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I quote Lord of the North in another thread: "I just found this Thread and the sounds of the different Vodkas is intriguing Could some one start a thread in the Kitchen on drinks and how to brew/ make them? I've always wanted to learn how to make mead."

 

Just so happens that I have a book here entitled “Making Mead”.

Let’s see now: Chapt 1 “Man’s oldest drink”; Ch 2 “Mead, Maids and Marriage” (read that later); Ch 3 “Honey for Mead” – well of course, what’s the silly old…oh I see…heather honey is considered the best; Ch 4 “Mead-making techniques” …Preparation of the must…fermentation…later care…general…then water, acid, nutrients, tannin, yeast, temperature, hydrometer…then at last Mead recipes 7 in all..dry, light sweet, sweet, queen Elizabeth’s mead (!) and ale mead. Then it goes on to Melomels, Pyment, Hippocras, Metheglin and Cyser – have you got all that:)

 

Not to panic, there is a “simple beekeeper’s recipe” in another book. But mead is not a simple subject. Nor are wine or beer for that matter. Liqueurs are based on existing alcoholic bases like eau-de-vie or vodka or whatever (ask Tomi !), and do not normally need special equipment.

 

They all require some basic equipment, time, patience and the ability to stick to a time schedule. I had a pal once who started some mead and couldn’t resist tasting it from time to time – it never did survive to the finished product. You can make a drinkable beer in 5 days in a plastic bucket, but wines take time and patience and are far from predictable. In GB there used to be hundreds of shops catering for home brewing. I don’t know if the same applies now that beer and wine are cheaper. People used to make alcoholic drinks from all sorts of flowers, berries and vegetables. You may find a club for home brewers where you can get advice and share recipes.

 

Anyhow, first decide what you want – if it is just refreshing summer drinks then that is a different ball-game.

 

I see the beekeeper’s mead recipe needs a gallon container or more, and 6 months wait.

Let me know if you want it. I have plenty of beer recipes which you can vary to taste, more or less hops, more or less malt, more or less sugar.

 

Before you start do you have a supplier handy for equipment, bottles, corks, gallon jars, fermentation locks (not always necessary), yeast (not always necessary) etc. etc.

 

If you like I can start you with a simple beer that needs only a plastic pail, a cloth to cover it, bottles with a flip-top or screwtop sealing, hops, malt and sugar. 5 days + min 3 weeks in bottle.

 

****AND I WOULD ALSO NEED THE PERMISSION OF THE MANAGEMENT BEFORE WE COULD START PROMOTING HOME BREWING.****

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ooooooooo

 

:bounce::yay::woot::viking::crazy::bounce::viking::dance::ninja::yay::D:BlobRed::dance:;)

:viking::woot::dance::bounce::yay:

 

Woot! Party time! We are making boooooze! hehe.

 

I like the idea (Thanks Lord!) and I'd post what I know, if you have a Permission.

 

(I hope you meant permission as I think hehe)

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Wow BondBug when you come back into a forum your really come back don't you?

I made beer a few times drink.gif but it never lasted too long to find out if the finished product was great or not *lol*

I also made a Dandelion wine which was I guess sort of a Mead It really came out great but way too much work. Easier to go to the store and buy it

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:crazy: I bow before the wisdom of Bondbug. I am thy humble student. and yes there is a home brew supplier near to me and our town has restaurants with micro breweries but none make mead. I tried mead one summer and loved it, just can't find it here in my part of the states. Thank you again Bondbug. ;) Edited by Lord of the North
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Yeh. OK. Thanx. I have laid awake much of the night on this one, and am still not sure, after initial enthousiasm when I was half asleep last night, whether turning the Dark Kitchen into a brewery is quite in keeping with the aims of the thing. Kitchen is largely food. Brewery is not part of the function of a kitchen. I wait wiser guidance. What do you think Gogo (O wise one) Erialc (Great Earth Mother)? Yes, I read you Borg, but I am still not sure whether you approve or not. As you say it is a lot of work and simpler to go to the store and buy it. Is it wise to lead youngsters like super Timi into such paths where Picur cannot follow (what would his parents say about a forum that is leading him in to the dissolute ways of his elders? We might have to rename the pup Licur :crazy: ) - hiding a serious question in a fascetious wrapping.

