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Post by turkey on Mar 13, 2012 11:28:20 GMT
randomly recently I have been thinking it would be nice with the sudden rise in outdoor temp is to consider making some homebrew, i need the external temp as I will not be allowed to have it indoors. At the mo its just a pipe dream really, but with the power of the internet and forums I have been looking round at options, and I quite like the look of these 5 liter mini kegs as they will be easy to store and can fit in the fridge,  you can also re use certain kegs from the supermarket  anyhow so whilst researching these little fellas I found a video thats probably more suited to this forum, apparently people also convert these mini kegs into stoves which seem very similar to rocket stoves. I thought the beer would be of interest, and the fire and cooking side would appeal to everyone else  Do we have any homebrewers on the forum? |
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Post by Calaf on Mar 13, 2012 12:44:37 GMT
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Post by Fat Bob on Mar 13, 2012 13:47:35 GMT
We make beer - have tried using kegs with gas but it is a right faff and expensive.
Better to buy good ingredients. We bottle in plastic bottles. Outdoor kitchens are certainly useful - we have an outside fridge.
You can aslo rise your bread with the working yeast skimmed from the top of the beer.
You do need to get into a regular regime to keep a ready supply and it takes time and some effort to get a good recipe that works for you.
The major thing I miss about UK is Fullers ESB on draught!
I wonder who buys those mini kegs because unless you want a keg the beer is more expensive than buying in bottles or cans - at the end of the day they are not much different to a big can.
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Post by rivergirl on Mar 13, 2012 19:01:52 GMT
In blighty we always used to brew our own beer ( well Richard did) we used to get the ingredients from Yeos ( it was really good quality. I was horrified on a tripo back to blighty to see how much the cans of beer concentrate ( if thats what its called ) had gone up to in Ramsgate tesco !!!!! We used to try making wine as well but the only thing that was good for was the slug traps .
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Tom B
WFO Team Player
Posts: 148
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Post by Tom B on Mar 13, 2012 19:07:44 GMT
I'm a keen home brewer of beer and I love country wines. So far I have about 30 bottles of wine maturing in my garage for summer consumption. The fruits I use as favourites are damsons, plums, and pineapple which makes a gorgeous sweet white wine after 6 months maturation. Anybody got any favourite recipes?
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Tom B
WFO Team Player
Posts: 148
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Post by Tom B on Mar 13, 2012 20:35:24 GMT
And here's a pic of the Plum Wine which will get supped when the WFO is working and producing first class pizzas in the summer... Attachments:
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Post by turkey on Mar 13, 2012 21:39:08 GMT
So glad I am not the only nutter with these ideas  Tom what kit do you recommend for beer brewing? |
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Tom B
WFO Team Player
Posts: 148
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Post by Tom B on Mar 13, 2012 22:13:33 GMT
Tony
I think (from my experience) that if you are going for a kit then the Munton ones are as good as you can get. I always try to get a stronger or more concentrated brew than the recommended one i.e 20l brewed from a 22l kit - not that I'm a pisshead, it just gives greater flavour. My ambition for when I retire (sometime in the next 7 years) is to set up a micro brewery in me garage which should cost in the £2k region. I can then start doing the dry mash beers which are the pro way of doing it. I love the idea of baking and brewing and attaining all the skills relevant to being divorced from supermarket shopping as much as I can be when I have the time and the pension that allows me to do it. I also have a mate that raises his own animals, and I buy into the day to day costs for a share of the meat.
