Dobri Gives Out A Round Of Drinks!

[Dobri 55]

From the birthday boy, no less...

 

 

Here goes - take a look at this beauty. It is filled by 25 pounds of homemade booze - plum-based (in Bulgaria, we have over 5 types of plums, more if you count the "accepted ones - means a different type of plum gets cut where there is a branch originally, very precise cut required, and you put it on another another type of tree - it might be different than a plum, but its "acceptance" is harder - author's note: freshly cut branch - it's called ashladisvane in Bulgarian - of plum there, bind it tightly so that the tree starts pouring its lifeblood into it - for exzample, you can put a plum on a plum, a plum on an apple - but you gamble here - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't - chances are 15 to 85 in favor of NOT working) - and essentially, make it a part of its own and feed it - you may actually get an even better type of booze after properly brewed.

 

It is called the enhanced RAKIA, a Bulgarian-type booze, similar to brandy, but with one specific trait - it is homemade (you do not add any conservants, it's pure fermented brewed fruit, can't be more pure than this, as you use the cleanest material possible). We just did it, and we poured into this barrel - and it tastes divine. it's a "young brew" - for the people wh are aware what this means - it's a booze that gets you plastered really quickly, because most of the saccharides group here (we delve into english-term chemistry here, it's the saccharides type, help me put if you please, it's all about C2H5OH, purified) are well refined, well-seasoned and brewed without any conservants and any chemicals.

 

The barrel it is put it is comprised of oakwood with planks of mulberry tree, which makes the booze to.. let's say "accept" a heavily brownish color - like this one:

 

 

This is a simple 19 liter tube, filled with booze with added mulberry branches (simply put in there, no need to worry you'll swallow something, as they get to the bottom). Check out the color - it's supposed to be WHITE and TRANSPARENT! It tastes even better. Not to mention that wood seeps out the toxic stuff of the booze, making it even more clean are ready for drinking - actually, the color looks like whiskey! Since I've seen it, I can say that this type of booze, if properly seasoned, can turn BLACK!

 

Quite honestly, it was the best thing I have ever tasted. it is 47% vol, though, so I would be careful if I were you

[Furian67 15]

Very nice, pour me a glass. I'll save it till after work.

[Stormwing 40]

Looks absolutely delicious. And the "voltage" seems just about the right. I can say from experience that 'round 37%-50% is all good. Have tried some of the friend's own stuff, which is about 60%. The taste isn't that great, but mixed with some liqueur and tonic makes it great. Wouldn't mind tasting that one too, and judging from your description the taste should be just for my liking. ^^

[Dobri 55]

Stormwing - I'll take you out for a drink (manly stuff, I'd like to note) - there are over 60 liters of this stuff at home - we can get really plastered as long as you can endure

 

Furian - a glass is up. Feel like another?

 

EDIT: BTW, the are 6 (!) of these tubes at home

Edited September 9, 2010 by Dobri

[FrostElfGuard 9]

Alcohol aged in casks... I'm just a little jealous!

 

Hmm.. the green smilie isn't jealous... it's sick! lol Imagine it green with envy... and NOT barfing!

 

Best wishes on your special day!

Edited September 9, 2010 by FrostElfGuard

[Dobri 55]

Cheers, Stubbs - I have a double-sized glass for you - I know you, I know you can endure it Just in case, I HAVE PREPARED ANOTHER ANOTHER 200g FOR YA (caps intentional, best wishes to my friend, Stubbie!)

 

BTW - since nobody can notice - this brandy is made from... THISTLE! Since in Bulgaria , thistle seems to blossom differently.. (my father collects the rich purple-colored thistle "flowers" (thorns - I join him, as it is FUN), they "possess" more sugar then normal (be careful, Aussies/New Zaealands! We are at similar Earth parallel (south side, but who cares!), so you can try it out! Tomato trees are not the only thing you get), which means better booze (you only need to brew it!) and all done!

Edited September 9, 2010 by Dobri

[Stormwing 40]

I'll give you a shout if I ever get around there, Dobri. I'm quite confident about my tolerances, really. Been "in training" with couple of friends. Also, tried out a friend's "speciality"; Estonian 80% raw booze, beefed up with Naga Morich and some Habanero chiles. That was certainly some crazy stuff. Not to mention that... Thing isn't really mentioned to be used as is.

Still, good taste is always appreciated.

Las time we were out, got really addicted to some Japanese whiskey, Yoichi, to be exact. Too bad it's tad expensive. 10€ per shot at bar and about 70€ per 0,7 liters...

[Dobri 55]

Damn - you do endure - wonderful, that's what the booze is for, besides, our flat is 4 rooms, so there is always one close to the toilet Part of drinking fun is to drink with one who has an alcohol tolerance

 

EDIT: I can't help but wonder how cheap things are here. A bottle (1l) of home-brewed booze is 5 euro. A measly 5 E! Can't believe it.

 

EDIT 2: The young brew is called a parvak (firstborn, newborn), hence 2 of my chars being called Par'Vakh (slighlty klingon type star trek made) and Pyr'Vakh (same).

Edited September 9, 2010 by Dobri

[Dragon Brother 619]

Cheers, Stubbs - I have a double-sized glass for you - I know you, I know you can endure it Just in case, I HAVE PREPARED ANOTHER ANOTHER 200g FOR YA (caps intentional, best wishes to my friend, Stubbie!)

