has become legal, there has been an explosion of new supplies, concentrates, yeasts and other supplies needed by the home wine maker.

Making good wine at home is not only legal now, but easy and fun as well. It is not for the person used to immediate gratification, though. Fermenting the wine will take a minimum of a couple of months, and most wines benefit from aging for at least a few months before consumption.

There are many choices out there for the home wine maker as to ingredients used to make the wine. You can use fresh fruit, dried fruit or frozen concentrates. Certain flowers, like dandelion, make excellent wine as well.

Any online wine supplier will have many different types of yeast, cleaners, bottles, corks and anything else you need to make your own great wine at home. And best of all, after you have learned a bit about the home wine making art, you will be able to craft your wine to suit your own palate.

Making Great Wine From Frozen Fruit Concentrates

Standard Sugar Syrup

Making Wines From Grape Concentrate - 4

Making Dandelion Wine - Part One

Dandelion Wine - Part 2

Making Wines From Grape Concentrate - 2

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© 2011 THC Toys, Hobbies and Crafts

Lincoln Head Cent

The Lincoln Head Cent is approaching it's 100th birthday and as such, it is the longest running coin in continuous production in United States History. From 1909 until 1959 the reverse bore an impression of two sheaves of wheat, from which originated the term "Wheaties". From 1959 until present the Lincoln Head Cent reverse bears and engraving of the Lincoln Memorial, so they are called "Memorial Cents".

From their inception until 1942 the coins were composed of a bronze alloy, 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc. During the War year 1943 the coins were composed of zinc coated steel. From 1946 the composition changed to brass, 95% copper and 5% zinc. After the War, the composition changed back to the pre-war alloy until 1962. From 1962 until 1982 the composition was brass again. From 1982 until present the coins have a 97.5% zinc core and are plated with copper. © 2012 THC Toys, Hobbies and Crafts Back to Coin Collecting

Small Cents - The Indian Head Penny

The Lincoln Head Cent is approaching it's 100th birthday and as such, it is the longest running coin in continuous production in United States History. From 1909 until 1959 the reverse bore an impression of two sheaves of wheat, from which originated the term "Wheaties". From 1959 until present the Lincoln Head Cent reverse bears and engraving of the Lincoln Memorial, so they are called "Memorial Cents". From their inception until 1942 the coins were composed of a bronze alloy, 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc. During the War year 1943 the coins were composed of zinc coated steel. From 1946 the composition changed to brass, 95% copper and 5% zinc. After the War, the composition changed back to the pre-war alloy until 1962. From 1962 until 1982 the composition was brass again. From 1982 until present the coins have a 97.5% zinc core and are plated with copper. © 2012THC Toys, Hobbies and Crafts Back to Coin Collecting

The Flying Eagle Cent

The flying eagle cent was designed and produced to fulfil a need. Coinage in the United States in the 1840's through the 1860's was a confused state of affairs. Large cents were being produced, but were not considered legal tender. Thus, many merchants would not accept them as payment. There was also a large amount of foreign money circulating, most of it Spanish. It was also costing the US Mint more to produce the Large Cent than it was intrinsically worth.

So in 1856 a small number of the first Small Cents in US history were produced. These were supposed to be sample pieces and returned to the mint. But most weren't. In 1857 the first Flying Eagle cents were minted for circulation. These would continue in production until 1859, when it's successor the Indian Head Cent would be minted.




The Flying Eagles would consist of an alloy of 88% nickel and 12% copper. The main problems with the Flying Eagle was in the design, which allowed the two high points in the obverse in the same area of the coin, causing a weakness in the strike. In addition, the designer, James B. Longacre, was by trade a painter and not a sculptor. He had trouble carving the dies out deep enough, which caused more production problems. Thus, the Flying Eagle exited the stage after a run of only two years. © 2012 Hobby Hobnob Back to Coin Collecting

The Penny - 1857 - 2008

The penny has had a long and distinguished history in the annals of United States coinage. The small penny we know has its beginnings in the Flying Eagle cent which began production in 1857. This penny was produced for three years.

In 1857 the US Mint began production of the Indian Head Penny, which was circulated from that year until 1909 when it was superseded by the Lincoln Head Penny, which continues in production today.

The Lincoln Penny was produced from 1909 until 1959 with two sheave of wheat on the reverse. These are the so called Wheat Pennies, or Wheaties. Although the Lincoln Penny has been changed in composition over time, the design has remained basically the same since 1950 when the Memorial cent came into production.

