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

pandora205

Thanks, I'll wait and see then. It would be a shame to pour it all away (and I'd hoped to have some ready for Christmas).

Primrose

Good luck with your venture. This reminds me of the tale of our ten demijohns of elderberry wine which fermented too quickly many years ago when we racked them off the pulp from a plastic dusbin. It was the first autumn evening we'd switched the central heating on which really got them going ! They bubbled and foamed away merrily all night, blowing out the fermentation traps and spilling all over our kitchen worktop, cabinets and floor and staining everything bright red. The place looked like an abbatoire the following morning when we came down for breakfast !
We now leave PLENTY of room in our demijohns in the early fermentation stages but have never had a disaster since. Just think of all the VAT you won't be paying to Alister Darling!

pandora205

Primrose wrote: »

Good luck with your venture. This reminds me of the tale of our ten demijohns of elderberry wine which fermented too quickly many years ago when we racked them off the pulp from a plastic dusbin. It was the first autumn evening we'd switched the central heating on which really got them going ! They bubbled and foamed away merrily all night, blowing out the fermentation traps and spilling all over our kitchen worktop, cabinets and floor and staining everything bright red. The place looked like an abbatoire the following morning when we came down for breakfast !
We now leave PLENTY of room in our demijohns in the early fermentation stages but have never had a disaster since. Just think of all the VAT you won't be paying to Alister Darling!

Oh dear! At least mine is white wine (or will be one day) and I can't wait for it to be ready. I'm going to have to buy some more stuff to start a second set!

OddjobKIA

I made cider when I was 18

we done it a big barrel

the ingredients said use 1lb of sugar (we used 4lb)

We took it on a huge camp in Crickhowell back in the early to 90's....NOBODY AND I MEAN NOBODY could stand up and drink down a pint without fainting...............Lovely stuff.....

Larumbelle

Can anyone help me? I have just acquired some demijohns off freecycle and the lady kindly gave me a tin of YOUNGS HOME WINE kit thingy. It's in date and has the little sachets with it, but it doesn'tt have the label, which apparently had the instructions printed on. It's called country something-or-other, either strawberry or elderflower, she can't remember which, but I'm guessing the instructions would be pretty much the same for either. She can't remember what you had to do now. But it makes one demijohn full.

I know it's a longshot, but I have seen a reference to the same kits somewhere on this thread, does anyone still have the instructions that could let me know what I'm supposed to do with the kit? I've visited the Youngs' website and emailed them, but I'm guessing they won't get back to me until monday and I really really want to get this wine going this weekend!

If not, is there some general way of doing these kits?

If anyone can help me I'd be eternally grateful, plus invite you to come drink it with me if you live close enough :beer:;)

pol

Can you post which little sachets you have? Usually, you add the contents of the can with about 8oz sugar to the demi and top up to the shoulder with water. It depends which kit you have, but you may have yeast, nutrient, citric acid, bentonite, stabiliser, finings etc. They are slightly different in each pack. You will definitely need to add the nutrient and yeast. If you let it ferment at normal room temperature you'll get a better flavoured wine.

pol

Larumbelle

The sachets are:
yeast compound (I'm guessing that's yeast and improver in one, then),
stabiliser (is that like campden tablets to stop the fermentation?)
finings (thats the stuff you add right at the end to clear it, right?)

I have made wine before, from scratch, just not from a kit. I wasn't sure about how much sugar I need? I assume I make it up with water to a gallon though I'm not sure if hot or cold. I made kit beer once and it was nothing like making beer from scratch!

pol

I used to mix the sugar with hot water to dissolve it, add to the demi and then fill the demi 3/4 up. Hot or cold doesn't matter as long as it's room temp when you add the yeast.
Yes, the compound is a mix. Stabiliser is added at the end of fermentation and the finings when you have degassed to clear it. Easier than some with only three sachets.:j You can usually drink these kits after about a month too, although they taste better after 6 months. Hope you enjoy it!
pol

Jabberwock

silvercharming wrote: »

Can anyone help me? I have just acquired some demijohns off freecycle and the lady kindly gave me a tin of YOUNGS HOME WINE kit thingy. It's in date and has the little sachets with it, but it doesn'tt have the label, which apparently had the instructions printed on. It's called country something-or-other, either strawberry or elderflower, she can't remember which, but I'm guessing the instructions would be pretty much the same for either. She can't remember what you had to do now. But it makes one demijohn full.

I know it's a longshot, but I have seen a reference to the same kits somewhere on this thread, does anyone still have the instructions that could let me know what I'm supposed to do with the kit? I've visited the Youngs' website and emailed them, but I'm guessing they won't get back to me until monday and I really really want to get this wine going this weekend!

If not, is there some general way of doing these kits?

If anyone can help me I'd be eternally grateful, plus invite you to come drink it with me if you live close enough :beer:;)

Hi Silvercharming,

I hope this isn't too late for you but I have just found the instructions label for Youngs's Country Definitive Elderflower lurking at the bottom of my brewing box of stuff.

1. Empty contents of can into a sterlised demijohn or fermentation container. Fill the empty can to the top with water and add this to the mixture
.
2. Boil 0.6 litres of water. Dissolve 450g sugar in the hot water, stir to dissolve and add to the demijohn.

3. Top up demijohn with water to 4.54 litres (shoulder of DJ)

4. Add pack A/B- Wine yeast compound to the liquid and agitate well to disperse all ingredients. Seal with a bung and airlock and half fill airlock with cold water. Transfer demijohn to a constantly warm place between 20-25 °c Within 12 hours fermentation will commence.

5. Over a period of 7 to 20 days (depending on temperature) fermentation will be complete.
Completion of fermentation is indicated when bubbles have stopped passing through the airlock. We recommend that you check the specific gravity with a hydrometer; a constant reading of 1004 or below over 2 consecutive days will confirm that fermentation is complete.
At the end of fermentation empty the contents of pack C- wine stabiliser into a clean cup. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water and mix to dissolve. Add to the wine; rinsing out the cup with a little wine from the fermentation container/demijohn.
Depending on your palate follow the hydrometer reading for Dryness/Sweetness
Elderflower 1004-1010
If your readings are not as suggested or to your required taste you can sweeten your wine using Young's wine sweetner.
Add pack D- Wine Finings into the container and agitate well.
During the next 24 hours agitate the container at least 6 times, the more often the container is agitated the quicker the wine will clear.

6. Transfer the container to a cool place (not in direct sunlight) and leave undisturbed to clear. Clearing should take between 7-10 days, when clear syphon into sterilised bottles and seal with corks or plastic stoppers.

Your wine is now ready to drink, but will improve if left to mature. If you decide to store your wine use only straight corks and keep bottle upright for 24 hours before laying bottles on their side in a wine rack, this will prevent spoilage of the wine caused by shrinking corks. Do not store bottled wine in direct sunlight.

Hope this helps
regards
Jabberwock

Larumbelle

Jabberwock, I love you, and if they hadn't stopped passenger flights from Cov airport I'd have flown you down to thank you personally!

You are a STAR! I had held off making it until I heard back from Youngs... who needs the manufacturers when you have MSE, eh?

:beer: Cheers, mate!