Anyone else making booze?

[pen]

Well, not quite booze but as much alcohol as the toughest yeast I could buy can produce.

Got 20 gals of hard cider going. Just racked them this week. Tasted great; crisp and clean even though it didn't look it yet. I'll let the little guys go another month or so. If I figured how much firewood we need wrong, we should be able to stay warm for a while with this!

Anyone else making their own?

pen

 

[hossthehermit]

I didn't think you mods were allowed to drink?

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Beautiful photo Pen.
Going to brew a batch of ale tomorrow night, but I haven't done the cider yet.
Do you just get it unpastreurized and add yeast?
Would love to find a place that I can buy some cheap (cider) to fill up the other carboys

 

[daveswoodhauler]

I didn't think you mods were allowed to drink?

Looks at his sig, lol.
Just watch his posts around 11pm on aFriday night, lol

 

[BrotherBart]

I didn't think you mods were allowed to drink?

People can mod this place sober?

 

[pen]

I didn't think you mods were allowed to drink?

Looks at his sig, lol.
Just watch his posts around 11pm on aFriday night, lol

If you see my post is from 1am, don't bother reading it.

pen

 

[daveswoodhauler]

I didn't think you mods were allowed to drink?

Looks at his sig, lol.
Just watch his posts around 11pm on aFriday night, lol

If you see my post is from 1am, don't bother reading it.

pen

Mods should still answer questions though i.e question about the cider.

 

[pen]

Beautiful photo Pen.
Going to brew a batch of ale tomorrow night, but I haven't done the cider yet.
Do you just get it unpastreurized and add yeast?
Would love to find a place that I can buy some cheap (cider) to fill up the other carboys

I used to use the unpasteurized and just let whatever natural yeast was in the cider do the work but I had too many inconsistencies.

This year I bought the cold (UV) pasteurized cider from the orchard whose cider I usually use. Then I added ec-1118 champagne yeast. 1 pound of honey and 1/4 lb of white sugar per gallon.

If the taste I had when racking the other night was an indication, It should be some wicked brew. I had 4 or 6 beers and about a pint of this stuff when moving it and I ran into the wall on my way out of the shop and apparently left the lights on all night :shut:

pen

 

[ramonbow]

that is a sight to envy. We used to press our own juice but found the labor to reward ratio had too much labor in it.
Cheers!

 

[hossthehermit]

Growing up, we'd usually pick up 40 -50 bushel of drops every year and took them to a guy that had a cider mill, we'd end up with 30 gallons or so of fresh cider. Take it home, bottle it up in half gallon glass juice jars and put it in the cellar with the caps just set on top. This was an old rock walled cellar in your typical 1800's Maine farmhouse, never got above 50 degrees in the summer, or below 30 in the winter. Couldn't fill 'em full, had to leave an inch or so at the top empty. After Thanksgiving, we'd siphon the cider into different jugs, careful to not get the "settlins" sucked up thru the hose, there was usually an inch or so in the bottom of each jug. Then we'd set 'em aside in the cellar again until "Well, looks like they're about done workin'", which meant there were only a few bubbles drifting up to the top of each one. Then, siphon over into clean jars again, make sure ya don't get no "settlins", once again, and cap them tight. Usually 2 or 3 would explode within the first couple weeks, but if they made it beyond that, they were fine. Open one of them up after a long day in the hayfield in July, bubbled up just like champagne. Gramps always said "A glass of that'll make a gray squirrel look bigger than a 2 year old heifer"

 

[northwinds]

I've made a really dry, high alcohol cider with Nottingham yeast. I decided that I don't like it
that dry or high in alcohol. Instead, I use Wyeast 1056, which dies off while the cider still has
some residual sweetness.

A few friends and I have been talking about making bourbon, but I don't think we have the patience
to let anything age as long as our tastes would require. There's a few people locally who have connections
with folks from the shine business in Tennessee. What I've had was really good.

In a nod to the new Inglenook forum, here's a tune from a guy that I met a few weeks ago, singing
about this very subject.

 

[stejus]

Never tried as I find popping the cap off with a bottle opener is easier. I may venture one of these days but I don't know how I can do better than some of the fine crafted brews out there. So far tonight... Sam Octoberfest, Sam Irish Red and now a Sam Boston Lager. Can you tell I purchased a Fall Classic's case?

I would love to have a hard cider around for Thankgiving though....