The small penny we know today has circulated for 151 years with only four major design pages. © 2012 Hobby Hobnob Back to Coin Collecting

Wine and Beer Making - The Yeast

The yeast used in wine making and beer making is similar in appearance and function. But there are different types of yeasts for wine making and beer making and each type will impart its own particular flavor to the finished product. Wine made with a beer yeast may have a slightly "beery" flavor as a result.

Most yeasts are sold in packets of dried yeast. This yeast will remain viable for a long time, but it will lose its vigor after awhile. Opened packets in which not all the yeast has been used may be stored in the refrigerator for a while, but it will only keep a few weeks to a few months stored like this.

The yeast should be introduced to the unfermented wine or beer only after it has been "started". Do this by dissolving the yeast in warm, not hot, water and adding some sugar. Stir the mix until all is dissolved. Allow this to stand in a warm place for a day or so. The yeast should start to ferment. The container should form a brown scum on the top. This scum should be removed and the fermenting starter added to the wine or beer.

Yeast converts the sugar in a wort (unfermented beer) or must (unfermentated wine) to carbon dioxide and alcohol. The bubbling of fermentation is the carbon dioxide escaping from the mix. About half the sugar is converted to alcohol, and about half is converted to carbon dioxide.

If you are out of yeast, some fermenting wine may be removed from its container and, with some sugar added, used as a starter for a fresh batch. Make sure you siphon your starter from the bottom of the fermenting wine, as most of the yeast is located here. Back to Home Wine Making Home Beer Making © 2012 Hobby Hobnob

The Fermentation Lock

The fermentation lock serves as a tool to keep fermenting wine from being invaded by fruit flys and other pests. The fermentation lock is not indispensable, and any way which can be found which blocks the fermenting vessels mouth, allows the carbon dioxide being produced to escape can be used.

One way to do do this is by simply putting the screw cap on loosely enough to allow the gas to escape. Another is to plug the opening with cotton or a clean cloth. But there is something soothing about hearing the bubbling of the fermentation lock as the wine ferments, especially in the early stages when the ferment can be quite vigorous.

Just make sure, if you use one, to replace the water in the fermentation lock periodically, as it can get quite nasty and become a source of contamination to the wine.

Home Beer Making

© Hobby Hobnob 2012

Hydrometer - For Wine or Beer Making

The hydrometer is used in both winemaking and beer making and is an essential instrument for both hobbies. Most hydrometers are made of glass, with a weighted bulb on the bottom and a graduated scale on the top. A trial jar is used to float the hydrometer in either the must of the wine, or the wort of the beer. The hydrometer measures the sugar content of the unfermented media and will help determine the final alcohol content of the mix.

Because sugar saturated liquid is denser than liquid after the sugar has fermented out, by taking a measurment before fermentation begins and after it has been finished the final alcohol content can be determined. You can also determine if you need to add more sugar to the brew to bring it up to desired levels, or to dilute it if there is too much sugar. In this way you can make your wine or beer to your specifications using the hydrometer.

The hydrometer is also used to determine if home brew is ready to bottle. If the sugar level is still too high, then bottling must be put off or you may burst the bottles. Similiarly, this same method can be used to make sparkling wines at home. If you are even semi-serious about wine making, you will want to have a hydrometer.

History of Beer

The brewing of beer is an ancient craft, believed by many archeologists to be over 10,000 years old. The first domesticated grains were wheat and barley, with archeological evidence of these crops first being grown in Mesopotamia around 7000 BC. Beer making, as it depends primarily on these grains, surely made its entrance to human history shortly after the domestication of these important food crops. The first beer could have been accidentally produced. Stored grain, becoming wet, could have fermented naturally, producing beer. And the resulting brew undoubtedly both smelled and looked good to someone, who tasted it, and experienced the first hangover in history.



Before 6000 BC, beer was made from barley in Sumeria and Babylonia. Reliefs on Egyptian tombs dating from 2400 BC show that barley or partly germinated barley was crushed, mixed with water, and dried into cakes. When broken up and mixed with water, the cakes gave an extract that was fermented by microorganisms accumulated on the surfaces of fermenting vessels.

The first beer making process was very simple, given the limited technology of the time. The grains would have been fermented only a short time and this beer would not have been carbonated.

