Author Topic: Booze and Brew: The Homebrewing Topic (Read 6753 times)

Rysworld · « **on:** July 14, 2020, 02:15:21 pm »

I recently got all the stuff off of Amazon to brew a mead, or honey wine. Watched one too many homebrewing videos and caught the bug, I guess.

Technically I got a beer brewing kit and I'm going to not use their grains and yeast. Instead...

I have this huge, ****off amount of honey. Wine yeast, 5-gallon fermenter, and various other stuff coming soon.

I don't start things in half-measures, so I'm planning on making a melomel, a fruit mead, with the addition of hibiscus and juniper. I find myself really undecided as to what fruit, though.

Anyone do any homebrewing before? Any suggestions for what fruit? Updates in this thread when they happen.

BREW IDEAS:

Mead with blue gatorade powder - "Goblin War Mead"
Mango pineapple wine with lime and chili added - "Fiesta in a Bottle"
Peanut, grape, and pork stock stout - "Elvis Essence"
Kiwi gooseberry wine: "Shimmergrass"
Gathered flower & blackberry cider: "Forager's Quaff"

CURRENT BREWS:

Sparkling Strawberry Mead: "Delight"
Sparkling Blueberry-Hibiscus Mead: "Merriment"

FAILED BREWS:

Hibiscus, Juniper, and black tea mead (DEFUNCT JAN 2021): "Bloody Bee"

FINISHED BREWS:

Lightly-hopped mango-pineapple-orange braggot (half mead, half beer): "Golden Goblin" - ~10% abv, Tastes very sour, unbalanced, and unpleasant... It will get you drunk, though.
Blueberry-pomegranate cider and golden gooseberry-strawberry cider: "Umbral Brew & Liquid Summer" - ~11-12% abv, Umbral Brew tastes like a lower mid-shelf redwine, slightly sweet and decently tannic. Liquid summer is slightly sour, fruity, and boozy.
Corn and Butternut Squash Cider: "Harvestwine" - 12.5% abv, Lightly vegetal, sweet, and bitter.
Pineapple-Banana beer: "Island Milk" - ~4-6.5% abv (not measured), Bready, hoppy, yeasty.

sgore · « **Reply #1 on:** July 14, 2020, 02:58:49 pm »

Neat stuff!

I don't know much about making your own mead, but I hope it goes well, by which I mean please do not accidentally poison yourself or blow anything up.

Rysworld · « **Reply #2 on:** July 14, 2020, 03:18:19 pm »

All of the failure states are pretty easily detectable, because it will smell and taste rotten, or sulfurous, or acidic.

People have been doing this for ten thousand years! I'll probably live.

sgore · « **Reply #3 on:** July 14, 2020, 03:34:32 pm »

Well in that case I hope you get drunk off honey and have a wonderful time!

PatMan33 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 14, 2020, 07:14:41 pm »

Quote from: Rysworld on July 14, 2020, 03:18:19 pm

All of the failure states are pretty easily detectable, because it will smell and taste rotten, or sulfurous, or acidic.

People have been doing this for ten thousand years! I'll probably live.

As far as I am aware failures cannot really hurt you, they just taste terrible.

I haven't personally made wine or beer but most of my family makes wine of some sort. The kind I have become particularly fond of is rhubarb wine; it is delicious. Couldn't tell you much about the process though. The less a drink, the more harmonious my life is since I have one of those personalities. :3

Maybe you can make a mead out of rhubarb? Mead always strikes me as a traditional drink and rhubarb strikes me as a traditional veggie. I'm a fan of very simple and "regular" flavors at least to start, so unless that's your taste you may want to try something a bit more exciting. Apricot may work well, too.

Also is your honey local or imported from another region or country? Keep your honey local and you may be able to glean some of the allergy-blocking benefits of local honey.

Rysworld · « **Reply #5 on:** July 14, 2020, 07:33:05 pm »

I've heard a little bit about rhubarb wine, from when I was doing homebrewing research. It sounded cool, I've only had rhubarb pie once or twice in my life but I remember liking the taste. That sort of sour, almost vegetal flavor seems like it'd go good in some booze.

Nah it's from Idaho. I needed like twelve pounds raw and unfiltered so I bought whatever was cheapest on Amazon because I am a zoomer.

On a whim I bought a big tin of pineapple juice I saw so that might be the fruit addition. Pineapple, hibiscus and juniper doesn't sound bad to me at all.

Slinky · « **Reply #6 on:** July 15, 2020, 09:26:36 am »

Hey Ry, I'm making mead too right now oddly enough. You should totally put in raisins, blueberries, and orange slices (peel included) for a nice fruity flavor. Also, not that this really matters, but mead with fruit in it is technically called a melomel. Very pretty word I think.

Here's hoping both of our mead batches go well!

