Discussion
pokethepope said:
A question though, the Wherry kit says to put a bit of sugar in each bottle, can I just use normal sugar or does 'Brewing Sugar' actually make a difference?
Lots of info on sugar in this thread matehttp://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f...
Basically, any sort of sugar will do the job but there is a trade off in terms of flavour and booze power.
The lager in that kit isn't bad & gets much better with age in my experience (if you can stop yourself "testing" it).
SwanJack said:
I use PET bottles and they work just fine. Don't throw the caps away though (as I did), as although you break the seal when opening a bottle, they can be re used without any problem.
On the odd occasions that I've made a lager I have used PET bottles so that they can be refrigerated. Bitter needs no such treatment; the larder will be fine for your keg if it's north facing.
wormburner said:
Well, my first adventure in wine-making has just kicked-off.
a 23l kit of Californian Sauvignon Blanc. Never done wine before so may well have already cocked things up.
What happened:
Cleaning (a lot)
Empty concentrated grape juice (7.5l) into fermenter. Looks like apple juice. Smells great.
Resist temptation to drink some of it.
Slosh out bag with spring water, add to fermenter
Add a sachet of brown dusty stuff called Bentonite, give it a good stir. No idea what this is/does.
Top-up to 23l with spring water
Add packet of toasted oak chips. Smells great. Stir.
Measure specific gravity. 1.080 - spot on. (This is a fluke).
Add yeast. Don't stir. Now looks bloody awful, but still smells great.
Put lid on. Stick airlock into lid, fill with water.
Put fermenter into big floppy plasterer's bucket.
Fill bucket with warmish water until fermenter is just about floating.
Stick aquarium heater to outside of fermenter with suction cup thingy. Set to 22 degrees.
Nothing more to do now for 7 days (4 weeks total process) so I'll keep you posted...
Just done the second stage.a 23l kit of Californian Sauvignon Blanc. Never done wine before so may well have already cocked things up.
What happened:
Cleaning (a lot)
Empty concentrated grape juice (7.5l) into fermenter. Looks like apple juice. Smells great.
Resist temptation to drink some of it.
Slosh out bag with spring water, add to fermenter
Add a sachet of brown dusty stuff called Bentonite, give it a good stir. No idea what this is/does.
Top-up to 23l with spring water
Add packet of toasted oak chips. Smells great. Stir.
Measure specific gravity. 1.080 - spot on. (This is a fluke).
Add yeast. Don't stir. Now looks bloody awful, but still smells great.
Put lid on. Stick airlock into lid, fill with water.
Put fermenter into big floppy plasterer's bucket.
Fill bucket with warmish water until fermenter is just about floating.
Stick aquarium heater to outside of fermenter with suction cup thingy. Set to 22 degrees.
Nothing more to do now for 7 days (4 weeks total process) so I'll keep you posted...
Specific gravity now down to .992, so it looks like all the fermenting is done, ish. It bubbled like mad from day 2 to day 5, literally a constant popopopopop through the airlock. It also stunk out the house, but I convinced her I couldn't move it, so it better be good because it has used up all its goodwill with 3 weeks to go.
According to the calculator, with my starting gravity of 1.080, I've got around 11.5% ABV.
Siphoned the brew into a second vessel leaving the grot at the bottom, cleaned the original vessel, siphoned it back in again.
It smells fantastic. It's gone a lovely amber colour, like pale honey. Still opaque though, similar to a cloudy lemonade.
I'm very proud that I still haven't had a little try. I'm clearly growing up fast. 12 days to go until the next stage - degassing. I won't personally attempt to go 12 days without degassing.
Home brew can be a fun hobby. 2 years ago my girlfriend bought me a beer kit, while it was ok and the beer drinkable it wasn’t that involving to make so moved onto wine. Since then I have made about 20 gallons of the stuff using fruit picked from around Milton Keynes including elderflower, elderberry, damson, plum, yellow plum, grape, nettle and sloe. I have also made 9 gallons of home pressed cider. I just don’t have the liver to drink all my produce so 90% of it still sat in bottles.
wormburner said:
wormburner said:
Well, my first adventure in wine-making has just kicked-off.
a 23l kit of Californian Sauvignon Blanc. Never done wine before so may well have already cocked things up.
