Home brewing help
Discussion
In a frenzy of realising I could have 5 gallons of Wherry for less than the price of a night out, I bought some home brew stuff.
I have 2 tins of gloopy stuff from Woodforde's
One enormous bucket
One packet of yeast
A massive spoon
I've put it all together and it's now in the brewery (3rd bedroom)
There's a heater in there to keep it warm, though it did get quite hot last night have I killed the yeast?
What do I do on Saturday? Do I need one of those £15 plastic pressure keg things? How long does it last? What do I do?
I'm out of my depth! I don't want to commit the heinous crime of ruining beer.
I have 2 tins of gloopy stuff from Woodforde's
One enormous bucket
One packet of yeast
A massive spoon
I've put it all together and it's now in the brewery (3rd bedroom)
There's a heater in there to keep it warm, though it did get quite hot last night have I killed the yeast?
What do I do on Saturday? Do I need one of those £15 plastic pressure keg things? How long does it last? What do I do?
I'm out of my depth! I don't want to commit the heinous crime of ruining beer.
you dont really need to keep it warm in the house. if it was out in the garage, in sub zero temps, then yes.
basically keep an eye on it. if it keeps a foamy head over the next few days you'll be alright. if it has stopped, and you only recently started it, then you could always get a new sacet of yeast from a home brew supply.
within a week or 2.. maybe 3 or 4 (to give chance for beer to clear more). then transfer by syphon tube from the bucket into a pressure keg (while trying to keep as much sediment in the bucket), add in a certain amount of sugar (the instructions will tell you if its a woodfords.) leave over night and pressure will have built up - but it will be rather cloudy, and rather sweet. give it 2-4 weeks to clear and mature and secondary fermentation to happen. then you should have some 30-35 pints of lovely drinkable beer (at around 40p a pint)
once the first beer is ready to go in the keg, clean the bucket out, and get a new bew going, so you have the next ready when you have finished the first.
basically keep an eye on it. if it keeps a foamy head over the next few days you'll be alright. if it has stopped, and you only recently started it, then you could always get a new sacet of yeast from a home brew supply.
within a week or 2.. maybe 3 or 4 (to give chance for beer to clear more). then transfer by syphon tube from the bucket into a pressure keg (while trying to keep as much sediment in the bucket), add in a certain amount of sugar (the instructions will tell you if its a woodfords.) leave over night and pressure will have built up - but it will be rather cloudy, and rather sweet. give it 2-4 weeks to clear and mature and secondary fermentation to happen. then you should have some 30-35 pints of lovely drinkable beer (at around 40p a pint)
once the first beer is ready to go in the keg, clean the bucket out, and get a new bew going, so you have the next ready when you have finished the first.
Edited by lord summerisle on Monday 3rd January 22:53
If you want to drink it sooner, get a top tap barrel. These have a float tube in the beer so draw the top of the brew, which clears first, and also have the tap at the top so the barrel can sit on the floor. The beer is pushed out by gas pressure from the fermentation, but can be encouraged out with CO2 from a sodastream cylinder.
Oh, and for nicer beer get a pack of beer enhancer or glucose rather than sugar to use when barreling up.
Oh, and for nicer beer get a pack of beer enhancer or glucose rather than sugar to use when barreling up.
This is a slippery slope you’re on now, it starts with one beer kit and the next second you have a bedroom and conservatory filled with home brew experiments. I’ve been making my own alcoholic ginger beer, damson wine, cider, sloe wine, sloe gin, and raisin and black beer wine, all this started because my girlfriend got me a beer kit for my birthday last year.
I would leave the beer in the big bucket for a few days longer than it says in the instructions to give it time to clear, then put it in a secondary or keg and leave for another few weeks. You can keep it in the keg or transfer to bottles. A friend of mine has put it in used water bottles without any problems.
The next best thing to having a pint for 40p is making wine for next to nothing. Just pick the ingredients from the countryside, juice, add sugar and yeast and you’ll have wine for pennies.
I would leave the beer in the big bucket for a few days longer than it says in the instructions to give it time to clear, then put it in a secondary or keg and leave for another few weeks. You can keep it in the keg or transfer to bottles. A friend of mine has put it in used water bottles without any problems.
The next best thing to having a pint for 40p is making wine for next to nothing. Just pick the ingredients from the countryside, juice, add sugar and yeast and you’ll have wine for pennies.
The Frau and I have often joked about setting up a gin still and this thread prompted me to go and Google a little.
Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
k the man!
Spleeble said:
I’ve been making my own alcoholic ginger beer, damson wine, cider, sloe wine, sloe gin, and raisin and black beer wine,
Any tips on cider? My dad has 8 apple trees and suggested that he might give cider a go. I bought him a book on cider making and will be giving him a hand next year.Sour Kraut said:
The Frau and I have often joked about setting up a gin still and this thread prompted me to go and Google a little.
Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
But it is legal to own a still to use for purifying water and producing aromatherapy oils. Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
If you were to accidentally put some alcohol (eg a plain 'wine' made from sugar and yeast) into this still you would probably end up with a rather good 60% alcohol base which you could make a gin from.
madbadger said:
Sour Kraut said:
The Frau and I have often joked about setting up a gin still and this thread prompted me to go and Google a little.
Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
But it is legal to own a still to use for purifying water and producing aromatherapy oils. Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
If you were to accidentally put some alcohol (eg a plain 'wine' made from sugar and yeast) into this still you would probably end up with a rather good 60% alcohol base which you could make a gin from.
http://www.wineworks.co.uk/product/still-spirits-t...
Spleeble said:
The next best thing to having a pint for 40p is making wine for next to nothing. Just pick the ingredients from the countryside, juice, add sugar and yeast and you’ll have wine for pennies.
I've been doing this (as well as all grain brewing) with wine - it may be cheap but the initial effort and time required until you end up with something decent is a bit of a turn off. my most recent batch was blackberry wine- tastes pretty good but the resulting drunk it gets you is a bizzare feeling- if you finish a whole bottle it makes you feel real cold despair. I have named it "suicide wine" as a result.Pete Franklin said:
Spleeble said:
The next best thing to having a pint for 40p is making wine for next to nothing. Just pick the ingredients from the countryside, juice, add sugar and yeast and you’ll have wine for pennies.
I've been doing this (as well as all grain brewing) with wine - it may be cheap but the initial effort and time required until you end up with something decent is a bit of a turn off. my most recent batch was blackberry wine- tastes pretty good but the resulting drunk it gets you is a bizzare feeling- if you finish a whole bottle it makes you feel real cold despair. I have named it "suicide wine" as a result.Sour Kraut said:
madbadger said:
Sour Kraut said:
The Frau and I have often joked about setting up a gin still and this thread prompted me to go and Google a little.
Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
But it is legal to own a still to use for purifying water and producing aromatherapy oils. Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
If you were to accidentally put some alcohol (eg a plain 'wine' made from sugar and yeast) into this still you would probably end up with a rather good 60% alcohol base which you could make a gin from.
http://www.wineworks.co.uk/product/still-spirits-t...
madbadger said:
Sour Kraut said:
madbadger said:
Sour Kraut said:
The Frau and I have often joked about setting up a gin still and this thread prompted me to go and Google a little.
Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
But it is legal to own a still to use for purifying water and producing aromatherapy oils. Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
If you were to accidentally put some alcohol (eg a plain 'wine' made from sugar and yeast) into this still you would probably end up with a rather good 60% alcohol base which you could make a gin from.
http://www.wineworks.co.uk/product/still-spirits-t...
Sour Kraut said:
madbadger said:
Sour Kraut said:
madbadger said:
Sour Kraut said:
The Frau and I have often joked about setting up a gin still and this thread prompted me to go and Google a little.
Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
But it is legal to own a still to use for purifying water and producing aromatherapy oils. Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
If you were to accidentally put some alcohol (eg a plain 'wine' made from sugar and yeast) into this still you would probably end up with a rather good 60% alcohol base which you could make a gin from.
http://www.wineworks.co.uk/product/still-spirits-t...
made a lot of beer, last was some lager around 10%, sorted out some mates from those who could drink from those that thought they could
making from the grain is much better and gives u more control
20+ gallons of wine now around the house, but might be more than that, grape free wine
no need to use a still, just freeze the wine and remove the water (ice), use the ice to cool drinks down
beer kits - prep according to instructions, put in large 5 gallon drum with lid, stir daily
leave somewhere warm, say 20 C, but NOT at 25C, this encourages spoilage bacteria
decant into a clean pressure vessel, prefer metal ones myself
ferment for 30 days, release pressure, decant with tube into 5 gallon tub, clean out yeast, refill and pressurize with co2 cylinder
making from the grain is much better and gives u more control
20+ gallons of wine now around the house, but might be more than that, grape free wine
no need to use a still, just freeze the wine and remove the water (ice), use the ice to cool drinks down
beer kits - prep according to instructions, put in large 5 gallon drum with lid, stir daily
leave somewhere warm, say 20 C, but NOT at 25C, this encourages spoilage bacteria
decant into a clean pressure vessel, prefer metal ones myself
ferment for 30 days, release pressure, decant with tube into 5 gallon tub, clean out yeast, refill and pressurize with co2 cylinder
madbadger said:
Sour Kraut said:
madbadger said:
Sour Kraut said:
madbadger said:
Sour Kraut said:
The Frau and I have often joked about setting up a gin still and this thread prompted me to go and Google a little.
Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
But it is legal to own a still to use for purifying water and producing aromatherapy oils. Apparently, "It is illegal to manufacture spirits in the UK without a distiller's licence which is required under the provisions of section 12 of the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 and this includes manufacture for "own/domestic use"."
WTF? This is prohibition!
I'll have to start a speakeasy too
If you were to accidentally put some alcohol (eg a plain 'wine' made from sugar and yeast) into this still you would probably end up with a rather good 60% alcohol base which you could make a gin from.
http://www.wineworks.co.uk/product/still-spirits-t...
Only had mine for a few months and it was somewhat less than £200 even with added extras that I wanted.
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