/diy/ - Do It Yourself

anybody else drinking less after they started brewing?
before, when I bought a bottle of booze or a trey of beer it'd always be gone within a day or two, but now that I have hundreds of bottles the novelty of alcohol is kind of gone, it's not special anymore, I can just down in to the basement and get myself a bottle of wine, or in to my closet and get some wheat beer, and as a result I find myself just drinking at most, once a month, down from a couple of times a week.

>>1271313

>>1271313
Mfw I want to get into brewing but I dont drink alcohol

My roommate threw out a bunch of bottles I was going to use for bottling so I only have about half of what I need now. Would it be bad if I bottled half my batch and let the remainder sit until I got more bottles?

>>1271313
Yeah, that happens. I reckon I've got... 200 litres in the garage? Maybe? Some is just aging, but generally - yeah, the "special" part is kinda gone.

It is neat to be able to get a lot of people drunk on beer I made on occasion (say Midsummers'), though. Watch them and think - yes, drink peasants, drink, for I am thine master!

>>1271313
take a break and drink what you have before making more?

>>1271335
I don't drink alcohol much myself, but getting rekt isn't always the goal for people who want to /diy/

reading these threads and learning about other stuff you can brew gives a lot of options for those who aren't just in it to try and get drunk as cheaply as possible

>>1271336
probably depends on what it is

>>1271335
Heh are you me? Brewing some Kombucha atm, Then moving onto some fermented foods, Kimchi is awesome

>>1271336
Yeast autolysis only becomes an issue after... 6 months, I think?

So shouldn't be an issue, provided the container is sealed.

>>1271343
I looked up Kombucha and it looks good, I love tea.

If I ever break my no alcohol rule Ill try that first, thanks anon.

>>1271308
Nothing going. Still have Queen Anne's Lace Mead to bottle....for several years now. Currently trying some Dandelion Wine bottled in 2009.

>>1271350
You can brew it so that it is like a home brewed soda with minimal alcohol that you may even not notice or smell. It really depends on how long you brew it. I liked it just fizzy with no alcohol, but a friend liked it fizzy and like beer.

>>1271335
Pretty much the same with me. I drink about 4 glasses a year. I have like 55 bottles of wine in my fridge from 2008-2009.

>>1271397
>I drink about 4 glasses a year
>Al/ck/oholism general
k

>>1271411
Wrong board buddy >>>/ck/

Youre in >>>/diy/ homebrew

>>1271313
I just haven't brewed anything that's easily drinkable thats my problem.

>>1271428
get good - fermentation temperature control and water adjustment and mash pH control go a long way. Water adjustment sounds scary, but it's actually pretty easy in a general sense

>>1271430
>temperature control
the only thing I really can use in my place is my closet, which stays around 68 ive noticed.
>water adjustment
I use filtered water.

>>1271435
68F is pretty fine for most ales.

filtered water doesn't do much for you for brewing - at most it'll dechlorinate your tap water. You'd really want a reverse osmosis system if you have hard water. If you mean you get RO water from the store then you still need to add salts and minerals to get the most out of your beer.

Get a high precision scale (0.01g), calcium chloride, gypsum, epsom salt, and canning salt, and lactic acid, and that's all you'll need ever for water and pH adjustment (maybe pickling lime as well if for some reason you need to be more basic). I use Bru'N water to do my water adjustments.

>>1271439
Oh, and I've only done mead and hard cider so far because they're the easiest thing I could find.

>>1271440
I am really just talking beer with the water/mash adjustments, you can ignore for cider and I've never done meads -- temp control is stil important though but 68 would be no problem

>>1271444
Have you made really light beer before, the kind that you can just drink fuck tons of?

>>1271445
I'm not a big fan of lagers, but I made a tasty Kolsch-style type last summer that turned out pretty good but I wouldn't say you'd drink a fuck ton of it

AY AY AY YO

HOL UP

*smacks lip*

Make skeeter pee then freeze distill it

Y/n?

>>1271460
at least you find yourself funny.

Sup lads. Posted in the last thread about my pumpkin beer. We're drinking it now - turned out fucking solid. Here's the Untappd if you're curious: https://www.untappd.com/beer/2359685

We've started distilling now too - just finished doing our first batch and got the wash for the 2nd fermenting as we speak. Intending to make gin with this second batch. We've also got a cheap cider being made from ASDA apple juice on the go. We bought a couple more fermenting buckets, so I guess we'll get something else on the go very soon. I'm excited to do a Gose or something like that.

>>1271470
what about pumpkin cider?

>>1271466
sorry i wanna kill myself

>>1271308
>Mead
What is mead, M-E-A-D?
https://youtu.be/BVqnUf8NH6g?t=93
1min33sec

But the whole thing is near comedy gold.

>>1271460
YOLO NIGGA

'ave a go m8, what ya got to lose

FUCK DA HATERS

What is the purpose exactly of secondary fermentation?

Should I be as worried about keeping my carboy warm in secondary as I am for keeping my fermentor warm in primary?

>>1271579
I think it's to prevent off flavors from yeast autolysis but the quality of yeast has improved over the years to the point where it's not worth the risk of introducing infection or oxidation while reracking.

>>1271639
I've found it necessary for higher ABV beers to complete fermentation - my Imperial Stout would not reach planned FG until I sighed, desinfected the fuck out of everything, and transferred to secondary.

(two years in it's still not very nice - I'll give it a decade, I guess)

Otherwise I never bother - do a cold crash for 3 days in the garage, and bottle with a racking cane. Job's a good'un.

From what I've read, at homebrewing volumes yeast autolysis only becomes an issue only after several months - so generally not worth the risk or the hassle.

posting in a hillbilly thread

hows your sister for a wife OP

>>1271543
Holy shit Alabama get yourself together.

>>1271445
I've made this cream ale recipe a couple times:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=66503

It's sort of similar to Bud (not lite), so it's the sort of beer you can drink a lot of. I like it. It's an ale instead of a lager so you can just ferment it at room temp without any need to lager, though it's still best to ferment on the cooler side of the yeast's range.

>>1271745
I've done a Pilsner ale with decent results.

Oh, maybe try a Saison? Some yeast strains don't need the super warm temperatures either.

Does anyone have a good ginger beer or preferably sweet ginger Mead recipe, that they would like to share?

>>1271775
I would also like this.
Sierra Nevada made a ginger lager with cayenne that I'd like to try to replicate

Have 1.5kg liquid malt, but I don't make beer and know nothing about how malt works or what it's for. I primarily distill. Is it used as part of some whiskey recipes? I could do that. Does malt have fermentable sugars so I can just make some shit to distill? Probably just strip it off and add it to my low wines carboy, but no point adding it if it does jack shit except flavour things.

>>1271869
"Liquid malt" doesn't really tell us much. Any additional info? Presumably it has mostly fermentable sugars, but a wee bit early to tell.

>>1271882
100% liquid barley malt. Contains no dextrose or lactose it says on the packet.

>>1271893
So presumably it is mostly fermentable (by which I mean over 90%). Use it as you see fit - I've brewed with the stuff in my extremely early days of brewing (a decade ago, when I was in high school). Not good for a main malt for beer - but should be perfect for what you dabble in.

Good luck, buddy!

>>1271918
Sweet, so use it as a slightly worse white sugar then. So 1.5kg for that is probably at least as good as 1kg sugar. Sounds good, I'll just throw that in the next sugar wash.

Made 4 batches of mead about 2.5 months ago.

Batch 1 - Plum
>Very wine-like, somewhat bitter, but not strong or bad at all. Figure it needs to age

Batch 2 - Orange/Cinnamon/Clove (JAOM)
>Extremely good even after only 2.5 months. Will probably drink this all first

Batch 3 - California Plum
>Feel like this one aged too quickly. Resembles Batch 1 but a stronger, liquor-like taste. Still good, very strong

Batch 4 - Strawberry
>KIA. Yeast turned a nasty greenish-black within a week and smelled foul. Assume it got infected

Those were my first 4 batches. All 4 used an active dry yeast, but I'm not a huge fan of dry wines. I got some Lavlin D47 white wine yeast and I'm going to try more honey and the Lavlin yeast with blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry respectively. I'll probably also do another batch of JAOM with active dry since it's so good.