What happened:
Cleaning (a lot)
Empty concentrated grape juice (7.5l) into fermenter. Looks like apple juice. Smells great.
Resist temptation to drink some of it.
Slosh out bag with spring water, add to fermenter
Add a sachet of brown dusty stuff called Bentonite, give it a good stir. No idea what this is/does.
Top-up to 23l with spring water
Add packet of toasted oak chips. Smells great. Stir.
Measure specific gravity. 1.080 - spot on. (This is a fluke).
Add yeast. Don't stir. Now looks bloody awful, but still smells great.
Put lid on. Stick airlock into lid, fill with water.
Put fermenter into big floppy plasterer's bucket.
Fill bucket with warmish water until fermenter is just about floating.
Stick aquarium heater to outside of fermenter with suction cup thingy. Set to 22 degrees.
Nothing more to do now for 7 days (4 weeks total process) so I'll keep you posted...
Just done the second stage.a 23l kit of Californian Sauvignon Blanc. Never done wine before so may well have already cocked things up.
What happened:
Cleaning (a lot)
Empty concentrated grape juice (7.5l) into fermenter. Looks like apple juice. Smells great.
Resist temptation to drink some of it.
Slosh out bag with spring water, add to fermenter
Add a sachet of brown dusty stuff called Bentonite, give it a good stir. No idea what this is/does.
Top-up to 23l with spring water
Add packet of toasted oak chips. Smells great. Stir.
Measure specific gravity. 1.080 - spot on. (This is a fluke).
Add yeast. Don't stir. Now looks bloody awful, but still smells great.
Put lid on. Stick airlock into lid, fill with water.
Put fermenter into big floppy plasterer's bucket.
Fill bucket with warmish water until fermenter is just about floating.
Stick aquarium heater to outside of fermenter with suction cup thingy. Set to 22 degrees.
Nothing more to do now for 7 days (4 weeks total process) so I'll keep you posted...
Specific gravity now down to .992, so it looks like all the fermenting is done, ish. It bubbled like mad from day 2 to day 5, literally a constant popopopopop through the airlock. It also stunk out the house, but I convinced her I couldn't move it, so it better be good because it has used up all its goodwill with 3 weeks to go.
According to the calculator, with my starting gravity of 1.080, I've got around 11.5% ABV.
Siphoned the brew into a second vessel leaving the grot at the bottom, cleaned the original vessel, siphoned it back in again.
It smells fantastic. It's gone a lovely amber colour, like pale honey. Still opaque though, similar to a cloudy lemonade.
I'm very proud that I still haven't had a little try. I'm clearly growing up fast. 12 days to go until the next stage - degassing. I won't personally attempt to go 12 days without degassing.
Smells very good, and is now a pale yellow I can only describe as the colour of white wine - which is some comfort. ABV now up to 12.1%.
Over the next two days I have to shake it around 8 times in order to degas the wine. Then around a week of fining, whatever that means, and I'll be the proud owner of 30 bottles of Californian Sauvignon Blanc, of a quality I can only quake upon contemplation.
Today I've started another batch of Wherry, but instead of worrying about keeping it warm, i'm now worrying about keeping it cool. Any tips? A damp towel over the top is the best i've got so far.
Edited by wormburner on Saturday 26th May 17:46
Today was a first.
Not once in the last 3 years have we got a batch of sloe wine to clear. We've always produced batches of sloe gin, but the wine has always doggedly refused to fine down.
Last year, we decided to let the stuff clear naturally with no finings and - bless it - we decanted four bottles of it this afternoon. Lordy me, it's dry and packs a fruity punch.
Not once in the last 3 years have we got a batch of sloe wine to clear. We've always produced batches of sloe gin, but the wine has always doggedly refused to fine down.