Rysworld · « **Reply #7 on:** July 15, 2020, 03:27:59 pm »

Yes! I think homebrewing has probably seen a small spike in popularity, what with people on average being inside more with more free time- though I don't know when you started your brew. Have a prospective name for it yet? Using nutrient, any regimen?

Raisins definitely, they seem to be a given in most mead recipes for "body" or something. Other than that I will probably end up putting in whatever fruits I have on hand, really.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 15, 2020, 06:32:00 pm »

About ten years ago the home brewing or craft brewery scene went from nonexistent to a very popular mainstream activity for middle and upper class young adults/married couples. It was a really big deal and a lot of people I know picked it up then. Before that home brewing was a thing some people did but it was not nearly as common as it is today. This occurred shortly after the microbrewery craze swept the nation and small towns became destinations due to their local, small brewery. Seems to be a cycle that ebbs and flows over time.

History repeats itself. Rhymes and all that.

Slinky · « **Reply #9 on:** July 21, 2020, 07:24:57 pm »

Started the brew just the other day and I'm only letting it go for six weeks, so I don't think I'll need to keep "re-nutrienting" it; just basically letting it sit. Not sure how good it will be but I wanna practice the basic process with a "burner brew" before I make one for real.

Rysworld · « **Reply #10 on:** July 22, 2020, 12:09:28 am »

A burner brew is probably a really good idea! Counter to that, I'm only waiting on my hydrometer and some juniper to get here in a couple days before I make five whole-ass gallons of mead.

Second thought the extra fruit additions, just going to up the ante on the hibiscus, juniper and black tea since the yeast I'm using should get it to 18%, which should be well into what people online keep calling "rocket fuel" status when it's young. I want a lot of that juniper and hibiscus and not so much for it to taste like a bad cocktail. Can always backsweeten with fruit juice instead of honey, anyways, if I think it needs it.

My aunt has a couple extra carboys sitting around so I might end up doing a smaller, more experimental batch of something... Thought a lot about a kiwi melomel recently, I think the color would be really cool. Maybe something like a wine or beer that doesn't have to sit around as long as mead does.

Slinky · « **Reply #11 on:** July 22, 2020, 12:48:58 am »

Oh ****, I should start making some wine immediately. Thank you for the excellent idea. Let me know how the hibiscus juniper black tea mead comes out! Sounds incredible, might turn out to be, like, a refreshing mead? Time will tell.

After I get this burner batch done, I'm going to try to make a sweet, high ABV golden mead, using extra honey and periodic nutrient supplements to keep the champagne yeast going, and let it brew until Samhain (Pagan household, I know, don't make fun of me lmao), and then backsweeten it with more honey or with apple juice. I just want some **** that really feels like fantasy D&D tavern grog and knocks you on your ass near immediately!

PatMan33 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 22, 2020, 07:27:04 am »

One of the reasons I don't drink beer that much is because of the low alcohol content. Also the flavor, but I think all alcohol tastes terrible so I know what I'm in for before I start. (I can taste the alcoholness, doesn't matter what kind of drink it is, they all taste bad)

So I stick to 100 proof liquors most of the time. That way I am not loading up on calories and get what I want right away. When are you going to start illegally distilling liquor? Can you make me a knock-off Yukon Jack? :3

Slinky · « **Reply #13 on:** July 23, 2020, 03:43:27 am »

Jesus Pat, 100 proof only? What's it like when someone comes over for a drink and all you have is nail polish remover?

PatMan33 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 23, 2020, 02:24:37 pm »

I keep an assortment of beer and weaker/stronger liquor around for guests. But generally I prefer to drink alone in the dark. (unironically)

One of my buddies like this 120 proof stuff. That's pretty good. I can drink with him. Most other people just hold me back.

Rysworld · « **Reply #15 on:** July 24, 2020, 10:29:31 pm »

Rysworld · « **Reply #16 on:** July 26, 2020, 04:25:05 am »

It's breathing, airlock is pretty constantly active as of right now, gave it the first nutrient regimen 24 hours after pitch late yesterday. If I lean over and crack my closet door from where I type this I can hear it burble. Smells like hibiscus, honey, and juniper in my closet. Like shoving your nose into a crafty gin cocktail.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #17 on:** July 27, 2020, 02:25:31 pm »

If it starts trying to get out of that closet you need to put it down because it will want to take your skin.

Rysworld · « **Reply #18 on:** July 28, 2020, 06:26:39 am »

Am nervous about ruining it every time I add nutrient. Pat, will sleep with a Glock 21 under my pillow from now on. Thanks for advice.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #19 on:** July 28, 2020, 07:29:16 am »

Oh! Do you have a G21? I got the G40 a couple years ago chambered in 10mm. Really like it.

Rysworld · « **Reply #20 on:** July 28, 2020, 02:05:37 pm »

Haha no, don't actually own any, just being a goof. Hard in Cali. If I bought a gun it'd probably be something for hunting after I moved somewhere rural, not a G21... but I do think glocks are neat. That and the G24 are some of my favorite pistols. G40 is also cool.