>>1271397

What's the dandelion wine taste like? Interesting concept but I feel like it would taste horrible

>>1271772
saisons aren't what I'd usually think of as a 'drink tons of' because they are usually on the stronger side, sometimes spicy, and highly carbonated

If you're interested in saisons I've tried using both WY3711 ('french saison'), and WY3724 ('belgian saison'/dupont strain) -- 3711 is a beast and finishes really dry in normal temperatures, while 3724 requires a ~90F fermentation to really finish, and provides quite a bit more funk to go with the saison if that's what you're looking for. Dupont strains are known for getting stuck if not hot enough and can be a pain to deal with

>>1272268
The traditional, original saison is about 5% ABV - deriving, as it does, from beer-for-seasonal-workers. So the strength reflected still being able to perform farmwork.

I've used Mangrove Jacks M27 with ok results, and Danstar Belle Saison with excellent results - but the Danstar requires it to be as warm as possible to get those nice peppery notes, and gobbled the FG down to a lovely, dry 1004.

No one sells WY yeasts where I'm at, unfortunately.

Actually did a rather neat experiment last year - split a 100% Pilsner wort, Hersbucker for Aroma, Magnum for 29 IBU, OG 1046 and split it - fermented half with a lager yeast at 50F (cellar) and half with the Danstar at 87F. Both came out great and completely different from one another.

Made for a neat showcase for friends as to how big a difference yeast makes.

I like saisons. A lot. If I brew any, they disappear very quickly.

>>1272288
I recently learned that white labs yeast has a tasting room near me that showcases the exact same grains but fermented with different yeasts. hope to check it out soon

>>1272293
That sounds hella fun.

I get by with dry yeasts for most stuff I want - however no one seems to have any controlled wild yeasts, which I'd love to experiment with, as I enjoy Crooked Stave and such, but they're prohibitively expensive to drink.

Tried cultivating from a bottle, but that turned out to be unpalatable. Probably bottling yeast, the crafty cunts.

Actually had a fun experience with a batch of Hefeweizen that went sour - after a year they'd turned into a delicious dry and slightly sour deverage. Drank 'em all.

Whats the easiest way to make beer?

>>1271579
Secondary really isn't about fermentation, it's about allowing the particulate matter to drop so you get a clear, cleanly flavored end product. Temp control isn't as important in secondary as it is in primary as the yeast have already finished 99% of their work. Also, with beers/ciders/wines that need some ageing it is best to do them in bulk and off the yeast cake (this assumes you're ageing for 6+ months, a couple of months on the yeast cake is no biggie).

>>1272304
you have to do research on what bottles are good to harvest from. I didn't think crooked stave bottle conditions but I could be wrong.

You can get liquid yeast shipped to you from many places but would not reccommend in the summers.

>>1272310
I also tried a couple of Jolly Pumpkins, those failed as well. I might have just fucked up the Crooked Stave, not claiming to have definite proof - I did some research on which beers it is possible to do with (homebrewtalk and such), but the results were so disappointing I gave up. Maybe worth another go.

I'll have a look at mail ordering liquid yeast, thanks, hadn't occurred to me for some reason.

>>1272309
Why not just cold crash the primary (provided you can move the container, obviously)?

Has anyone tried using these as fermenters? Picked up two of them for $20 each at petsmart for a 10 gallon batch. Hell of a lot cheaper than any 10-12 gallon buckets I found.

>>1272352
are they food-grade plastic? if so it should be fine, you'll just need to drill out something to fit an airlock.

>>1272356
Yeah they're FDA approved hdpe. The only issue I've run into is they do bulge out a little when full, but it's negligible.

>>1272369
should be fine then I would think. is there a gasket for the lid?

When running a still, you need to siphon off your mash into the boiler. I only have a 25l boiler. If I started getting larger fermentation vessels, would I just siphon enough to fill and then close them back up? Or should I be getting lots of smaller vessels so I don't need to crack into too many at once. Also, when moving 30l plus of liquid, are their faster tricks than siphon? It's hard to get large sized food grade hose here for cheap.

>>1271951
It is a very mild flavor. You need to use a yeast that doesn't leave much flavor or has floral notes. Sparkling is best.

>>1272379
That's the cool thing about Gamma products, they use an airtight screw-on lid.
If you're brewing >8 gallons and you're on a budget I would definitely recommend it.

>>1272463
Wish I could get them in New Zealand. Could get them for $30, but the shipping would be $250....

Anyone got any other good suggestions for brewing vessels larger than 30l and cheap? Even getting 30l buckets means they gonna be marketing at Brewers and are a premium. Unless you know someone with buckets that is.

>>1272501
If you can find something like this https://www.bayteccontainers.com/15galpolbar.html locally it's probably your best bet.
Also hdpe trash cans seem to be popular with win makers. Problem with those is they're usually narrower at the bottom so can be top heavy when full of liquid, and the lids need to be modified to be air tight.
You can also try getting your hands on a used half barrel keg and ferment in that.

>>1271543
This would be so funny if it wasn't true.

>>1272311
Cold crashing is preferable for lighter beers, but there's some added flavor from ageing that you'll get in secondary from yeast and other random shit held in suspension that cold crashing would get rid of.

If I had the ability to cold crash, I'd be all about it for everything I make outside of Belgians, or if I made a Russian Imperial Stout.

So what is your simplest recipe but with the best result?

>>1272843
100% Pilsner malt, single step mash, use single high Alfa hop (pellets) for both aoma and bitterness, ale yeast fit for room temperature fermentation.

>>1272463
I know a lot of guys use them for bulk grain storage but I haven't heard of them for fermentation before

thinking of getting 2 speidel fermenters, one to replace my normal ale fermentation (plus I've seen people use them for closed transfers by putting another spigot on the top and hooking up to CO2 -- supposedly good up to ~5psi), and one to use for sours. I'm slightly worried about the effects of HDPE plastic for long fermentations (>1year) -- my research leads me to believe the o2 permeatation of the HDPE is similar to an oak barrel which should be fine. anybody have an opinion on sours + HDPE?

SCAdian Faggot here, Make Mead and Keep my own bees because I'm an Idiot trying to be a cheap faggot by spending 2x the Cost of honey on Beekeeping shit to try to scale up.:

Anyhow, Here's my super simple Generic Mead Recipe:

1 1-gallon glass jug with Airlock.
3 Lbs Honey: Dump in Jug.
Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast: Dump in jug .
Fill with Spring water until water get to crown of Jug (where it tapers to the neck). Leave airspace for yeast to work, otherwise you're gonna have a fucking mess...

Put stopper in bottle, and shake the fuck out of it to mix and oxygenate the must. Put on airlock.

Primary Fermentation takes approximately 35 days, rack to clean container when bubbles almost stop:

Top up new jug with water and shake the piss out of it again. Rack to new container when bubbles stop and mead is clear.

Should be somewhere in the 13-15% ABV range when done.

test

>>1272981
Does it come out very dry and almost zero sweetness or honey aroma? I think I've had something similar, might finally try myself.

>>1272530
>hdpe trash cans
Just because it's HDPE doesn't make it food grade - not the plastic nor the manufacturing process.

>>1273389
If you don't get sick from it, does it matter?

Any tips for separating the yeast from mead? I've tried racking up from the bottom a little bit and still didn't work. I also tried cheese cloth which didn't work either. I'm tired of having my mead tasting like old bread after it sits for more than a couple months.

>>1273435
gelatin?

>>1273435
Rack it into a big bottle, let it settle out again, rack it into bottles.

Maybe dump a clarifier in there somewhere if it's still nasty? If that's not it, then change yeast?

>>1273453
How would gelatin work?

>>1273463
I guess I could just keep racking it, but when you only make 1 1/2 gallons at a time, you definitely lose a noticeable amount doing that. I'll definitely try a clarifier of some sort if it doesn't clear up.

>>1273479
It binds to yeast cells so they crash out

>>1273495
Aight, I'll have to give it a shot.

>>1273435
It should be pretty clear after sitting for 2 months without needing any fining agent. You may be using a type of yeast with poor flocculation like bread yeast? That's mainly why bread yeast sucks for brewing.

>>1273514
I'm using Red Star Montrachet. I'm not sure if it's high quality, but it's wine yeast so it's gotta be ok. Tbqh, clarity is just an added bonus to me, I just don't want my mead tasting like bread after sitting for a few months. I've lost 2 batches so far because of it.

