Adventures in Homebrewland (image heavy - you have been warned!)

shandypants5

kje wrote: »

Hi easter65, can those 5L bottles be used for storing liquid under pressure ? I'm going to be dragging my homebrew kit down from the loft and start brewing again. I have some pressure barrels (25L) but being able to decant my brew into 5L bottles would be ideal.

Hi Kje,

I use 2litre cola bottles sometimes when my barrel if already full.
They wil hold up to 100 psi so no risk of bursting.

Allso if I open a 2 litre bottle I can drink it all that night.:D

Not sure if I could do a 5 litre bottle so the rest would go stale and flat by next day.

kje_2

Hi shandypants5,

I've used 2 litre pop bottles before. I'm just getting lazy and think that cleaning five 5L bottles is easier than twelve 2L bottles. I haven't brewed for about five years and I've got to get brewing again. It'll keep me out of the pub !

maddriver

Well, I spent most of last night reading through this thread, and I must say its relighted my enthusiasm for homebrew.

I have to ask though, the last post on this subject by MrDT (that I can see) was in June, stating he would be drinking in two weeks time. Did he survive? Was it good? Enquiring minds want to know!

avinabacca

Bought a Geordie Bitter kit in Morrisons at the weekend - going to fire up the old brew-bucket tonight and make me some ale!

Also bought brewing yeast, and enough apple juice to make a batch of turbocider. Wish me luck......

MandyLou66

Hello Professional Home Brew people!!
Am looking to get DS started on making his own lager, its his 20th b/day soon so will be ideal as an original pressie!
Can you still buy the kits in Boots? Went to Wilkos today but they just had bottle tops, a syphon thing, and the concentrate no buckets or barrells. Any clue if I can get him a beginners kit anywhere.
Kind regards and Happy Brewing!! ML

MrDT

maddriver wrote: »

Well, I spent most of last night reading through this thread, and I must say its relighted my enthusiasm for homebrew.

I have to ask though, the last post on this subject by MrDT (that I can see) was in June, stating he would be drinking in two weeks time. Did he survive? Was it good? Enquiring minds want to know!

I survived :cool: Thanks for the concern :rotfl:

I still have a bottle left in the fridge, it's a little yeasty tasting lol! One bottle was really good, the other a bit yeasty, think I must have disturbed the demijohn a bit when syphoning, or maybe I sucked up some of the sediment from the bottom of it or something. Still drinkable, and still very strong lol

I'll be trying something else soon I'm sure

arkonite_babe

I have just racked off my wine. Pretty darn good from the sample I had

cider and wine still have about another 10 days to go, but looking good so far. I think I'll be setting more wine down for christmas after this lot.

If anyone is interested, here's the recipe I used for the wine:

Generic wine recipe

Category: Wines

3 Litres Any juice cartons
1 Litre white or red grape juice
1 lb Sugar
1 tsp Pectolase
1 tsp nutrient
yeast

Emptied juice into Demi up to the 3/4 gallon mark, add pectolase, alter SG up to around 1080/90 ish, add the nutrient and yeast leave to ferment in demi (with airlock) after 3/4 days top up with the grape juice,ferment out,should be ready to drink within 8 weeks."

EDITED TO ADD:
Brewzer beer will be ready this weekend. Will be bottling and trying to ferment after bottling as it's a still beer. Might blow myself up so wish me luck!!!

Gangstabird

I have been making wine for a while now and to be honest the SMJuice wines are not all that to be honest.

I have had better results from kit wines and country wines (you make from the fruit)

Turbo cider was !!!!! to be honest. It's like drinking alcoholic apple juice.

However, I am expecting some damn fine wines from my blackberry & elderberry expeditions.

I have just racked the blackberry which finished fermenting after 4 weeks. The elderberry took 3.

Sadly, you cannot drink them until they are bottled for about 6 months, 9 is better.:beer:

pandora205

I'm using one of those kits for the first time in years and it's working! I've had a container warming in the airing cupboard and have siphoned it off lots of times this evening, mixing in finings just now and it should be ready tomorrow.

It is a very quick 7 day kit though apparently improves for 3 months. Mmm... if it lasts that long!
It tastes okay already (well I did have to suck the tube to start the siphon) so can't wait. This batch is chardonnay - I think I'll have a go at merlot next.

And it's been very therapeutic, all this messing around with liquids, powders and tubes. It reminds me of the sort of science lessons we had in my youth.

Pink.

Hi Pandora,

I'm glad it's working well for you. Making my own wine is something I'd really love to have a go at. There's a current thread on home brewing so I'll add your post to it as it may help others who are making their own wine.

Pink