Freeper self sufficiency

djf

[djf]

OK.

I have a bunch of empty Grolsch bottles and have been thinking about doing some moon shining of sorts.

Any Freepers ever home-brew? Beer? Hard cider?

Curious about experiences and recommendations, and since Freepers are the smartest people in the world, figured it needed a thread!

[MIT-Elephant]

Sixpacks are over $9 where I live, so the dollar-a-bottle back of the envelope rate for homebrewed brewskies is a real steal over the course of a year or so.

Another good move: become an inveterate bottle scrounger. Where I live glass recycling is kind of a chore, so offering to take bottles off the hands of neighbors and friends is appreciated. A win-win.

[MIT-Elephant]

Here’s an article I wrote for my school paper about the hobby:

http://daily.stanford.org/article/2008/4/15/letThereBeBeer

[neb52]

Would it be more economical to use bigger bottles like Growlers or Chimay size bottles? I would think it would be easier to reuse those. One of the small restaurant chains here has it’s own microbrewery. You can take their beer home as long as you purchase it in a Growler, that you can bring back for a cheaper priced refill.

[cowboyway]

I recommend taking up reloading your own ammo.

Do both.

[Pest]

Brewing beer is not legal in Alabama.

[Pest]

is it legal to make your own hard liquor for personal/family consumption too?

Not really. In some states you can apply for a permit for home distilling, but not all.

[castlebrew]

...Now how do you know primary fermentation is done?...

That’s where the hydrometer comes in. Starting at about day 7 (or 10, after the yeasty foam has settled down), take a hydrometer reading of the fermented wort. Use a sanitized turkey baster or wine thief to obtain a sample from the fermenter.

The hydrometer will give the specific gravity of the liquid. Correct the reading for the temperature of the wort (most hydrometers are calibrated to pure water at 60F (SG = 1.000) and have a calibration chart for different temperatures). Record the specific gravity. (This is where a digital thermometer and a brewing software program (like ProMash) come in handy).

When you see a constant SG reading over 2 or 3 days, then the primary fermentation has stabilized and you’re ready to bottle. The yeast cells have indeed digested as much of the sugar as they can and/or have created more alcohol than they can handle. They go dormant until more of the right type of sugar becomes available (such as during the conditioning phase).

(yes, that means that you’re drinking yeast poop!)

I’ve found that 2 weeks works just fine (15 years homebrewing experience) to complete the primary fermentation. Since I usually brew on a weekend, I don’t have to sweat bottling on a weekday evening. All part of the “relax, don’t worry” part of this avocation.

A few practice runs with the hydrometer and plain sugar water can help with developing a good procedure for the limitations of your work area and an understanding of how to read the meniscus and converting to the true SG.

Recommended reference: “The Complete Joy of Homebrewing” by Charlie Papazian. I read mine until it was about dog-eared before I started brewing, to help visualize the steps in the process.

[castlebrew]

...Don’t try to start out with trappists, stouts, or lagers...

A stout was my very first (and very tasty batch). Easy to do from a malt syrup & specialty grain recipe.

I would recommend that new homebrewers start with the malt syrup & specialty grain method, before going to all-grain mashes. Much lower initial investment; easier process.

[castlebrew]

...Brewing beer is not legal in Alabama....

http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/1338754

--Snip--

"If changing this law means an increased risk of arrest because of the media coverage, I am still willing to do it," he said. "This is simply a horrible, outmoded law that needs to be changed."

Some of the people who don't take the law seriously are Alabama lawmakers. Earlier this year Free the Hops had a legislative reception.

"We had five tables of beer -- four of fine beers imported from out of state and one of home brews that our members made," Little said. "I was at the home brew table and told everyone 'What you see before you was illegal for us to make. It is illegal for us to be in possession of, and it will be illegal for you to drink.' It didn't stop anyone from drinking it. It was by far the most popular table there."

--Snip--

So is exceeding the speed limit.

[MeanWestTexan]

Thank you very much!

[djf]

OK!

Thanks again!

I returned to the store that I got the original cider from and found that they had replenished their supply. It’s a highly sweet cider, labeled PASTEURIZED, NO ADDED SUGAR OR PRESERVATIVES, MUST BE REFRIGERATED

I also located at a local Albertsons some large plastic bottles, normally 5 gal size, but they have 3.5 gallon sizes also. I imagine plastic would have a limited use or number of cycles because if it gets scratched internally, it becomes much harder to sterilize. But for a rookie first time batch, I thing they will do the trick.

I also located, via the net, a brew supply place. Larrys Brewing Supply is a pretty highly rated store in Kent, Wash. which is only 12 miles or so as the crow flies.

So I am planning to go there, and ask about yeasts. Also anything else they might think would come in handy.

I will see about taking pictures and keeping everyone informed as I progress. If I get on the ball tomorrow, who knows, I might be able to pop open a nice, bubbly hard cider on New Years Eve!

[knews_hound]

Be kind of wary about those big plastic water type bottles.

They are oxygen permeable and will not really be a good choice for brewing. If you really want plastic, there are some bottles called “Better Bottles” (google it)that are about 25 bucks each.

Beware that hard cider my FRiend, it tastes soooooo good but packs a real wallop!.

Let me know how it all turns out.

Cheers,

knewshound

[MIT-Elephant]

Didn’t know you were down around the King/Pierce County area, there should be some really tasty ciders down around there.