>>1273519
https://www.bjcp.org/meadfaults.php
>Yeasty Yeast-like character. Bready, sulfury, yeast-like aroma and flavor.
>Use a more flocculent yeast strain.
I've used Montrachet before and it shouldn't be that bad, certainly not as bad as bread yeast... but its flocculation is listed as "low", you could see if you have better results w/ a different yeast, say maybe D47 http://www.plantlandbreese.com/pdf/yeast_chart.pdf
>Allow yeast sufficient time to flocculate.
2 months is young for a mead. Don't throw out any batches! If you need fermenter space then at least just bottle it and stick it in a closet.
>Filter mead or use clarifying agents.
Gelatin was already suggested.
>Avoid carrying over as much yeast.
It's easier to avoid disturbing the yeast cake if you're using an autosiphon or a racking cane with a cap on the bottom so it only sucks from above. Also sticking it in the fridge a couple days before racking can help keep the yeast cake compressed.
>Age the mead longer. Try another yeast strain.

>>1273565
Thanks a ton man, I'll probably start out letting it age a little more, then switching yeast strains if that doesn't work. Thanks again!

>>1271308
is homemade wine homebrew too?
I have a destillation license but never used it/10 :(

>>1273614
>is homemade wine homebrew too?
of course

I've got some raw sugar wine brewing away in a hidden box under the house, I added some sultanas and lemon for the sake of adding some other flavors. Using bakers yeast and fermenting in 27-32 degree days, I'm guessing that it will be pretty disgusting.

Hoping for a subtle rum flavor from the raw sugar but I do not really care about its palatability. It's purpose is to be a learning experience and to get me drunk.


Right it seems like the yeast is dying off, only a small layer of yeast on the bottom of the bottle. How long till it completely clears?

>>1273389
It's worth noting that most Rubbermade trash cans ARE food grade. Brute cans are popular for wine making. I opted not to go that route though because supposedly their 10 gallon model is 10 gal at the very top so no head room for anything >9 gallons.

>>1273627
27-32 is quite high when your looking for a nice smooth ferment, especially with bakers yeast. Tastes better at lower temps.

Also, sugar wash for distillation tastes pretty good when it's still a little sweet. When im making it and aiming for 10%, I take a couple sips at 5-6% and it's pretty good and will get you fucked. Seems easy. Yeast Nutrient, standard white sugar and bakers yeast. Easy. Will get you messed up.

>>1273716
You get least flavour imparted with any yeast at lower temps, I think. If it works at all, that is.

Fermenting with an ale yeast (US-05) in summer I got really interesting strawberry notes which had no reason to be there.

>>1273627
Literally buy brewing yeast. It's the cheapest thing you can do to make your brew not taste completely like shit.

>>1273965
it's very doable to make a drink with bread yeast that's completely fine and that's what everyone did in the past
of course specialised yeasts will be better but i think they're a bit overrated in this thread, like they're fucking magic that will turn shit into gold

>>1273965
Expensive in New Zealand most of the time. But I might work on yeast harvesting/overbuilding.

>>1274054
you can harvest yeast from beer leftovers

>>1274027
yeast is at least 50% of the flavor of the beer. the remaining 50% are grains+hops. if you're too fucking pathetic to buy proper yeast then don't complain when it tastes bad.

bread yeast does not make good beer.

>>1274066
that guy wasn' talking about beer retard

>>1274071
wine/cider/liquor/whatever the fuck, none should use bread yeast

>>1274074
well i stumbled upon a blog once where a guy took it to the test with apple wine, and the difference was there but minimal.
It's entirely possible this result would have been vastly different for beer, but anon was talking about sugar wine

I made some banana wine with nearly rotten bananas, cut them into slices with peel, boiled for 20 min, added to 1 gal carboy with 2 cups of sugar and ale yeast, looking good so far, will probably be disgusting but get me drunk in 2-3 weeks. Total cost $1

>>1274074
unless it's some middle school kid trying to be cool, correct

>>1274096
this or if you're in prison and/or the middle east

>>1274063
Hmm would need to find some bottle conditioned beers. Not really a beer drinker.

Can reuse yeast by simply leaving the grog on the bottom when I pour in my next batch?
Currently making hard cider.

>>1274136
*Can I

>>1274138
You can, but it's terrible practice. For one not all that yeast is going to be healthy and you risk it rupturing during fermentation of the new batch. You're also over pitching by several times over, so you risk not getting enough ester formation.

>>1274124
You can easily make wine from wild yeast found on fruits then. Some of the best vintners use this technique.

>>1272306
pre hopped goop, but it tastes like ass

>>1274168
Not really a wine guy either, but might be an interesting way to get some yeasts going. More of a distillers, little bit of cider stuff, but only ever done apple juice.

>>1274171
can you gimme a link

I just hope it tastes better than hard cider

>>1274136
Use it boiled as yeast Nutrient for your next batch. Next time overbuilding your starter so you can save some for the next batch.

>>1274173
Where do you live?

>>1274136
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/yeast-washing-yeast-rinsing-whats-difference/

>>1271308
just finished building my reflux still and ran it for the first time. got about 1.5L of around 60 - 70%, unsure yet, waiting for spirit hydrometer to come in the post so I can check then dilute to 40%.

if anyone has questions about distilling, even though I am a newbie I have read quite a bit and will try to answer as best I can.

pictured is my 15L electric reflux still. I also have a much larger electric 50L still made from an old beer keg, but I wanted to get used to distilling small batches first before working up.

sorry for cloudy pics, camera lens cover is smashed on my phone.

>>1274074
bread yeast, specifically Saccharomyces Cerevisiae is actually favoured in the production of some spirits because the off flavours it produces are desirable. plus bread yeast is available everywhere and has a moderately high alcohol tolerance, upto 14%. would I use it in wine or beer or cider? probably not. but spirit production is a different kettle of fish.

>>1274379
So is that just a potstill with packing? Doesn't seem like a brilliant form of reflux. Why not a VM or Boka or something?

>>1274410

Yes, pot still, with copper mesh rolled and packed into the column. with a liebig condenser. has the added benefit that I can remove the packing in seconds to turn it into a regular pot still for making corn whisky, etc.

I wasn't going for the best form, I just wanted to see how it worked. wanted to build something cheap and easy to get started with. maybe in the future I will look into different more efficient designs as I ultimately want to produce ethanol to use as an alternative self-sustainable fuel for lawn mowers, generators etc, as well as drinking , but for the time being this produces a high ethanol spirit, drinkable, pure, which is what I was looking for.

>>1274180
us

>>1274407
Buddy, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae literally means beer yeast in Latin.

>>1274433

it's also used as bread yeast.

>>1274417
Yeah makes sense to me, just seems like if your already 80% of the way towards a design that could get you 90+% why you wouldn't have gone all the way. I have to assume that once the coper mesh heats up enough it's no longer performing much reflux as all, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

Good build none the less. Looks cool.

>>1274437
Sure, but saying "bread yeast, specifically Saccharomyces Cerevisiae" doesn't make too much sense.

All brewing yeasts, apart from Brett and wild ones, used in brewing are strains of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, as are all common baker's yeasts - all just different strains, fit for a specific purpose.

If you just need alcohol content, for distilling, use whichever is cheapest (price/alcohol tolerance), of course, not arguing otherwise.

>>1274445
>I have to assume that once the coper mesh heats up enough it's no longer performing much reflux as all

As I understand it, it may or may not create a whole lot of reflux, but it does make a difference and it doesn't take much effort at all to shove a mesh roll or scrubbers up the column, even if it only added 5%, it would still be beneficial with regards to cost and ease.

"As vapor moves up through the column it migrates through network of material that is a slightly lower temperature than the boiler, etc. For example copper mesh forms a thermal bridge between the cooler edges of the column and the center of the column (because it's super conductive). It creates an abundance of surface area that is just slightly below the condensing temperature of water (but ideally above the condensing temp of alcohol), providing opportunity for water vapor to turn back into a liquid while allowing the alcohol vapor to move on." -

https://www.clawhammersupply.com/blogs/moonshine-still-blog/7486102-distillation-column-packing-for-higher-proof

this is some of th
e info I was operating on.

>>1274451
>All brewing yeasts, apart from Brett and wild ones, used in brewing are strains of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, as are all common baker's yeasts - all just different strains

I thought Saccharomyces Cerevisiae was a strain in and of itself.

>>1274457
There are a few species of alcohol producing microorganisms;
Lactobacillus brevis, not used in mainstream brewing, considered an infection
Bretonomyces (multiple species), not used in mainstream brewing, normally considered an infection
saccharomyces oestrus, native to south america, lives in the bark of trees
saccharomyces cerevisiae, ale yeast, bread yeast.
saccharomyces pastorianus, lager yeast, believed to originally be a hybrid species of ale yeast and oestrus.

