Homebrew

**Kymmy** · 11-08-2010, 17:42

Anyone else do thier own wine/beer making?

We raided a local Cherry plum tree we found on a field walk (like extra large cherries but have a plum taste and an oval shaped stone) so got about 20lb+ from it. So just destoned about 12lb of it and that's gone into the fermentation bucket (suitably blitzed with a hand blender with about 6lb sugar and water upto about 10+litre (should minus the pulp give me enough for 2 one gallon demi-johns. Looking at making a really rich desert wine

Just gone into the bucket and fermentation has just started

Other experiments in the past has been a nice greengage wine (we have a tree in the back yard), Blackberry & Bramley wine and using a Stout kit a nice chocolate stout (the water was boiled with a load of cocoa before mixing in with the concentrate.

11-08-2010, 17:44

I used to make Brown Ale lol

joglynne · 11-08-2010, 18:11

We used to make Ginger Beer if that counts. It was stored in a cupboard under the stairs and years later you still get a whiff of the beer from the time all the bottles popped their corks when we got the mix a bit too strong.

Other than that I still try to make a couple or six of bottles of Plum Gin for Christmas. Not really brewing I know but it does taste lovely and it uses up some of the surplus plums.

11-08-2010, 18:22

thought you were gonna say surplus gin then but that wouldnt happen would it lol . Incidentally Christmas is only 19 weeks away lol lol

Julian · 11-08-2010, 18:35

Fond memories of living/working in Jeddah.

Homebrewing was rife. We even had a beer festival where we sampled and judged each other's efforts.

We used non-alcoholic beer as a base and added ingredients to bring it back to life. Bananas were always popular. The yeast was brought in by people returning from UK/France/Germany etc.

DocDutch · 11-08-2010, 18:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by zing

thought you were gonna say surplus gin then but that wouldnt happen would it lol . Incidentally Christmas is only 19 weeks away lol lol

Cheers for reminding me zing means my bank balance is going to get killed again

Taf · 11-08-2010, 19:03

I've paused over the past few years... decent beer kits became hard to find (only Wilkinsons does any at all around here).

I've just started to make Creme de Cassis and Creme de Mures with our glut of blackcurrants and blackberries. Not really brewing (steeping actually) but it's cheap tipple for later!

My last homemade wine was Parsnip whisky from frosted parsnips from the garden (the frost turns starches to brewable sugar). It was like petrol!!

Osem · 11-08-2010, 20:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taf

It was like petrol!!

How many MPG did you get ?

**Chris** · 11-08-2010, 20:22

Used to, but not for many years now. I'd like to do it again in future, but when the kids are all grown up and we have space.

Scrubbs · 11-08-2010, 20:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julian

Fond memories of living/working in Jeddah.

Homebrewing was rife. We even had a beer festival where we sampled and judged each other's efforts.

We used non-alcoholic beer as a base and added ingredients to bring it back to life. Bananas were always popular. The yeast was brought in by people returning from UK/France/Germany etc.

Wasn't jeddah gin made from 7 of anything. 7 pears, 7 apples 7 gallons? of water 7 pounds of sugar and anything else you could get your hands on(melons oranges ect) all put into a new plastic rubbish bin at left to ferment for ooooh 7 days?

before the clear stuff was taken off the top and drank ( after you taken away the scum of course.)

Hom3r · 11-08-2010, 21:41

Many years ago we had a goosberry bush that got over 40lbs of fruit, after freezing and giving away loads we still had loads.

So my dad crushed them like grapes and used that to make wine, but he made a error, instead of 2 teaspoons of ginger, he put 2 tablespoons.

But it worked, and the extra ginger gave it a kick.

11-08-2010, 22:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hom3r

Many years ago we had a goosberry bush that got over 40lbs of fruit, after freezing and giving away loads we still had loads.

So my dad crushed them like grapes and used that to make wine, but he made a error, instead of 2 teaspoons of ginger, he put 2 tablespoons.

But it worked, and the extra ginger gave it a kick.

I bet that was really nice - a friend of mine has previously made really good gooseberry wine, but it it is difficult to get enough cheap fruit.

He also makes a nice ginger wine - using fresh ginger root, not powder, boiled up then mixed with sugar & yeast. It has the significant advantage of clearing really quickly & being ok to drink when very 'young' ... makes great spritzers, as well

Scrubbs · 11-08-2010, 22:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by gazfan

I bet that was really nice - a friend of mine has previously made really good gooseberry wine, but it it is difficult to get enough cheap fruit.

He also makes a nice ginger wine - using fresh ginger root, not powder, boiled up then mixed with sugar & yeast. It has the significant advantage of clearing really quickly & being ok to drink when very 'young' ... makes great spritzers, as well

I make something similar with ginger root lemons and sugar, it makes a sort of super strong ginger flavoured syrup. which I then add to lemonade , soda water or cheap ginger beer from the supermarket.
It makes a nice drink if you have a cold and want a cold drink.

ohh I add it to brandy as well

alferret · 12-08-2010, 05:47

Tried it once or twice never with any success and a foul smelling vinegar tasting concoction that was only good for cleaning out the drains.
My old man had lots of success with various homemade wines & beers, as a kid we used to nick them and have a party knowing full well we were in for a beating when he found out we had took (stolen in his words) his homebrew.