What i'm brewing at the moment

[MKG]

Thanks for the reminder, Brewtrog. I did add some strong tea, but I tend to think of that a bit like adding water to any other must. I stick it in and forget it. Or maybe I'm just getting old and forgetf

What?

[dave45]

>with a bit of citric acid...

shouldn't that be tartaric acid?

[MKG]

I'm assuming that the tartaric acid came with the grape juice, dave45. Tartaric acid, though, is more a flavour ingredient - citric acid actually aids in the fermentation process. But it's a very suck-it-and-see wine at the moment. If it turns out anywhere near OK, then I'll start designing more complex recipes for it.

[MKG]

OK - it's 11 days later and the grape juice wine fermentation has already stopped and it's all but fallen clear. I'm putting that down to the yeast (which I've mentioned before), and this weather which I find bloody awful but which is spot on for making wine.

I have a very acceptable end-product. It's dry, but not that horrible dry which turns your face inside out. It has flavour (including citrus overtones - I'm so glad I put in that citric acid) and it has the right amount of body for a light white. It's so well balanced at this stage (apart from being a little overhot on the alcohol content) that I'm sure that it would happily mature for up to three years - possibly more - with further improvements. It's not going to get the chance to do that as it's very quaffable as it stands - maybe the next batch might get that chance.

All in all, quite a worthwhile experiment - I like those with drinkable outcomes.

Mike

[Zech]

Not so much what I'm brewing, as what I'm drinking. I've been very restrained and not touched last year's elderberry wine... until this evening. Bloody hell, that stuff is good!

You know what Mike says about a decent elderberry wine being as good as any grape wine? He knows what he's talking about, that Mike does.

[MKG]

Headache, much?

[Zech]

Hmm, I may have felt a wee bit delicate this morning. How did you know?

[Crastney]

I have 3 DJs of elderberry cider maturing at the moment, and a DJ of plain elderberry wine, and a DJ of mixed fruit (elderberry, plum, damson, blackberry) port.
I have plums this year, in the freezer, along with even more of last years elderberries, which I plan to do something with.
I have three bottles of elderflower champagne left, which I made earlier in the year, but which tasted a bit odd, so not sure that I'll get round to oppening these...

[Brewtrog]

The elderberry cider sounds nice. I've only recently bottled last year's elderberry wine - need to find a new place to get elderberries for this year. Most recent brews I've got on are a gallon of rhubarb, two gallons of blackcurrant and a third gallon of blackcurrant made as a second run wine from what was left after the two gallons were strained off the fruit.

[WILDBREW]

started 2 gallons of apple & lychee, 2 of Nescafe coffee, 2 of blackberry & elderberry

[Pumkinpie]

Some EM ( environmentally friendly microorganisms) to act as compost activators.
Off to lotty to use some on my overflowing compost bins.
Then I will top up with water, the dregs washed out from my marmite jar and any carbohydrates and sugars I can find in my cupboards. Looks like the weather should be just right for fermentation.
Should have a nice bin full of ' good bacteria and yeasts ' to spray on my no dig beds along with the autumnal organic matter. It helps every thing rot down nicely.
It doesn't smell too bad either as I think there are a lot of environmental yeasts in the mixture as it smells quite sweet.
I know this is not the normal type of brewing on here but it is still using bugs to do something useful.

[WILDBREW]

Damson wine, blackberry & elderberry, elderberry, blackberry & cherry and exotic rose.
ingredients will make 2 gallons.
2lt-cherry juice.
2lt- white grape juice.
1lt-Exotic fruit juice.
2kg- white sugar.
2tsp- ritchies wine yeast(1 per DJ)
water.
Method: use 1kg of sugar and make some sugar syrup when cool divide in to the DJs and divide the cherry juice & grape & exotic fruit juice in to the DJs add the yeast fit the airlock and ferment for 1 week then make some more sugar syrup with 1kg of sugar when cool divide in to the DJs and top up to the neck with cold tap water and fit the airlock and fully ferment out, when fermenting as stopped rack and add finings after about 1 week the wine should be clear then rack again and mature for about 6 to 12 months.

[Crastney]

not actively brewing anything at the moment, as the kitchen is being ripped out and a new one put in, but I have some 'ale' conditioning, and three DJs of elderberry cider maturing, and a PET of elderberry port maturing, and a DJ of plain elderberry wine maturing. they've been going ages, so probably need bottling before Christmas.
I'm not sure which is better, mature in bulk (1 gallon DJ) or bottle and mature - which free's up a DJ for something quicker.

[MKG]

The more bulk the better as far as maturing is concerned. On the other hand, a gallon isn't that much bulk anyway, so bottling isn't going to make a crucial difference. If it means another gallon of wine on the go, get that elderbery bottled now.

[Zech]

Inspired by the post on our front page, I've got some nettle beer on the go. I say 'inspired by' - I don't really do recipes, so it's not quite the same. I filled a two gallon bucket with nettle tips, moderately pressed down, also some sorrel (quite a bit, for acidity, as I didn't have any lemons) and a few rose bay willow herb tips (because I've used those in beer before and they were good), and there might have been a dandelion leaf or two in there as well, but not many. Poured boiling water over, then topped up with cold, not forgetting to chuck in a pound of sugar before quite filling the bucket with water. The reason I didn't cook the nettles was that a friend made nettle cordial last year which didn't involve boiling and it was delicious. Added yeast (previously used in knotweed fizz) and left in the bucket, stirring every day to release gas. It's been there a week or so and it's still frothy every time I stir, but I tried a glassful last night (no patience, me) and it was really good. I may have to get a second batch on the go, if I can be bothered to pick that many nettle tips again. There's no shortage of them!