Each of these species has "strains" genetic individuals with noticeable differences across populations. Strains are not species. Wild yeast of the same species sampled 40 miles from each other will be a different strain.

>>1274464
Lactobacillus brevis, to the best of my knowledge, produces lactic acid, and no alcohol. Am I mistaken?

>>1274464

Ah I see. More information gathering needed on my part in regards to species/strains and fungus in general.

>>1274477
Its a heterofermentative species, so it produces a mix of lactic acid and alcohol. You might be thinking of delbruekii, or a few other lacto bacteria. Brevis is interesting because as far as I know its only deliberate use in brewing is in berliner weisse.

>>1274519
Not going to pretend I'm terribly familiar with lactobacillus - I got the impression it only produces lactic acid from the fact, by my understanding, specifically Berliner Weisse is made with first souring the wort with lactobacillus, then pasteurizing it, and refermenting with Saccharomyces for the alcohol. That was my impression anyhow.

Does Lactobacillus brevis then produce enough alcohol to be used on its own?

>>1274523
That's how some people make it now, the traditional method is to split the wort, innoculating half with normal yeast and the other half with a brevis containing lacto culture. This keeps both the acidity and the alcohol content low.

>>1274530
Neat. I'm a huge fan of sour (but not Gueze sour) beer, and it frustrates me I cannot make any.

>>1274523
>>1274530
Forgot to add, brevis is far more hop resistant than most bacteria, thats why if you want the characteristic clean taste of brevis it is ok to sour post boil, many recipes that suggest souring pre-boil use non-hop resistant lacto species and whilst they'll sour just fine, l. plantarum and l. hilgardii can easily gain a foothold and cause all sorts of off flavours.

>>1274430
Mr Beer/Coopers have pre hopped goop that is not bad. Just mix with water, add yeast, wait 2 weeks and then bottle it.

>>1274464
brett is most def used in mainstream brewing for sour beer.

>>1274430
I am not a USA resident, but from what I understand is that Coopers sell pre hopped goop in USA under the "Mr Beer" name. That stuff is not bad for what it is.

Just find your local homebrew store and ask them about pre hopped extract.

Basically, for best result use Dried Malt Extract instated of sugar. Mix the pre hopped extract with water and the DME, add yeast, wait 2 weeks, then bottle, wait another 2 weeks, then enjoy.

>>1274767
Oh and to add to this you can also get Fresh Wort Kits if your LHBS makes them. They are simply add your chosen yeast and ferment, maybe add some dry hop for extra aroma.

>>1274097
Fun story:

>was in a homebrew store
>couple comes in, looking at yeast selection
>employee comes over to see if they need help
>couple starts asking about flying with liquid yeast
>how to keep temp stable?
>will change in pressure be a problem?
>checked bag or carry-on?
>and the employee is like "why not buy yeast at your destination?"
>turns out they're traveling to a dry country for at least a year
>want to buy local honey a make mead as soon as they arrive
>want something drinkable by 3-4 month mark
>employee asks what they do
>both reply in unison: "we're educators"

>not teachers or instructors. "Educators"

>couple immediately changes subject back to yeast and mead
>employee steers them towards dried yeast packets(prob lalvin or red star, cant remember)
>couple buys yeast and leaves

I'm pretty sure that they were some sort of spies or "interrogation" experts at an off-the-books torture site overseas. But kudos on thinking ahead on how to get your drink on no matter what.

I've set a few beers based off liquid malt extract, but one batch keeps fucking with me.
After setting, it didn't start bubbling at all. I assumed it was due to overtemperature when adding the yeast, even though I shook the container thoroughly and measured the temp to be below 25C. Fast forward a few weeks I've not had the chance to do anything about it, still no response, so I buy another pack of dry yeast from the brewing shop. After adding it to the mix, which didnt smell like anything was out of the ordinary, I noticed it was one you have to rehydrate in warm water before adding. The clerk didn't tell me so I assumed it was normal "dump and close" yeast.

>TL;DR: I fucked up, didn't rehydrate yeast, am I fucked, do I need another pack?

>>1274860
>do I need another pack?
I'd wait and see what happens first

>>1274860
>Fast forward a few weeks
I bet you accidentally made beer in the few weeks that you waited. Have you measured the gravity or tasted it? It very likely fermented from the first yeast and you just didn't see any airlock activity because of an air leak or something.

Anyway, you should do what the manufacturer of the yeast suggests, but it shouldn't be a big deal if you pitch it directly.

>>1272306
Mr beer kits are cheep on amazon, or you can get lucky and find them at a good will. IF you have the bottles already, you can use a 5 gallon bucket, just fit it with a tap and an airlock. Empty two cans of extract, add a better yeast, and boom, done.

>>1274464
Don't forget Aspergillus oryzae (aka koji), used in most eastern drinks (sake, shochu, etc.).

>>1275317
That doesn't produce alcohol, it produces amylase which converts starches to sugar. Sake production still uses yeast to make alcohol.

>>1274175
I simmer the apple juice before fermentation to sterilize it, is it okay when I add it then?

>>1275365
Yeah probably.

>>1275365
Are you using bottled apple juice? If so, heating it isn't necessary as it's already pasteurized.

>>1275163
I've not measured or tasted, to prevent risk of contamination. But since this stuff doesn't react to the new yeast, I'll take that risk.

>>1275365
I hand press apples with my grimy bare hands, and never had a problem with infection. Pitched yeast outcompetes everything as far as I can tell. Boiling really reduces/changes flavor the same as the difference between a raw and cooked apple.

>>1271642
>he doesn't know sister pussy is best pussy


hue hue hue

>>1276042
this
your sister is the ideal partner, you share a background and an upbringing and as a result are going to have similar values and tastes, also your sister's vagina is naturally shaped to be the most accommodating to your penis

If I put "frozen" homemade wine or mead in a salad spinner is this the best way to make the most concentrated alcohol without using a still?

My state requires I have 50k dollars in addition insurance and a 1000 dollar permit and I just don't have the money for that. I also can't risk using a still without a permit because I have a child and can't go to jail or lose custody of her

Out of curiosity has anyone tried WLP 099 for a high % mead or cider? What were your results?

I'm thinking of brewing a batch of mead with it (it was recommended to me) for a recipe that calls for something in the 20%-30% range when it's all said and done.

>>1276641
>If I put "frozen" homemade wine or mead in a salad spinner is this the best way to make the most concentrated alcohol without using a still?

>license and registration
>how much have you had to drink tonight?

>My state requires I have 50k dollars in addition insurance and a 1000 dollar permit and I just don't have the money for that.
quote this legislation that requires such things for personal use

>>1276682
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dleg/Small_Distiller-requirements_247345_7.pdf

>>1276684
unless you're a complete idiot, and try to start selling it, yell about it from the roof, or do something stupid and manage to blow yourself up, you have a better chance of being hung up for jaywalking

>>1276691
>I don't know the answer to your question so break the law
>unless you're a complete idiot
>suggesting breaking the law

Who's the idiot again?

I've taken the plunge and ordered a kit. Gonna be starting my first brew this week.
If I understand correctly, It's left to ferment for a week before being bottled, then a farther 4-5+ weeks after that, right?

Just wondering if I can get another little batch started for new year without buying more equipment.

Is there a sticky for brewing? I feel like most articles I read is on the level of wikihow. Is there some /diy/ tips and tricks somewhere? I wanna get into this.

>>1276777
ferment it until it's done (stable gravity) and as much crap as possible has dropped out of suspension so that it is clear. If you don't want to bother measuring, just give it like 3 weeks. (If you are in a hurry to free up the fermenter for another batch, just get another plastic bucket)
Then you rack to a bottling bucket and add an exact amount more sugar to 'prime' it for bottling. After you bottle, the sugar you added will get fermented by the yeast still swimming around in there, producing the right amount of CO2 for the carbonation you desire. It'll be weakly carbonated after about a week, fully carbonated after about 3-4 weeks.

>>1276777
>>1276827
I'll add my five cents:

1) You can also bottle with sugar cubes - I find that easier than a designated bottling vessel. Same number of 2g cubes per bottle produces a uniform result. I find 1.5 cubes is best for most beer, less for beer to be aged, 2 cubes for Saison.

2) I find the beer is well carbonated within 2 weeks of bottling, which I'd say is also prime drinking age for hoppy beers.

>>1276823
Honestly a lot of the information you can find online is bordering on bro-science. By far the best place to learn is from books. Most of the biggest brewerys fund academic research in brewing science and in the middle of their careers a lot of those guys publish books as a way of cashing in on years of experience.

