The advantages of home brewing when you fancy a cheap tipple

mr2jay

So glad I have been able to inspire you all

Sorry I originally posted in the wrong place - being a newbie, it takes a while to learn these things

MrsTinks

Much like making wine I suspect

mr2jay

MrsTine wrote: »

Much like making wine I suspect

Nah, making wine is easy

Making DRINKABLE wine though? That takes practice

January20

mr2jay wrote: »

So glad I have been able to inspire you all

Sorry I originally posted in the wrong place - being a newbie, it takes a while to learn these things

I've been here for ages and I didn't know you couldn't post link to blogs ie why my (very interesting ) was deleted

Anyway, my tea wine is bubbling away in the cupboard (temp of 21 degrees) and every time the door is open, this lovely smells wafts out! It inspired my daughter (she is 19 so I'm not corrupting a young child lol) and she decided she wanted to try too so I bought her a Black Cherry kit and we started it together today. Much fun!

I did a second trip to Wilko to try and get a fermenting bin but the only one they had didn't have a lid so I left it. However I realised that they sell their demi-Johns for £7 each and I got 5 for free, Saving £35!

I might put some photos up later - when I update my blog so as kill 2 birds with one stone!

Thanks for inspiring me! I'm having fun!

Sambucus_Nigra

I have been wine making for only a couple of years but absolutely love it. My best brew has been scrumped elderberry, home grown rasp and grape which I made last year and hardly lasted at all after opening. The cheapest - 5 gallons of Elderberry [scrumpted] - which only cost the price of the sugar [5 pounds of] and the yeast etc - hence each of the 30 bottles coming out at about 20p.

My method is to ferment which ever fruit I am using in sugary water with yeast etc for one week, then strain and mix to 1.08 sg, pour into demigod, leave for 48 hours to calm down, top up and then usually in about a month rack off, and then leave until it gets to 0.9 sg. With grape mixes from real proper grapes - I don't throw them out at the end of the first straining, I reuse them twice more - it just adds loads of body to the wine. If I haven't got any grapes, I'll add raisins and I also save the raisins that I use with the elderberry mix to add to other fruit mixes when I am out of grapes.

You can also make a nifty quick wine with smoothies - when on offer, bung 3 l into the demijohn, add 750g sugar, your yeast, and nutrient, bentonite etc - top up to about 4l, and it will go bonkers. Once it's calmed down, fill up and let the gubbins on the top out of the demijohn and top up and it should be done and ready to drink in 4-6 weeks. Add a few raisins if you haven't got a banana based smoothie in your mix.

FireWyrm

"pour into a demigod"....would that be Bacchus? Lol

Best DYAC of the thread so far....

My Rose wine continues to ferment and our beer is almost ready to keg. I have another book which might be of interest....

Making wild wines and meads by Pattie Vargas and Rich Gulling. ISBN 978-1-58017-182-3

mr2jay

Hmmm - never heard the smoothie one

Just for information - the op above mentioned using Sultanas. This is something I do myself sometimes but here is the reason why.

Yeast needs something to get it started sometimes when the liquor (fruity mess) you start with lacks nitrogen which can cause a problem starting the fermentation process. One way to get by this is to add yeast nutrient (Diammonium phosphate) which will suppliment the yeast, getting it started. The reason for adding sultanas is a natural way to support the yeast and get it started rather than yeast nutrients as they are naturally high in the nitrates needed.

Useless fact but it helps to understand why certain things are done

January20

Well, not a useless fact for me because in the tea wine recipe, you have to add raisins and I didn't know why. It doesn't ask for yeast nutrients like other recipes. The author of the recipe stated they like to make their wine as simply as possible. Now I understand why adding raisins is important. I knew it wasn't for sweetness as there is enough sugar already :rotfl:

mr2jay

Got an empty demijohn sat there teasing me

So.....

Going to try a coffee wine for the first time

mr2jay

A little update

Blackberry wine is now finished and bottled



So the Christmas hamper cupboard is filling nicely with a Rhubarb, a Black Cherry and a Blackberry all maturing for the hampers



So, With 3 empty Demijohns and an empty Fermenting Bin I decided to try an experiment. Went and bought some of this fruit tea stuff at £1.19 for 20 bags. Used all 20 of the Twinings Blueberry and Apple bags to make a liquor to add with red grape juice to start a new wine.

This is a complete experiment but it smells amazing.

The one on the left is the Raspberry I started last week and the one on the right is the new fruit tea wine experiment