Demijohns - Making booze
Discussion
227bhp said:
Is that aftertaste something which could be described as earthy or like chewing on the seeds? It's the one thing I don't like about bramble wine
I wouldn't have said so but I'll ask myself that next time I have a taste. I did add plenty of pectolase to take care of the seeds though, have you tried that?227bhp said:
This year there were so many blackberries around we made 50ltrs and decided to experiment with 11 different recipes, different amounts of sugar, also banana, raisins, grape concentrate, pineapple juice and honey, sadly as there was so much in different DJs we never took any hydrometer readings which I regret.
These extra ingredients were for taste and body, I put the O/H in charge of adding them, advising that there was sugar in them and to take this into account.
This went over her head....
So we've ended up with all sorts, some had so much sugar in it hasn't fermented out, so it's like dessert wine.
We don't like sweet wine.
I got to thinking (as you know you get plenty of time to think making wine) it's a bit like Port, hmmm Port, we like a bit of Port
So I went and bought the cheapest strong brandy I could find, sloshed it in and it's turned out great 
It's very easy to drink because it's young, the only problem is being able to leave it alone until it's fully matured
Bloody hell, 50L? Excellent These extra ingredients were for taste and body, I put the O/H in charge of adding them, advising that there was sugar in them and to take this into account.
This went over her head....
So we've ended up with all sorts, some had so much sugar in it hasn't fermented out, so it's like dessert wine.
We don't like sweet wine.
I got to thinking (as you know you get plenty of time to think making wine) it's a bit like Port, hmmm Port, we like a bit of Port
So I went and bought the cheapest strong brandy I could find, sloshed it in and it's turned out great It's very easy to drink because it's young, the only problem is being able to leave it alone until it's fully matured
I can certainly see how the raisins and grape concentrate would work and yes I think fortifying it would be good. Both adding brandy and the red wine you mentioned take it towards a Creme de Mure which I have made in the past and is sensational - good recipe here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/blackberry-liq...Jambo85 said:
227bhp said:
Is that aftertaste something which could be described as earthy or like chewing on the seeds? It's the one thing I don't like about bramble wine
I wouldn't have said so but I'll ask myself that next time I have a taste. I did add plenty of pectolase to take care of the seeds though, have you tried that?227bhp said:
This year there were so many blackberries around we made 50ltrs and decided to experiment with 11 different recipes, different amounts of sugar, also banana, raisins, grape concentrate, pineapple juice and honey, sadly as there was so much in different DJs we never took any hydrometer readings which I regret.
These extra ingredients were for taste and body, I put the O/H in charge of adding them, advising that there was sugar in them and to take this into account.
This went over her head....
So we've ended up with all sorts, some had so much sugar in it hasn't fermented out, so it's like dessert wine.
We don't like sweet wine.
I got to thinking (as you know you get plenty of time to think making wine) it's a bit like Port, hmmm Port, we like a bit of Port So I went and bought the cheapest strong brandy I could find, sloshed it in and it's turned out great
It's very easy to drink because it's young, the only problem is being able to leave it alone until it's fully matured
Bloody hell, 50L? Excellent These extra ingredients were for taste and body, I put the O/H in charge of adding them, advising that there was sugar in them and to take this into account.
This went over her head....
So we've ended up with all sorts, some had so much sugar in it hasn't fermented out, so it's like dessert wine.
We don't like sweet wine.
I got to thinking (as you know you get plenty of time to think making wine) it's a bit like Port, hmmm Port, we like a bit of Port
So I went and bought the cheapest strong brandy I could find, sloshed it in and it's turned out great It's very easy to drink because it's young, the only problem is being able to leave it alone until it's fully matured
I can certainly see how the raisins and grape concentrate would work and yes I think fortifying it would be good. Both adding brandy and the red wine you mentioned take it towards a Creme de Mure which I have made in the past and is sensational - good recipe here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/blackberry-liq...No we just added campden, afaik Pectolase is mainly for clearing purposes, what makes you associate it with the seeds and taste? In retrospect it would have been better with some in as I think one or two are having clearing issues, but the majority is fine, we used something near the end to help clear it. I'm guessing it's the banana and pineapple ones which will be hardest to clear.
If you've used a juicer to process the fruit is it possible you've opened up the seeds? I'm coming to the conclusion after making it for 3 yrs now, that the aftertaste I don't like is just what Bramble wine is, O/H thinks it's fine, but her taste range is broader than mine which is quite narrow. We froze the fruit first before adding boiling water and hitting it with the potato masher, ratio was 12kg berries per 25L liquid. More fruit, less water for better body (I think!). I don't separate anything initially, it all goes in the bucket together as I feel it's best to get the most out of the fruit, but it's possibly where this unwanted taste is coming from too.
For me personally I think blending is the way forward, although I will try some different recipes next year, but I doubt there will be an abundance of fruit like there was last Autumn.
Like I said, we've got all sorts now, the very sweet will be made into 'Port', if it's borderline sweet we've bought a really cheap red wine kit to blend with. I was hoping this cheap kit would make a very dry difficult to drink wine to oppose the rich bramble, but it's turned out to be quite an inoffensive easy to drink house red! We'll see how it goes. The Bramble which has turned out ok will either be bottled 'as is' or blended with the aforementioned Yellow Tail, but of course that takes the cost up a bit, which is mainly what you try to avoid by making your own....