On topic, the smell of the brew has desweetened a bit. I think it might smell slightly boozy in the closet too but that's probably just some of the cheap tequila in the airlock.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 28, 2020, 02:47:52 pm »

G40 is illegal in California. Not saying that was entirely why I got it, but it helped. :3

When do you expect the batch to be complete? Still a while to go?

Rysworld · « **Reply #22 on:** July 28, 2020, 03:37:17 pm »

A couple weeks to a month is usual. It varies. I was going to leave until gas activity stops and I take a reading to see if it's fermented enough. The calculator I'm using suggests that about a third of any fermentable sugars should be converted to alchohol in between three and seven days, so probably somewhere around there right now.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #23 on:** July 30, 2020, 11:16:03 am »

Make sure you do a face cam for the taste test.

Rysworld · « **Reply #24 on:** August 04, 2020, 10:09:36 pm »

No facecam. But did pull it today for a gravity reading and a small tasting. It's somewhere between 8 and 10 percent ABV. Still taste mostly of honey, lightly of hibiscus, and of juniper almost not at all... which mean I'll be putting some more berries in during secondary. But it's making progress, if a little slower than I thought.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #25 on:** August 05, 2020, 04:24:48 pm »

Slow and steady! The best things from the kitchen take a while.

Rysworld · « **Reply #26 on:** August 17, 2020, 11:03:56 pm »

Started a smaller, lower-abv brew for something quicker to tide me over until the mead goes through... It's sort of half-beer, half-mead, with the sugar coming from both malt AND honey, called a braggot. My aunt gave me a couple growlers so it'd be a waste not to ferment with them with what I had left over from the last batch.

It's called the Goblin Faggot Braggot, or Liquid Sunshine, or Aurum, or Liquid Gold... Any of those, maybe. Hard to name things before you taste them. Pineapple, Mango, Orange, Black tea, Juniper, Malt, Honey.

This is what the extra looked like in the pot:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/745114149213831198/20200817_195052.jpg

And the full, fermenting growlers:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/745114147909271715/20200817_194925.jpg

...And what they looked like after blowoff just a few hours later, which I guess optimistically is a sign of a powerful ferment:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/745149432521162826/20200817_221742.jpg

And after that, next to the large mead batch and my amp:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/745158303570722856/20200817_225228.jpg

PatMan33 · « **Reply #27 on:** August 18, 2020, 06:53:52 pm »

Looks gorgeous! This type takes less time to ferment?

Also is that a 700 watt microwave? >_>

Rysworld · « **Reply #28 on:** August 18, 2020, 11:02:31 pm »

Yeah it should. There's much more natural nutrient and nitrogen in the yeast because I used fruit in it, and there's less sugar for it to burn through- it should come up to around 10 percent to the main mead's ~18. It's already bubbling quickly and consistently. Partially just wanted to use some leftover ingredients. I had malt, honey, hops, juniper etc left over so I got excited when my aunt said she had some growlers to recycle and just went for it. Probs gonna end up with more than three gallons of the hibiscus mead even after generous gifting, I'm probably not gonna wanna drink only that for a year or however long it'd take me to get through that haha.

The first mead is chugging along, took another gravity reading recently and it IS still moving, just slowly, down to 1.080 or so as of maybe a week ago. Still breathing too. Might have shoulda put fruit in that one like I planned originally but oh well, I'll give it a bit more nutrient.

That microwave is so old. I so rarely microwave things, and my brother really only makes frozen pizzas or whatever in it... I grew up with that microwave, man. It's sentimental.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #29 on:** August 21, 2020, 03:03:50 pm »

I appreciate your sentimental microwave. But treat yourself to a 1100 watt someday. :3

This is great learning for you though. It sounds like your current batch is coming along well. Which means your next batch will be even better. And the one after that will be even better! Do you write down your recipes? (well I guess you have them written here, don't you?)

Rysworld · « **Reply #30 on:** August 21, 2020, 10:42:18 pm »

I guess I probably... should? I don't really have a good recipe for the gallon-batch braggot, that was pretty much just a freewheeling sort of thing I did in excitement, wasn't thinking about recreating it since it was mostly just whatever I had on hand. I added the fruit on a complete whim, for example, and didn't weigh it. I know somewhere in between a pound and a pound and a half of organic mango and a little less than a pound of pineapple just from the bags of fruit I used. The juice of six or so oranges that somebody left out for free in my apartment building. Don't recall how much juniper I simmered into the wort, I think six grams or so. I did take a few sparse notes, and I used .2 ounces of Willamette hops for a gallon batch, so it's hopped comparatively to most beers that aren't built around being really hoppy, probably on the lighter end. I wrote down "a little more than .6 pounds malt extract, a little more than a pound of honey" since I started with that and added a little more of each to get up to my target gravity of 1.090.

