Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

I grew up around homemade wines. I'd rather drink a nice peach or cherry wine from a jelly jar next to a wood stove than have Opus One in a fancy restaurant.

During the run-up to Desert Storm, I was lucky enough to spend a week in base camp right before New Year's eve. I immediately bought yeast at "Saudi Sam's" and started making wine in a 5 gallon water can using t-rats grape beverage powder and about 150 sugar packets. Vented it with the finger from a rubber glove and stashed it behind a pile of gear.

On NYE, while I was siphoning the finished product into water bottles, who walks in but the 1SG, who taxed me 2 bottles. I gladly paid the tax vs. UCMJ.

The "wine" was craptastic, but effective. Guys were making all kinds of booze in canteens from anything with fruit - even dehydrated fruit from MREs.

Good thing your Top wasn't a hardass!

Back when I was doing comm work in jails, one prison admin told me about finding a roughly 6 foot length of 3" PVC pipe hung up with all the others in the overhead...except this one had a threaded cap on one end and a spigot on the other.

This thread is making me thirsty

OakRidgeStars wrote:This thread is making me thirsty

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Me too. Got myself 6 pints of local sourwood-and-lynn honey from a buddy of mine who keeps bees and will try that small mead soon as I get back from a trip I have to make Monday-Wednesday. Then yesterday somebody told me about a local grocery store having muscadine grape juice for sale with no preservatives and no added sugar. I bought some. It tastes exactly like popping grapes out of their skin into your mouth in the backyard did when you were a kid. Besides that, I've seen some killer flavored moonshine made by dropping whole muscadines into a jar of white lightnin'. So I know this stuff has some possibilities. Gonna do some 'sperimenting with the muscadines, too.

Question for the experienced: Can anyone recommend a decent start-up kit of supplies and extracts for a beginner?

Also, in regards to a previously mentioned induction hotplate, can you get precise temperatures on those things? Methink I may be doing alot of this outside since I understand the smell can be pungent.

Actually the pervasive "Mr Beer" kit is OK... but....

You will not produce decent beer by their instructions and will need to buy more than the one box for your first batch.

Buy one can of the same stuff that's in the box, or buy two of their 3 packs of ingredients.

Toss out their "booster" stuff in the bags, and use 2 of their cans of hopped extract instead of one and a bag of "Booster".

The fermenter is sufficient for batches that are half the size of the usual home brew stuff. You can consult local homebrew shops for more ingredients, too, just mention your batch size.

Also, remember that the PET fermenter cannot handle boiling wort poured directly in. You'll need to cool to below 140 degrees f.

You can use the Mr Beer fermenter for a while and if the hobby suits, move to carboys and airlocks.

Good luck!!

Here's my brewing setup:
My blog post on MacBourne's Musings
Additional writeups I did on Squidoo with links to the stuff I used to build it.
Part one
Part two
Part three
My drain rig

Re: Other types of production, my knowledge is purely theoretical.

Kreutz wrote:Question for the experienced: Can anyone recommend a decent start-up kit of supplies and extracts for a beginner?

Also, in regards to a previously mentioned induction hotplate, can you get precise temperatures on those things? Methink I may be doing alot of this outside since I understand the smell can be pungent.

Some links to startup gear in my previous post - I highly recommend Charlie Papazian's book "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing." Follow the site Amazon link and snag a copy!

BTW - Not really a pungent smell - just distinctively malty. Smells awesome to me...

Well, my future Hefeweizen is happily and stably bubbling away in its primary fermenter. I know good things take time, but man I'd love it to be ready to go right away!

Patience!
From a long time brewer the best rule of thumb is to start your next batch (time permitting) as soon as the first batch clears primary. That way once you are over the initial time hurdle, there's always something ready! I'm racking a California Common (Anchor Steam Clone) to secondary tonight...I'll be doing a Hefe next.

smc331 wrote:Patience!
From a long time brewer the best rule of thumb is to start your next batch (time permitting) as soon as the first batch clears primary. That way once you are over the initial time hurdle, there's always something ready! I'm racking a California Common (Anchor Steam Clone) to secondary tonight...I'll be doing a Hefe next.

I don't drink much, so 5 gallons of beer is gonna last me. I do have another primary fermentation bucket should I descend into alcoholism though.

Ah, but with friends and kinfolk, five gal won't last long at all! hehehe

Ain't dat de trooof!

I made some persimmon beer last week, but every time I turned the jug up to pour some out, the mouth puckered down so tight I couldn't get any out.

guess ah'll have to wait til frost and try another batch...

Good thing! If you'd managed to drink any - imagine what woulda happened!

My memory sucks and I forgot what the shop owner told me, but when and how does one use gelatin for improving the clarity of the beer?

I typically use Polyclar or plain old grocery store unflavored clear gelatin to reduce proteins and polyphenols which produce chill haze. Gelatin is byproduct from hooved animals. It doesn't take much to do the job - just mix 1 tsp of unflavored gelatin to a cup of hot (not boiling) water and gently mix it into your fermenter. Try to not agitate and aerate the brew too much! Wait a few days before bottling or racking to allow the gelatin to clear the beer.

Alternatively, I use Polyclar (powdered PVPP plastic) in the fermenter - 2 tablespoons per 5 gallons. Mix the Polyclar in a cup of warm water and gently mix into the fermenter. After 4-5 days you're ready for bottling or racking.

For both fining agents, you'll want to do this process in your secondary fermenter...

I have to say I prefer My Beer to be of the Store Bought Variety ! I never have had a "Home Brew " I truly enjoyed , but my next door neighbor does produce some mighty fine Wine that will get your attention !His specialty is Peach , but He's got a Batch of wild grape wine brewing now...We have a good source for them , but it does take a lot of time to gather enough . The last couple of year we have been enjoying it for Halloween .

This thread needs to be bumped

It's hooch making time

ORS, how much did you pay George Romero to revive this thread?

ZOMBIE HOOCH!