home brewers, wine or mead makers or home distillers on the bag?

[SatansCheerledr]

I’ve been wondering, are there any other home brewers, wine or mead makers or home distillers on the bag?

[Myhairygrundle]

I used to home brew lots. I have all the cool shit, cold fermentation for ale, co2 keg system,etc.

It was fun for a few years, but I gave it up...it just took up too much time and I am an impatient fucktard . I just venture to the beer store and try something new every time. It can be a really fun hobby if you have the time and patience.

I just hated waiting the 3 or so weeks when I would bottle for it to be drinkable.

[CaraC]

I have never done anything like this, but out of curiosity, does it end up being cheaper, in the end, to brew your own beer? Or does all the materials that are necessary to brew it even out with just buying beer on a regular basis?

[DrumCorpsAlum]

tille ?

[mascan42]

home dis*****rs
I think they outlawed having one of your own back in the 1860s.

[foyb]

I've read a lot of information on how to do it, and have considered trying it on numerous occasions. I've just never had the time to do it, plus beer is only 12-13 bucks for 30 (yea, I know I drink cheap shit). One of my friends used to do it (he decided to leave the work force for a while, and had the time), and one of my professors in college did it. The days after he bottled a batch were awesome (hungover prof=easy class)

[MrBogey]

Why is distillers censored in the title? That's crazy like Brian Fellows.

[SatansCheerledr]

tille ?

maybe

[SatansCheerledr]

I think they outlawed having one of your own back in the 1860s.

That's why it's fun. Aaahleadgidly.

[THE FEZ MAN]

ive often wanted to give it a try, but i am also not only an impatient fuck tard im also a fucking slob, and lazy, so im sure that one of those carictor flaws would only force me to spend too much money on another worthless hobby that i get board with the third or fourth time ive had to clean up after my self.

[BIV]

My dad used to do this. His beer was questionable, but his mead ruled.

[BigWilly]

Me and a buddy have made 6 different types of beer so far. He had some equipment given to him from a cousin, and I bought a second set up so we can do two at a time. We followed recipes exactly the first two times, and the beer was awesome. The last time we tried some different hops and both batches were sort of bitter, but drinkable.

As far as cost, it's definitely not cheaper than a domestic beer, but comparable to an import purchase. Of course you start growing your own hops and buying malt in bulk, your costs go down. I recommend the first few times, go with the prepacked kits from a homebrew store.

[TreeFortRichard]

tille stared out...ok..at least it draws reads

[Slow Bollards]

My dad brewed a few batches about 15 years ago. He always improvised with the recipes to increase the alcohol %. This inevitably resulted in horrific tasting brew with an inch of sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

Once or twice when I was desperate and couldn't get my hands on any real alcohol I would choke one of those fuckers down. Ugh.

My friend's cousin just got a kit for x-mas and we just tried it a few nights ago. Really good. Not just good for 1st timer homebrewing, but really good. I think I may get my pop's equipment and try it out.

I press my own hashish though, does that count for anything? :cool3:

[LilJimmyRbinson]

I have a Mr. Beer but I've only used it a few times and wasn't too pleased with the results. I'd love to try real homebrewing though. Now that I'm gonna be a homeowner I might give it a shot.

[ChimneyFish]

I've wanted to try mead.
Anybody out there made their own????
I was wondering how complicated it is.

My second year making my own wine.
Last two years I've just made some Ruby Cabernet.
Some very tasty stuff.

I think I might mix it up next year, and try a different red and try making a white, too.

[Three Hole Puncher]

I've made a ton of beer, but never did wine. I did do some mead once..

Making mead is crazy easy. Cooking it up is like making a big cup of tea, and the fermentation is the same as beer... only not as stinky and messy.

The only down side... not many people REALLY like mead, and it gives you a CRUSHING hangover if you get bombed on it. One of the worst hangovers of my life was from waaaay too much Bunratty Meade when I was over in Ireland. If there had been a pistol within hand's reach when I came to the morning after, I would have cheerfully shot myself in the head.

My advice... do small batches first. Small enough that you can ferment in a 1 gallon carboy.

I made the mistake of doing a five gallon batch... it was a decent result if I do say so myself... certainly as good, if not better, than the Bunratty... but I had trouble even giving the stuff away, and drinking that much mead quickly turned into a chore. I ended up pitching the last few bottles in the trash unopened.

Unless you really love the stuff, five gallons of Mead is basically a lifetime supply.

It's easy to make... but, do it in small batches... that's my advice.

[ChimneyFish]

Maybe I'll gave it a try this year.