 

That is not to say that the mixing of drinks and their serving, and the preparation of Ratafias, Shrubs and Cordials (got that from a book) is not a legitimate kitchen activity. And the chef does occasionally (!:)) need something to sip while cuisinating.

 

Meanwhile, if anyone wishes I can PM or email them a beer recipe, and a mead recipe for MiLord.

 

And here is one to be going on with. Adjust the quantities to your own needs:

 

Mix a pound of run honey into a bowl and add about a teacupful of water to dissolve it. Stir with a silver (!) spoon and, when well mixed, add gradually a pint and a half of Scotch whisky. Stir rapidly until a froth rises (on the liquid not in your mouth) then bottle and keep tightly corked. Give it three weeks if it doesn't explode first. Its called Athole Brose. To avoid any danger to your dwelling place you could try sipping it after it froths, just for testing....

Edited by Bondbug
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What do you think Gogo (O wise one) Erialc (Great Earth Mother)?

 

Ohh and Schot, our clever mentor! Right? hehe

 

Is it wise to lead youngsters like super Timi into such paths where Picur cannot follow (what would his parents say about a forum that is leading him in to the dissolute ways of his elders? We might have to rename the pup Licur :crazy: ) - hiding a serious question in a fascetious wrapping.

Hehe is that me? Though my parents can't see what are the topics about, and what others post. But actually I told them about this topic hehe. ;)

So mom can help us to make them. Although they think I'm the anti-alcoholist in the house. So no worries hehe.

*Drinking 1.4% lemon beer with mother. First step to delete my title in family (in public).*

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[Ohh and Schot, our clever mentor! Right? hehe

 

Indeed..Schot and several others wise in the ways of our race.

 

Hehe is that me? Though my parents can't see what are the topics about, and what others post. But actually I told them about this topic hehe. :crazy:

So mom can help us to make them. Although they think I'm the anti-alcoholist in the house. So no worries hehe.

*Drinking 1.4% lemon beer with mother. First step to delete my title in family (in public).*

 

Well now how on earth did you guess that!!

 

We brought our developing sprats up on red-wine-pop, a summer camping drink of a small (at first) helping of red wine topped up generously with lemonade, starting with a reasonable red colour which progressively faded as more lemonade was added.

 

We once set them up with a stone jar for making ginger beer from a recipe from a children's tv program. For this you always left the yeasty dregs in the bottom of the jar to 'prime' the next lot. Till their movements became less well co-ordinated and we realised the 'harmless' ginger beer was getting alcoholic - more beer than ginger. Pity.

 

I hope you understood my brilliant play on words for renaming your poodle? No! Well it was pretty weak.

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mead is tricky thing to make - because of high sugars and antibacterial honey properties its hard to ferment it - tried once long time ago - didnt like it too much - was too sweet and low on alcohol. also its good to add some spices to mead when you doing it, and you need to add yeasts to start fermentation.

 

didnt make any beers - dont like it too much for no reason at all.

 

wine probably easiest thing to make - just need some time and equipment, juice, etc. making it for almost 20 years. biggest amount what I made in my kitchen was around 300 liters - lasted just for few months for some unknown reasons

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I think it just means the clear stuff as it runs from the comb.

 

 

P.S. to one and all. :drool:

Heap Big White Chief has spoken. Bombs away. The brewery is open to business..er tomorrow

Odd to think it is bedtime here and mid Saturday afternoon over there, and already into Sunday morning in Aussieland.

