Home Brewing - what have you made?

[sunandshadow]

(Skip this paragraph if you prefer dry wines and ciders or hard liquors)
I was never a big fan of alcohol because I'm what's called a "supertaster" which is a word for people who are extra-sensitive to bitter and spicy tastes and perfumey smells (and by extra-sensitive I mean we can't stand them if they are strong.) So I really hate hops, which rules out pretty much all beer, and I can't stand the "spicyness" of anything that's more than about 9% alcohol. But! First I discovered that I love concord wine cut with concord grape juice. Then I discovered sweet cider (sweet hard cider in American usage), and that there's a thing called a cider-style wine, where you use some fruit other than apples but use cider yeast so it produces a lower alcohol wine with more of the fruit sugar remaining, and as a bonus it takes way less time to age than wine. I haven't found one to taste yet, but I've heard sweet mead can be excellent too. The sweet ciders and cider-wines available locally have limited variety and availability though, so I decided to try making some for myself.

So, currently I've got two bubbling pots in the basement, of which hopefully one will become sweet mead and the other peach cider. Next weekend I may start another one or two if I can decide what I want to try. What have you all tried to brew? How did it turn out? Did you learn anything about how to do it better next time, or how to predict what recipe will have what result?

 

[Frizzle_Fry]

Never brewed anything more than a tub of hooch...it's great engine parts/gun/bong cleaner as well as an antiseptic and it will fuck you up till next tuesday...

Though I do like the idea of what you are currently doing, any chance at a legit blog documenting the process?

 

[sunandshadow]

There are a lot of homebrew and microbrew podcasts and blogs out there, but I'm personally too lazy to add to the noise, especially if it required me to update on any kind of regular schedule. Keeping a notebook of ingredient costs and amounts is about the limit of my motivation. But you should google and see what you get - there are all kinds of interesting experiments people have done, like beer using bread yeast, bread using beer yeast, and antique/ethnic brews like kvass, mead, etc.

 

[Frizzle_Fry]

There are a lot of homebrew and microbrew podcasts and blogs out there, but I'm personally too lazy to add to the noise, especially if it required me to update on any kind of regular schedule. Keeping a notebook of ingredient costs and amounts is about the limit of my motivation. But you should google and see what you get - there are all kinds of interesting experiments people have done, like beer using bread yeast, bread using beer yeast, and antique/ethnic brews like kvass, mead, etc.

I hear ya...I'm the same way with my hobbies. I'll have to look into it....

 

[Image]

I've bottled my own wine before. A dry white and a cabernet, five gallons of each. It wasn't bad tasting but it was very difficult to get the kind of clarity you'd see in a winery, especially the red as I recall.

Now I know I can do it and it's somewhat self satisfying. But probably not worth the work to reward ratio to me unless I perfected the taste.

I would like to try making mead though...

 

[unregistered]

 

[Kruge]

I've bottled my own wine before. A dry white and a cabernet, five gallons of each. It wasn't bad tasting but it was very difficult to get the kind of clarity you'd see in a winery, especially the red as I recall.

Now I know I can do it and it's somewhat self satisfying. But probably not worth the work to reward ratio to me unless I perfected the taste.

I would like to try making mead though...

I will gladly be your taste tester

Have not tried any home brews myself but it does sound interesting, especially trying something not readily available at the store

 

[Bert Notorius]

I'm not too crazy about the last batches of chocolate cherry and chocolate bacon- not enough good bacon flavor.

 

[remy_lebeau8]

Black ipa was the last I made. Pretty good too. Before that was a boubon ale and a porter before that.

Safe to say I like dark heavy ales.

I think next ill do a pale ale, followed by a chocolate cherry stout and then mead

Remy

 

[Image]

I will gladly be your taste tester

Have not tried any home brews myself but it does sound interesting, especially trying something not readily available at the store

It's a good skill to have in the event of the apocalypse

I'm not too crazy about the last batches of chocolate cherry and chocolate bacon- not enough good bacon flavor.

Gods, that sounds delicious!

 

[remy_lebeau8]

Black ipa was the last I made. Pretty good too. Before that was a boubon ale and a porter before that.

Safe to say I like dark heavy ales.

I think next ill do a pale ale, followed by a chocolate cherry stout and then mead

Remy

 

[Bert Notorius]

Black ipa was the last I made. Pretty good too. Before that was a boubon ale and a porter before that.

Safe to say I like dark heavy ales.

I think next ill do a pale ale, followed by a chocolate cherry stout and then mead

Remy

Mead puts me in a diabetic coma...

 

[Bert Notorius]

It's a good skill to have in the event of the apocalypse



Gods, that sounds delicious!

Didn't go bold enough.

 

[sunandshadow]

Mead puts me in a diabetic coma...

The last mead I had wasn't sweet at all, it was bone dry like a white champagne. Not my thing at all but some of the other tasters were enthusiastic. Me, I want to be able to taste the honey, diabetes be damned.


Chocolate cherry sounds delicious, although I question the stout part. A cherry wine with cocoa in, and maybe some cream, on the other hand... *yum*

 

[remy_lebeau8]

The last mead I had wasn't sweet at all, it was bone dry like a white champagne. Not my thing at all but some of the other tasters were enthusiastic. Me, I want to be able to taste the honey, diabetes be damned.


Chocolate cherry sounds delicious, although I question the stout part. A cherry wine with cocoa in, and maybe some cream, on the other hand... *yum*

I don't know if you can get bells in your area, but they make a cherry stout that is absolutely amazing. Mead I think will be my late fall though winter brew. I think its gotta sit in the tank 3 months or so to clear.

Remy.

Edit: I have to make my Xmas spice ale first. I've been getting requests for it sense February.