And, from what I'm hearing in this thread, making wine is soooo much easier than making beer. There's really nothing to making a palin batch of whatever grape you want. You really don't have to do mauch of anything.

[Luftwaffe]

I've been home brewing for awhile now. Good way to kill an evening. I've got a mild ale and a hefeweizen fermenting right now for the summer.

[SatansCheerledr]

Yes mead is very easy to make and I love it. I'm sure there are recipes on the internet. A few suggestions are to use liquid champagne yeast because it has a higher alcohol tolerance and will ferment it out dry, dry, dry. You also have to be very patient. I rack until there is no sediment left, usually three or four times then give it six months in the carboy and the at least another six months in the bottle before I even touch it. It is excellent at one year in the bottle and even better at two years. I don't know what it tastes like at three years cuz none has ever made it that long. I usually have about thirty gallons going at a time and it is still hoarded and rationed. Right now in the carboys I have a hopped mead aging with medium toast american oak, a raspberry mead, a peach mead aging with light toasted peach wood and a regular dry mead aging with light toast french oak.

Don't boil it even if the recipe sez so. Just heat it till the honey is fully diluted or you loose some of the more subtle flavor characteristics and the floral aroma notes. I prefer my non fruit meads carbonated and they bottle condition excellent. They are in the bottle so long that if you decant them they pour crystal clear. Good mead is a sublime experience to be treasured and relished.

And yes, a mead hangover will knock your dick in the dirt.

[hypes]

When I approached my wife about homebrewing, she said I could either build my MAME cabinet or homebrew. I chose the former...but get free bottles from my friends who do the latter so long as I keep them supplied with Grolsh empties.

My friends mostly brew mead (of various flavors and alcohol contents) and really, really dark brews (really, really, really thick too). I enjoy both equally (my good friend's honey maple mead weighs in at a whopping 80% alcohol/vol and is soooooo smooth you don't even know your drunk until its too late), and I get the added bonus of being privy to their brewing recipies (since they know once my MAME cab. is finally finished I'll switch over to brewing).

The biggest bitch about mead is purchasing ALL THE GORRAM HONEY!!!! In IA, it's harder then hell to get it at a good rate where your not spending a ton of cash to make 2 1/2 gallons of mead. It's insane... it doesn't help that Sue Bee Honey pays top rate for everything in the state that they can get their hands on... but that's a story for another day.

-h

[SatansCheerledr]

(my good friend's honey maple mead weighs in at a whopping 80% alcohol/vol
-h

Shit dude, you know that's 160 proof right? :action-sm

[Three Hole Puncher]

Shit dude, you know that's 160 proof right? :action-sm

Seriously... how can that be? How can a fermented product be that high in alcohol? Where the hell do you find the mutant yeast that can get that job done? 160 proof? There HAS to be some sort of distillation taking place to make that sort of rocket fuel.

You sure he didn't say 18 percent? Even THAT is on the outer limits of what's possible through fermentation.

[SatansCheerledr]

Seriously... how can that be? How can a fermented product be that high in alcohol? Where the hell do you find the mutant yeast that can get that job done? 160 proof? There HAS to be some sort of distillation taking place to make that sort of rocket fuel.

You sure he didn't say 18 percent? Even THAT is on the outer limits of what's possible through fermentation.

to hit that proof requires fractional distillation, even a pot still can't hit that proof.

[Three Hole Puncher]

to hit that proof requires fractional distillation, even a pot still can't hit that proof.

I did not know that. Fractional distillation... I had to look that one up.

Thank you, mister.

[ChimneyFish]

Thanks for the info on the mead, fellas.
I'm definitely going to look into making some at some point.

On another note, I can't be the only winemaker on the entirety of wackbag, can I????

[hypes]

Seriously... how can that be? How can a fermented product be that high in alcohol? Where the hell do you find the mutant yeast that can get that job done? 160 proof? There HAS to be some sort of distillation taking place to make that sort of rocket fuel.

You sure he didn't say 18 percent? Even THAT is on the outer limits of what's possible through fermentation.

I may have exaggerated a bit. He doesn't have a way of measuring the exact proof... he uses an algorithm to figure the proof based on fermentation time and a couple of other variables (I don't brew, I just drink the stuff...but I am good at math). The stuff is really quite strong... I know he uses a really expensive champagne wine/ale yeast and he usually has it in the carboy for up to 48 months. The stuff will fuck you up with one bottle unless you have a really high tolerance. He has numerous carboys running in his basement at all times (I forget how many Iowa will allow without making you get a license, but I think he runs more then he's allowed on the sly... let see the State of Iowa track me down to bust him).