 

[JustWood]

A heathen down the lane from me brews up some every year. Not a bad taste but wicked azz headaches even after just a grog.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Beautiful photo Pen.
Going to brew a batch of ale tomorrow night, but I haven't done the cider yet.
Do you just get it unpastreurized and add yeast?
Would love to find a place that I can buy some cheap (cider) to fill up the other carboys

I used to use the unpasteurized and just let whatever natural yeast was in the cider do the work but I had too many inconsistencies.

This year I bought the cold (UV) pasteurized cider from the orchard whose cider I usually use. Then I added ec-1118 champagne yeast. 1 pound of honey and 1/4 lb of white sugar per gallon.

If the taste I had when racking the other night was an indication, It should be some wicked brew. I had 4 or 6 beers and about a pint of this stuff when moving it and I ran into the wall on my way out of the shop and apparently left the lights on all night :shut:

pen

Thanks for this info Pen. Going to try this next fall.. I just gotta find myself a decent place to get the cider from.
Well, its alost my bedtime know and the Mrs's wants to watch a movie......bow chicka bow bow.

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

I started some Oktoberfest I'm going to crack open this weekend. I want to try the cider. I have this wonderful neighbor who does so much for me. I know she'd love some for Christmas. We have choke orchards around here.

 

[pen]

I started some Oktoberfest I'm going to crack open this weekend. I want to try the cider. I have this wonderful neighbor who does so much for me. I know she'd love some for Christmas. We have choke orchards around here.

You could still get a batch around in time for Christmas. I'm not an expert in the hard cider business, but I've heard from a good many that it doesn't do well with age like wine does. My batch from last year is no worse for being a year old, but it didn't improve from what it was either.

pen

 

[begreen]

That's a lot of brew! Need some help?

 

[pen]

That's a lot of brew! Need some help?

I always need a hand! It makes it a lot easier getting out of the shop after a session if there are two people involved.

pen

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

It is a lot!! I think he's preparing for the party in ESW parking lot.

 

[pen]

It is a lot!! I think he's preparing for the party in ESW parking lot.

People (read Gamma and Flatbed Ford) weren't impressed w/ the Busch Light and Yuengling Lager I showed up with to help supplement Craig's offering.

After a glass or two of this stuff, the hearth.com crowd will be sleeping next to that Progress w/ soapstone pillows.

pen

 

[homebrewz]

That is a beautiful sight, every carboy full. Some friends and I press between 20 and 40 gallons every year.. they usually ferment some, I just put it up in mason jars to drink hot in a mug on the stove top. I used to dabble in hard cider, but much prefer beer. For cider, I like the dry-tasting Woodchuck brand. I've got a gallon turning in the fridge and some champagne yeast. Might just have to try it again.

 

[pen]

That is a beautiful sight, every carboy full. Some friends and I press between 20 and 40 gallons every year.. they usually ferment some, I just put it up in mason jars to drink hot in a mug on the stove top. I used to dabble in hard cider, but much prefer beer. For cider, I like the dry-tasting Woodchuck brand. I've got a gallon turning in the fridge and some champagne yeast. Might just have to try it again.

I'm with you on beer vs. cider. Made 70+ gallons the year before last. Having the 2nd kid come along just took up that extra little bit of time I could find to keep up with beer. This year I decided to up the ante a bit and make more hard cider since it's less time consuming. With the hard cider, it's generally something different that can be appreciated for what it is by people of different tastes. Part of the backing off from beer was it wasn't as easy to share since so many people have a bud light lime pallet. They could try the best Belgian-style trippel I'd ever had or made and turn their nose at it.

pen

 

[homebrewz]

Ha.. yes. You have to start them out small.. I made a Kolsch earlier in the year for a friend who used to live in Germany. Of course a light style like that also appeals to the lighter beer drinkers. I wouldn't expect them to immediately like the porter I've been sipping on all night, but... some do. You just never know.

 

[Badfish740]

Definitely high on my list of things to do when I have more time... I just know that I don't have enough to devote to it in order to do it well now. Where did you get those nice glass jugs? Are they five gallon? My dad keeps his eye out for them when he hits the yard sales but never seems to find them.

 

[homebrewz]

Definitely high on my list of things to do when I have more time... I just know that I don't have enough to devote to it in order to do it well now. Where did you get those nice glass jugs? Are they five gallon? My dad keeps his eye out for them when he hits the yard sales but never seems to find them.

Homebrew supply stores, though if you're doing beer I would spend the extra for the 6.5 gallon ones. You'll see why.. fermenting beer gets pretty foamy the first few days.
If you tell enough folks you want to brew, eventually you'll find someone with a dusty 5 gallon one in the basement somewhere.. probably with a dead mouse in it. A little diluted bleach and some brushing and its good for brewing.