What have you got brewing at the moment

[prison break fan]

Thankyou very much Craig.r Off shopping for fruit!!! pbf.

[pitwipe]

Thanks craig.r!

Is there a substitute for the Pectic Enzyme? What's it for?

[MKG]

It's a substance which breaks down pectin, and there's no substitute apart from not using it at all. It does two things - it helps to increase juice extraction a little by allowing the easier rupturing of cell walls, and it increases your chances of NOT having a hazy wine (a lot of hazes are caused by pectin). If you're going to make a wine from jam (packed full of pectin) it's almost a necessity. Otherwise, you can safely ignore it on the grounds that there's nothing actually wrong with a hazy wine unless you're terribly bothered about its cosmetic appearance.

In the dried fruit recipe, make sure that none of the pith from the orange and lemon gets into your wine (i.e. use the zest and juice only) and you shouldn't have a pectin problem.

Mike

[oldfella]

Now you tell me.

I wondered what I done wrong with my dried Apricot wine, I just drink it out of a frosted glass, and spit out the lumps

[MKG]

Spit out the lumps ???

But they're the best bits ...

Mike

[pitwipe]

LOL!!!

And thanks for the explanation, Mike. I'll just omit it, I'm ok with hazy wine :)

[phil55494]

The OH has had a right old time collecting up Elderflowers from a tree in a friends garden at the end of the road (price a bottle of something nice made with the flowers). Cordial has been made and now the wine should be starting to ferment up.

The Rhubarb wine looks ready to bottle and no doubt drink

[scrap]

I've bitten the bullet and started a small test-batch of apple wine.
My very first attempt at wine-making,and I kept it as simple as possible.
3-litre jug,rubber stop and an airlock.
2 litres of apple juice,about half a litre of fully saturated sugarwater and a small packet of ordinary dried supermarket yeast.
It's bubbling along nicely,apparently the yeast is happy.
....exiting!

[victibz]

Hi,
I have a Demijohn of Elderberry wine Bubbling along and ive just started a batch of blackberry wine.

I thought id killed my Elderberry wine till i came down this morning and discovered it had bubbled over in my Pantry!!
Its now bubbling away to its self, so lets hope theres no more explosions!

I can't wait till the elderflower are out again then i can make some elderflower champayne, which is an old Family recipe.

I think im getting addicted to this brewing lark.
Vic x

[scrap]

The first batch of apple wine seems to be done with fermenting.
The yeast is slowly settling on the bottom of the jug,and the liquid is clearing up nicely.
I think i'll leave it for another week before I siphon off the wine.

If the weather clears up this afternoon I intend to look for some elderberry's.

*edit*

About 8 litres of elderberry wine are just starting to ferment...

[scrap]

Couldn't wait any longer,so I siphoned off the apple wine.
The vino-meter indicated about 11% alcohol.
I'm not that sure if I'm using that thingy correctly,but the average of 3 measurements was 11-ish.
The extra sugar I added halfway trough the fermentation process paid off.

Now for the most important part...
What would my very own ''prison-hooch'' taste like?
I filled a small wineglass and smelled it.
Slightly acidic,but still recognisable as something made from apples.
The taste was surprisingly good for something that I made with such simple methods and ingredients.
Somewhat dry,but it still had a fruity apple flavour followed by a slightly sour aftertaste.
Not unpleasant at all,I've bought wines that tasted far worse.

While I'm typing this I'm having another glass.
Granted,it's nothing truly remarkable tastewise,but the feeling of achievement makes it something special for me.
...Even making alcohol can be addictive

[welshmum]

scrap I too am new to brewing and I am attempting two gallons (seperately) of rose hip wine. I have my fingers crossed that at least one of them will turn out good! And I am addicted too. I have blackberries thawing ready for processing tomorrow.

I am looking at doing something quick whilst these ferment and am open to ideas.

[Rattyhorses]

I have lots brewing at the moment. I have 30 gals of cider in the garden in a barrel doing really well at the last tasting, Gorse wine still in some demi johns as i have no spare bottles, banana wine should be just about drinkable now, marrow rum done the other method and doing well, pea pod wine, red and white gooseberry wine, more cider, spiced plum wine, sloe gin, Rose hip wine, Elderberry wine and i have just finished Elderberry cordial (kids love it) Rose hip cordial, Sloe cordial and Parsnip wine.

[Thurston Garden]

I freecycled all my homebrew kit when I moved house. How foolish! Whilst out with the dog recently I spotted two huge 'trees' of elder berries on the fringe of a field. Too good to miss I though... I was fortunate to get 2 demi-johns off freecycle and nipped over to The Brew Barn for other bits and pieces and have 2 gallons bubbling in a bucket which I plan to syphon into the demi-john's tonight.

I wonder what's next!

[Rattyhorses]

I freecycled all my homebrew kit when I moved house. How foolish! Whilst out with the dog recently I spotted two huge 'trees' of elder berries on the fringe of a field. Too good to miss I though... I was fortunate to get 2 demi-johns off freecycle and nipped over to The Brew Barn for other bits and pieces and have 2 gallons bubbling in a bucket which I plan to syphon into the demi-john's tonight.

I wonder what's next!

I love the Brew Barn and not far from me either. i gathered blackberries, rosehips, haws, elderberries, and anything else i can find around coldingham