-h

[hypes]

On another note, I can't be the only winemaker on the entirety of wackbag, can I????

Mead != wine
Mead == honey-plus-aromatic based alcoholic beverage

[Three Hole Puncher]

I may have exaggerated a bit. He doesn't have a way of measuring the exact proof... he uses an algorithm to figure the proof based on fermentation time and a couple of other variables (I don't brew, I just drink the stuff...but I am good at math). The stuff is really quite strong... I know he uses a really expensive champagne wine/ale yeast and he usually has it in the carboy for up to 48 months. The stuff will fuck you up with one bottle unless you have a really high tolerance. He has numerous carboys running in his basement at all times (I forget how many Iowa will allow without making you get a license, but I think he runs more then he's allowed on the sly... let see the State of Iowa track me down to bust him).

-h

The problem with the high alcohol wines (and beers too) is the crushing hangovers they give you. The "superstrain" yeasts they use to make them piss out some seriously nasty impure alcohol in the end stages just before they poison themselves in their own waste.

Sam Adams puts out "the strongest beer in the world", which is 25% alcohol... 50 proof, but it comes with a built-in hangover preventer... it's upwards of $100 per bottle. Who can afford to get drunk on it at that price?

Sam Adams Utopia is the highest alcohol content strictly-fermented beverage available. If you find something higher, it's most probably going to have been "fortified"... meaning distilled alcohol was added to a fermented beverage.

[ChimneyFish]

Mead != wine
Mead == honey-plus-aromatic based alcoholic beverage

I was talking more along the lines of the "wine made from the juice of grapes" variety.

[Three Hole Puncher]

I was talking more along the lines of the "wine made from the juice of grapes" variety.

I can taste neither the fermentation of grape nor of wheat.

http://www.horrordvds.com/reviews/n-z/13w/13w_shot2l.jpg

[ChimneyFish]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that a "The 13th Warrior" reference????

If so, then brave, sir.:icon_cool

[Three Hole Puncher]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that a "The 13th Warrior" reference????

If so, then brave, sir.:icon_cool

Ding ding ding!

Give that man a kewpie doll.

http://www.doll.at/images/kewpie.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN-no1Ka7yU

[ChimneyFish]

"Brave"???? What a non-spellchecking douche I am.:icon_roll

I meant, bravo, sir.

[SatansCheerledr]

I make beer and wine too. Beer is by far the hardest to make. I only make things I can’t buy, otherwise why bother? For wines I stick to straight fruit or a fruit-grape blend. More alcohol level by fermentation is defiantly not always better. The higher the alcohol level achieved, the more byproducts produced by the yeast, collectively known as fusil oils. These add an unpleasant smell and taste as well as are what causes hangovers. If you want more alcohol in your beer or wine just add a high quality neutral spirit. These fusils can be completely removed by a combination of fractional distillation and charcoal filtering. Ethyl alcohol boils at 85.5, anything that distills before that is called fore shots and is discarded or used for other purposes. Anything that distills out at over 85.5 is called tails and is also undesirable in your finished product. If you keep your still temperature well regulated this remains behind in the wash. A distillation that contains no fores or tails is called a center run. Because distilleries are a business trying to make a profit they stretch the center run out as much as they can, more booze = more profit. That’s why the cheaper a booze is the more likely you will get a hangover from it. Also the amount of charcoal used to filter it makes it more pure but also more expensive. There are two kinds of home distillers, those who make moonshine, quick and cheap, what the old Irish called “tangle foot”. Then there are the artisanal distillers, triple center run distilled, twice charcoal filtered and aged in high quality fresh oak each time. This whiskey is far; far superior to anything you can buy from any commercial distillery at any price anywhere. Period. I know of an artisanal bourbon (technically a corn whiskey because it is made outside of Bourbon County, Kentucky) that is aged in toasted peach wood that is the most amazing thing you will never taste.

[SatansCheerledr]

what i meant was anything that would distill out at over 85.5 if not using fractional distilation is called tails but because fractional distilation causes it to recondence and drop back into the wash it does not end up in your final product. fore shots is what does come out at under 85.5 and is thrown away giving you what is called the "center run".

