stu9000
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2010
- Messages
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Its been a month and im on my 20th batch.
Just wanted to say a big thanks.
What a great forum and no question has been to dumb to be answered in a friendly way by forum mods and other contributors.
Much appreciated.
My first few batches are fresh into the bottle and im on balance not unhappy.
Theres plenty of room to get a LOT better at it but the Beaverdale kits ive been buying are pretty idiot proof.
Anyone reading this and thinking of giving brewing a go definitely should.
So what have I learned...?
Dont rack too late.
I was leaving it on the must a bit too long at first I think. A slightly musty flavour I attribute to dodgy homebrew. Now im racking it fairly quickly after the bubbling has died down, then racking again later.
Buy a whisk.
All that shaking of the DJs (after the ferm has finished and you've whacked in the steriliser) doesnt seem to do the job.
A recently bought drill attached whisk is already showing a big improvement in clearing, and I hope taste too!
Try Country Wines.
Picking blackerries, hawthorn berries etc. is great fun with the kids and I love the fact that my only outlay is a bit of sugar, a spoonful of yeast and pectolase.
Of course, ive no idea whether it tastes any good cos it takes a year to mature.
Try tins.
My most recent experiment is tinned fruit. Got Blackberry, plum and rubarb on the go (seperate djs).
Again, cheap.
WOW. Worzels Orange Wine.
Look it up in this forum for good step by step guides.
Its worth it just to see the full on bubbling and lava lamp effect of all the gunk churning inside the dj.
Vimto.
Im not a fan of vimto (in hindsight i think i should have gone with ribeena) but thought Id try an alco pop just for the hell of it.
Barley Wine.
Beer kits are quick, and it looks gorgous now ive racked it from the bucket to djs. Even uncleared it tastes great and unless ive got my figures wrong is already over 9%.
If your starting out the gear im using is:
5litre plastic water bottles as DJs
Ive also got some glass ones I dug out of Dads attic and they are way better to work with.
Lots of plastic bungs, bungs with holes in and air locks. Again, I raided Dads attic for the S type ones which I prefer. The cylindrical ones are ok, but not nearly as satisfying to watch.
A couple of fermentation buckets
A couple of brew belts.
Pot of general purpose wine yeast, stabilizer, yeast nutrient, Campden tablets, sterilizer, pectolase.
Keep all the wine bottles you use (and start buying screw tops for less hassle).
hydrometer (just start using it and it will begin to make sense)
Funnel, jug, scales.
Try boxing in a shelf and heating it with a light bulb or fan heater with a thermostat switch. You'll save a fortune in brew belts.
Next purchase - 25L Brewing Vat. The cost per bottle is cheaper and apparently flavour is improved with larger volumes. so when ive worked out what Beaverdale kit I want to go with Im getting one of these babies.
Thanks again. You may have noticed Ive only tasted a small portion of what im brewing, but im an optimist.
One of the best things about this hobby is the £ you spend should eventually come back to you as you spend less in the supermarket. At least thats what im telling the wife!
Just wanted to say a big thanks.
What a great forum and no question has been to dumb to be answered in a friendly way by forum mods and other contributors.
Much appreciated.
My first few batches are fresh into the bottle and im on balance not unhappy.
Theres plenty of room to get a LOT better at it but the Beaverdale kits ive been buying are pretty idiot proof.
Anyone reading this and thinking of giving brewing a go definitely should.
So what have I learned...?
Dont rack too late.
I was leaving it on the must a bit too long at first I think. A slightly musty flavour I attribute to dodgy homebrew. Now im racking it fairly quickly after the bubbling has died down, then racking again later.
Buy a whisk.
All that shaking of the DJs (after the ferm has finished and you've whacked in the steriliser) doesnt seem to do the job.
A recently bought drill attached whisk is already showing a big improvement in clearing, and I hope taste too!
Try Country Wines.
Picking blackerries, hawthorn berries etc. is great fun with the kids and I love the fact that my only outlay is a bit of sugar, a spoonful of yeast and pectolase.
Of course, ive no idea whether it tastes any good cos it takes a year to mature.
Try tins.
My most recent experiment is tinned fruit. Got Blackberry, plum and rubarb on the go (seperate djs).
Again, cheap.
WOW. Worzels Orange Wine.
Look it up in this forum for good step by step guides.
Its worth it just to see the full on bubbling and lava lamp effect of all the gunk churning inside the dj.
Vimto.
Im not a fan of vimto (in hindsight i think i should have gone with ribeena) but thought Id try an alco pop just for the hell of it.
Barley Wine.
Beer kits are quick, and it looks gorgous now ive racked it from the bucket to djs. Even uncleared it tastes great and unless ive got my figures wrong is already over 9%.
If your starting out the gear im using is:
5litre plastic water bottles as DJs
Ive also got some glass ones I dug out of Dads attic and they are way better to work with.
Lots of plastic bungs, bungs with holes in and air locks. Again, I raided Dads attic for the S type ones which I prefer. The cylindrical ones are ok, but not nearly as satisfying to watch.
A couple of fermentation buckets
A couple of brew belts.
Pot of general purpose wine yeast, stabilizer, yeast nutrient, Campden tablets, sterilizer, pectolase.
Keep all the wine bottles you use (and start buying screw tops for less hassle).
hydrometer (just start using it and it will begin to make sense)
Funnel, jug, scales.
Try boxing in a shelf and heating it with a light bulb or fan heater with a thermostat switch. You'll save a fortune in brew belts.
Next purchase - 25L Brewing Vat. The cost per bottle is cheaper and apparently flavour is improved with larger volumes. so when ive worked out what Beaverdale kit I want to go with Im getting one of these babies.
Thanks again. You may have noticed Ive only tasted a small portion of what im brewing, but im an optimist.
One of the best things about this hobby is the £ you spend should eventually come back to you as you spend less in the supermarket. At least thats what im telling the wife!