The first mead was less of a whirlwind, relatively simple and fairly easy to remember with some amount of forethought involved:

Simmer a pound of organic hibiscus leaves in a gallon of water for an hour. Half an hour through, put a brew-bag full of two and a half ounces lightly macerated juniper in. Put in bucket, including juniper. Brew seven bags of black tea in another gallon to get a weak black tea for the sake of tannins (this felt like maybe not enough tea). Put in bucket. Put around 20 pounds of unfiltered, unpasteurized honey in the bucket. Fill up to five gallons with water. Put in more honey until a gravity reading with a hydrometer shows around 1.152. Follow rehydration instructions for your yeast and rehydration nutrient, I used K1V-1116 wine yeast and Go-Ferm. Pitch yeast and seal in a container with and airlock. Add yeast nutrient over the next few days or so according to the TONSA 2.0 protocols- for this gravity and size of mead, that means 8 grams of Fermaid O at 24, 48, and 72 hours, and another eight grams whenever the yeast has burned through a third of the sugars as indicated by gravity reading. This will be different if you are using a different nutrient regimen. A few days in, freak out and take all the juniper out because some random on Reddit told you it was too much juniper for that amount of mead and you are just a complete sheep. Let sit until done.

Okay, maybe not all THAT simple. But it was fun enough to remember. Felt like alchemy, and it kind of is. Hard to tell without having finished a brew, but I think this is going to be a long-term hobby of mine, it appeals to me a lot. Also, it's a pretty cheap way to get booze. It'd be a bitch to calculate it exactly but I think the first mead comes out to probably somewhere in between 1 1/2 and 4 bucks to make a beer bottle's worth of an 18% ABV, which is pretty decent value. And you get waaaay more specificity as far as like, what you want to drink and what flavor you want.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #31 on:** August 24, 2020, 03:08:15 pm »

You are a real alchemist and nobody can say otherwise.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNnvm5SM5bM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNnvm5SM5bM</a>

Rysworld · « **Reply #32 on:** August 24, 2020, 09:37:42 pm »

The braggot is almost finished, already up to around 9% ABV. I'll take another reading in a week or so and if it hasn't changed, it will be ready for secondary. It came up quite fast. Smells basically like straight beer, not much of a fruit scent to it. It's still very cloudy and very blonde.

The mead is stuck- I checked today and it's the same gravity as the last time, 1.082, sitting at around 10%. I suspect it's probably a lack of nutrient, and I don't want to put more fermaid O in there. If you do too much that past a certain point, it's supposed to give a metallic, unpleasant taste, and I've already added plenty of that sweet sweet nooch. So I blended up another couple pounds of fruit- a pound of pineapple, a pound-and-a-half of Mango, the stuff I had left over in my freezer after the braggot- into the must and put it back in. Technically, it's a melomel now, though one that's pretty light on the fruit, so I don't think it will affect the taste much. More for the nitrogen than anything else. Hopefully it kicks off again, otherwise I've got an awful lot of what is basically a weird hibiscus cocktail.

I'd still get drunk off it though.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #33 on:** August 25, 2020, 04:36:00 pm »

I wish you could fax me a sample. It sounds fun to taste test.

You got people you can invite over to do a tasting party? Even if it's just small bits? Might be fun.

Rysworld · « **Reply #34 on:** August 26, 2020, 12:04:48 am »

Yeah, I wish it was easier to ship booze... as in, possible at all to ship as an individual under US law. I think I'd have to get a license? If that weren't the case, all the GS people would be getting a beer bottle's worth or two.

I have an aunt and a sister in the same building, and I live with my brother. I'll give some to my grandpa when we see each other next, he does homebrew stuff and specifically has been making mead for years. I have friends I know from highschool I have a personal Discord server with and hang out in person every few months. I don't know about a "tasting party" but I'm going to get them drunk as **** off whatever I can make :^U

PatMan33 · « **Reply #35 on:** August 26, 2020, 04:42:18 pm »

Rysworld · « **Reply #36 on:** September 13, 2020, 04:20:41 pm »

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/754644285474734230/20200913_030544.jpg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/754838852190994592/20200913_155558.jpg

Bottled and primed the braggot- should be carbonated in a couple weeks- and started a new batch last night. Two gallons of cider- one with blueberries and pomegranate juice, the other one with strawberries and golden gooseberries. Both were sweetened with brown sugar and honey up to around 1.090 OG- 1.091 for the strawberry, 1.093 for the blueberry- so they should come out to around ten percent like the braggot. Trader Joe's unfiltered apple juice as a base. Had some blowoff on these, actually, had to clean them this morning. Those two pictures are from last night and around noon today and you can see it's already fizzing. Very vigorous fermentation... it HAS been warm lately, I probably should have left more headroom.