 

BTW - since nobody can notice - this brandy is made from... THISTLE! Since in Bulgaria , thistle seems to blossom differently.. (my father collects the rich purple-colored thistle "flowers" (thorns - I join him, as it is FUN), they "possess" more sugar then normal (be careful, Aussies/New Zaealands! We are at similar Earth parallel (south side, but who cares!), so you can try it out! Tomato trees are not the only thing you get), which means better booze (you only need to brew it!) and all done!

You can make alcohol from thistles? Im from australia too...this could be interesting. Of course, you dont often see them around, people tend to get rid of them, not cultivate them

 

PS. Happy Birthday! Drinks should be on us you realise, not the other way round

Edited September 9, 2010 by Dragon Brother

[gogoblender 3,071]

Dobri, I saw your crafted post go up sometime this morning, but I just couldn't get away from peeps at work. I'm here now, finally getting to sit down, read your words, hear your voice, and, if I close my eyes...I can even drink.

 

Thank you mate, for your birthday you treated us to a read deserving of a place in an oenophile's magazine.

 

Happy Birthday my friend

 

 

gogo

 

p.s. There is no section at yet on the Wiki for Brewing guides... alas

 

p.s.s. I'm naughty Dobri..I put in a mention of your birthday in this thread title.... maybe if enough peeps show up we'll give you the bumps

[Etherian 76]

 

Great Words...Great Brews!

 

Happy Birthday, Dobri.

 

I remain,

[Dobri 55]

Thanks guys

 

Now if only my head didn't hurt

[chattius 2,531]

Sorry, seems to have missed your birthday when I was visiting my daughter at hospital.

 

Dobri I think the word you needed is grafting: Adding a high quality fragile fruit sort on a robust wild fruit trunk.

I have done it like 200 times. My sister has only a small garden. I did 5 different apple sorts on one tree. So she can harvest fresh apples for like 3 month (early green sour apples, summer apples, late apples to be kept and eaten in winter...). Cherries often need another sort of cherry tree around so that bees(here more humblebees because too cold for bees this early in year) can do their job. So her tree got 3 differrent sort of cherries. But grafting is a science, there are big table which sort of grafting is best for certain combinations of fruits. I think my grafting knife is the second sharpest knife in my possess. You have to do clean cuts to avoid infections of the young plants. The knife is also sharp at the tip, you use the tip to lift up bark a bit to insert small plant pieces.

 

 

I do selfmade wine/booze/vinegar from fruits myself. Because of much fog plums don't get ripe at my place or suffer from fungoid and viral diseases. I have planted plum trees, which are told immune to Scharka disease (plum pox). But I can't exspect to harvest big enough amounts before 5 years.

I use mainly Speierling (Sorbus_domestica), Mispeln (common medlar), Schlehe (blackthorn, sloe) and other sour fruits. My booze is less for drinking (my job is to work with explosives) but rather to marinate flesh. Same goes for the vinegar. But I don't know what friends and family do with the bottles I give to them, saves money for birthday presents (But I have to pay like 50euro alcohol tax a year for the selfmade stuff)

 

Speierling make great trees for tree house, strong, robust and can get real old. We have 6 of these tree in different ages, from 30 years to 200 years and I will plant a new one next year.

My wife was asked from a father who was visiting us for a kid's birthday party what has to be done to make such a nice tree house my daughter had. My wife said: You need either 50000 euro to buy and move a big tree, or need a grandfather who planted a tree for his grand and grandgrand children decades before they were born.

Mispel are in front of our house, they have nice blossoms to look at.

Schlehe are used as natural thorn fences for our friesian horses.

Edited September 10, 2010 by chattius

[Dobri 55]

Grafting it is I will remember that word. And well explained - in detail, no less

[Barristan 14]

Heya,

 

happy Bday wishes Dobri!

 

That stuff must be great, it looks great

 

Greetz

[Furian67 15]

Ohh darn, I missed the birthday wish. Here's to you buddy

 

When I was a kid my Mom would make a concoction of booze and raisins, at the time I didn't know what it was, the family, German name but most of our blood is Dutch, called this drink Boodyungus. Use phonics for the sounding of the name.

 

Fast forward thirty years.............I moved in with my brother Locoagarto last spring and I mentioned this. He remembered what the recipe was. Its called Boerenjongens

 

1 lb raisins

2 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup sugar

2 cups brandy (use a good brand) Our family uses Jim Beam

 

But we multiplied everything by 4. We bring the water to a steam, add sugar and cinnamon stick, and raisins. Once the sugar is dissolved we turned the heat down and let cool a bit. Add the brandy (Jim Beam). Remove the cinnamon sticks. Fill pint canning jars with equal raisins and liquid. Once done cap the jars tight, wash off any spill because this is very sticky. And let them stand for 6 months. We make this in July for gifts in December.

This is more of an after dinner desert drink. I think next time I make it I will do half the amount of sugar. And the raisins are ohh so good.

[Barristan 14]

Heya,

 

probably called 'Boerenjongens' which actually sounds like your Boodyungus

 

Greetz

 

EDIT: hmmm... I should read better You aced the name already

Edited September 10, 2010 by Barristan