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

missychrissy

Once the initial equipment is bought wine making is a fairly cheap hobby if a little smelly at times. I agree with you chikien.

I run out of fermenters sometimes and it can be difficult to find places to keep them. I'm lucky enough to have a utility room with a large boiler cupboard. I also have 6 5 gall fermenters in my study standing in front of the radiator and wrapped in a black fleece.

To date I've stored all my bottles of wine in the hall cupboard and on racks in the utility room but I am spilling out into the garage when the present brews are bottled. However, I have found that by using fermenters with taps and 5 gall buckets with taps I can place a completed brew in it's container on the worktop and use it on draught if it's a wine my family like. Saves on the bottling.

I know what you mean about leaving it alone. I also got a bit sozzled one evening when I was racking off several wines and sampling as I went.

I am trying the jenny jelly recipe, post 363, on the 'if things get tougher' thread using cranberry and raspberry and cranberry and blueberry together with red grape juice, all bought when on special offer. Also trying the same recipe with apple and white grape. It's very easy and straightfoward using cartons of juice. I started them at beginning of August and they are ferrmenting nicely and clearing already. I think this is probably a very quick, easy, economical way to make an easy drinking everyday wine (not that I drink everyday), but ykwim. I will post on results but I have sampled them and so far so good.

Let me know how the strawberry wine turns out.

missychrissy

Have bottled 4 galls of Elderflower wine today. It tastes good and was only started on 21/07/09 but definitely ready for bottling. I used dried elderflowers for this one but will try the real thing next year.

I have also started off 5 galls of rosehip today. Last year's was a little dry, though interesting, so have added more sugar this time and am using a sherry yeast. I'm hoping for something like Harveys Bristol Cream.

I did a second racking of cranberry and rapberry today (Jenny Jelly's recipe) and it's lovely. According to my hydrometer it's ready for bottling so will give it a few days to settle and then will bottle it. It cost me just over £7 to make 4 galls so I reckon that's about 30p per bottle and this is one of my most expensive wines.

There have been loads of elderberries this year and I now have 16 galls fermenting. 6 of the galls are second brewings using the same berries. I will let you know how successful this is in a few months.

I think my apple and white grape wine (Jenny Jelly again) is ready for bottling too. I just need the time.

One of my sons is really keen to have a try so gonna pass on some equipment so he can have a go.

Primrose

Yesterday we picked the grapes from our single Reisling grape vine - 17 lbs which had a specific gravity of 1072. (Last year we cropped 13 lbs with a SG of 1042 so this year's late autumn sunshine has made quite a difference). They've now been whizzed with a blender stick, the juice strained through a jelly bag and left in a covered bucket with the first addition of sugar. It's a fiddly process for the eventual 8 or 9 bottles of wine we'll probably end up with but at least we'll have the satisfaction of knowing it didn't cost us anything, apart from the added sugar.

2cats1kid

I've just got back into my wine making again. I've got 3 lots on the go at the moment : grapefruit, orange and a mixed fruit one (blackberries, elderberries, raspberries, grapes and plums - basically anything I could scrounge!). The orange one is hammering along at a fair old lick, and the grapefruit one smells lovely - I think that will have a bit of a kick to it!

FLA27

Good to see this thread being used again. I started making wine this year using my Dad's old equipment. I have made blackcurrant, tayberry, blackberry, elderflower, grapefruit, cider (tastes a bit rough, but does the job) and I have elderberry, sloe, elderberry/blackberry on the go at the moment.
My drink cupboard has never been so full. I'm trying to resist drinking too much of the stuff though!

missychrissy

I spent the weekend bottling and racking off wine. I also bought a filter last week and used it on the apple wine prior to bottling and the wine is now chrystal clear. It has taken 6 weeks from starting to bottling 4 galls of apple wine (white) and 4 galls of cranberry and raspberry (like a rose) using cartons of juice. It works out at approx 32p per bottle.

I also have 4 galls of cranberry and blueberry about ready to bottle and will try my filter again.

I racked off 5 galls of plum wine that is also soon to be ready. I was given the plums and so this wine works out at approx 13p per bottle.

I have tested the elderberry that I started in September and I think it is close to it's first racking and I am hoping will be very drinkable by Christmas. I just need the time. I also have a further 9 galls of elderberry rattling along as is another brew of cranberry and 5 galls of rosehip sherry. I can hear them fizzing merrily away when I open the boiler cupboard door.

I have some beetroot in the garden that I am going to pick this weekend and try to turn into wine. It should be a lovely colour.

Has anyone tried tomato wine I havn't but someone at work was talking about their father having a glut of tomatoes this year and I wondered if it would make a decent wine.

Happy brewing!

leon103

I am going to give elderflower champagne a go using dried elderflowers. Would brown glass bottles be best(heard they are stronger). I was thinking of using swing caps on them. Should I release the gas in the bottles every couple of days to prevent them exploding?

missychrissy

leon103 wrote: »

I am going to give elderflower champagne a go using dried elderflowers. Would brown glass bottles be best(heard they are stronger). I was thinking of using swing caps on them. Should I release the gas in the bottles every couple of days to prevent them exploding?

I read somewhere that you shouldn't use glass bottles as they may explode. I'm saving plastic fizzy pop bottles that I know therefore are strong enough to take fizzy drinks. I'm planning on making elderflower champagne with the real thing in the Spring. I printed off an elderflower champagne recipe by Gigervamp that she posted (238) on the Preserver's Year thread but I notice there is no yeast used. I didn't think it would work without yeast. I did post and ask if this is right but I havn't had a response yet. She said that she had to let the gas out every day.

If you find a good elderflower champagne recipe please post it as I am keen to try.

I've recently bottled 4 galls of elderflower wine made using dried elderflowers and it's quite good.

missychrissy

I've just answered my own question.

There is an elderflower champagne recipe via Penelope Penguin's post 236 on Preserver's Year thread as well as Gigervamp's post 238.

Apparently no need to add yeast as there is a natural yeast on the flowers but apparently you can add some. I think I would if I were to use dried elderflowers as the yeast might have been killed off in the drying process. Looking forward to hearing how you get on.

leon103

missychrissy wrote: »

I read somewhere that you shouldn't use glass bottles as they may explode. I'm saving plastic fizzy pop bottles that I know therefore are strong enough to take fizzy drinks. I'm planning on making elderflower champagne with the real thing in the Spring. I printed off an elderflower champagne recipe by Gigervamp that she posted (238) on the Preserver's Year thread but I notice there is no yeast used. I didn't think it would work without yeast. I did post and ask if this is right but I havn't had a response yet. She said that she had to let the gas out every day.

If you find a good elderflower champagne recipe please post it as I am keen to try.

I've recently bottled 4 galls of elderflower wine made using dried elderflowers and it's quite good.

I am going to try with glass bottles because next year I hope to make some for my wedding to give the female guests. I will keep you posted