Got a different type of high-abv wine yeast and chucked it in the old mead... no mold pellicle or anything, so it can keep sitting and hopefully the yeast is still working if slowly, but I don't know if it's moving. Gotta check the gravity again soon.

-EDIT-

Better Picture: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/754865283029532742/20200913_174326.jpg

Rysworld · « **Reply #37 on:** September 14, 2020, 02:07:13 pm »

Oh, yeah, ingredients.

BATCH 1: Umbral Brew (1 gallon) - Visually dramatic color-wise, very powerful initial ferment (because of the blueberry skins?), significant blowoff.

1.5 lbs blueberries
1 qt pomegranate juice
~2 qts Trader Joe's Unfiltered Apple Juice (a little more, probably)
6 oz dark brown sugar (175 grams is what I measured on the scale)
~1.5 cups honey (I know I'm mixing weight and volume, weighing honey sucks, deal)

BATCH 2: Liquid Summer (1 gallon) - Smelled like a million bucks. Small amount of blowoff.

1 lb strawberries, tops removed
.5 lbs golden gooseberries
~2.5 qts Trader Joe's Unfiltered Apple Juice (or whatever amount you need to get to a reasonable amount of headspace in your fermenter)
6 oz dark brown sugar
~1.5 cups honey (or whatever it takes to get to ~1.09 OG)

Fruits were heated in the cider for a bit to sanitize, in order to remove any molds or wild critters. The result was blended and put in the fermenters with the juice, where the brown sugar and honey were added until they hit around 1.09 gravity- 1.093 for the Umbral Brew, 1.091 for Liquid Summer. Should get up to around 10 percent. I don't think these count as cysers, since honey only makes up like between a quarter and a third of the gravity. Then again, I don't think that actually has a hard and fast definition... one of them has a bunch of pomegranate juice in it too, so... whatever. I'm just calling these ciders. Yeast is K1V-1116, because that is what I have.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #38 on:** September 14, 2020, 03:00:34 pm »

I really like the colors of the two products. What comes next? Do you filter it and bottle?

Rysworld · « **Reply #39 on:** September 14, 2020, 11:24:09 pm »

Nope, not booze quite yet! Still fermenting, those pictures are from RIGHT after I mixed everything together and put the yeast in. The color and clarity will change a bit- although I heated fruit in these to sanitize and I'm not using any fining agents, so the pectin in the strawberries and blueberries mean they'll probably both always be a little cloudy. After a couple days the character of the fruit on the top has already changed a bit- the fruit skins look a bit softer, more broken down, and the gooseberries and strawberries have lost a little color.

As sugar gets turned into booze, the density of the liquid lowers, and more stuff gets leeched from the fruit it will fall to the bottom along with dead and inactive yeast. This forms a big crudcake called a "lees". That's basically my filtration, since too much oxygen any exposure- like you'd get from running an unfinished cider through, say, a wire strainer- will just turn all your booze into vinegar if you happen to get any acetobacter in there during. I'll siphon whatever liquid I can off the top without getting any of the lees it and let it sit for a couple weeks in a secondary fermentation, so anything else still in suspension can fall out, and so the flavors can chill out and get to know each other a little more.

And yes, I'm very happy with how these ciders look... if they end up tasting half as good, I'll be ecstatic. Hope they stay as dramatic-looking as possible as they continue to develop.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #40 on:** September 15, 2020, 03:04:55 pm »

Remember to drink a glass of water for every gallon of beer. Or something like that. :3

sgore · « **Reply #41 on:** September 17, 2020, 09:37:46 pm »

Rysworld, those look like they're probably incredibly delicious.

Legally Mandated Disclaimer: I am not necessarily the best judge of things that look delicious.
(e.g. I once almost choked on a ball of metal I thought looked delicious when I was a young child)

But I will also say my understanding of "what is or isn't delicious" has become much more sophisticated as I've grown,
and this safely falls within the known rubric for is.

Either way, good work!

PatMan33 · « **Reply #42 on:** September 18, 2020, 05:59:48 pm »

Quote from: sgore on September 17, 2020, 09:37:46 pm

Rysworld, those look like they're probably incredibly delicious.

Legally Mandated Disclaimer: I am not necessarily the best judge of things that look delicious.
(e.g. I once almost choked on a ball of metal I thought looked delicious when I was a young child)

But I will also say my understanding of "what is or isn't delicious" has become much more sophisticated as I've grown,
and this safely falls within the known rubric for is.

Either way, good work!

Don't feel so bad. I ate plastic once.

Rysworld · « **Reply #43 on:** September 25, 2020, 09:49:59 pm »

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/759272550252412948/IMG_20200925_213729_407.jpg

The other ciders are in secondary, and I was hit by a wacky idea I wanted to get done before Halloween so I started a sort of harvest-themed cider with corn and roast butternut squash in it. If it's undrinkable, worst case I'll use it for glazes and sauces.