Edited by Bondbug
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OK we can get going. Be warned I have made a few notes here.... Borg for beer recipes and dandelion wine, Gintukas (promising name that) for wine, Gogo for grandma’s special. This is all about sharing knowledge, experience and recipes.

 

I have managed to find my various references, and will put together some idea of equipment, most of it nothing special, like plastic bowls and buckets and tubing. But I count on others to come up with comments, adjustments, variations and recipes.

 

Yeast is advisable, even where fruits have a certain amount of yeast attached. I nearly said yeast is a must, but that would have been too much of a pun.

 

Mead is honey and water, if you add spices it is Metheglin, which sounds vaguely threatening – good name for an avatar?

 

Wines are something that cannot be rushed, a 6 to 9 month job – unless Gintukas has a short cut, he has more experience than me.

 

But beers can be made quickly and can be ready to drink in weeks rather than many months

For beers the alcohol is provided by sugar and malt, taste variation and body by hops.

For different basic beers you vary the amounts of these three ingredients.

 

As a guide, using the British gallon, per gallon, with approx % alcohol content/malt extract/sugar/hops:

 

……………..alc / malt .../ sugar / hops

Lager………3.7 / half lb / 6 oz / half oz

Pale ale…….4.4 / half lb / 8 oz / half oz

Stout……….5.8 / half lb /12 oz / ¾ oz

Strong ale….7.8 / 1 lb…./12 oz / ¾ oz

 

Perhaps not the names you use, but you see how the varying quantities affect the strength of the beer.

Malt here is “Malt extract”, thick malt extract, thick and syrupy. Funny they used to give it out free to babies in GB along with concentrated orange juice and cod liver oil, but I never heard of a decent brew that included those three together.

 

Another item that crops up occasionally in my beer recipes is treacle, black treacle – does that feature with you Borg?

 

So perhaps we can start with

- equipment lists

- some beer recipes

- at least one mead recipe so keep a certain person happy.

 

Tomorrow.

Edited by Bondbug
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Ohh cool we can start!

 

Although unfortunately I wont be able to try out most of them. I can try only those which doesn't need many special ingredient, or material.

You know I have only home stuff. No special booze making items.

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Oh, and I forgot, a non-alcoholic syrup for Timi. :D

 

Back in a sec...

 

Another great long post. But I don't want you to wade in without a certain amount of info

 

Equipment :

 

Stuff you can probably find lying around the house :

 

- Plastic buckets, one 5 gallon, one smaller.

- Jugs, a 2 pint, and if poss. a 1 gallon

- A plastic bowl

- A plastic funnel say 6-8” diam.., or more than one.

- A colander, for rough straining

- Sufficient empty bottles.

- A cloth for covering bucket while fermenting

- A filter bag or material (muslin) for filtering

- Long handled wooden spoons or a clean stick for stirring

 

That lot is for beer fermented in a covered bucket

 

 

For further progress, mead, wines and the like you will also need:

 

- 1gallon jars, with corks with holes in for airlocks

- Plastic tubing for siphoning

- Sufficient empty wine bottles, straight corks and a means of inserting the cork

- A cool place for storage. Wine bottles on their sides

- Later if you get big ideas a fruit pulper and wine press!

- a hydrometer and its jar.

 

Notes:

 

Bottles

…for beer: screw tops are not a good idea as pressure may build up and it is better for the cork or whatever to blow out than for the bottle to explode. The type I use are what used to be used for lemonade and the like when I was a kid, and which I have rediscovered here..

BottleTop001.jpg

 

…for wine I find the straight sided bottle (left) is much the most stable for stacking.

CarrotLoaf001.jpg

The bottle with sloping shoulders tends to slide off the stack and smash unless you can be bothered to make special neck supports

 

…standard wine bottles are 70-75cl and one gallon will fill 6 bottles, and a little bit over.

 

Weights & measures

- The gallon referred to here is the British (Imperial) gallon which is 4.56 litres. The US gallon is, I believe, about ¾ of the GB gallon. Litres have no such complications …have they:)

If you are posting recipes in gallons please make it clear which you are using!