>Using Lavlin D47
>Made 2 batches
>One was bubbling rapidly within a few hours, 3 days later still rapidly bubbling
>One started bubbling rapidly after a few hours, but 3 days later it's down to 1 bubble every 3-4 seconds

Should I worry about that second batch? From my understanding the Lavlin should have taken a lot longer to complete primary fermentation. When I used an active dry yeast from Walmart it took about 30 days to complete primary fermentation

>>1276927
That sounds nice? Anything in particular? Or should I just check whose articles are cited the most on google scholar?

Hey guys
anyone know what to look for in a turkey fryer for homebrewing? I want to do keg-sized batches now. Going to wait til after thanksgiving, but Is this a decent one? https://www.amazon.com/Masterbuilt-20020107-Propane-Turkey-Fryer/dp/B002PY7ZZW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1510606924&sr=8-4&keywords=turkey+fryer

Any idea on how one could do the paperwork for the ATF to home distill legally?

>>1277628
Notice the lip around the edge of the burner. The pot sits inside of there. For the pot that comes with it it's fine, but If you may get a different pot (like if you're switching to stainless or want one with a spigot or something) then it could be too wide to fit inside the lip. I ended up with that situation and I have my stainless pot sit on the lip, an inch or so above where it should be, which may be part of why it boils so slow. That one on amazon also looks like it has kind of a flimsy lip too, so if you may upgrade your pot then get a little heftier burner now.

If you're planning on using that aluminum pot for the life of the burner then it should be fine. you should boil some water in it first to season it. It'll change color drastically inside. The other thing to note is it has an annoying timed shutoff feature, which a lot of turkey fryers have. I just rigged some bricks up to keep the button pushed down on mine, but that one is different so i'm not sure how to bypass it there. Find one without that feature if you can.

>>1274860
You should always rehydrate dry yeast, unless you want half of your pitched yeast to die.

Can I use this as a worm or is this not the correct type of copper?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Everbilt-1-4-in-OD-x-10-ft-Copper-Soft-Refrigeration-Coil-PCLE-250R010/142561379420?epid=1403587491&hash=item213152045c:g:j14AAOSw8DJZ-jFB

3 weeks later the deed is done. Amber Ale (tastes strong, like a porter). 5 gallons for $30 recipe kit. This is my first batch, lots of fun would recommend trying it bros.

>>1278311
is that from the northern brewer kit? i bottled mine last week and i'm just about done drinking all of it. i think i ended up with a noticeable amount of butyric acid though because it smells kinda pukey.

>>1278311
My setup

6.5 gallon carboy $35
recipe kit $30
auto siphon WITH TUBING $15
star san $6 (lasts a long time, 6oz is enough to last several batches, also making wines in--between)
5 gallon pot $25
airlock/gromet $5 for 3 sets
bottling bucket with spigot $20

The startup cost is high but after a few batches of $3 6 packs (up to IPAs which are usually $10-15) for $30 it pays for itself.

>>1278316
The actual beer recipe kit was from

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AC783DW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(it was $30 when I bought it as pointed out in previous post), Northern Brewer is overpriced IME.

>>1271308
Hey that's my Mead!

>>1276226
>"this"
Uses reddit lingo
>fucks his own sister
Sounds about right.

>>1278355
I have never been on leddit so I wouldn't know, But apparently you have.


>he's never fucked his own sister

kek, Next your going to say you never fingered your own sister.

What is the preferred way to make applejack?

>>1278520
Isn't freeze distilling the traditional way to make it?

So then freeze distilling*.

*might not be legal but you don't fucking care

>>1278311
Someone jizzed on your bottle, bro.

>>1278541

>making beer/wine/anything fermented it fine
>concentrating it makes you a criminal

this country

>>1271308
stupid question, can I just easily slap some stuff together that can be bought at lowes and make some decent stuff without killing myself?
how easy is it to anhero though this hobby?

>>1278662
it's just breadwater and buckets.
maybe if you overcarb a bottle (put too much sugar in with active yeast) and stick it down your pants you might hurt yourself. otherwise it's just like making spaghetti and waiting

>>1278681
bad alcohol can kill and cause blindness.
oh brew, I thought this was a universal thread for beer and liquor.
I'm interested in making all types of alcohol and am concerned about fucking up and making something thats poisonous.

>>1278686
Fairly difficult to kill yourself with non-distilled homemade booze.

General rule - if it smells or tastes off - don't drink it.

>>1278693
sound advice.
do you know much about distilling safety precaution?

>>1278693
adding to this, you should be able to detect isopropanol and methanol well before it gets to concentrations where it will kill or blind you. plenty of shitty liquor has some level of those in them.

>>1278695
What I know is theoretical from my gramps told me about moonshining after the war - temperature control is key, differing evaporation temps and such - if you try to rush it, you get methanol as well as delicious ethanol. But I only do beer - which, as I said, if it's palatable, it's generally safe as well. 40+ batches, no problems.

does anyone else know about "feeding the fermentation."
the guy I get all my supplies from told me about this neat little trick for Belgian beers but I can't seem to find anything about it online.

>>1278814
The fermentation requires something to eat, So put left overs into the fermenting bottle

>>1278820
this guyyyy. hahahhhaahaaa

>>1278696
>you should be able to detect isopropanol and methanol
You cannot detect methanol by taste or odor from ethanol itself.

>>1278882
yeah i guess if you're retarded

>>1278693
I always thought the only way of having a non-zero chance of killing yourself/going blind with homemade booze was by any form of distilling.
Hence why homebrewing is legal but distilling mostly isn't. Correct me if i'm wrong

I'm a little new to brewing, still using DME. Anyone have recommendations on a recipe that is:
-Wheat
-Uses a fruit extract (maybe blueberry)
-Room temperature (68- 72) fermentation

I had a blueberry wheat I really liked, most of the websites I find mention their fresh blueberries used just get fermented and it loses the flavor, more like a wine.

Smallest still that can be made with relative ease or bought

Go

>>1279070
Distilling is illegal because you country is a fascist nightmare full of religious nuts. Distilling is legal in New Zealand and many other countries, and no one dies or goes blind, unless it's via alcohol poisoning from overconsumption.

>>1279215
theres literally nothing wrong with fascism.

>>1278814
What like raisins n shieet??

>>1279215
>legal in many other countries

You know that's the wrong argument to use, the proper one is it's illegal is almost every country except a few like New Zealand. Nice ant-american propaganda you have there cunt.

>>1279183
Measure the diameter of a stockpot you have, buy a sheet of copper and make a bent funnel to sit on top of it. Wa La! You have a pot still.

Alright lads, wee bit confused on my first brew.
Picked up one of the cooper's Ruby Porter kits and noticed on the side that it recommends 1kg light dry malt. Guy at the shop asked me if I had sugar, which I do (brewing sugar).
On the page to order malt and it says: >used in place of sugar

Which is it? I'm alright to go ahead with the sugar?

>>1279345
Table sugar is fine. It ferments out cleanly and as such leaves a brew dry and lacking body in comparison to malt. It can also contribute a sharp cider like flavour in higher amounts. Malt sugars, obtained by mashing grain, steeping kilned malts or extracts are a mixture of mainly maltose and maltotriose with a smaller portion as a combination of glucose, sucrose, fructose and assorted dextrins. Because of this there are leftover constituents not fermented out which leave a beer with residual body and sometimes sweetness which is desirable in a malt forward beer.

When you open that can of gloop and dilute it you are basically making wort (the extract from malted grains used to produce beer). It'll not have enough sugars in it to make beer with a decent amount of alcohol so it'll advise you to add more fermentable sugars. This can be table sugar, brewing sugar (dextrose) or more liquid or dried malt extract, basically just make it up with fermentable shit. It'll have an impact on the flavour, but those cans of gloop are first steps.

Think about steeping grains. It is quite easy to steep a mesh bag in a pan of water and kilned malts are already converted, you just wash the sugars off of them. It is a good next step.

Maybe think about getting hold of some dried malt extract. You can use it instead of sugar to make a better wort. It is quite expensive unless bought in bulk though it stores well in airtight drums. If you use it add it at the end of the boil because it is usually quite dark and further caramelisation isn't necessary, you just want it to go hot so it is sanitary.