227bhp said:
No we just added campden, afaik Pectolase is mainly for clearing purposes, what makes you associate it with the seeds and taste?
...
If you've used a juicer to process the fruit is it possible you've opened up the seeds?
Yes - used a juicer, so the seeds were well incorporated! I read or heard somewhere previously that pectin was primarily contained in seeds of fruit and that was a good reason to avoid using a juicer for making cider (what I was doing at the time...). Googling quickly now I can't find a source for that so quite likely I'm wrong and it is just a clarity thing as you say....
If you've used a juicer to process the fruit is it possible you've opened up the seeds?
Jambo85 said:
Yes - used a juicer, so the seeds were well incorporated! I read or heard somewhere previously that pectin was primarily contained in seeds of fruit and that was a good reason to avoid using a juicer for making cider (what I was doing at the time...). Googling quickly now I can't find a source for that so quite likely I'm wrong and it is just a clarity thing as you say.
I use a juicer too for cider, I have to back sweeten it so it's quite likely you've introduced unwanted taste from the torn up seeds, something to think about or experiment with next year perhaps? I only use a juicer because it's cheap and easy - I can make cider in the kitchen, I wouldn't use one for wine as I can see no advantage, just add boiling water and mash. This is the reason wines are made from squashing (under foot or in a press) as the skin and seed stay intact, in fact the first press makes a different (better quality) wine than the liquid drawn off later which has torn skin and maybe ruptured seeds in it.
m4tti said:
Seems a lot of grief.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/spirits-duty
I guess this also indirectly enforces safety measures and stops people flattening their streets.
And blinding anyone who drinks it, which is quite easy apparently.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/spirits-duty
I guess this also indirectly enforces safety measures and stops people flattening their streets.
I'm not sure where the law stands on actually talking about it, but as alluded to back there some forums don't even allow that, kind of makes me want to have a go.
Been recommended this could be the placer for a beginner after posting on a different resurrected thread - thinking of trying this recipe for my first attempt. For reference, I like a fairly sweet cider and happy to stick any kind of fruit in there, I am a fan of the Old Mout flavours.
2 x demijohns to go at.
https://countryskillsblog.com/2012/07/04/sinfully-...
2 x demijohns to go at.
https://countryskillsblog.com/2012/07/04/sinfully-...
Lost a bit from racking (not the neatest job as I only have basic equipment at the moment) and I have also taken 2 x 500ml bottles out of one to mess about getting the sweetness/fizz right. One glass bottle and one PET bottle on the go to monitor the pressure.
Hoping they don't explode!
Hoping they don't explode!
227bhp said:
What was your recipe and what is the red one?
Are you making flat or fizzy?
The golden one is toffee apple and pear taken from here:Are you making flat or fizzy?
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/toffee-...
And the red one is basic turbo cider recipe with 1/2 bottle of Lowicz raspberry and lemon syrup at the start. I've just added the 2nd half of the bottle now for secondary fermentation.
I am aiming to make them fizzy, I have a 'test bottle' in plastic to see how much sugar is needed for priming hopefully without having any exploding bottles.
I have a ginger beer plant on order from eBay so ginger beer on the cards too!
Tony Angelino said:
The golden one is toffee apple and pear taken from here:
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/toffee-...
And the red one is basic turbo cider recipe with 1/2 bottle of Lowicz raspberry and lemon syrup at the start. I've just added the 2nd half of the bottle now for secondary fermentation.
I am aiming to make them fizzy, I have a 'test bottle' in plastic to see how much sugar is needed for priming hopefully without having any exploding bottles.
I have a ginger beer plant on order from eBay so ginger beer on the cards too!
Looking good https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/toffee-...
And the red one is basic turbo cider recipe with 1/2 bottle of Lowicz raspberry and lemon syrup at the start. I've just added the 2nd half of the bottle now for secondary fermentation.
I am aiming to make them fizzy, I have a 'test bottle' in plastic to see how much sugar is needed for priming hopefully without having any exploding bottles.
I have a ginger beer plant on order from eBay so ginger beer on the cards too!
as you probably realise it's a very fine line bottling and getting it to fizz so good luck, it's good to take plenty of notes of time, temp, gravity etc.We recently bottled 25L and it tastes fantastic, we were too busy to bottle it when I wanted though so it sat for too long and is all flat.
A ginger beer plant? I didn't know it grew on trees.
227bhp said:
Tony Angelino said:
The golden one is toffee apple and pear taken from here:
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/toffee-...
And the red one is basic turbo cider recipe with 1/2 bottle of Lowicz raspberry and lemon syrup at the start. I've just added the 2nd half of the bottle now for secondary fermentation.
I am aiming to make them fizzy, I have a 'test bottle' in plastic to see how much sugar is needed for priming hopefully without having any exploding bottles.
I have a ginger beer plant on order from eBay so ginger beer on the cards too!