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Post by Happy Baker on Mar 13, 2012 22:41:18 GMT
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Post by Breadandwine on Mar 14, 2012 0:28:46 GMT
So glad I am not the only nutter with these ideas Tom what kit do you recommend for beer brewing? Hi Turkey and everyone! I've been making my own beer and wine for nearly forty years, now. I've rung the changes with the beers I prefer at any one time, but I've stuck to a basic red wine recipe which has served me well. Here's the wine recipe, which produces drinkable wine after only 28 days (admittedly best with food at this time) but goes on improving until it's all gone. The secret is to use 3 different fruits in the wine: nobreadisanisland.blogspot.com/2011/04/home-made-red-table-wine.htmlThere's a bit of waffling at the beginning of the post which I need to tidy up - you'll find the recipe a little further down. About beer - I've never made it from scratch, I've always used a kit, but here's a guy, calls himself 'Cheshire-cheese' who's an expert on the subject, and he's always very helpful. He's a real enthusiast who's made several YouTube videos showing how to make different beers from start to finish. Here's one of them: wildfood.info/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=389&start=0Up until I came across CC I used a beer kit plus 1kg of sugar. But then I read that the beer imparts a slightly bitter, home-made taste to the beer. What he recommended was a beer kit that contained two kilos of beer concentrate instead of one - and cut out the sugar altogether. The beer this produced was in a different class. So what I do now is to get two of the cheapest kits and combine them together. ATM, I'm drinking stout, so I get two Young's stout kits at £10.99 (rivergirl's right, the price has shot up recently!) out of which I get 25ltrs, about 44 pints. This gives me a pint of good quality stout for around 50p, and I'm very happy with that! Cheers, Paul Ps. I really recommend the Wildfood forum, there are some genuine experts on there who are always happy to talk about all aspects of food. [Edit:] "...food and drink" I meant to say! |
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matt
valid member
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Post by matt on Mar 15, 2012 20:40:21 GMT
I used to brew full mash beers. Seems there are many alike minds on this forum Have you had a look at Jim's Beer forum Turkey? |
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Post by turkey on Mar 15, 2012 22:55:00 GMT
Hi Matt, I have actually registered on the forum and just trying to decypher what kit I think I might want to get, costing things out to see how much work the wife will need to allow me to play got to finnish the oven I suspect before I can embark on and other flights of fancy... but we shall see. |
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Post by DuncanM on Mar 21, 2012 13:18:18 GMT
Tom,
I'd love to try a fruity wine, do you have any recommended recipes you can share?
Thanks,
Duncan
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Tom B
WFO Team Player
Posts: 148
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Post by Tom B on Mar 21, 2012 19:48:29 GMT
Duncan
I have had some success with various fruits, but the easiest fruit to work with for me is damson. Golden rule is cleanliness of all your equipment and tools.
For 1 gallon of wine you need 3lbs of fruit. Cut the fruit in half and remove any stalks and the stone. Place the fruit into plastic bags and freeze. When ready to begin wine making, defrost the fruit and transfer the pulp into a muslin bag, taking care to retain all juice, and add a sliced lemon, lime, or orange to the bag. The best way is to but the frozen fruit into a large bowl and pour excess juice into the fermentation food grade bucket. Your local Wilko's store or Home brew shop will sell a decent 30 litre capacity tub. Add enough boiling water to cover the defrosted fruit and add 1 tsp pectolase, again available from previously mentioned vendors. Cover the tub and stir the fruit and liquor at least once a day for the next 5 - 7 days. After this, remove the pulp, add 1kg of sugar (brewing sugar is best, but you can use normal stuff), 1 tsp of wine yeast, and 1 tsp of yeast nutrient. Top up with tepid water to the 1 gallon mark and stir. Leave for at least 4 weeks before you stop fermentation (4 - 6 weeks is best) by adding 1 powdered camden tablet per gallon. Once fermentation has stopped transfer to a demijohn and allow to clear. Once cleared - you can use wine finings to speed things up - bottle the wine and put away in a cool dark place for at least 6 months.
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matt
valid member
Posts: 74
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Post by matt on Mar 21, 2012 20:13:23 GMT
Hi Matt, I have actually registered on the forum and just trying to decypher what kit I think I might want to get, costing things out to see how much work the wife will need to allow me to play got to finnish the oven I suspect before I can embark on and other flights of fancy... but we shall see. Hi Turkey, I haven't caught up with the home brewing world for a year or two, but I got all my kit (just the plastic stuff - couldn't afford s/s) from Hop and Grape, they always gave excellent service and didn't mind a call to pick their brains etc. Happy brewing if you take the plunge! What fascinated me was that, with only the most basic equipment, and with a few brews under your belt, you can make ales (lagers need a modded fridge… its only a matter of time ) that easily rival your average pub pulled pint. I one a prize for one of my brews at a CBA competition. Ah that was a proud moment! Matt Matt |
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