Home Brewing round 2?.
- Thread starter keithmac
- Start date
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bitsandbobs
Über Member
With a little bit of effort, it's relatively easy to homebrew beer these days which is far far far better than pretty much anything you could buy in the 70s, 80s, 90s and noughties. And a lot of what's on the supermarket shelves these days.
The range of yeasts and hops available to the home brewer is fantastic, but it's likely not going to save you a huge amount of cash. Sure you can make super cheap homebrew, but it'll taste as bad as it did way back when.
The game has changed in the last decade as craft brewing has taken off and it's very difficult to produce a Verdant, Deya, Neon Raptor, BBno etc. at home.
The range of yeasts and hops available to the home brewer is fantastic, but it's likely not going to save you a huge amount of cash. Sure you can make super cheap homebrew, but it'll taste as bad as it did way back when.
The game has changed in the last decade as craft brewing has taken off and it's very difficult to produce a Verdant, Deya, Neon Raptor, BBno etc. at home.
Con
Über Member
I don't brew beer but I make a very nice wine out of supermarket fruit juice. I gave my friends a bottle of it and they couldn't believe how nice it was. It's a tweaked version of wurzels orange wine that you can find on the internet. Mine comes out like a nice rose but about 16% (it knocks your block off) I make 10ltrs of the stuff for £8. I've been making it for about 15 years now but it took me 5 years to perfect it.
Attachments
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
Not forgetting malts (if you're going to make the stuff properly).
lazybloke
Considering a new username
- Location
- Leafy Surrey
I tried that recipe several times. Tried lots of variations, inverting the sugar, racking and maturing. Even made it with freshly collected silver birch sap one spring.
It was all filth. Cooked with some of it. Poured quite a lot away. Always had nasty bitterness. Tried to cover that with glycerol- no joy.
What did you learn during your 5 years of perfecting?
Con
Über Member
Leaving out the orange for one thing lol. I use
4 morrisons grape apple and raspberry juice and 1 purple grape. Boil everything for 15 minutes beforehand and use a good yeast like ec 1118. But I've had ok results with youngs yeast compound as well. Not really had any taste bitter. Very dry sometimes but you can back sweeten. I also rack mine and let it clear by itself as I think finings leave a funny taste.
4 morrisons grape apple and raspberry juice and 1 purple grape. Boil everything for 15 minutes beforehand and use a good yeast like ec 1118. But I've had ok results with youngs yeast compound as well. Not really had any taste bitter. Very dry sometimes but you can back sweeten. I also rack mine and let it clear by itself as I think finings leave a funny taste.
Harold Finch
Active Member
I currently have a Wherry and a Dark Stout in pressure barrels and a couple of hundred bottles of various lagers......I'm working my way through them
I prefer using the still and making spirit these days
I prefer using the still and making spirit these days
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keithmac
Guru
Was looking at pressure barrels, how much is the gas to keep them topped up?.
We've bottled this one for easier storage but I'm sure I could find room for a pressure barrel full of stout!.
Fancy doing a nice Belgian wheat beer, they're a bit pricey though so need to get the practice in first!.
We've bottled this one for easier storage but I'm sure I could find room for a pressure barrel full of stout!.
Fancy doing a nice Belgian wheat beer, they're a bit pricey though so need to get the practice in first!.
Harold Finch
Active Member
The little gas bulbs are about £5 for 10, make sure you get the right gas bulb holder for your barrel, there are a couple of different types.
Barreling is a lot easier than bottling with less sanitising, easier to fill, no capping.
You have to make sure the you have a good seal or you can lose your beer or end up with flat beer. The other trouble with a barrel is keeping it cool, not as easy to keep chilled as bottles.
That first turn of the tap after waiting a few weeks is nervewracking
SafetyThird
Senior Member
- Location
- North Devon
This week I'll be bottling my first all grain brew. It's a traditional English IPA. Next up with be a London bitter and a London porter, again all brewed from grain rather than tins. It's not much more difficult but takes a bit longer on brewing day.
SafetyThird
Senior Member
- Location
- North Devon
If you like porters and want to do a kit, the Woodforde's Nog is a lovely dark beer, not quite a porter but dark and rich. I've done a couple of kits of that and still have half a barrel to work my way through.
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keithmac
Guru
Thanks, I'll have a look into that one!.