Still haven't tried the first ones, but they smell nice. The blueberry pomegranate just straight up smells like a red wine, and the gooseberry strawberry mostly just smells faintly of sweetness and strawberries. That's pretty promising. Should be ready for bottling and carbonation in less than a week, I'd say. Came up to 11-12 percent gravity, overshooting my estimation a little, since they fermented all the way back down to water density- 1.000 and .999 gravity readings. This means they're fairly dry, but I don't mind that as long as the flavor's good. I'll see what I can do about getting them sparkling.

And yeah sgore, I'm ecstatic with how these look- pretty similarly dramatic after fermenting, although I think the gooseberry strawberry lost a little redness- it's more orange, than anything. I feel like I should have made double batches or gotten three-gallon fermenters, I already want to have made more of the stuff.

Rysworld · « **Reply #44 on:** September 28, 2020, 11:49:37 am »

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/760205091940335646/IMG_20200928_112213_430.jpg

Bottled and carbonating. I sampled these from what was left over from bottling and they taste... pretty decent, actually. Liquid Summer tastes mostly like a white wine with some tart and strawberry notes. There might be a very slight taste of apple- not unlike if you somehow removed every molecule of flesh from an apple skin and just ate that. Umbral Brew tastes and smells like a cheapish red wine to a degree that surprised me a little- the tannins in the blueberries have something to do with that, I think- and despite both of them being very dry manages to effect some sweetness.

I like them both. I'm glad, because the mead never took off, and the braggot kind of... sucks. It was sour and unbalanced and not very drinkable- the kind of booze that makes you pull a face when you drink it. Some of it is making up part of a chicken marinade in my fridge right now. It WILL get you drunk, and I drank more than half of it, but I consider it something of a failure.

Thinking about doing a pineapple cider soon too, then maybe cool it on ciders for a bit.

Also putting it together that a gallon fermenter gets you about a six-pack or a little less, if you do a fruit addition... I need a three-gallon, or another five-gallon fermenter.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #45 on:** September 28, 2020, 02:12:53 pm »

Rysworldbräu is the hottest new drink in all the clubs!

Rysworld · « **Reply #46 on:** October 13, 2020, 04:00:00 am »

You're damn right. Speaking of, the Harvestwine is fermented. Overshot again, down to gravity .994(!) and very dry. tastes mostly like a strong, relatively characterless wine with faintly vegetal notes.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/765349896777498624/20201012_142046.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/765349897368764476/20201012_144506.jpg

First is a pic of how the orange has been sucked out of the butternut, second is after the first racking, away from most of the sludge.

And I DID end up getting a three-gallon... broke it in with a pineapple-cherry cider, hesitantly named "Cherry Popper".

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/765350307991388190/IMG_20201012_154022_247.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/765350433722990592/20201012_143826.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/765350599469432862/IMG_20201012_154022_249.jpg

The ingredients before, the ingredients heating, and everything together in the fermenter.

2.25 gallons unfiltered apple juice, 1 qt tart cherry juice, 2.5 lbs frozen pineapple. 12 oz brown sugar, 3 lbs orange blossom honey. Tired right now, it's a bit of an unruly baby- a little too much liquid, I think, it's fairly constantly needing a little cleanup and maintenance. Not all pets can be low-maintenance, though, eh? Smells like heaven, though. Since my ciders have all gone to ~1 gravity, I made this one with that in mind, so it should actually only get to somewhere between 10 and 11 percent this time.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #47 on:** October 13, 2020, 02:17:08 pm »

My heart stopped when I read:

"And I DID end up getting a three-gallon... broke it"

I thought you dropped it. :3

Rysworld · « **Reply #48 on:** October 13, 2020, 11:29:07 pm »

Haha, no, that one's plastic. Hard to break, easy to move.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #49 on:** October 14, 2020, 05:38:42 pm »

Ever see the videos of teenagers smashing milk in the supermarket?

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glgblV7Un_g" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glgblV7Un_g</a>
Classic.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #50 on:** December 07, 2020, 07:48:24 pm »

Hey! You're online!

What's your plan for the next batch?

Rysworld · « **Reply #51 on:** December 07, 2020, 09:17:30 pm »

I'm just bad at posting lolololol

Let the thread die a bit. Bad form. Here's what I've been working on.

Cherry Popper is done, bottled, and mostly drank at this point.

Secondary:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/770406049365622814/20201026_145327.jpg

In glass:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/770408689919459408/20201026_150842.jpg

Bottled:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/771214814651351040/20201028_202316.jpg

Got I think 22(!) of them or somewhere around there. Seems like economies of scale are to your benefit as far as fermenter sizes go, and larger sizes get you less waste to yeastcake and other things. The one gallon dual batches before only got me like 4-5 bottles a pop, so I was expecting less. Also bottled very well, with no bottle sediment as was the case with my previous batches. Notes of honey, orange zest/rind, fruit skin, and pineapple, in order of prevalence- honestly, still not sure if I imagined the pineapple.

