Vinegar- anybody make it?

**Yooper** · 08-17-2011, 11:41 PM

I was thinking again about making vinegar. I'd have to buy a "mother" since I can't find any live vinegar in any of the stores but it seems easy enough.

I'm just a little concerned about cross-contamination with my wines and beers. Does anybody else make vinegars (cider, white wine, red wine, malt vinegar) and have any words of advice?

**passedpawn** · 08-17-2011, 11:57 PM

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/vinegar-mothers-257580/

After reading that thread, it got me thinking... I'm gonna do it right after I finally get my kimchi going.

**corkybstewart** · 08-18-2011, 12:03 AM

I've made malt, wine and cider vinegars, I have a 5 gallon batch of cider vinegar going right now. It's easy and you can make it in a corner of your house or garage well away from your beer.
Back in the early 90's when I was much stupider I turned a batch of crappy beer into wonderful malt vinegar-in a keg. A year later i bottled the vinegar, cleaned the keg as normal and put it back into rotation. By that time I had a batch of apple cider vinegar going in a keg also. When it was done I cleaned and sanitized it as normal. I still use both of those kegs and have not even broken them down to change the o-rings and I've never had an infected batch of beer. I don't recommend that process, today I use my carboys for vinegar, but I'm not so sure we have to worry so much about cross contamination.

ReverseApacheMaster · 08-18-2011, 12:50 AM

If you need a mother to create vinegar, just call my mom and tell her anything.

**dwarven_stout** · 08-18-2011, 12:54 AM

I do malt vinegar in growlers occasionally. I started the original by leaving a half-full growler out with cheesecloth covering the mouth. It started going acetic pretty quickly, and then I just covered it with foil and left it for a few months. I used a little of the original in my next batch, and so on.

**Yooper** · 08-18-2011, 02:40 PM

I just came back from the store with Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar.

I assume I can just let it sit, and then pour off the vinegar into another container to save the mother? And then add my chosen alcoholic liquid?

I was thinking that I"d make a yeast starter and then decant the spent wort to make malt vinegar. Or use some leftover dinner wine (with some water to reduce the ABV) to make wine vinegar.

**lschiavo** · 08-18-2011, 03:43 PM

Let me know how it turns out. I've been planning to do this for months now. I have a bottle of wine leftovers to start with.

**Homercidal** · 08-18-2011, 04:44 PM

My friend Tom made (or tried to, I never did find out how it went) apple cider vinegar. I think he just bought some fresh apple cider and let it sit out on the porch with the cap off for a bit then let it ferment and turn sour. He brought it into the fridge after the weather got too cold and let it turn to vinegar real slow, and just kept uncapping to let pressure out once in a while.

I thought about it myself, but a small bottle of malt vinegar last me many months. I use white vinegar for household projects, not for cooking.

**passedpawn** · 08-18-2011, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homercidal

My friend Tom made (or tried to, I never did find out how it went) apple cider vinegar. I think he just bought some fresh apple cider and let it sit out on the porch with the cap off for a bit then let it ferment and turn sour. He brought it into the fridge after the weather got too cold and let it turn to vinegar real slow, and just kept uncapping to let pressure out once in a while.

I thought about it myself, but a small bottle of malt vinegar last me many months. I use white vinegar for household projects, not for cooking.

grill more pork. I have a spraybottle filled with apple cider vinegar that gets used often. This weekend I'll go through a bunch of it... grillfest!

Vinegar is great on fries. Get one of these and you're making your own:

**Airborneguy** · 08-18-2011, 05:03 PM

We sometimes buy a cheap brand of wine and occasionally get a bad bottle. When we do, I leave it by the livingroom window with the top off for a few months and it turns into vinegar on its own. I taste it every so often after the first month to see where it's at and move it to a container when it's ready.

What is a "vinegar mother" and what are the benefits? Does it go quicker?