Recent content by Croft

25ltrs of Ginger Champagne.... got a few more months to go. Joke is I have just tossed my Ginger Beer plant after making it solidly for 2 years, got tired of taking it on holiday with us. My friend, after I excitedly told her what I was brewing, asked me what the difference was between the...

Finally 9 months after bottling it is now getting drinkable, the bitter taste - never using Granny Smiths EVER again - has finally gone and it is starting to mellow out. Thank goodness. Just tipped out a revolting beer brew and was not looking forward to giving all that hard work pressing the...

You are going to have to encourage your wife to find a brew SHE enjoys!... Personally - being the wife that brews :) - clean as you go and I agree with the guys who said start earlier. I wouldn't want to be cleaning up after midnight either! Also enlisting the assistance of spouse is another...

I've just finished my first 'rack' of my first mead and I know I have to put it away so it can be as undisturbed as possible, but currently it is glowing a rich gold on the window sill. I keep admiring it, much to my husbands amusement!

I made some rose hip jelly a while back - long laborious process best not done again - how do you think this would work in your recipe. Bearing in mind it was made with sugar & is concentrated already. I know what you mean about the soapy taste as this was what the 'raw' just boiled stage of...

using my banned brewing equipment has resulted in 5ltrs of rocket fuel. I've got to figure out how to smooth it out. It's proof is a bit iffy but it didn't freeze so it must be reasonable. I've tried mixing in a bit of glucose syrup but the consistency to stir it in is like taffy. I might do a...

OK that may explain why I have been having some problems. I have glass carboys and will use these next year for the new brew. Can't do it this year as I've already bottled. Good to know. Thank you very much for your attention to my problem. When I'm talking barrel I'm meaning the 26ltr...

I had a similar problem with my pear cider but as one of the posts said it eventually got a little more peary (sp?) with age. My problem was the huge amount of sediment I had in the bottom of the barrell whilst brewing. Didn't bother with pear this year just stuck to apple as the effort didn't...

Thanks for that, yes I think I'll just forget about it for another month and by then it may have thought about itself enough. Fingers crossed. Next time I will use more sugar. 4th time lucky. Mind you the 1st was paint stripper, the 2nd finally drinkable after a year and a half in the...

I have basically had three 26ltr (7 gallon) barrells of apple juice, added a sachet of yeast per barrell and 500gr - 1kg of sugar per barrell.... then I just let it brew until it stopped burbling. In first case warmer weather and it was done in a month. 2nd brew was colder so took longer...

I bottled my cider in May and now about 2 months after bottling I am starting to drink it ..... The flavour isn't bad, just a tad yeasty... (vastly better than my previous efforts). I am wondering tho if I can decant all my brew back into my brew barrels add some more sugar and let them have...