Looking good https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/toffee-...
And the red one is basic turbo cider recipe with 1/2 bottle of Lowicz raspberry and lemon syrup at the start. I've just added the 2nd half of the bottle now for secondary fermentation.
I am aiming to make them fizzy, I have a 'test bottle' in plastic to see how much sugar is needed for priming hopefully without having any exploding bottles.
I have a ginger beer plant on order from eBay so ginger beer on the cards too!
as you probably realise it's a very fine line bottling and getting it to fizz so good luck, it's good to take plenty of notes of time, temp, gravity etc.We recently bottled 25L and it tastes fantastic, we were too busy to bottle it when I wanted though so it sat for too long and is all flat.
A ginger beer plant? I didn't know it grew on trees.
The test plastic bottle is firming up nicely after 24 hours or so, got another 3 demijohns on the go with various different TC's in.
Super Slo Mo said:
Yes and no. I believe you should get rid of the first distillates that come off the still as it’s predominantly methanol. I’m not sure of the exact percentage, but it’s a pretty small amount.
In terms of poisoning yourself the dangerous chemical in it is the ethanol by a very long way. Assuming you started by fermenting something you could drink and were actually trying to distill something drinkable then it'd be almost impossible to get enough methanol or ethyl-acetate in it to do you much harm. But yeah, the first stuff that comes out you use to light the bbq or for cleaning paint brushes or something.Safety wise your real concerns are fire, alcohol vapour is just very slightly flamable and the flame is near enough invisible.
And chemicals not related to the distillation, eg. putting high proof alcohol anywhere near any sort of plastic but that's more of a long term high consumption sort of a risk.
No fermentation involved but fun nevertheless, have tried a couple of new liqueur recipes this spring:
- Beech leaf noyau - I think someone mentioned it higher up the thread. Supposed to be one of the best things you can make and dead easy. And beech leaves are just popping out now in NE Scotland (maybe too late for the rest of you, you're supposed to use very young ones). Started infusing the leaves in gin last night. I have to say that having chewed on a few beech leaves I am struggling to see how this can be remarkable, but looking forward to being wrong!!
- Rowan-flower based Amaretto thing. Saw a facebook post from forager Mark Williams where he pointed out that rowan flower buds have a sweet almond flavour. Squashed a few in my hand while walking the dog the other night and was amazed at the scent so filled my pockets. Put them in a jar with some sugar and vodka and overnight the vodka aroma was completely masked by a wonderful almond aroma. Got high hopes for this one but certainly the sugar quantity will need tweaked and it may need watering down. Pick these with consideration though - each one is a big flower head that won't be there for bees and a cluster of rowans that won't be there for the birds. Also bear in mind that almond flavour = cyanide so be careful.
Incidentally, this was my first noticeable experience of minimum alcohol pricing in Scotland, had to pay £18.76 for a litre of gin. Asda own brand and all the others which are fine for this sort of thing are now all £18.76, the same price as Bombay and Gordons. But that's another thread.
- Beech leaf noyau - I think someone mentioned it higher up the thread. Supposed to be one of the best things you can make and dead easy. And beech leaves are just popping out now in NE Scotland (maybe too late for the rest of you, you're supposed to use very young ones). Started infusing the leaves in gin last night. I have to say that having chewed on a few beech leaves I am struggling to see how this can be remarkable, but looking forward to being wrong!!
- Rowan-flower based Amaretto thing. Saw a facebook post from forager Mark Williams where he pointed out that rowan flower buds have a sweet almond flavour. Squashed a few in my hand while walking the dog the other night and was amazed at the scent so filled my pockets. Put them in a jar with some sugar and vodka and overnight the vodka aroma was completely masked by a wonderful almond aroma. Got high hopes for this one but certainly the sugar quantity will need tweaked and it may need watering down. Pick these with consideration though - each one is a big flower head that won't be there for bees and a cluster of rowans that won't be there for the birds. Also bear in mind that almond flavour = cyanide so be careful.
Incidentally, this was my first noticeable experience of minimum alcohol pricing in Scotland, had to pay £18.76 for a litre of gin. Asda own brand and all the others which are fine for this sort of thing are now all £18.76, the same price as Bombay and Gordons. But that's another thread.
Bramble season! There's plenty of them here as well.
Made bramble wine for the first time last year, so to make sure I wouldn't be wasting my time this year had a critical taste of last year's brew last night. I had one bottle during the summer but it was definitely a bit young still. It has lost all the rough edges and now compares favourably with a cheap supermarket red wine. At the same time it is definitely true to the blackberries. Will be repeating it!
Will also do a batch of creme de mure.
Apples nearly ready too - I'm going to attempt a cyser with some of my own bees' honey.
Made bramble wine for the first time last year, so to make sure I wouldn't be wasting my time this year had a critical taste of last year's brew last night. I had one bottle during the summer but it was definitely a bit young still. It has lost all the rough edges and now compares favourably with a cheap supermarket red wine. At the same time it is definitely true to the blackberries. Will be repeating it!
Will also do a batch of creme de mure.
Apples nearly ready too - I'm going to attempt a cyser with some of my own bees' honey.
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