[Three Hole Puncher]

I make beer and wine too. Beer is by far the hardest to make. I only make things I can’t buy, otherwise why bother? For wines I stick to straight fruit or a fruit-grape blend. More alcohol level by fermentation is defiantly not always better. The higher the alcohol level achieved, the more byproducts produced by the yeast, collectively known as fusil oils. These add an unpleasant smell and taste as well as are what causes hangovers. If you want more alcohol in your beer or wine just add a high quality neutral spirit. These fusils can be completely removed by a combination of fractional distillation and charcoal filtering. Ethyl alcohol boils at 85.5, anything that distills before that is called fore shots and is discarded or used for other purposes. Anything that distills out at over 85.5 is called tails and is also undesirable in your finished product. If you keep your still temperature well regulated this remains behind in the wash. A distillation that contains no fores or tails is called a center run. Because distilleries are a business trying to make a profit they stretch the center run out as much as they can, more booze = more profit. That’s why the cheaper a booze is the more likely you will get a hangover from it. Also the amount of charcoal used to filter it makes it more pure but also more expensive. There are two kinds of home distillers, those who make moonshine, quick and cheap, what the old Irish called “tangle foot”. Then there are the artisanal distillers, triple center run distilled, twice charcoal filtered and aged in high quality fresh oak each time. This whiskey is far; far superior to anything you can buy from any commercial distillery at any price anywhere. Period. I know of an artisanal bourbon (technically a corn whiskey because it is made outside of Bourbon County, Kentucky) that is aged in toasted peach wood that is the most amazing thing you will never taste. Thank you, fellah. That was interesting.

I used to brew beer a coupla years back. I got a little crazy for awhile... I had a three-tier gravity system w/wort chiller... three ten gallon fermenters... 3 co2 kegging systems... I even got to the point that I was propagating my own yeast, I had a microscope and everything(LOOOOO-SER!).

But... I ran into a problem w/brewing beer... when you brew large quantities of beer, you tend to drink large quantities of beer. It was making me fat and lazy.

I haven't brewed in a few years, and I miss the whole process.

Your post has got me curious about home distilling. Hmmmmm... I think I'll do some of the googling on the intertubes. See if I can't make me some tangle foot and blind myself. Sounds like a hoot.

[SatansCheerledr]

There is tons of information and recourses out there. A home still is perfectly legal for water purification purposes. Nothing you distill from the fermentation of sugar or starches is going to make you go blind, that comes from unscrupulous distillers using non food fermentable to stretch it out and make cheaper. Like rubbing alcohol is distilled from fermented wood starch. That’s the shit that makes you go blind.

[Three Hole Puncher]

There is tons of information and recourses out there. A home still is perfectly legal for water purification purposes. Nothing you distill from the fermentation of sugar or starches is going to make you go blind, that comes from unscrupulous distillers using non food fermentable to stretch it out and make cheaper. Like rubbing alcohol is distilled from fermented wood starch. That’s the shit that makes you go blind.

I'm thinking something along the lines of a sorta glassware/Pyrex set-up... like that still they used to have in their tent on MASH. Something that could distill in small quantities... make like a gallon per batch.

I guess I should be careful if I decide to start ordering/buying the parts... don't want John Law kicking my door in looking for a meth lab.

[SatansCheerledr]

I'm thinking something along the lines of a sorta glassware/Pyrex set-up... like that still they used to have in their tent on MASH. Something that could distill in small quantities... make like a gallon per batch.

I guess I should be careful if I decide to start ordering/buying the parts... don't want John Law kicking my door in looking for a meth lab.


start here

http://www.stillspirits.com/

[SatansCheerledr]

Just found this site. Tons of info.


http://www.homedistiller.org/forum/index.php

[al885]

Gonna be getting into homebrewing myself. gonna get this http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6875

[BigWilly]

Gonna be getting into homebrewing myself. gonna get this http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6875

That should get you everything you need. Don't know about those carboys though, they look plastic. I'd just buy some quick top 16oz bottles. Best thing I've bought yet for bottling. They are perfect size and easy to clean and have a great seal.

http://www.mrbeer.com/product-exec/product_id/46/nm/Glass_Swing_Top_Bottles_Qty_12_1

You can probably find them cheaper at a homebrew store, think I got two cases for like $25 each.

[al885]

That should get you everything you need. Don't know about those carboys though, they look plastic. I'd just buy some quick top 16oz bottles. Best thing I've bought yet for bottling. They are perfect size and easy to clean and have a great seal.

http://www.mrbeer.com/product-exec/product_id/46/nm/Glass_Swing_Top_Bottles_Qty_12_1

You can probably find them cheaper at a homebrew store, think I got two cases for like $25 each.I've read on homebrew forums that the big plastic "better bottles" are nicer than the glass. I would end up breaking the huge glass jug if i got those.

[BullsLawDan]

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/

http://www.homebrewery.com/

Two very good homebrew supply houses. Williams brewing also has a lot of wine making stuff AND - pretty cool - has stuff to roast and grind your own coffee at home.

