Where I am today

[Jennysgin]

Yup, I learned my lesson with glass bottles and ginger beer (now banned from that particular endeavour )
Id thought that the plastic was a safer bet but apparently not! Live and learn

[Easydrinker]

I have Sloe envy.
Not a one near me.
I have blackberries.
If I scare the blackbirds away.
I will trade!
One blackbird for a cup of Sloes?

Robert.

[buffalobob]

It's wazzing down today so decided to strip my 75L of apple wine. Just sucked a drop off my finger ... it's very good already . I managed to find some late blackberry's and froze them, thinking I'll put some in my thumper for the spirit run for apple and blackberry brandy, can't wait to try it.

[phantom]

Things I have learned today:
1) my elderflower champagne had not finished doing it's thing
2) plastic bottles will also explode with an almighty bang and mess!

Who knew?!

I did........

Difference is, that when they explode, a mess? yes, but you don't get shredded by bits of flying glass, just stings a bit where the plastic hits (mine was ginger beer - and I managed to cover all of our cats that were eating when the bottle fell over )......

[phantom]

I have Sloe envy.
Not a one near me.
I have blackberries.
If I scare the blackbirds away.
I will trade!
One blackbird for a cup of Sloes?

Robert.

A bit unlucky there Robert. There are shitloads of sloes around here - been spotting which area I'm gonna pillage, just making my mind up whether to wait any longer (first frost is an old wives tale, but there's a bit of science too).

[buffalobob]

Ginger moggies are my favourite

[Easydrinker]

I mentioned sonewhere on here that Elderberries don't ripen hereabouts.
I was wrong.
Today, although we still have elders in flower, I spotted a few bunches of berries that were almost ripe.
I think that I may leave them for the birds.
Who says that global warming is all bad?
Buy yourself a piece of Scottish hillside, before the glaciers all melt and you need wellies to walk down your flatland gardens.
Rice paddies?

Robert.

[Mash]

Give it 10 years and a couple of bags on sand from jewsons... Tropical!!

[Mash]

Today I am waiting for the grape skins to sink in my red wine. Then I will will put it to bed for a couple of weeks. Bored now with punching down and faffing about 3 times a day.

[buffalobob]

Did my apple wine spirit run with about .75kg of blackberry's in my 11L thumper. I crushed the berries in backset and ran it nice and slow. I knocked the boiler charge down to just under 30% abv. Nuked a litre yesterday with a bit of oak and sampled a little today. Very nice indeed. The blackberry flavour carried over really well, especially early on in the run. It's like apple and blackberry pie in a glass. This is getting hidden away for a while, probably

[Easydrinker]

That sounds interedting bb, i bet you drink the most of it 'young', and you deserve a break Mash.
Did I really say that?
Me, I added some Bi-carb to a sugar wash.
Some folks have all the fun.

Robert.

[Mash]

Yeh! Day 15 the skins have sunk !! cling film on pressing nest week.

[Easydrinker]

Please, DO NOT respond to this post.
I am making it for information only, In case some time soon I disappear.
Regular posters/readers know that this site means a lot to me.
For a couple of years I have had a heallth condition sneaking up on me.
At just about the time of Covid lockdown, I was up for going to my GP and getting a referral for some scans, this being the course of action recommended by a whole bunch of doctors 300 miles away, working with someone in my family.
CV19 fucked that option,
It also fucked trying to move to a better GP, and hopes of being scanned sometime soon.
So, I had a minor 'incident' June 23rd.
Today, while in the PT I had a major one.
Almost two hours laying on the floor, unconscious, smacked my face on a few buckets on the fall, a bit of a mess.
Yes, it bothers me, but I once spent 9 days crossing the Bay of Biscay, alone in gale force winds.
It puts life in perspective.
This would have been the year to sail around the world non-stop, at least in a boat as slow as mine!

Keep cheerful peeps. I am dragging the most out of every day.
I suggest that you all do the same.

Robert.

[Easydrinker]

Today was a better day, the sun shone for a start!
But then it clouded over and prevented the Meteorite spotting, that was expected ce soir.
Ho hum, go with the hand you are played.
I took some Ph and SG readings on my latest sugar neutral wash.
Again, I quietly accepted the slow results.
As if I had a choice!
Checking my records, it seems 3 weeks is around a normal time for my method.
Smirnoff, You can relax.
For this week.......

Robert

[Mash]

No dragons seen here either. A very cloudy night.
Good to read your posts this morning.
Keep grinning.

[jacquie]

today I has been bottling much, ciders, ipa's wine and spirits (well bossing my son around whilst he does it for me, knew there had to be an upside to having kids). But todays question for my go to gurus of all things boozy is - does anybody know of a substance that will fix the colour in spirit. I put hibiscus in the gin to make it a pretty colour but after about a week it starts to fade till it's looks like weak pee (not so purty) any suggestions on harmless colour fixative please?

cheers

jack

[Easydrinker]

Sorry girl, that is not something on my radar.
"Quite frankly Scarlet, I don't give a damn!"

Robert.

[Mash]

today I has been bottling much, ciders, ipa's wine and spirits (well bossing my son around whilst he does it for me, knew there had to be an upside to having kids). But todays question for my go to gurus of all things boozy is - does anybody know of a substance that will fix the colour in spirit. I put hibiscus in the gin to make it a pretty colour but after about a week it starts to fade till it's looks like weak pee (not so purty) any suggestions on harmless colour fixative please?

cheers

jack

Do you have orris and angelica in your recipes? Pinch of each in the sputnik will fix.

[Mash]

Also stops the bright flavours fading too.

[jacquie]

Also stops the bright flavours fading too.

I always add both when making the gin, but will try to add a pinch more when i add the hibiscus see if it helps, cheers mash

jack

[gaza the instructor]

Hi Jacquie

[Easydrinker]

gaza, are you there?
I hope that you just fell asleep or got bored dude.
One of these nights I may leave this site in a similar manner.
But i will go with a smrk, if not a smile.
And an unfinished post.
Prob

[gaza the instructor]

Old posters never die, they just go out of key!!

[jacquie]

Hi Jacquie

Hi Gazza, how ya doing ya ol' rogue, hope all's well in your neck of the woods

Btw glad you used 'jacquie' - hi-jack makes me sound like an aeroplane

[wormwood]

I put hibiscus in the gin to make it a pretty colour but after about a week it starts to fade till it's looks like weak pee (not so purty) any suggestions on harmless colour fixative please?

Try a small pinch of citric acid.