>>1279116
You can get dried wheat extract. You can also get crystal wheat (weird I know) if you were considering some steeping grains. Try mashing some grain dude. I started out just mashing a few kilos in a saucepan which I put into a preheated oven to hold the heat and then batch sparge using a stainless screen. A mesh bag is much easier. You just thin it down with hot water, pour it off and repeat once or twice more using the collected liquid for your boil, stiffening it up with dried extract as normal.

I've made quite a few blueberry beers and they weren't very good. Flavour is quite wishy washy unless you use tons at which point it becomes quite wine like as they are very high in tannins. I use a freeze dried powder sometimes which is quite easy to work with. Add it to the fermenter near the end of fermentation though you'll want to cold crash it to drop it out. Much cheaper and more sanitary than whole fruits.

My bochet (burnt honey mead) has been fermenting very slowly, and after nearly two months the SG is now at 1.016. Analyzing my SG data, it looks like it won't reach below 1.000 for several months. All the other meads, ciders, and wines I've made would have been finished fermenting by now.

Do bochets not ferment completely dry? I'm curious if caramelizing the honey will reduce the fermentable sugars available to yeast.

I want to do a small batch of an pale ale, and I got 1 kilo of malt. but how much water and hops should I use?

>>1279308
>Wa La
kys

>>1279524
>not knowing a classic /ck/ meme

>>1279478
>I'm curious if caramelizing the honey will reduce the fermentable sugars available to yeast.


Yes it will

>>1279688
Fug. Well, I'll keep an eye on it and keep tracking the SG.

>>1279070

People go blind (very rarely) from distilling because they don't read before they act. If you read up on the distilling process and understand it fully, understand what's actually happening when you heat an alcoholic liquid.

You throw the foreshots of your fresh batch as it contains things like methanol, acetone etc, you can tell this by the smell, the amount you collect for the foreshots is determined by the size of the batch. the only way I can foresee someone blinding themselves with small scale distilling is if 1.) are overly eager to try their product and they gulp the first 50ml to come off the still or 2.) they are running a huge batch and the foreshots are like 500ml - 1L and they drink some by accident, or they fill up a jar and mix it up with the rest of the batch and blind someone by accident.

Ethanol is the antidote to methanol poisoning anyhow, so even if methanol managed to somehow get into your final product, as long as your final product has more ethanol in it than methanol which it's pretty much impossible that it wouldn't since the methanol run off is so much smaller than the ethanol run off, then you would be fine, you may get a headache but you will otherwise be fine.

Ethanol acts as a competitive inhibitor that better binds to the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme in your liver, methanol has to bind to this enzyme to cause damage, therefore if you drink ethanol immediately after consuming methanol, or if the methanol is mixed in with a batch of ethanol, then the ethanol will beat the methanol in binding and it will be excreted by the kidneys without being metabolised by the liver.

does anyone have experience homebrewing malternative recipes like hard lemonade or twisted tea? do you have a general recipe that you follow?

>>1280147
Skeeter pee is nice. Chemicals used to stop fermentation can taste weird. Gonna try and make another batch at some point.

Anyone successfully make sake? I've been thinking about trying a small batch

>>1279478
Just curious, when you take samples, what do you use to take them out? Do you pout them back in or just drink it? I've made like six 5 -gal. batches of cider from kits and a couple 1-gal batches from scratch and I've always ignored gravity readings. Never had any problems and everything has always turned out good.

>>1279899
I don't think anyone goes blind from participating in the act of distilling itself.

>>1281454
Not unless they don't know what they are doing. which I agree, would be pretty rare, since you have to have some level of competence to build and run a still in the first place.

hello I have tried brewing my own stuff maybe 2 -3 times but usually it ends up tasting overly yeasty and is very cloudy. Also very bitter. not like lemons but like the skin of a lemon or earwax

Whats the best way to clear out a liquid? literally just let the yeast die and fall to bottom and pump out what u want to keep?

or is there some clearing that I can manually do without using chemicals?

>>1281466

there are some natural finings (things used to clear) gelatin is often used as part of 2 part finings also Isinglass.

If you want to go 100% natural, the best way I can think is to use a 5micron home water filter.

or you could crash cool to clear, which means rapidly dropping the temperature of your beer / wine etc. only thing to watch with this one is to make sure your airlock doesnt drop it's liquid back into your brew. If you have a brew at room temperature and you crash cool it, the warm air inside of the fermenter will turn cold and contract then will suck to contents of your airlock and dump it into your brew.

>>1281472


thanks a lot, and what about the bitterness? could that be a sign it has not been left long enough before drinking or has become tainted?

>>1281483
what are your ingredients?

I'm lazy and don't wanna do all that shit for skeeter pee.

Can I just chuck the bottles of lemon juice sugar and water in a 5 gallon with an airlock and leave it?

>>1281511
the final product wont taste of anything if you do this. also it may not fully complete. lemon alone isn't enough to provide the nutrients required by the yeast to have a stable/healthy fermentation.

if you were making a sugar wash that you were later going to distil, you could get away with just, yeast, sugar, water, and a nutrient source. but if you are trying to make something palatable this isn't the way to go.

the cheapest way to make a drinkable brew is to use fruit concentrate, orange, apple, blueberry, grape, etc + sugar to reach desired starting gravity + a decent yeast, such as a champagne yeast. don't use bakers yeast for anything you want to drink and not distil, it will leave off flavours.

>>1281511
No because where's the yeast meant to come from? Also, if you don't want to do the steps for Skeeter Pee, then your not gonna have a fun time brewing. It's a pretty basic process.

>>1281511
just make cider if you're that much of a lazy twat

>>1281827
>>1281526
>if you were making a sugar wash that you were later going to distil, you could get away with just, yeast, sugar, water, and a nutrient source. but if you are trying to make something palatable this isn't the way to go.
Isn't that the same as I suggested.

I have yeast nutrient.
>>1281827
A packet I bought off Amazon.
>>1281833
Already am

My winemaking kit came with Easy Clean which is just a One Step clone. Can this sanitize? I know it's a "cleanser" some people say it sanitizes and theyve made tons of wine with it and others say you need separate shit like star san

I really dont want to have to buy a separate sanitizer desu, star san looks like some nasty shit

>>1281893

Why do you not like star san? It's a no rinse sanitizing liquid. Just dunk and let dry for like 60 seconds, done.

>>1281404
I normally use a wine thief (pic related) but since mine is too large to fit in a 1-gallon carboy, this time I just poured it out into a cylinder. I always put it back in, but I sanitize everything. Sometimes I'll save a little bit to taste it.

>>1281893
Star san's fine. Its just phosphoric acid and surfactant. Way better than using oxidiser based sanitisers and getting all those tiny hydroxide burns all over your hands.

>>1282073
Isn't star san a super intense chemical that will burn you instantly like hydrochloric acid

I've been afraid to buy some

I accidentally dipped my finger into the wine for a split second during primary fermentation how fucked am I

>>1282265
No. I've heard it's strong when undiluted but i've gotten the undiluted stuff on my hands plenty of times and it doesn't even tingle, just rinse it off. And I think there's a video out there of the company owner just drinking a shot of the diluted stuff.

One-Step alone is probably fine for new equipment though. After a couple brews I'd start using a sanitizer.

>>1282269
Depends on where your finger was before you dipped it in... but I mean it's probably fine, doing stuff like that increases your infection risk but it's still more likely fine.

Hi guys, I have a question if that's OK. Some guys at my Uni are producing shitloads of this 20% wine in a week or two. Since they're asking £5 for it (I think its fair but I don't want to pay and won't be able to soon), could you identify it so I can make some for myself? They're telling me its wine but it tastes more mild/sweet to me and even with my limited knowledge I know wine takes a lot longer to make than they're producing it in. It definitely sends you to the moon though if you're not careful.

>>1282289
>Since they're asking £5 for it
This is meaningless if you don't specify the volume. That being said they're probably making sugar wine using turbo yeast

>>1282282
Well my hands were washed and before that I was disinfecting the countertops with bleach wipes so I think I should be fine

How would I know if I got an infection anyways?

Is there a wine thief that isn't shit? Or should I just buy a glass turkey baster

>>1282374

Sorry, they're asking £5/750ml. Thanks, I'll look it up.

>>1282541
If ir looks and smells vaguelly like normal wine then they're probably buying a wine kit and boosting the alcohol with sugar and high alcohol tolerance yeasts. If it's nothing like normal wine it's probably kilju/sugar wash.
Either way £5 per 750ml leaves them a massive profit margin considering materials to make 20L only costs around £25.