The basic techniques of brewing came to Europe from the Middle East. The Roman historians Pliny (in the 1st century BC) and Tacitus (in the 1st century AD) reported that Saxons, Celts, and Nordic and Germanic tribes drank ale. In fact, many of the English terms used in brewing (malt, mash, wort, ale) are Anglo-Saxon in origin. During the Middle Ages, the monastic orders preserved brewing as a craft. Hops were in use in Germany in the 11th century, and in the 15th century they were introduced into Britain from Holland. In 1420, beer was made in Germany by a bottom fermentation process; before that, yeast rose to the top of the fermenting product and was allowed to overflow or was manually skimmed. Brewing was a winter occupation, and ice was used to keep beer cool during the summer months. Such beer came to be called lager (from German lagern, “to store”). The term lager is still used to denote beer produced from bottom-fermenting yeast, and the term ale is now used for top-fermented British types of beer.

Since beer was a popular beverage among our ancestors, techniques improved over time. The basic principles of brewing were developed in the Middle East and gradually spread to Europe. In the first Century BC Roman Pliny reported that the north Europeans - the Saxons, Celts, and Nordic and Germanic tribes drank ale. Indeed, many of the brewing terms used today are of Germanic origin. And the history of beer in Europe was largely written by these hardy folk.

Beer making was kept alive as a craft by monasteries during the Middle Ages. By now techniques had improved further. Nettles were used to flavor the beer, giving it a tart flavor and aroma. The grain was heated over open wood fires. This resulted in the final product having a very dark color, and smoky taste.

Germans started using hops, a relative of the nettle, to flavor beer around 1300. Hops were imported into England, but met with much resistance. Acceptance in England was slow among many, and as late as 1512 a churchman forbade the use of the "wicked pernicious weed, hops" in the brewing of ale.

Brewing in these early times was a family chore. Throughout the middle ages, and before, part of the tax paid by serfs was a quantity of beer, or ale, paid to the lord of the manor. Gradually this changed. In villages, a family would emerge as having a superior beer recipe. Neighbors would purchase beer from them, rather than indulge in the laborious process themselves. In this way alehouses were born, the brewers selling their beer to fellow villagers and travelers passing through. There developed literally thousands of different types of beer, each alehouse producing its own distinctive brew.

Scientific instruments did not exist during these early days to control the quality of the brew. By the fourteenth century an official post was created in many town - the al-conner, or ale taster. His task was to taste the brew produced by an alehouse. If it didn’t meet standards, he could downgrade the beer, reducing its price. He usually wore leather breeches and sat on a wooden bench. A tankard of ale was poured on the bench, and he sat for half an hour. If the bench stuck to his breeches, he ruled that the ale contained too much sugar, not enough alcohol and was downgraded. If he could stand up unhindered, the beer was of good quality.

In England, colleges brewed their own ale. This was continued through the 14th century. After this time the practice gradually went away, by mid 18th century only four remained. Queens College in Oxford brewed continuously for 600 years, until World War II.

Until the early fifteenth century beer was made by using a top fermenting yeast. The fermenting yeast was allowed to overflow the fermenting container, or was skimmed off with a wooden paddle or spoon. The Germans around 1420 developed a bottom fermenting yeast, which produced a beer which would store for longer periods than the previous beers. As beer making was primarily a winter occupation, and the beer was stored using ice procured from lakes, rivers, and ponds during the winter, this was an important development. The German word "lagern", meaning, "to store" caused these beers to be called "lagers". This is the primary type of beer drank in Germany and US today. English ales are still produced using top fermenting yeast.

The nineteenth century saw a general increase in scientific study and advancement. These new technologies launched the Industrial Revolution, which touched every aspect of life, including beer making. Heated rotating bins were developed to improve drying the malt, producing a lighter, golden beer. Refrigeration enabled the brewing process to be scheduled year round, instead of seasonal production. This also allowed beer to be shipped greater distances. A direct result of this is the existence of the larger brewers today shipping their product all over the world.

Also developed during this period were two important instruments for brewing - the sachrometer and thermometer. With the thermometer the precise temperature of the beer could be determined and controlled from start to finish. The sachrometer is a glass instrument which floats in the liquid. By the level at which it floats, the graduations on the side of the instrument indicate the sugar content of a liquid. It was now easier to ascertain when a brew was finished fermenting, and the alcohol content could be determined accurately.

Most important was the research of Louis Pasteur in the 1860’s. Previous to Pasteur, it was believed that fermentation was caused by organisms created spontaneously in the fermenting brew. He proved that yeast were the creatures responsible for fermentation, and that they, along with other organisms, were present in the air to which the fermenting brew was exposed. The other organisms sometimes contaminated the fermenting brew, causing it to go bad. With this knowledge, brewers could now isolate the best yeast cultures and have more control over the brewing process.