- The UK lb or pound measure is approx ½ kg – in France if you want a half kilo you ask for "un livre" (a pound, not a book). An oz is roughly 30gm

Where I can I will give quantities in all 3, otherwise it's up to us to convert as necessary

 

Ingredients:

- Basic: Campden tablets; citric acid crystals; suitable yeasts; yeast energiser; sugar

- Per 1 gallon of beer: ½ malt extract (thick); ½ oz hops

- Per 1 gallon of mead: 3 to 5lbs honey for dry to sweet meads. Plus, if you want a "Metheglin", which is spiced mead, some basic (cake making) spices of your own choice from, say, cloves, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, rosemary

 

Wish I knew what all these things are in US or even Hungary

 

Check and see what is available. Consult with others and find out what your local equivalents are. See if there are any small guide books available. Think about storage – we used the space under the stairs but that was in the north of England; here we have a cellar. A steady temperature about 15°C and dark. Buy nothing yet.

 

Any more experienced, please correct any errors and suggest additions/alternatives Phew. :D

Edited by Bondbug
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My bible was "Tritton's Guide to Better Wine & Beer Making for Beginners".. if it is still available in GB.

 

Did you have a favourite good tasting brew that you can tell us about, trd, or was it the 'anything-as-long-as-it-is-alcoholic' phase? :P

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my experience was limited to a couple years of brewing on a limited budget. a good buddy got me going at it, we were both poor and budding alcoholics. I would admit to being somewhat indescriminate back then :D home brewing did provide a way to get high alcohol content beers that you could only read about.

 

out of our first few batches, I think we got two brews placed at the local brew competition in fairbanks alaska. one was a brown ale right out of the book. the other was a one we made up and a friend favorite, estimated at 11% alcohol, a blueberry barley wine made with like 4gal of fresh picked wild blueberries. the blueberries were boiled, bugs, sticks and other detritus. normal method was to use fruits in the fermentation, just didn't seem right given the contamination possibility from barely washed fresh blueberries. on both we used the syrup, which was masked by the strength nicely on the blueberry. cracking your own malts seemed to be a tastier way to get beer without the tang of syrups, but cost more and took more time. ingredients were bit limited in fairbanks in the early nineties and the internet had not really kicked in yet. fresh hops was not always realistic.

 

although not appropriate for all tasks, I had 100% drinkable beer from dry yeast. some would argue they are not appropriate for all brews and they would be correct. but the heavy fermentation obtained from dry yeast was 100% dependable. I could never master the art of getting the liquid yeasts.

 

I always liked the two stage fermentation. the extra transfer did have its risks, but did seem to produce more drinkable beer that was less likely to be green.

 

we were fortunate to have good water. we drove 30 miles to get fresh spring water. no idea on mineral content, but it was likely, given the local geology, water that was in a fairly mineral laden quartz vein in a muscovite-mica schist. hard water could have been an understatement.

 

as far as favorites, just about any hoppy pale type ale was great. a couple favs were deschutes mirror pond pale ale and redhook ipa. two of my least favorites were also some of the most popular, alaskan amber and new belgiums flat tire.

 

in the end, one can always aim for good drinkable beer or a beer that is true to a style. sometimes you get lucky and get both.

 

keep everything clean and you can hardly go wrong if you take the time and effort combined with good equipment. the cost good equipment versus cheaper equipment will be compensated by the cost of losing a few batches. I looked at your equipment below. I would recommend at least two 5gal glass containers for fermenting. one reason is it is easier to clean and keep glass sterile opposed to a plastic bucket. the second would be that the glass container would allow a better blowoff if setup with a bung and tube fed into a small bucket full of water to get rid of by products of fermentation. third is you want to keep the system airtight and free from contamination as reasonably possible.