One thing about cider - make sure you get a good blend. Professional hard cider makers are secretive about theirs. If the cider you start with doesn’t have some tartness to it, think about dumping in some granny smith juice as well.

Remember, there’s no hops in hard cider to balance the sugar and alcohol sweetness, so tangy/sour apple varieties are necessary to give it a rounded flavor.

[djf]

OK!

The apparatus:



3 gallon water bottle, still full, I will of coarse empty it.
Cheapo el-sticko thermometer.
Siphon hose
Air dam that I will have to fit to the top of the bottle before starting
1% USP Iodine. I asked the gal at the brew store, she said to dilute it because they use iodine 12 ppm when they do it.


The bottles:



Grolsch bottles. They have already gone through the dishwasher, but I will re-sterilize before I use them. Plenty of time for that still!


The ingredients:



The good stuff!
I have 3 gallons of this cider from Olympia, Wa. Very, very sweet. Conspicuously labeled "Pasteurized. No preservatives. No Added Sugar"
Gal at the brew store says that's exactly what I need. At $7.99 a gallon, not exactly cheap!
Yeast activation packet. There was bunches and bunches of different yeasts there. The name of this one started with a K, I forget exactly. But I chose it for the temp range, it is supposed to work well from 56 to 75 or so.


So that's it for now! I pop the yeast activation packet. I wait for the cider to come up to room temp. I empty the water bottle, and fill it w about 2 1/2 gallons of cider and the yesast. Then I let the little devils do the job!

I also got an ounce of hops, thinking I might try it, but I am still unsure. If I were to use it, what I would do is put it in water, bring it to a gentle, rolling boil for 3-4 minutes, strain it and add it to the mix before I seal it. But we'll see!

Sorry about the fuzzy pics, my lens was fogged up. You get the idea!

I was amazed by the store. Tons of different types of grains and malts. Lots of glassware and chemical buffering agents. They must have had 50 different kinds of hops. They also had the "all in one" kind of packages for Ale brewing, so who knows, maybe that will be my next project.

Cheers!!

[djf]

Getting ready! Cider is almost at room temp! Note funnel in iodine solution in the foreground.



Cider in the jug. I shoulda popped the yeast starter an hour ago... Wake up, little yeasties! Get yur butts outa bed! There's work to do!
Lazy bastids...



Yeast pack is swelling a bit more now, I'll give it another 15 minutes or so, dump it in, then seal the deal!

The whole operation is taking place in a tub in my spare bath. But it's located away from the central heat, so the ambient temp in the room runs 64-68 degrees. I will watch how things develop and if it looks like I might need to turn the heat up a bit, I will.

Cheers!

[slnk_rules]

Trashy and in bad taste. I -church lady- have declared it so.

Even recognizing that I might be a prude, it is still bad taste.

[JRios1968]

Cider is never in bad taste!

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

Place marker for my husband to read.

[djf]

Update:

Day 5

Well I started Saturday. Transferred the sweet cider and yeast into the bottle.

I elected to just seal the top with aluminum foil, the theory being that the positive pressure from fementation would keep the nasties out.

There were bubbles in it on Sat, but they were from the pouring action, not the yeast. Eventually, it settled down to be pretty much flat.

On Sunday morning, some patches of foam were starting to appear. These became much more prominent by Sunday evening.

Monday morning, the whole surface was covered in foam. Some large bubbles, like an inch across were present. As time went on, these didn’t seem to be so prevalent, and went away.

By Tuesday, a quite thick layer of yeast (3/4 inch) was starting to be apparent. It was bubbling very nicely.

Yesterday it seemed as though the bubbling was slowing down, but not by much. I took the bottled and rocked it to get everything inside swirling around, then let it set. Caught the distinct odor of hard cider.

Today it is bubbling at a good pace, but has dropped a bit from yesterday. The color is a yellowish/brown.

My plan is to wait till Sunday or Monday, and siphon it into a second jar. This will be a “settling” jar of sorts. If it settles well, then within 24 hours or so, I will bottle it.

I am curious. Can I harvest the yeast or will it all be dead? Also, I asked the gal at the store about how much sugar to add to the bottles (for carbonation) and she said about a half teaspoon each. These are the 15.2 ounce Grolsch bottles, so does that sound right?

I plan on doing it about half and half, adding sugar to half of them, the rest just plain.

My primary goals at this point are drinkability and clarity. The cider I got when I was a kid on the farm had only a slight color to it, but was otherwise crystal clear.

Cheers!

[knews_hound]

You are on track.

Whatever you do, don’t rush it.

Once you transfer it to the second (sanitized) jar, wait at least a few days for it to settle out. You can help it along by possibly doing a “cold crash” by setting it outside in a very cool place. This will help it to clear.

The yeast left in the jug can in fact be used, you would however need to “wash” it. Frankly, for the price (2 or 3 bucks) it is not worth the trouble to me.

A half teaspoon sounds about right to me, it will be a low carbonation brew which, for the style, will be fine. I suggest using corn sugar if possible, regular table sugar can add some really nasty flavors to brews.

BE SURE TO SANITIZE YOUR BOTTLES AND GASKETS !

If you want it to be as clear as possible, be patient. Typically, I wait for about 2 weeks once fermentation has started to ensure all the sugars are consumed and the brew has a chance to clear as much as possible.

Have you tasted it yet? At this point it is very close to what the finished product will taste like.

Happy Fermenting!

Cheers,

knewshound