Who still brews ???

[Icefever]

I must admit the last brew I did was way back mid 2014....this morning I've been having a clean up in the outhouse and I must get back into brewing. I can't keep knocking back the strong stuff like I have done since starting down this path of stilling, and I got to wondering how many of us on here still brew beer?? and if you do what's your poison?? I love the Belgium beers the Trappist...German Bocks.

Don't get me wrong I love my own crafted vodka/rum/brandy....but I never get a chance to lay some of it to one side to mature a little.
Today I've started 2x21 litre lentil wash's, that I intend to strip & run then at least put a couple of bottles away, also I've got a small Newcastle brew on the go...and later on today I hope to start a 30 bottle Premium Cellar (white).

Cheers....

[D4nny74]

Hi mate

Ive got

Mexican cerveza in keg @ 1oc 8 week conditioning
german pilsner in keg @ 1oc 8 week conditioning
Canadian blonde cold crashing
strawberry and lime cider in bottles
coopers english bitter in fermentor

probably get another ale sorted when I’ve finished putting beer taps on my wall

[Mash]

Oh yes.

AG Heritage IPA in Oak
100% Cascade wheat beer
Speckled Hen Clone.

Next up smoked IPA

[Icefever]

Well that's 3 of us....

I'd like the pilsner...never tried cerveza.

Speckled Hen yes love it...and I knocked up a hoppie IPA 2013 even the missus loved it.

[Johns051]

I still keep up with fruit wine making. A bit slow at this time of year as only dry fruits are available and it is too cold. The late summer is an interesting time at home, with Drew tubs all over the house.

[Mash]

Better fess up to wine also then ☺
I make up red from italian grapes every year.

In fact I like all sorts of yeasty stuff.. including fermenting meat.

[Icefever]

I also do wines...fruit & grape...we have the grape crop of a friend up at the allotments, around 65/70 kg.
I do the odd top brand grape kits as well, (started a 30 bottle on Mon) where do you get your grapes from Mashy???....I know you can get them frozen brought up from Spain/Italy...but never got in that deep.

John have you tried concentrates?? I done a few with some good results.

[Mash]

I get them is as fresh grapes - I do about 1000 kg a year. I also freeze some for friends they can then be fermented later in the year.

[Icefever]

That a metric tonne....

How many bottles do you use....or do you use some other method????

[Mash]

Yup SS tanks. Bottling is a silly game

[Toper]

Without remarkably cheap sources, I wouldn't find it economically viable to produce wine from grapes. There are those of course those who have friends and relatives who might supply some but, 1000kg?

Given everything else that you make, what a cellar you must have!

What size fermenting vessel do you use? That amount of grapes appear to indicate a total product of over 130 gallons.

[D4nny74]

.

[RumJohn]

And that's all D4nny74 has to say about that.

[Mash]

.... to busy brewing

[PieOPah]

It has been a long time since I last brewed a beer. My favourite was always the stout.

When I did brew, I always like to try something a little different. In my early days, I tried a Mars Bar Beer. I assumed that some of the taste would come through, but naturally it didn't. I also didn't realise that preservatives would kill off the yeast. Still, it was a nice enough beer.

My favourite was a 'Breakfast Stout' Can't remember exactly what went in, but it did include a box of cornflakes, a box of shreddies, a box of rice crispies and a bag of porrige oats.

I was batch sparging using the bucket in bucket technique and I made the mistake of leaving the lid on the outer bucket. This cause a vaccuum and compacted the grain bed :-( Ended up with a lot less Wort than I wanted and was gutted since the final product was so good. I should pull out my notes on that brew and remake it!

I have since bought an electric mash tun and have tried the bag sparging (pretty much batch sparge but you can wring out the bag to get a little more wort out of the grain). I was fairly impressed with this method and managed to get around 80% efficiency (I used to get 60%-65%).

I need to set aside some time to make some beers - but only once I have a nice stock of spirits!