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Love it. 30 miles for fresh spring water (did you get that Timi?) sounds more like whisky making in Scotland. Somehow when your early days are over you can never get back to the spirit of the early experiments. But that is about the level I had in mind..fun brewing not too serious. Wonder what the health authorities would have made of your lot. But hygiene is something you impose on yourself !

 

I take it you would not agree with my suggestion of open fermentation in a well cleaned bucket covered with a cloth, until the fermentation is reduced to spots on the surface; then filter, rack if necessary, prime and bottle. It is all I ever did for beer. Other drinks are a different problem.

 

I get shadows of language problems, but I love the names of those beers you mention. We could fill a thread just by asking for favourite names of commercial brews

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I am not sure if there is similar brews outside the usa to an american pale ale, one of our own creations we can actually call our own :D can probably call california steam beer one too.

 

I was always partial to deschutes brewery, due to that I grew up ~30mi from there. redhook was always available in formative years, ipa tended to be most tasty and since short on money one got the most bang for the buck. why buy a 3% beer when you can get a 6% for the same price? one could argue redhook had lost some of its mystique since the got bought out by a major brewery a few years back.

 

open fermantation was just not for me, too many issues drinking too much, so best try to minimize opprotunities for errors cause by way too much beer drunk during the brewing process. it was in a campus apartment with 4 guys living there, not the cleanest place in the world. it wasn't going to be a good brew if I didn't have the boiling wort go all over the stove at least once.

 

and I do have to apologize for my english, I am american. self depracation is ok, I think.

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errors cause by way too much beer drunk during the brewing process.

 

Not quite what I had in mind, but the danger is worth noting :4rofl:

 

You are the first American I know who has suggested that what he speaks may not be English ! Ralph Waldo Emerson (one of yours?) said "The English language is the sea which receives tributaries from every region under heaven" and it really is a strange mixture, which has spread and been developed in countries throughout the world. We have a book which examines about 20 variations of the English language, some of which, American variations, you would hardly understand, quite fascinating. So there is hope for you yet, mate. It is a bit like the relationship between French and Quebec French - started from the same point, lost touch, and diverged.

But it does give this forum some problems of terminology, not just American or Canadian or Australian or Scots or whatever, but even for different regions of the same country, and for the brand names of regional suppliers in the different countries.

 

I thought IPA was British. I always understood that it stood for India Pale Ale. I remember it from way back. Perhaps GB has lost it and you have kept it.

 

I think, however that beer names are worth a thread on their own. There is a return to small local brewing operations, some of which give their brews quite astonishing names.

 

Another question. Do any of you know of CAMRA - Campaign for Real Ale? I see they have a group in Vancouver that I will try to look up when we are over in February.

 

No, I haven't forgotten - recipes. I'll get there. :)

Edited by Bondbug
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When I first started home-brewing, (about 30 years ago, sigh) I was given a very simple receipe for home brewed wine.

All you needed was a gallon jar,

2 litres of pure juice (preferably orange or pineapple),

1 kilo of sugar

2 litres of warm water

1 packet of brewers yeast

Mix well, allow to bubble for about 4 weeks in a warm room and it's ready.

 

Allow to age for at least an hour and try not to fall over until after you have finished drinking it to prevent spillages! :4rofl:

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errors cause by way too much beer drunk during the brewing process.

 

Not quite what I had in mind, but the danger is worth noting :4rofl:

 

You are the first American I know who has suggested that what he speaks may not be English ! Ralph Waldo Emerson (one of yours?) said "The English language is the sea which receives tributaries from every region under heaven" and it really is a strange mixture, which has spread and been developed in countries throughout the world. We have a book which examines about 20 variations of the English language, some of which, American variations, you would hardly understand, quite fascinating. So there is hope for you yet, mate. It is a bit like the relationship between French and Quebec French - started from the same point, lost touch, and diverged.

 

But it does give this forum some problems of terminology, not just American or Canadian or Australian or Scots or whatever, but even for different regions of the same country, and for the brand names of regional suppliers in the different countries.