>>1282566

Yeah it does, but too be fair 20% alcohol often costs more than £5/750ml in Britain, so you're not really getting ripped off so much as paying the price for laziness. More power to them I guess.

>>1282566
>Either way £5 per 750ml leaves them a massive profit margin considering materials to make 20L only costs around £25.
you'd have to be a dumb fuck to buy it at that price
£5/750ml or €7,5/l really isn't that amazing if you ask me, even for 20% ABV.
You can get commercial wine that's a lot cheaper per unit of ethanol

>>1282566
Sounds like he's buying some island mist tier shit, adding 5 pounds of sugar to get it up to 14% and then fortifying it

all in all, a solid plan

>>1282596

Possibly, although I'm not really sure they're smart enough to calculate the percentage. They're all dudebros. That said, I've just prepared some sugar water with yeast to make kilju, maybe I'll undercut them lol.

>>1282630
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyWEN1Bvvuo
>20% ABV for about €0,50/L or even less within a week
If you can manage to make this somewhat drinkable you'd make loads

>>1282635

Yeah true, I was only kidding though, I don't have an alcohol sale license and I'm not greedy enough to risk being thrown arrested and being thrown out of uni.

If anyone is paying £5 for 750ml of 20% alcohol it should be good. You can buy knock off 'schnapps' based drinks for less than that. Iceland has 'vodkat' (vodka) 'jequilla' (tequila) 'messerschmitt' (jagar) 'luxardo' (sambuca) 'brandx' (brandy). Aldi and most other supermarkets have a knock off malibu coconut rum and amaretto. B&M have an apple sour, blackjack, fruit salad etc as well. All of these are a few pounds and around 18-22%. Alcohol is not expensive in the UK.

I used to get wine kits from wilko (not the cans, like a plastic jug in a box) which would make 22L of red wine using rapid yeast and a bunch of stabiliser and fining for £19-22, you can push the abv with table sugar if you wanted. It was actually quite nice considering it was mostly concentrated apple juice and fining chemicals. The process is fool proof.

You can get turbo yeast on ebay and ferment table sugar (40p/kilo at B&M) to produce a 20%+ kilju. You'd only need 8kg in 20L of water and a 25L plastic bucket with a tight lid drilled for a cheap air lock or a bit of flexible polyvinyl tube for a blow off which can later be used for siphoning. You'd need some yeast nutrient and if you want to get fancy similar stabilising and fining chemicals as found in kits.

Metabisulphate can be used for removing chlorine from tap water, sanitising and stabilising/preserving and cold crashing and multiple rackings to remove yeast. You can use simple gelatin as well. You can get liquor flavourings if you want to make fake liquor, still spirits is a brand though it works out quite expensive (£3 for 3 bottles worth).

If you buy 25/30L plastic food grade buckets off ebay in bulk. Find a bulk supply of sugar (though shops quite often have it cheap as a loss leader). Buy a few hundred grams of DAP and other chemicals as well as some tubes, taps, yeast and other supplies you can be mass producing alcohol for under £1 a litre, after equipment ingredient costs alone will bring it down to 30p/litre.

>>1282635
>don't use an airlock *winks*
what is this bit

Is it kosher to put my hydrometer sample back into the primary fermenter provided I sterilize everything

>>1282729
The risks outweigh the benefits.

Though I did the same when I was doing tiny batches and it seemed like a lot.

>>1282730
I'm talking about wine I forgot to mention that

why is it risky if I sanitize the test jar and such

>>1271460
>freeze distill

It's the current year, you fucking pleb.

>>1272356
>not just lightly screwing on the lid.

What are the odds of a terrible microbe crawling up and under the lid? I'd hhate to drill a hole into something like that. Might as well just repurpose a food grade bucket/container.

>>1272352
Why are you paying $20 for those, when you could go to any baker, or food manufactuer and ask them for some of their food grade buckets. they might even give you them for free or some will only charge you a small amount and you can get a bunch.

pic related

>>1282499
It'll taste gross with a sour, vinegar, or funky/rotten flavor. You also might see a pellicle growing on the surface of the brew (but don't mistake normal yeast rafts for that). It's only the taste you need to be worried about, not pathogens or whatever.

>>1282804
This
Restaurant kitchens will have stacks of fryer oil buckets they can give you.

>>1282776
does that mean yes or no?

I just got my secret santa and I want to make them some homebrew alcohol. Pretty sure they'd like anything.
So, what is a good recipe I can make in under a month?

>>1282912
how big are they? if they're less than 7.5 gallons it sounds like it would be a pain in the ass to split up batches

>>1283178
The ones where I work are 30L (britbong)
So a little short according to google, but wherever you are they might be different.

>>1283040
You can make most beers in under a month, though you'll probably end up giving them under-carbonated beer that will take another week or two in the bottles to get up to full carbonation. More likely ready to drink around new years'. But something like a 4-6% ABV stout should be good to drink right away not requiring any aging or anything beyond the time it takes to bottle carbonate. My best beers have been stouts, anyway, I feel like it's easier to make an impressive stout than most other styles, probably since all the roasted malts cover up faults. If you've never brewed beer I'd suggest going to your local brew store and seeing what kind of recipe kits they have for a stout. If you're already experienced with brewing then I'd recommend this:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/coconut-cream-stout-competition-runner-up.394244/

Pretty sure I just fucked up my first brew.

Added sugar day 1. I'm a retard, right? Any way to salvage or do I just accept my mistake?

>>1283741
More details please. OG, yeast,how much sugar did you add to what volume, what are you making?

You should be fine though just with a higher final ABV. At its worst you might have some off flavours associated with high alcohol like raisins, acetone or "rocket fuellyness"

>>1283803
1kg to 23l, Porter, 7g of yeast. Pretty sure it's fucked.

>>1284069
What makes you think that. Porters suit high alcohol. Just age it a couple of months.

is there any significant risk in using your mouth for starting a siphon?

>>1284300
yes, risks infection
also that's nasty if you plan on serving to other people

>>1284305
>other people
lel

>>1282265
Star san is literally the same acid that's in coca-cola, only in more concentrated form. It might be dangerous to eat undiluted, but after dilution it's very safe to work with.

>>1284069
Why would more fermentables ruin it?

>>1284501
>>1284178
Just wasn't sure because it was my first brew and I made the mistake of doing it when I hadn't slept in days.

Anyone have any idea of what this purple stuff is? Showed up before when I put together some sanitizer to bottle some stuff. Figured it just needed to be cleaned and used a different bucket. Going to whip up a batch of cider and lo and behold it shows up again even after a cleaning. It rubs of pretty easy, but is there anything I need to be worried about before putting my cider in? Trying not to dump $30 down the drain.

>>1284561
did you use the bucket for anything else? looks like red wine or red grape stain

>>1284561
wine stain

>>1284565
>>1284568
Only ever brewed cider in it. This is the sanitizer I use. It only appeared when I poured the sanitizer in, if that makes a difference. If it is just a stain, will it affect any future batches?

>>1284572
maybe it's the sanitiser, the stain dose look like splash marks and if you have had nothing else in there except cider.

iodine is a dark purple solid at room temperature and the sanitizer you're using is Butoxy polypropoxy polyethoxy ethanol iodine complex.

if you have a different bucket or any other plastic vessel, sanitize that and see if it reoccurs, if so use a different sanitizer.

>>1284576

or if it washes off, just make sure to wash it all out after sanitising before putting in cider.

I personally don't like idophors as sanitisers, but come on guys sanitiser 101. Make it up to a no rinse dilution then DON'T WASH IT OFF.

Clean your shit. Remove all organic residue. If you get mineral deposits consider an acid wash to remove minerals. Rinse it to remove every trace. Sanitise with a no rinse sanitiser. Fill immediately without any more scrubbing, cleaning or rinsing.

>>1284572
idophor stains shit reddish/purple.

>idophor
pleb tier

I made a star san calculator

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B135hs97P5lKc3ZMYUdSZTJjekU/view

>>1284572
idophor stains plastic. its literally fine

How do you sanitize your wine bottles?

So I bought a winemaking kit online, and Ive followed the instructions for everything to the point, yet somehow my wine is coming out with a much higher ABV then I'd like, and the booklet doesnt explain why or what to do. Help is much appreciated.

>>1285177
nigger you need to tell us what wine kit you bought first and foremost

Was looking at making BOMM but I'm fairly new to homebrewing. It says to degas at various "sugar breaks". How do I define a sugar break?

Is it better to put fruit in during primary or secondary fermentation? Is it just preference?

