I accidentally deleted my photos off my camera before I was able to download them, so this post is going to be somewhat visually impaired. The addition of an electric blanket wrapping around the 20 gallon and 32 gallon fermenters has helped keep the must in both those fermenters from falling as far during the evening. Hopefully the must temperature will continue to creep up. The 5 gallon fermenter is also benefiting from the electric blanket, though it is only been wedged in the crook between the two larger fermenters, so it's not getting the full embrace the other two are getting.
The electric blanket required a little bit of creative engineering to power up. Since our garage is not wired with any electricity, there's now a large extension cord running from the kitchen of our house, out the back door, through the security gate and under the side door of the garage. This does have the added benefit of letting me set up a lamp in the garage so I don't have to get by like a coal miner, with just a headlamp to see by. But that's another one of the fun challenges with making wine. Others that have occurred unremarked upon until now: needing a tool to punch down the must, Luke went to the hardware store and built one out of stakes, brackets and screws, needing to move a bucket full of 280 pound of grapes and juice, I had to recruit a few friends over with temptations of beer and dinner.
Based on the progress of the must, it's looking like Friday is the target day for pressing. Now all I need to do is figure out where we're going to rent a basket press.
32 gallon: 64 F, 11 Brix
20 gallon: 66 F 10.5 Brix
5 gallon: 61 F, 12 Brix
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