Then I wanted to work on some applejack, or hard cider that's been frozen so you can remove the water, to concentrate it.

The ingredients are mostly 100% unfiltered apple juice, with a little filtered apple and pomegranate, since the grocery store only had four of the unfiltered apple.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/775574635403018240/20201109_180623.jpg

Primary:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/780253382559924284/20201122_180414.jpg

Secondary:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/780256525117292595/20201122_182010.jpg

In the freezer:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/780599859933478912/20201123_170448.jpg

Bottled:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/781035671191289866/20201124_215628.jpg

Unfortunately, this didn't turn out how I wanted- this is only slightly jacked, somewhere between 10-20 percent ABV from 8.5. Oh well, it's still perfectly drinkable as regular slightly-jacked apple wine. Not very flavorful. This is my least favorite batch so far aside from the braggot.

That's all so far. I've been thinking about doing a 3-gallon rerun of that blueberry-pomegranate cider, since it was really good. Maybe teak some things or use some adjuncts. I also have a bunch of frozen bananas I've been wanting to use for something, and beer grain from the beer kit I initially bought... Banana bread beer???

PatMan33 · « **Reply #52 on:** December 10, 2020, 05:07:11 pm »

The Cherry Popper is gorgeous looking.

I guess you can't mail that stuff across state lines can you? Also can you post a picture of your bottler? I love specialized devices.

Rysworld · « **Reply #53 on:** February 08, 2021, 07:27:08 pm »

Rysworld · « **Reply #54 on:** February 08, 2021, 07:32:55 pm »

PatMan33 · « **Reply #55 on:** February 10, 2021, 06:12:25 pm »

Have you ever tried Victory Brewery beers? They make a beer called Golden Monkey that I adore. You should try it. @_@

You're really getting into this brewing thing! That's an excellent development. I hope you enjoy it as much as it seems you do.

The banana seemed so compelling but it is a bummer that it has mediocre flavor.

Also I can give you an estimate on a backsplash if you'd like. I love your countertop but it is crying out for a backsplash. Some color will compliment it nicely and make your kitchen more valuable. Plus it's a fun weekend project!

Rysworld · « **Reply #56 on:** February 19, 2021, 06:15:20 pm »

I don't think so? I looked it up, I don't recognize it. I'll give it a try if I ever see it around, though.

Never been much of a decorator. We used to have a framed picture up above the sink, for... some reason. The side of the apartment that doesn't have my brother and me in it is kind of barren, honestly.

Also, the beers are bottled! I didn't take pics of the syrup I made so the yeast will carbonate- oops- and I still don't have a good name for the pineapple-banana beer. Brainstorm has included: Bunching Up, Going Bananas (so cliche it hurts), Banana-Pineapple Blast (like a gushers flavor),

View of outside and inside of bucket:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/810956352360677476/20210215_112634.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/810958606953349120/20210215_113951.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/810962154274160650/20210215_115316.jpg

Second bucket at beginning and end of transfer (This is when I put in the priming/carbonation sugar):
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/810962154785079377/20210215_115327.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/810963615472812102/20210215_115934.jpg

Bottling:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/810971457831829555/20210215_123045.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/810979896871616512/20210215_130402.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/810991370117709854/20210215_135001.jpg

I suspect it tastes different from before, but I didn't taste it! We shall see how it is in a weekish.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #57 on:** February 22, 2021, 06:41:46 pm »

Not a bad way to get a couple cases of beer! Gatherings at your place must be a good time.

Names for the banana-pineapple creation... how about Pineapple Peel? Or if that's no good you can go with Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

Rysworld · « **Reply #58 on:** February 23, 2021, 06:15:07 pm »

I was literally trying to workshop a Donkey Kong name. Pineapple Peel isn't bad. I'll ultimately decide on something final when I taste the product, I think. Should just be a couple more days.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #59 on:** February 23, 2021, 08:01:05 pm »

Donkey Kong kept coming up in my mind too. Bananas I guess!

Do you predict the banana flavor to shine through the pineapple? Pineapple seems like a very strong flavor to contend with.

Rysworld · « **Reply #60 on:** February 23, 2021, 08:05:02 pm »

I'm not sure! This is a bit of an experiment, I've done a cursory search and banana is not very popular in the homebrew space. Maybe because it floats and is a mold risk, although I didn't get any fuzz. But if it is just a pineapple beer then that will be fine.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #61 on:** February 23, 2021, 08:07:20 pm »

I never considered the buoyancy aspect of the whole thing. That's a good point.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #62 on:** March 09, 2021, 07:36:30 am »

Speaking of adult beverages, how's things in the lab?

Rysworld · « **Reply #63 on:** March 15, 2021, 02:16:14 pm »

Beer's bottled. Looks beery tastes beery. EH. Not fruity!

Mostly given away. People say it's good, but most people do if you give them free beer.