>>1285177
>implying there is such a thing as too much alcohol

I'm planning on starting some cider and mead in the next few days as a first time project. I either have all the essentials or have them in the mail, and I think I have the basics down pretty well.
The one question I have right now is for storage. At the moment, I think the easiest thing for me would be to use mason jars. I know they aren't viable for beer, but I assume they are fine for still mead and cider. Is that correct?
Might consider fractional freezing if the weather complies or if by some miracle I can carve out freezer space.

>>1285177
Sorry i was at work,
Master Vintner Fresh Harvest Fruit Winemaking Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W3PZ4RY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_8TLgAbZ7XYP6T

>>1285321
yes* provided it's not going to be carbonated

*as long as you monitor them so they don't turn into shrapnel machines

>finally had a taste of my first batch ever and it's actually drinkable
wtf i love homebrewing now

>>1285362
The longer you leave it in primary fermentation the more alcohol is made.

>>1285527
So I should stop it somehow instead of waiting? Whats the best process for that?

I've been making Kilju for 6 days now and its still fizzing away. Is that normal? There's no lees either. Also, the two bottles I have were prepared on the same day and I've noticed one is far stronger than the other. Do you think they have a bacterial infection?

>wait a week
>hydrometer reading: 1.014
>needs to be less than 1.010

fuggg i dont want to wait any longer bros I just want to rack it but it's going to be so worth it in the end

So, let's say I had cider, that got way too hot for femerntation (80's).
And let's say, it tastes like rubbing alcohol and I applejack'd it. Will said applejack kill me?

>>1287203
If it matters, i'm drinking a bit, I like the taste, even though it tastes like rubbing alcohol.

>>1287205
how do you know what rubbing alcohol tastes like

>>1287211
lets not talk about that

>>1287203
no

I've been doing a bit more reading on my cider project, and I've seen a lot of people saying that champagne yeast (EC 1118), while giving a good alcohol yield detracts from the apple flavor. I know it's very dry and I'll probably have to back sweeten. I'll see how I like it, but I'm definitely open to other suggestions for yeast strains.

On a completely different note, if some one wants to ferment a lot in order to distill a lot of liquor, what is the most cost effective? Potatoes, corn, white sugar, corn syrup?

>>1287717
This will give you all the info you need.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/results-from-juice-yeast-and-sugar-experiments.83060/

>want to homebrew
>on blood thinners
>can't drink more than 1 or 2 drinks in a session
>would take forever to get through beer
>dreams of owning craft brewery with attached bar/restaurant slipping away

>>1287211
He's a native australian

>>1287717
If running through a reflux still just use white sugar with bread yeast and tomato paste/vegemite for nutrient.

>>1287886
make smaller batches

>>1287909
i thought abbos were more into petrol

>tfw now have to scrounge around for more wine bottles this month

>>1286442
if your shit has been fermenting for a week, it's already at terminal gravity. If you wait another week, it will still be at 1.014. The yeast are done doing their thing in like 5-7 days TOPS much much less if you pitch proper cell counts. If it tastes good, and it's been fermenting that long, it's done. I used to give my homebrews like 3 extra weeks in primary but it does virtually nothing.

>>1287203
Fusels will not kill you. They might give you a stronger headache.

Think of it this way, when you "freeze distill" and make applejack, compare the relative volume of your distillate to your original liquor. On average, you reduce by about 1/3. What this means is that for every 12oz pour of applejack, you are consuming 3x what you consume for a single 12oz pour of cider. 3x the good stuff (ethanol) and 3x the bad stuff (fusel alcohols, methanol etc) so just remember to be careful and not get carried away (i.e. don't get blackout on the applejack.) and you'll be fine.

>>1282733
it's riskier than not doing it. Such a small amount. Just drink it. Learn to sample gravity less often.

>>1288206
that's the worst part isn't it
my dad has an alcoholic friend who's a really big help for me

>>1271313
I have the opposite problem.
Me and my dad brew and it seems like it evaporates we drink it so fast.

guys I put some sugar and yeast into a welches grape juice bottle because I'm cheap and stupid and I thought I could forget about it for a month but my friend is telling me I have to stir it everyday
is that true?

>>1288863
no

>>1271313
No, but I haven't started drinking more since I started, with the exception of a few days after finishing a big batch, when I enjoy my brew every day before going back to my regular drinking habits.

>>1288874
thanks fren

>>1271313
Hard to drink more when you drink everyday senpai

>>1288927

>>1285177
Less fermentables== less alcohol.
Simple as that.
Meaning, if you make wine from berries/fruit+sugar, leave out some of the sugar-> less alcohol.
You can calculate your final alcohol amount with this calculator, assuming you have a gravity meter:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/
Assume 1.000 for the final gravity, most wines reach that.

13.5% for my chardonnay. Time to get lit boys

can anyone drop some redpills on yeast nutrient?

bump

I can't buy a big bag of grain cuz I'm a 3rd wordler poorfag. Will I get the same result if I only use starch and sugar?

I only want ethanol, don't care about flavors and all that shit

>>1289456
Don't worry about nutrient unless fermenting something with no nutritional value for yeast or reusing yeast to ensure homogeneous generational viability.

Can always use increased pitch rate like a hammer to most problems to get it done, nutrient levels and yeast reserves be damned, though if you plan to reuse the yeast and ester profile is a thing variables should be managed.

When you pitch you are adding a bunch of cells at various stages. Some are young, some are close to death and the key is to ensure you have viable population throughout fermentation to ensure a timely fermentation all the way to final gravity. There is reproduction needed during the aerobic phase of fermentation to give cross over generations.

Yeast use nutrients at different phases of reproduction and fermentation and hold a limited reserve.

Yeast doing this and breaking down various things during the aerobic phase especially leave behind a number of compounds which contribute to flavour. They clean up some of these things. They have receptors on the surface which glucose molecules fit into, but also allow bonding with other yeast cells (flocculation) which promote distribution when sugar levels are high, but flocculation when they start to get low.

So you want to pitch enough, but not too much to ensure about 2.7 doubling of cells and ensure there is enough oxygen to do so before the fermentation goes anaerobic (but not too much) and enough nutrients available to allow the yeast to perform a complete cycle cleaning up after themselves (if needed) and hold enough reserves for reuse if needed (but not too many).

Yeast nutrient is part of managing this. Dry yeast comes with full reserves and technically if you pitch the right amount needs no oxygen or anything else added in all malt wort.

Like maybe you enjoy a particular metabolic waste product produced by a certain strain. But it only produces it during reproduction. You'd pitch less yeast with more oxygen and nutrients.

>>1289861
With a lower pitch rate you'd get more reproduction before the oxygen is consumed. Cells bud and split their nutrients with their daughter cells and both go looking for more nutrients so they can bud again. The total nutrient required for this fermentation is therefore higher than one with less reproduction (higher initial pitch rate) otherwise when the colony goes anaerobic most cells have insufficient reserves to complete the fermentation. Usually you get a complete fermentation anyway, but it starts to take a very long time as cells die off and you might not get the flavour you wanted and dead cells cause other problems, like they don't flocculate. This is at the extreme end, but you can imagine if you harvest this yeast for reuse you quickly end up with terrible viability/yeast health over a fermentation or two with only a moderate deficiency.

If you want to add a little yeast nutrient to your fermentations feel free. It likely won't do any harm and it is cheap, but you most likely do not need to (depending on what you are trying to do)

>>1289858
Starch is no good because it doesn't ferment. We use malted grain because we want to hijack the enzymes present in germinating grain to convert its stored starch into sugar which can be fermented.

>>1289858

You can but you will have to convert the starch to sugar first, the easiest way for you would to be to try and find some amylase enzyme. order it online if you can.

>>1289456

If you don't have any yeast nutrient you can sacrifice living yeast to use as a nutrient source. this is good if you have yeast that is out of date, don't just throw it away or if you are into yeast harvesting, you can take the yeast cake from the bottom of your fermenter, add it to a jar, keep it in the fridge then when you're ready do the following.... if you are making beer you put it in your boil, if you are making wine just take some of the fruit juice or water, boil it and add your yeast while it's boiling for 5 - 10 mins. the yeast will die and spill their contents, releasing their stored nutrients so they are now available for use by the fresh yeast you are going to pitch.

Started 5 gallons and about 2.5 gallons of mead on Thursday. Last I check, the cider must is going strong; blowoff tube is bubbling every few seconds.
Mead isn't moving though. Three piece airlock has been static since I sealed everything up.