Last year, we decided to let the stuff clear naturally with no finings and - bless it - we decanted four bottles of it this afternoon. Lordy me, it's dry and packs a fruity punch.
Beer Brewing,
If you can get hold of a copy, 'Brewing beers like those you buy' by Davr Lnes ,is a godsend
My bishops tipple was tasted by an ex employee and wanted to know whre i bought it
If you can find a wine shop that sells it 'loose' these are normally sold in plastic polypins and they thow them away afterwards Grab a couple for settling and storing, beer will last up to 2 weeks in one.
Good idea and you dont have to drive anywhere!!
If you can get hold of a copy, 'Brewing beers like those you buy' by Davr Lnes ,is a godsend
My bishops tipple was tasted by an ex employee and wanted to know whre i bought it
If you can find a wine shop that sells it 'loose' these are normally sold in plastic polypins and they thow them away afterwards Grab a couple for settling and storing, beer will last up to 2 weeks in one.
Good idea and you dont have to drive anywhere!!
I've currently got a gallon of ginger wine in the fermenter, recipe here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth...
I've also got the Lines book on order from amazon! Thanks to the posters who've recommended it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth...
I've also got the Lines book on order from amazon! Thanks to the posters who've recommended it.
Just started homebrewing, had an interest in beers for a while and figure this is the next progression of the 'hobby'.
Brewing a Woodforde's Wherry with a mate, we left it for 8 days in the fermenter, OG of 1040, FG of 1006 so should be 4.5% - exactly what the kit said. Had a quick taste before bottling and it was lovely, can't wait to crack one open.
We bottled half of the batch and moved the other half into secondary to dry hop with Goldings. Supposedly it ages really well but I'm not sure if it'll get the chance
Next up is either a Woodforde's Nelson's revenge or a St Peter's Ruby Red.
Brewing a Woodforde's Wherry with a mate, we left it for 8 days in the fermenter, OG of 1040, FG of 1006 so should be 4.5% - exactly what the kit said. Had a quick taste before bottling and it was lovely, can't wait to crack one open.
We bottled half of the batch and moved the other half into secondary to dry hop with Goldings. Supposedly it ages really well but I'm not sure if it'll get the chance
Next up is either a Woodforde's Nelson's revenge or a St Peter's Ruby Red.
My first homebrew is now quite quaffable. 
It was ready two weeks ago, according to instructions, but was quite cloudy and a bit 'raw' in the mouth.
It's now something like 5 or 6 weeks since it started and it's cleared quite nicely and I'm no longer embarrassed to offer it to guests. Not a bad first attempt, though I say so myself.
It was ready two weeks ago, according to instructions, but was quite cloudy and a bit 'raw' in the mouth.
It's now something like 5 or 6 weeks since it started and it's cleared quite nicely and I'm no longer embarrassed to offer it to guests. Not a bad first attempt, though I say so myself.
LordGrover said:
My first homebrew is now quite quaffable.
It was ready two weeks ago, according to instructions, but was quite cloudy and a bit 'raw' in the mouth.
It's now something like 5 or 6 weeks since it started and it's cleared quite nicely and I'm no longer embarrassed to offer it to guests. Not a bad first attempt, though I say so myself.
What kit did you use?It was ready two weeks ago, according to instructions, but was quite cloudy and a bit 'raw' in the mouth.
It's now something like 5 or 6 weeks since it started and it's cleared quite nicely and I'm no longer embarrassed to offer it to guests. Not a bad first attempt, though I say so myself.
Thanks for the Amazon recommendation - winging its way to me as we speak.
Has anyone got any good ideas about keeping brews cool, other than a damp cloth over the top and placed on a concrete floor in the garage?
I've got beer in the garage in its early stages, and wine in the kitchen in the final stage (so should not now be moved)...
Has anyone got any good ideas about keeping brews cool, other than a damp cloth over the top and placed on a concrete floor in the garage?
I've got beer in the garage in its early stages, and wine in the kitchen in the final stage (so should not now be moved)...
Edited by wormburner on Wednesday 30th May 14:05
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