Got the stuff to make a repeat of Umbral Brew, that pomegranate blueberry cider from a while ago, but a 3-gallon batch of it. Expect that soon.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #64 on:** March 16, 2021, 07:24:32 pm »

Bummer that the fruity flavor did not turn out. Any idea where the issue occurred and how to fix it?

Rysworld · « **Reply #65 on:** March 21, 2021, 05:55:52 am »

I might have just needed more of it, or I might need to put the fruit additions later in the process, where fermentation won't affect the flavor so much. Hard to say. It's not even bad I was just being a bitch tbh. It tastes very like... normal. Like if you got some low-to-mid price beer you hadn't heard of before, you wouldn't be surprised if it was the taste of Island Milk in there.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/821598266801520670/20210316_211750.jpg

This is the stuff I'm doing right now. No big recipe/picpost because this is a repeat of my favorite recipe so far- "Umbral Brew", the blueberry pomegranate cider from the dual batch I made a while ago. I figured after an experiment that didn't go my way, I might as well make something I'm confident I'll like. I think I might go for another mead or a wine next- some other experiment in a different vein. Maybe something with berries.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #66 on:** March 21, 2021, 05:26:40 pm »

Umbral Brew?

Put Bayonetta on the bottle and pray Nintendo doesn't sue since they more or less own Bayo now.

Rysworld · « **Reply #67 on:** April 25, 2021, 09:07:32 pm »

PatMan33 · « **Reply #68 on:** April 26, 2021, 08:03:05 pm »

I love both your zig-zag tablecloths and the congruous bottling. @_@

Rysworld · « **Reply #69 on:** May 14, 2021, 11:31:17 am »

Uh oh... somehow I got back on my bull****.

I'm thinking lower abv (5-8), strawberry, sparkling, sweet.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #70 on:** May 14, 2021, 12:14:50 pm »

Never get off that horse! It is a good hobby.

Rysworld · « **Reply #71 on:** May 14, 2021, 04:42:01 pm »

I already have the carboys and tubes. I'm in the **** now.

Rysworld · « **Reply #72 on:** May 20, 2021, 07:18:05 pm »

Sparkling strawberry mead is a go. Ten pounds of strawberries, six pounds of honey, three gallons of water, and a packet of K1-V1116. This will be middling abv- somewhere between 8 and 9 percent.

Ingredients:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/844819032594841640/Resized_20210519_225039.jpeg

Sanitizing strawbs:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/844819032594841640/Resized_20210519_225039.jpeg

Pouring honey:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/844847648510705674/Resized_20210519_233445.jpeg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/844847648786612224/Resized_20210519_233452.jpeg

Gravity, yeast hydration, and a good picture in-bucket:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/844847675673542676/Resized_20210519_234214.jpeg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/844847675961770004/Resized_20210519_234629.jpeg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/614896471627792446/844847676368486450/Resized_20210519_235414.jpeg

Definitely one of the nicer-smelling brews I've made so far. I had a strawberry ale from Gelson's recently that was so tasty I had to make something similarish.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #73 on:** May 31, 2021, 08:08:14 am »

You cannot ever go wrong with strawberry! Do you strain out all the seeds?

Rysworld · « **Reply #74 on:** June 01, 2021, 09:26:11 am »

I will! It's still sitting on the strawberries now, actually. The flesh has gone all pale, so hopefully the color will be good at least! And it smells of strawberries.

There's a side-brew happening also, a blueberry hibiscus mead which will be like 5-6% and also sparkling.

Ingredients (Blueberries, honey, and some dried hibiscus from my aunt):
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/847553208897241168/Resized_20210527_121120.jpeg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/847553209237110836/Resized_20210527_120954.jpeg

Blending blueberries:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/847567581091332146/Resized_20210527_124243.jpeg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/847567581615357972/Resized_20210527_124300.jpeg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/847567581934256148/Resized_20210527_124348.jpeg

Inoculating the new brew with some of the strawberry mead:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/847567584483606578/Resized_20210527_125750.jpeg

Dark Liquid:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/431188832008798230/847567743141412894/Resized_20210527_130915.jpeg

PatMan33 · « **Reply #75 on:** June 01, 2021, 11:28:08 am »

They look good enough to drink right now.

How badly would that harm my intestines?

Rysworld · « **Reply #76 on:** June 01, 2021, 12:23:46 pm »

I've never had a problem sampling stuff! People say if you drink a BUNCH of live yeast you get the runs, sometimes, but I've never guzzled down a whole actively fermenting brew. I tend to get intestinal problems the day after if I drink a bunch of booze anyways so it'd be hard to tell for me.

They smell good right now. Want them to have a themed pair of names. Delight and Merriment, maybe.

PatMan33 · « **Reply #77 on:** June 01, 2021, 05:52:57 pm »

I'm only good for Donkey Kong-themed names so I think your choices are the way to go.