How's your homebrew?

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How's your homebrew?
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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Aug 12, 06 6:17 pm Post subject: How's your homebrew?

Just come back from a local homebrew shop with some fresh supplies and I wondered how everyone is getting on at the moment?

I've just bottled last years damson (it was made with small very tart fruits) but has produced a very smooth tasty wine that seems ready to drink now. My dried apricot sweet wine is ageing in it's demijohn and tasting very good; I though something was missing so I've added the juice of a lemon and half a cup of strong tea, seems much better and will be ready to bottle soon, just in time for Christmas.

This years Rhubarb and sage wines are almost stopped fermenting, the sage is too dry so I need to add some sugar syrup to it but the 'barb is just about right. I need to start a gallon of raspberry now I've managed to pick enough.

I've managed to pick about 8lb of blackberries from the back garden in the last couple of weeks and we've been checking up on the local supply of damsons, plenty out there and I aim to make several gallons this year. I think the damsons can make a red just as good as a medium priced shop red and much cheaper.

Hops flowering well so I stocked up on plenty of malt in anticipation, I think I'll try a raspberry beer when I get a moment.

jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat Aug 12, 06 7:42 pm Post subject:

It's looking good, not much ripe around here yet. But I have made an amazing discovery of an abundant source of Sloes which my previous scouting over the last two years here had missed

Meanwhile I only have about 15 gallons still being forced struggling to ferment out, one lot of alst years Elderberry and two of dried Elderberry.

For me that is not a lot, and leaves loads of fermenters available (at least after some bottling) for this years fresh efforts

Side note on the Sloes, they seem once again remarkably advanced.

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 7:24 am Post subject:

Bottled the redcurrant, ditto with the ribena - tea and raisin nearly clear - starting off some plum later today!

I am going to have to get a 5 gallon fermenter for elderberry - and will be out early tomorrow scrounging empties from the recycle bins. Ran out of bottles really quickly

You won't catch me using blackberries for wine. Blackberry and apple jam is just about my most favourite thing in the world.

ken69

Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 316
Location: Norfolk

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 8:10 am Post subject:

Rumtoft this year again, tho with cheap vodka, flavoured with cherries and ripest blackberries.Topped with brown sugar.
Also started a Marrow Rum. Suspended large marrow de-pipped and de-pithed filled with demera sugar.Taped the top back on.
Found an absolute ton of wild Czars or something similiar.All legal subject to no damage to the trees.
Freezer full,(tho could chuck the rhubarb) so perhaps a 5 gallon batch.
Not sure about Doyen de Comice pears at home.
Got a load of beetroot, courtesy FREECYCLE. Mostly pickled now.
Started collecting fallen hazelnuts.
It's all go.

jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 8:32 am Post subject:

Frewen wrote:

You won't catch me using blackberries for wine. Blackberry and apple jam is just about my most favourite thing in the world.

I'd really recommend you substituting perhap 1 part in 6 of your Eldeberry with slightly more blackberry, the mix does work very well.

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 9:09 am Post subject:
But but but..... I'll think about putting some blackberries in I tried the marrow thing once - it didn't work for me

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 12:01 pm Post subject:

Frewen wrote:

You won't catch me using blackberries for wine. Blackberry and apple jam is just about my most favourite thing in the world.

How many jars do you make? You should be able to pick enough for plenty of jelly and a little wine, there seems to be plenty about this year.

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 1:08 pm Post subject:
Yes - I know... My problem is that I have to try and pick blackberries with my 10 month old in tow. I would put her in the back pack but I am six months pregnant too (glutton for punishment) so my foraging is a little constrained at present. I did manage to pick a couple of pounds earlier this week but they are already jam.

gil
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Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 7:56 pm Post subject:

Homebrew is going well, but I have a bottleneck developing, as still not enough racking and maturing vessels.

Fermenting at the moment :

5 galls Edme Bitter kit, with a couple of handfuls of bog myrtle thrown in for flavouring

1 gall gooseberry (for champagne)
1 gall wild redcurrant (with a few wild rasps)
1 gall raspberry and recurrant (2:1)

Racked and clearing :

8 galls birch sap (troublesome, not clearing fast)
1 gall sycamore sap (ditto)
1 gall sorrel (ditto)
1 gall ground elder
1 gall early summer oakleaf

Maturing :
5 galls nettle
1 gall raspberry
1 gall redcurrant
1 gall bog myrtle

Recently bottled :
1 gall nettle tip and flower champagne
Sloe 2005 (3 galls)
Damson 2005 (3 galls)

Logjam in the freezer; this year's :
rasps, redcurrants, gooseberries, bog myrtle, even more rhubarb,
a load of last year's unexpected blackcurrants, stray sloes and damsons

And the bulk of the wine-making harvest still to come.
Not to mention the wines being made in quantity...

dododumpling

Joined: 14 Sep 2005
Posts: 40

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 06 11:07 am Post subject:
Not quite homebrew as in wine, but I started off a batch of raspberry vodka on Saturday. I've never drunk raspberry vodka before but I suspect it's going to be one of my favourite drinks ... I'm hoping to get some damsons from the farmers' market (as I did last year) for damson gin, and I want to make elderberry cordial, too.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 06 11:25 am Post subject:
I made several flavoured vodkas last year and, for me, the raspberry turned out the best. I hope you've made enough.

efiona

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 60
Location: manchester

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 06 12:41 pm Post subject:
has anyone tried cucumber vodka? i had some cheap vodka left after making cherry and almond, and a bit of a glut of cucs, so i'm carrying out an experiment. it's only been in 2 days and it already smells heavenly.

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 06 12:49 pm Post subject:

Frewen wrote:

Yes - I know...

My problem is that I have to try and pick blackberries with my 10 month old in tow. I would put her in the back pack but I am six months pregnant too (glutton for punishment) so my foraging is a little constrained at present.

Won't the bump out front balance out the pack on the back though?

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 06 3:16 pm Post subject:
You would think so... but put the back pack strap around the one in the front and s/he doesn't like it - leave it off and the one on the back falls out I suppose I am growing my own team of blackberriy pickers though(consolatory thought)

james_so

Joined: 10 May 2006
Posts: 1264
Location: Torbay, S. Devon

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 06 5:52 pm Post subject:
Didn't make any for a few years then 'started up' again this year 4g Rhubarb <-- looking good 3g Pea pod & Ginger <-- not fermenting very well 4.5g Beetroot & Apple <-- amazing colour, hope it stays 2g Apple <-- don't recall making this... 1g Orange Pineapple & Banana <-- from cartons, looking OK 1g Orange Juice <-- from a carton - made in 2002 and still clearing... Need to get some more DJs

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