 

I thought IPA was British. I always understood that it stood for India Pale Ale. I remember it from way back. Perhaps GB has lost it and you have kept it.

 

Another question. Do any of you know of CAMRA - Campaign for Real Ale? I see they have a group in Vancouver that I will try to look up when we are over in February.

 

No, I haven't forgotten - recipes. I'll get there. :)

 

you are lucky with the web and all having a multitude of recipes available at your disposable. I had heard of camra, seemed a bit extreme. never really liked the idea of overweight men in beards dictating what I should and shouldn't drink. always revert to old adage of if it is drinkable and good could be more important than whether it officially follows a style.

 

I did not hope to imply that ipa was american, if I recall right was brewed strong to survive sea voyages from gb to the colonial acreages. just happens I liked the american versions alot, more and different hops.

 

america does have a wide variety of dialect and vernacular. I grew up in oregon of rather educated parents, so I would consider my grammar quite reasonable and accent rather neutral. self deprecating humor does seem to be effective in ogame, which is why I tend to use it. the butchery of the english language is quite shocking in america though.

 

seen king of the hill? there is people that speak like boomhower (sp?), I have heard them and it is amazing. perhaps not quite as dramatic as the accent differences you can find in the uk, as I saw living in aberdeen scotland for 20months and doing a bit of work down at wytch farm. odd how people just across a river could have such distinct accents to even my inexperienced ears.: such a rich variety from what I consider a small island. it took me ~2 months to even be able to comprehend 90% of what two locals were saying to each other if they were really getting into an involved conversation.

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I had heard of camra, seemed a bit extreme. never really liked the idea of overweight men in beards dictating what I should and shouldn't drink. always revert to old adage of if it is drinkable and good could be more important than whether it officially follows a style.

 

Yes. I have no liking for the types involved. But what is important is the product. Living beer, usually with a taste. And by a quirk of my constitution I can't take the commercial sterilised fizzes. Half a pint of shandy with one gives me a headache for the rest of the day. I look for "real ale" because I like it, it has more taste and I think it better and more healthy. I don't go to "real ale" festivals, just look for a quiet pub where they have a "real ale". :)

 

I did not hope to imply that ipa was american, if I recall right was brewed strong to survive sea voyages from gb to the colonial acreages. just happens I liked the american versions alot, more and different hops.

Thanks for the info. I didn't know abut that, just remembered the name. :bow:

 

america does have a wide variety of dialect and vernacular. I grew up in oregon of rather educated parents, so I would consider my grammar quite reasonable and accent rather neutral. self deprecating humor does seem to be effective in ogame, which is why I tend to use it. the butchery of the english language is quite shocking in america though

Sorry. The point I was making is that there are a good number of perfectly acceptable versions of English. What is considered good in each case is up to the groups concerned. I suspect that American English is now just as wide spread as any other. I am more conscious of the difference because I give classes to French people who want English for visits to England, but English for the modern business world is a different matter.

 

it took me ~2 months to even be able to comprehend 90% of what two locals were saying to each other if they were really getting into an involved conversation.

 

You did well. We lived in the Glasgow area for years and my wife still can't understand the locals. I was brought up in a small market town in NE England, and if we went about 15 miles out towards Hadrians Wall the rural accent was so broad I could not understand it. Big difference here between town accent and adjacent rural .

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Sorry for the delay in response. PC playing the fool, specially Internet Expl. I need time to look at that site, looked a bit whacky!

 

I think there will be plenty of sites. It is a case of finding something , or a few different ones near to your own taste then gradually adjusting to get it spot on. But I go on holiday Sunday for 3 weeks and want to get recipes posted before I leave...PC permitting! Last lot I made was Mild (as opposed to Bitter) from a 'kit' I had had for about ten years. It is not bad but I didn't keep the details! Sod's Law.

 

Don't have Web where I am going. Will get moving again in three weeks - not 6 months like last time !

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