The Industrial Revolution brought the mechanization of brewing. Better control over the process, with the use of the thermometer and saccharometer, was developed in Britain and transferred to the Continent, where the development of ice-making and refrigeration equipment in the late 19th century enabled lager beers to be brewed in summer. In the 1860s the French chemist Louis Pasteur established many of the microbiological practices still used in brewing. The Danish botanist Emile Hansen devised methods for growing yeasts in culture free of other yeasts and bacteria. This pure-culture technology was quickly taken up by continental lager brewers but not until the 20th century by the ale brewers of Britain. Meanwhile, German-style bottom-fermented lagers fermented by pure yeast cultures became dominant in the Americas.

Brewing has become very big business. Modern breweries use stainless-steel equipment and computer-controlled automated operations, and they package beer in metal casks, glass bottles, aluminum cans, and plastic containers. Beers are now exported worldwide and are produced under license in foreign countries. During the late 1970’s the large brewers in the US bought out or forced out of business many smaller, regional breweries, resulting in less variety in beer types available. By the 1990’s, in response to consumer demand, smaller microbreweries and brewpubs began operations, producing handcrafted local brews on a smaller scale, mimicking the small alehouses of long ago.

Technology has also made brewing simpler for the home beer maker. Modern kits allow the home brewer too easily and conveniently produce their own brew in their homes, like our ancestors did many centuries ago, when home beer making was a family craft. The history of brewing and beer making is a fascinating field of study.

© THC Toys, Hobbies and Crafts 2012

Home Beer Making

© Hobby Hobnob 2012

Home Beer Making

The brewing of beer is an ancient craft, believed by many archeologists to be over 10,000 years old. The first domesticated grains were wheat and barley, with archeological evidence of these crops first being grown in Mesopotamia around 7000 BC. Beer making, as it depends primarily on these grains, surely made its entrance to human history shortly after the domestication of these important food crops. The first beer could have been accidentally produced. Stored grain, becoming wet, could have fermented naturally, producing beer. And the resulting brew undoubtedly both smelled and looked good to someone, who tasted it, and experienced the first hangover in history.

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2007 United States Mint Silver Proof Set™(V70)

Coin collectors can purchase the complete 2007 proof set now at the United States Mint web site. This set has the Lincoln penny, Jefferson nickel, Roosevelt dime and all five issues of 2007 State Quarters. In addition to this, it has the Sacagawea gold dollar and the Kennedy half. There are fourteen coins in this set, including seven silver ones. Back to Coin Collecting

US Mint - 2007 First Spouse Series

The US Mint has begun a series which I am surprised wasn't done a long time ago with the launching of the First Spouse Series. This series honors the spouse's of Presidents. These gold dollars are available in uncirculated and proof conditions. This first years offerings include Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson’s Liberty and Dolley Madison. Available now singly or in a four piece set are Dolley Madison and Abigail Adams. Back to Coin Collecting

Building Balsa Airplanes

Building and flying stick built model airplanes is a fun and fascinating hobby. The Build and Fly series of beginner suitable model airplanes is a good place to start. There are four models in the series, starting with the easy to build Goldwing. You progress through the next three, the Cadet, Cloudbuster and Flyboy model airplanes. When you finish the series you will have learned enough to build any of the model airplanes from Guillow's.

Back To Balsa Wood Airplanes

© 2012 Hobby Hobnob

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2008 Sacagawea Golden Dollar

The 2008 Sacagawea Golden Dollar is now available at the US Mint web site. The gold dollars are available in rolls and bags. The obverse of this beautiful coin is engraved with a likeness of Sacagawea, the young American Indiana woman who guided the Lewis and Clark expdedition. The reverse features an eagle soaring among seventeen stars, one for each of the states which made up the United States at the time of the expedition.
The Sacagawea Golden Dollar is legal tender, and may be used as money, if you so desire. The coins were minted at the Philadelphia mint, thus feature the "P" mint mark.
© 2011 Hobby Hobnob
Back to Coin Collecting

Dandelion Wine - Part 3

The dandelion wine was ready for the next stage in the wine making process - straining the pulp and putting the fermentation jug.

Today I used a plastic colander to strain the raisins and other pulp from the must. Then I used a plastic spoon to squeeze the excess juice from the material in the colander. The must didn't quite fill the gallon jug, so I added one half cup of sugar syrup to the jug and topped it up with water.