I have been brewing for about 4 years now. There is a very active homebrewing community where I live - they have festivals and competitions, so it's easy to get involved around here. I've slowly built up my equipment to the point where I'm not quite buying raw barley from feed mills... but close.

In the next house I will have a bar and kegging system for my homebrew - I hate washing bottles. The best systems for homebrew beer and quantities use the old Cornelius soda bottles, which hold about 5 gallons.

As far as cost, it's definitely not cheaper than a domestic beer, but comparable to an import purchase.

I just want to say a word about the nomenclature here. There is nothing about a beer being "domestic" or "imported" that makes it good or expensive.

Domestic beer can be fantastic and expensive, imported beer can be cheap and shitty. (not that expensive=good and cheap=shitty, I'm just making the point).

I see your point, but the inexperienced beer drinker/purchaser could read your statement and be ruined with the same stupid sentiment that many American beer buyers still have - that imported beer is somehow "better" than domestic. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[grail]

Table top distiller

http://www.brewhaus.com/EasyStill_Distiller_p/80005000.htm

[SatansCheerledr]

You can brew very decent ales using malt extract for your base malt and a mini mash for your specialty grains. Lagers are a wee bit more complicated. I never use a bucket for the primary fermentation, to much chance of contamination. Do your primary in a carboy with a blow off tube; you want to get some that krausen crud out of your beer anyway, then rack to a secondary after primary fermentation. I only used it as a bottling bucket until I started kegging. I still use it for bottling wine and mead. Don’t use the plastic carboys. They scratch very easy during cleaning and every tiny scratch is choke full of micro-organisms that can’t wait to infect your beer. Sanitation is the key to successful brewing; everything that touches the beer must be super clean using detergent, not soap. Everything touching the wort (pronounced wert) after the boil must be sanitized very well. But no need to go nuts, brewing is supposed to be fun, just develop good habits and you’ll be fine. The three simple things that I have learned in my 20 years of brewing that have had the greatest effect on improving my beer is, use liquid yeast, get a yeast starter kit and get your yeast count up before you pitch. Get a wort aeration stone and aerate at least 30 minutes before pitching. It greatly improves the health of your yeast lowering undesired esters and reducing the chance of contamination. And when you are ready to move up to the all grain big leagues and brew like a master, I can’t recommend this system enough. Simple, and gives you complete control over every aspect of the brewing process.

http://morebeer.com/view_product/8914/103468/New_B3-500_5_Gallon_Gravity_System.html

[al885]

I bottled my homebrew today, took a sample and it tasted good for being warm and uncarbonated. 3 weeks @ 70 degrees in the bottle and it should be ready and good tasting.

[SatansCheerledr]

I bottled my homebrew today, took a sample and it tasted good for being warm and uncarbonated. 3 weeks @ 70 degrees in the bottle and it should be ready and good tasting.

What did you make and what method?

[al885]

What did you make and what method?
Midwest supplies' Smooth nut brown ale extract kit.

my first brew so i kept it simple.

[SatansCheerledr]

Midwest supplies' Smooth nut brown ale extract kit.

my first brew so i kept it simple.

How did it turn out?

Also, just bottled six fifths of corn whiskey aged in medium toasted peach wood for nine months. It had a pretty high wood surface contact ratio so I am going to give it at least a year in the bottle for the tannins to blend and mellow. I hope I don't die before then, got a feeling this batch will be extra yummy.

[BullsLawDan]

How did it turn out?

Also, just bottled six fifths of corn whiskey aged in medium toasted peach wood for nine months. It had a pretty high wood surface contact ratio so I am going to give it at least a year in the bottle for the tannins to blend and mellow. I hope I don't die before then, got a feeling this batch will be extra yummy.

When you get it out, why not drink it all at once. Then you can take care of both parts of your post in one shot? :action-sm

But really, sounds great. I haven't done any distilling but I'd like to try.

[al885]

How did it turn out?

Also, just bottled six fifths of corn whiskey aged in medium toasted peach wood for nine months. It had a pretty high wood surface contact ratio so I am going to give it at least a year in the bottle for the tannins to blend and mellow. I hope I don't die before then, got a feeling this batch will be extra yummy.
Turned out great for a first brew. Only 4 bottles left :(

[Buster H]

Yeah, I know it's an old thread....

For those of you in the Philly area, my little brother just opened up a home brewing supply shop in Downingtown, PA.

He doesn't do online orders as of yet, but if you get a chance, stop by and check it out.

http://artisanhomebrew.com/