lady constance Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Was wondering if anyone here has ever tried their hand at making their own alcohol { ETOH}? our plum tree is seriously overloaded this year, and in an attempt to use the fruit without waste, i have decided and am currently brewing some home made plum wine......small scale-- got a near gallon going... i am not afraid of the chemistry... LOL..because basically yeast grows and redoubles itself every twenty minutes.... yeast eats sugar and pees out alcohol-- when all the sugar is consumed, the yeast, from swimming in its own waste, dies and you are left with alcohol-- the more sugar you feed it, the richer in alcohol content you have !!-- if yah bottle it wihtout the sugar being entirely used, you have a beverage that *sparkles*.... and i know i have alot more to learn.... kind of funny that we drink the pee of a yeast....and it is tasty{well, some more than others} so anyone got expereince? anyone have favorite recipes? anyone ever tried mead? { brewing of honey} i would like to know what your experiences have been... any recommendations...and funny stories... pax, lady constance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainSatan Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Actually I've been thinking about getting back into the home brew business for quite some time. Sanitation is everything! BTW...you wouldn't be the same Lady (Auntie) Constance of the Yuk Tribe would you? As we say in Ireland let's drink until the alcohol in our system destroys our liver and kills us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyTarr Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 I have a lot of experience in making wine and my friends brew beer. So I have even more experience in consumption. The best think I can suggest is make sure your equipment is clean, very clean. The alcohol content will only reach about 12% then the yeast will die off. Any left over sugar will just make your wine sweeter not sparkle. The sparkling wine is make with a specific yeast. I have a few books that I will dig out if you would like. Anything else you would like to know just drop a line. Git up of your asses, set up those glasses I'm drinking this place dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littleneckhalfshell Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 (edited) ""The alcohol content will only reach about 12% then the yeast will die off."" Well, actually the alcohol content is dependent on two things, the amount of sugar in the juice to start with, since the yeast will use the sugar to extinction while it is still able to, so if your fruit does not have a lot of sugar, it could yield a low alcohol Dry wine (no residual sugar present). On the second hand, alcohol content can also be affected by the yeast strain used, some are more tolerant of alcohol and will produce a higher alcohol wine, providing there is sufficient sugar present. I have seen many 'non-fortified' wines up around 14% though some of the richer reds can go as high as 16.5% (though my family and I prefer the lower alcohol content wines, below 12%) Historically wines in the past were roughly between 8% and 12% and of course fortified wines like Porto were up around 20% due to the addition of Brandy. See http://archive.supermarketguru.com/page.cfm/965 for a quick run down on "Alcohol in wine" Edited February 3, 2009 by Littleneckhalfshell No Fear Have Ye of Evil Curses says you... Aye,... Properly Warned Ye Be says I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelsbagley Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 ""The alcohol content will only reach about 12% then the yeast will die off.""Well, actually the alcohol content is dependent on two things, the amount of sugar in the juice to start with, since the yeast will use the sugar to extinction while it is still able to, so if your fruit does not have a lot of sugar, it could yield a low alcohol Dry wine (no residual sugar present). On the second had, alcohol content can also be affected by the yeast strain used, some are more tolerant of alcohol and will produce a higher alcohol wine, providing there is sufficient sugar present. I have seen many 'non-fortified' wines up around 14% though some of the richer reds can go as high as 16.5% (though my family and I prefer the lower alcohol content wines, below 12%) Historically wines in the past were roughly between 8% and 12% and of course fortified wines like Porto were up around 20% due to the addition of Brandy. See http://archive.supermarketguru.com/page.cfm/965 for a quick run down on "Alcohol in wine" I have read, but not tried first hand, that many champagne yeast strains are resitant to alcohol up to 19 or 20 percent... So hypothetically, using champagne yeast you could ferment up to almost 20%.... Of course champagne yeast is also notorious for eating delicate flavour profiles, so you would likely end up with a strong and relatively flavourless substance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt Thighbiter Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Here is a link to some neat sounding receipes for mead, beer and some other period drinks. http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/...php?topic=358.0 LOL the closest I've come to making anything potable is making 21-day balloon wine with Welches grape juice, sugar and yeast. Yep, 21 days and yer good to go. We just made some for a hippie party we threw last summer. Oddly, all the balloon wine went! But, we had a half tray of 'special' brownies left over. Pirate music at it's best, from 1650 onwards The Brigands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartermaster James Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 The sparkling wine is make with a specific yeast. Not so. As long as the yeast is viable and there is sugar present at bottling, your wine will be sparkling (make sure you use proper bottles and seals, lest you make bottle bombs - not fun!!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 My first husband's mother used to brew her own beer. She'd save beer bottles, buy yeast, and had a caping divise. I don't know what recipe she used, and I never tasted it, because I don't really care for beer (gasp). What I do remember is that all the brew was cloudy, and had sludge in the bottom. Must have tasted pretty nasty, 'cause she was the only one who would drink it. She "aged" it in the garage, which shared a wall with her living room. While watching TV during the day, quite frequently you could hear bottles exploding. There were times when she lost a whole batch due to bottle bombs. But, she kept on trying. ...schooners, islands, and maroons and buccaneers and buried gold... You can do everything right, strictly according to procedure, on the ocean, and it'll still kill you. But if you're a good navigator, a least you'll know where you were when you died.......From The Ship Killer by Justin Scott. "Well, that's just maddeningly unhelpful."....Captain Jack Sparrow Found in the Ruins — Unique Jewelry Found in the Ruins — Personal Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Bo of the WTF co. Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I have an old freind from the biker days that ended up in the mountainy man thing and is still one of the White Trash. He's been making wine out of everything you can imagine, and then some for around fifteen years now. Some of it is awesome, some of it is awful! Anyhow, he gives us a case of mixed varieties every year at christmas and we don't drink alot of wine, so someday when I get to go somewhere with a bunch of pyratey type people, we'll have a helluva sampler night. The good stuff gets drank, the bad gets tossed! After ahwile, who will know what's what!?! Bo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monterey Jack Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I've ben brewing for about 8 years now, though I only do 10 gallons a year as oposed to the 30 I used to brew. Summer ales and porters are my favorites. I give my pastor a case every year for the holidays! LOL. The only horror story I have is when I tried to make ginger beer and added too much sugar. It turned into ginger champagne and finally into ginger grenades! I still remember trying to move the box of undetonated bottles out of the house under a towel at 3am! Sounded like fireworks going off!!! Monterey Jack "yes I am a pirate 200 years too late, the cannons don't thunder, there's nothin to plunder, I'm an over-40 victim of fate, arrivin too late.........." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrateleather Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I had a similar experience the first time I made hard cider probably about 10 years ago... After bottling we came back to the room where it had been stored to find shards of glass stuck in the walls and ceiling. Since then, I usually try to follow a recipe! http://www.PyrateTradingCompany.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BilliesDarlin Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 :angry: Oh.... I can just see it now... a pyrate cookin' show on the beach at PiP... "How t'make yer wine ~ or grenades...it's all the same t'us!" These stories are just too great... imagine the possibilities! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 I'm pretty excited to start my own home brewing. There is a place here in town that is a home brewing shop, I have yet to go inside it yet but I'm sure I'll be like a kid in a candy store. The idea of handing a friend a beer and telling them that you made it will be rewarding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartermaster James Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 I'm pretty excited to start my own home brewing. There is a place here in town that is a home brewing shop, I have yet to go inside it yet but I'm sure I'll be like a kid in a candy store. The idea of handing a friend a beer and telling them that you made it will be rewarding. All encouragement to ye lad! It's an adventure ye'll nay regret! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monterey Jack Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 I'm pretty excited to start my own home brewing. There is a place here in town that is a home brewing shop, I have yet to go inside it yet but I'm sure I'll be like a kid in a candy store. The idea of handing a friend a beer and telling them that you made it will be rewarding. All encouragement to ye lad! It's an adventure ye'll nay regret! Aye! I'll second that!!! The process itself is fun and addictive...but once yer friends find out you'd better be prepard to go public! Monterey Jack "yes I am a pirate 200 years too late, the cannons don't thunder, there's nothin to plunder, I'm an over-40 victim of fate, arrivin too late.........." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadcrowIsland Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Well, my family's been home-brewing wine for quite a number of years now. And there was the one yeard when the Grandfolk's homemade apple juice accidently fermented and became cider... Fermented in the bottle too, so we had no idea until the cork blew off the bottle from the pressure. Sounded like a gunshot. Been considering trying me hand at brewing some mead though... "A Merry Life To Savage Men Who Stand by Freedom's Right, Fuiling Rum To Arm Our Drive And Raid This Ship In Sight. YARRR!" -"Voyage" by Verbal Deception Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capn' Mac Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Well th’ missus an’ I brew our own meade, vanilla soder beer an’ practice a bit o’ th’ alchemy wi’ specialty liqurs! Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartermaster James Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Haven't got 'round to racking the cider yet. Still bulk aging on oak... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainSatan Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) all the brew was cloudy, and had sludge in the bottom. Must have tasted pretty nasty All bottle conditioned beer has some yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Including expensive store bought beers such as Chimay. The trick to avoiding cloudy beer is to pour slowly and leave the last tablespoon in the bottle. Without a doubt the best book on brewing on your own beer. I sent several copies of this book to Iran last month. Edited June 18, 2009 by CaptainSatan As we say in Ireland let's drink until the alcohol in our system destroys our liver and kills us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silken Jack Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 all the brew was cloudy, and had sludge in the bottom. Must have tasted pretty nasty All bottle conditioned beer has some yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Including expensive store bought beers such as Chimay. The trick to avoiding cloudy beer is to pour slowly and leave the last tablespoon in the bottle. Without a doubt the best book on brewing on your own beer. I sent several copies of this book to Iran last month. I second the suggestion of using Papazian. A great book for beginning brewing. I think that I will go into the cabin now and have a lovely bottle of Scotch ale has been sitting waiting for my attentions. There is nothing like brewing your own stuff -it's cheaper and can brew exactly what you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capn Bob Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 My father related to me regarding pumpkin wine the troops "made" in Vietnam. Very simple recipe...you take a pumpkin, scoop it out, put in some sugar, reinsert the mushed up insides, and cover. Since he was in the 56th Trans Co over there, repairing helicopters, they might have used the stuff for aviation fuel. Damn, thats sharp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainSatan Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Sounds ghastly (lol)! When I am in Vietnam I stick to drinking bia hoi. As we say in Ireland let's drink until the alcohol in our system destroys our liver and kills us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Handed Jill Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Those of you in the US can thank the esteemed ex-president Jimmy Carter, who made home brewing legal again. Started a whole new renaissance of microbrewing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelsbagley Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Well, there goes my leanred thing for the day... And I am barely awake! Home brewing illegal? Wow, who would have ever thought (well save perhaps prohibition). Or is that one of the laws introduced during prohibition that was not removed until a long time after as an oversight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Handed Jill Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Yep - it was an oversight from the end of the Prohibition era. Jimmy Carter signed a bill that allowed a certain amount of home brewing to be done without taxation (can't remember the amount, though...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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