Then I fitted a fermentation lock on the jug and put it on a plate on the kitchen counter. This is a precautionary step, in case the fermentation goes crazy and overflows. In a day or so, if it stay relatively quiet I will move it to the wine cellar.

The color is a bit more pink than I wanted. I used grape wine as the starter for the yeast, so the normally golden colored wine will probably have a tint of pink to it. Back to Dandelion Wine © 2011 THC Toys, Hobbies and Crafts

Dandelion Wine - Part 2

That evening I placed the raisins in the bucket I used to pick the blossoms. This bucket is only used for wine making. I squeezed the juice from the two oranges and added the juice from a lemon. I added three cups of sugar syrup, the equivalent of one and a half pound of sugar. Then I topped up the water to the four quart line on the side of the bucket. I used a hydrometer to measure the sugar content. It was only around 1065, equivalent to about 8.5% alcohol content. Since wine should be at least 10% to be good, I added another cup of sugar syrup. This raised the specific gravity to around 1085, which is just over 10%. Since the raisins add sugar and this is impossible for me to measure, the finished wine should be around 11% or so.

I then added my fermenting wine yeast culture which had been previously prepared. You can add the dried yeast directly to the must, but it will take a bit longer to start. I then covered the must with a clean dish towel and let it stand in a warm area. By the next morning the wine had started fermenting. This should sit for around five or six days, fermenting on this pulp. Stir is two or three times a day with a plastic or stainless steel spoon.

Back to Dandelion Wine

© 2011 THC Toys, Hobbies and Crafts

Making Dandelion Wine - Part One

On Monday I picked the blossoms for a one gallon batch of Dandelion wine. My mother made a mean dandelion wine when I was a kid, and I have her recipe.
About two quarts of picked dandelion blossoms. Pick off the green base of the flower, it will provide a bitter taste to the wine.
Two oranges
One lemon
One one pound box of white raisins
One pack of wine yeast
Four cups of standard sugar syrup or two pounds of sugar
One tea bag.

The first step in making dandelion wine is to pick the blossoms. Choose a sunny day when the blossoms are at their fullest. Pick the blossom, then pluck the base of the flower off and discard. Place the blossoms in a clean container. I have a water bucket which had quart graduations marked on the inside. This bucket is used only for wine making, so it is not contaminated with anything.

Once the dandelion blossoms have been gathered, boil two quarts of water. Place the tea bag in with the blossoms and pour the boiling water over the blossoms. The tea bag will add tannin to the wine, improving its flavor. Allow this to steep for several hours. I let it stand overnight. In the morning, I didn't have time to make the wine, so I strained the blossoms using a plastic colander. Don't use a metal one, which may impart a metallic flavor to the wine. Press the soggy blossoms with a plastic or stainless steel spoon until most of the juice is removed. I then placed the mixture in a plastic pitcher, sealed it with the lid and placed it in the refrigerator.

I would make the dandelion wine that evening.

Dandelion Wine - Part 2

Back to Home Wine Making

Dandelion Wine - Part 3 © 2011 THC Toys, Hobbies and Crafts

Making Wines From Grape Concentrate - 4

Add the grape juice concentrate, the two cups of sugar syrup and three quarts of water to the bowl and stir them well. Next, add the fermenting yeast starter. Cover the bowl with a clean towel or other covering and allow to stand for four or five days. The ferment, in its initial vigor, will froth up, possibly overflowing the bowl if it is not big enough.

After the ferment has calmed down, using a funnel, pour the still fermenting wine into the gallon jug. Fit a piece of plastic food wrap over the mouth of the jug and secure with a rubber band. Place in a cool, dark area to ferment. The wine will take about two to three months to complete the fermentation process. Back to Home Wine Making © 2011 THC Toys, Hobbies and Crafts

Making Wines From Grape Concentrate - Standard Sugar Syrup

It is helpful to dissolve the sugar in water before making the wine. To do this, you may use a recipe for standard sugar syrup, used by many home wine makers. To make sugar syrup, dissolve the sugar at a rate of two cups of sugar into one cup of water. Bring the water to a boil, then slowly add the sugar a cup or two at a time. Stir the solution until the syrup clears, then add more until it is all added.

The sugar syrup will clear when all the sugar has been dissolved. Allow the solution to cool. One cup of standard sugar syrup is equivalent to one half pound of sugar. Back to Home Wine Making © 2011 THC Toys, Hobbies and Crafts