Posted on 09/07/2012 4:35:46 PM PDT by Red_Devil 232
Good afternoon/evening FReepers. Yep, it is Beer Thirty Time Once Again!
Happiness is a bubbling airlock! And a Cold Home Brew
BEER
Good evening/afternoon brewers and winemakers. My wife and I are heading back to Mississippi from our new digs in Texas mid week next week to check on the house and property we own there. There will not be a beer/wine thread next week and possibly the next week. I do have another Honey Ale kit to brew up when I get back to Texas. I have decided not to brew it yet because I want to be here to watch over it.
I hope all of you and your Brews and Wines are doing well. Stop by and share what you are brewing or let us know what your favorite brew, wine or spirit is.
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SYMPTOM |
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Beer is crystal clear |
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It is water. Somebody is trying to sober you up. |
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Punch Him! |
Ping to Y’all!
Where in Texas?
Good evening/afternoon brewers and winemakers. I am a little late on posting today. I almost forgot to post the thread today. Have had a couple of my Power House Porters @ 11% ABV I lost track of time. My trip to Mississippi to check on my house and property went well. We picked up a few things we left on our first move to Texas that we missed the first time and brought them back to Texas. I hated the drive back pulling a small utility trailer that wanted to sway and wander around at any speed over 50 MPH – long drive back. Mmmmm These porters have aged well after a few months and are now quite tasty. :)~
I pinged y’all to an Applejack thread earlier this week and I am so wanting to do some apple cider for my next brew project. That thread inspired me to try this for my next brewing project. I do not have any apple orchards near by to get fresh apple juice and I need some advice on what brands to look for in the local supermarkets to make an Apple Jack with and what brands or type of apple juice do y’all recommend I stay away from?
I hope all of you and your Brews and Wines are doing well. Stop by and share what you are brewing or let us know what your favorite brew, wine or spirit is.
I am in the NE corner in Marshall, Tx about 30 miles from Shreveport,La.
I have 40 liters of my adapted summer brew going on a staggered rotation. The first 20 liters went from 8% spec grav to 2.5% in a week, and is just sitting there at 2.5%... I really want to bottle it tomorrow.
I tried some today, pre-carbonation, and it was ok, but very pale since I accidentally used Brer Rabbit(tm) syrup, instead of molasses.
Daughter came by today and while I was out of the room, she snagged a drink from my mug and when I came back she said: "That wasn't lemonaid, was it?" ;)
/johnny
Did she punch you in the arm?
She couldn't say too much, she had me buy her some potato vodka when we went to the package store this afternoon.
/johnny
For those FReepers interested the move “Inglourious Basterds” just started on the TNT cable chanel! It is a good movie, IMHO.
Any Ideas on my Applejack quest?
/johnny
I was in Germany back in the late 70’s, in a downtown bar talking to a couple of young men who told me they were in school to learn to be braumeisters. I told them about using raisins and making jack and they acted like the the world had just ended. Even tho I was 35, confident in my homebrew abilities, and able to kick all their asses, I let them win the argument. 2 or 3 years later I introduced my 65 y/o German father-in-law to the joys of making your own and the rest is history. An entire extended famly of in-laws travels from the beer capital of the world, 4000 miles away, every year or so, to sample my home made stuff. Right now it’s a nice brown ale in the glass, and a Belgian ale bubbling away in the carboy. Sunday in the secondary, a week or so later in the fridge, then wait for Octoberfest and the influx of Germans. Zum Wohl!!!
The quest is to make an Applejack from strore bought apple juice. No fresh squeezed apple juice from an orchard for my location.
Sounds like you have some great recipes and brews there! care to share the recipes?
Read labels on concentrate carefully. I'd use a bottom fermenting yeast.... hell, I'd use fleishman's bread yeast, since it's cider anyway. You can also use cane sugar since it's going to have a cidery taste, and cane sugar just helps that along.
Only other advice I could give is don't baby it. Bring the concentrate/sugar/some water to a boil, mix with tap water that's aereated, pitch 4 teaspoons of proofed bread yeast when the temp drops below 100F, and stand back.
Bread yeast, btw, seems to live fine at up to 10% alcohol.
Sounds pretty country, but it might suprise you. ;)
/johnny
Almond wine, recipe from Making Wild Wines and Meads
A little like a mild amaretto. Almond wine is wonderful with deserts.
5 ounces almonds
3 pounds raisins
3 cups grape juice concentrate
7 lbs sugar
Juice of 6 lemons
3 tsp lemon zest
3 tsp yeast nutrient
4.5 cups orange juice at room temperature
3 tsp pectic enzyme
Mince the almonds and raisins in a food processor
Transfer this to a stainless pot, add enough water to cover
Simmer gently for 1 hour
Place in a net bag and add to bucket
Add the grape juice concentrate and enough water to make 2 gallons.
Add the sugar, lemon juice and zest
Add sodium metabisulfate
Remove bag after 24 hour, draining it into the bucket
Add water to bring up to 3 gallons
Add Pectic enzyme
Add yeast
Cover and add airlock
Bottle when clear
Age at least three months
My heart bleeds for you. I have a mature orchard of a dozen trees and have taken seven - count ‘em - seven apples this season; late frost killed the blossoms. It was my sincere desire to brew hard cider this year but, alas, it was not to be.
Oh well, there’s always next year.
Jalapeno Wine
16 large jalapenos (for less heat, use 8 jalapenos)
1 lb golden raisins chopped or minced
2 lbs finely granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
Water to one gallon
1 crushed Campden tablet
3/4 tsp yeast nutrient
Pasteur Champagne Yeast
Wearing rubber gloves, wash jalapeno peppers and cut off stems. Slice length-ways and remove seeds for mild heat, leave them in for very hot wine. Place peppers in blender or food chopper with 2 cups water and chop coarsely. Separately, chop or mince raisins. Put raisins in nylon straining bag and, over primary, pour chopped jalapenos in with raisins. Tie bag and leave in primary. Add remaining ingredients except for pectic enzyme and yeast. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Cover primary and set aside 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme, recover and set aside another 12 hours. Add yeast and recover. Stir daily for 7 days. Wearing rubber gloves, squeeze nylon bag. Transfer liquor to secondary and fit airlock. Ferment to absolute dryness (45-60 days). Rack into clean secondary and refit airlock. Rack twice more, 30 days apart. Wait final 30 days and rack into bottles. Can use or drink immediately, but will age if you add 1/8 tsp of tannin to ingredients.
This stuff is awesome. And also a great marinade. My neighbors beg for more.
Anyone know the limit of brew life of kit grains if they are uncracked?
I asked because I have two kits laying around that I planned to brew this weekend but I know for a fact that these kits are over a year old. Grains are whole and sealed in plastic bags.
Whaddya think?
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