Enjoying first homemade booch

Yah I'm finally enjoying some of the first of my homemade booch. I don't know what else to call it. It's a bit rough around the edges and tastes a bit wild, but it's only a few weeks old. It's pretty dry. I forget all that is in it, a gallon jar with water, sugar, molasses, lemon, ginger, raisins, lime, a touch of honey, champagne yeast.

I racked half of it into a 1/2 gallon jar with a little sugar to try to carbonate it a bit. The rest I racked into a solo cup (yes it's red too) and a quart jar for immediate enjoyment.

It's pretty dry, which is fine, that's how I like it. Hmmmmm it does pack a bit of a kick, so I'm counting this one a success! I'm glad I started a 6.5g carboy of it about a week ago because this will run out quickly.

Something about this 'rough around the edges' taste makes me think if I drink too much I'm going to really regret it in the morning. Hm yes nice kick though, like a strong wine. I think I used a bit over 2 lbs sweetener in the gallon so I think this should finish around 12% maybe?

Ib4tl!

So ... you just threw fermentables, citric acid, and a little spice in a gallon of water, topped it off with a yeast that leaves little or no residual sweetness, and you are drinking it straight out of the fermenter?

No offense, man, but that sounds truly awful.

If I may ask, what were you hoping to accomplish by subjecting us to ... um I mean ... sharing this with us?

Sounds like he's posting from Ad-Seg.

Tell the warden I said hello :cross:

CGish said:

So ... you just threw fermentables, citric acid, and a little spice in a gallon of water, topped it off with a yeast that leaves little or no residual sweetness, and you are drinking it straight out of the fermenter?

No offense, man, but that sounds truly awful:

Click to expand...

Well when you put it that way that is pretty much what I did. Its my first brew attempt, it isn't too bad I think it will improve with age.

Got to go, Warden Jenkins says my internet time is up for the day.

Hm this stuff isn't bad at all. Even after aging for just a week in 1/2 gallon bottles it's smoothed out a lot. It does have a nice kick. I don't like the lemon taste in it at all though, definitely going to skip the lemons in any future batches.

Maybe replace the lemons with windex. Might help clear it up a bit more.

Ok great I think I can sneak some windex off the cleaning cart by the latrines. Phew tough crowd haha.

It's actually mellowing out a bit more, it is now reminiscent of a young dandelion wine.

Hm ... interesting ... after enjoying some of this brew each night for the last few days it's starting to grow on me and I like it ... it is actually quite energizing and it doesn't have a morning after affect which I attribute to having used quality ingredients and no sulfites, clarifiers, preservatives or anything like that ... the slight vinyl aftertaste is even starting to go away ... I can't wait for the larger carboys of the roughly 15% predicted adbv batches to be ready, they've been bubbling away for a couple weeks now.

You're getting the 'tough crowd' treatment because this website is overwhelmingly populated by people who strive to make exceptional beer, not anything even remotely resembling 'hooch'.

Ah I see got it ... I have other things brewing I think will be exceptional ... this was something I had read you could drink young ... and actually the second gallon batch came out very good ... I put it in 1/2 gallon bottles with some priming sugar and no lemon, so it got slightly fizzy. I was drinking that last night and it was pretty good for being only about a month old.

Well good luck with your other stuff. I hope you enjoy it far more than this concoction!

Just call it (country) wine and the hootch-0-phobic population here will embrace it.

I've had lots of hoochy batches back in the day, especially when experimenting with ciders. I did the 'brew-a-different-cider-a-month-for-one-year' game and I learned a lot. Just give hooch to friends, they like it for some reason, lol.

Ah ha yes, it has evolved into country wine now. I made more of this what is basically hard ginger ale, and primed swing top bottles for carbonation. I used a little sucanat and molasses for the priming sweeteners. The taste is actually really good now and it's fizzy. There is something about this batch anyway, it makes me feel completely differently from any other alcoholic beverage I have ever had, it's quite nice.