Remember when?.....(home brewing related)

[AzOr]

I saw a similar thread but it wasn’t brewing related. Mainly about 80’s hair and pants. If there is a brewing related thread- my apologies.

I’ve been brewing for about 20 years, though there’s been quite a few years that I only brewed one or two batches. By no means am I an expert. In fact I learn new things with every batch. I simply love fermenting stuff!

So here goes....

Remember when.......?

Notty was 99 cents! It’s now around 4 bucks.

 

[MaxStout]

...A beer kit was comprised of a half-gallon can of hopped LME, and had a packet of yeast taped to the top? That's what I got when I first tried brewing in 1980, and the reason why I gave it up after a few not-so-tasty brews.

 

[AzOr]

.....all equipment kits came with Papazian’s book.

 

[Master]

They don't still?

 

[Zuljin]

When you decided to brew some scuppernong wine so you mashed up a bunch of scuppernongs, added some sugar and water, and crammed it all in a large Gatorade jug that you forgot in the trunk of your car and when you found it, it was swole up like some kind of hard plastic balloon, and when you tried to open it, it exploded and you're lucky it didn't take off your hand.

 

[clarkpadgett]

...bleach was the sanitizer of choice.

 

[AzOr]

...bleach was the sanitizer of choice.

I remember that! That and iodine. Boy I’m glad I graduated to starsan.

 

[RichBenn]

OMG, what a thread for us old guys. I remember buying my first brewing book in the UK while on a pilgrimage to the Octoberfest in 1981. The instructions had you getting supplies from "Boots the Chemist".

I still have not brewed with "golden treacle" (or some such).

 

[AzOr]

Siphoning.....I’m sure the auto siphon was around when I started but I didn’t get one until I was 4 or 5 years in. When I did, that thing was the coolest invention ever!

What a pain in the a@# to siphon. My floor was always a disaster after transferring or bottling. I’d have a mop bucket ready to go at all times. I’m sure everyone who used that old tubing at one point stuck their dirty mouth on that thing to get a stuck siphon going.

 

[JohnSand]

When I had less than $100 of brewing equipment.

 

[MaxStout]

When you decided to brew some scuppernong wine so you mashed up a bunch of scuppernongs, added some sugar and water, and crammed it all in a large Gatorade jug that you forgot in the trunk of your car and when you found it, it was swole up like some kind of hard plastic balloon, and when you tried to open it, it exploded and you're lucky it didn't take off your hand.

I used to make dandelion wine with friends in high school. Boil the blooms in water, cool, add sugar and yeast. Pour into a gallon jug. Put a balloon with a tiny pinhole on top. Except we forgot the pinhole part. Late one night--bang! Didn't hurt the wine and there was no mess, but everyone in the house jumped out of bed. Good times.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

<Googles scuppernongs...>

OMG, what a thread for us old guys. I remember buying my first brewing book in the UK while on a pilgrimage to the Octoberfest in 1981. The instructions had you getting supplies from "Boots the Chemist".

I still have not brewed with "golden treacle" (or some such).

Boots are on every high street in the UK and were the main retail source of homebrew stuff until ???the early noughties??? Now Wilko's have taken over that role, although obviously we now have more LHBS's and the internet.

It must have been an advanced book to be talking about anything more sophisticated than table sugar! Golden syrup is a kitchen staple in the UK, it's widely used in baking but it's also a reasonable match for invert sugar #2. Which is a very common ingredient in commercial recipes, particularly in northern England and Scotland.

 

[doogie]

Papazian's book didn't have an index. I have one I printed off of Prodigy and keep in the book.
Kathy Ireland was on the cover of Zymurgy.

 

[AzOr]

I used to make dandelion wine with friends in high school. Boil the blooms in water, cool, add sugar and yeast. Pour into a gallon jug. Put a balloon with a tiny pinhole on top. Except we forgot the pinhole part. Late one night--bang! Didn't hurt the wine and there was no mess, but everyone in the house jumped out of bed. Good times.

I made dandelion wine once.
I took my 2 year old to a walking path near the house to pick the flowers.
At least 30 or 40 walkers/joggers passed us without a word. Then, just as I was getting ready to leave, this lady who must have been in her 90’s approached me. She was waiving her finger at me while smiling. She said, “dandelion wine huh?” Then walked away giggling. It must have been popular back in the day.

 

[applescrap]

Hops came in paper bags, well ok I wasnt there but heard this and it stuck with me.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

My dad made beer in an open porcelain/ceramic crock in the 60s. He said they waited for it to go still before they drank it. He said it had strong notes of barnyard, with a hearty vomit finish.

 

[AzOr]

When you decided to brew some scuppernong wine so you mashed up a bunch of scuppernongs, added some sugar and water, and crammed it all in a large Gatorade jug that you forgot in the trunk of your car and when you found it, it was swole up like some kind of hard plastic balloon, and when you tried to open it, it exploded and you're lucky it didn't take off your hand.

I had to google that as well. Was it drinkable?

 

[AzOr]

My dad made beer in an open porcelain/ceramic crock in the 60s. He said they waited for it to go still before they drank it. He said it had strong notes of barnyard, with a hearty vomit finish.

You just gave heart attacks to the low/no oxygen people.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Anchor brewing fements in open fermentors. The air in the facility is filtered, bit the vats are open to the air.

 

[day_trippr]

You just gave heart attacks to the low/no oxygen people.

More likely reinforcement, if anything
Speaking of which, remember when HSA was considered a myth?

Cheers! (Ah, for those days of innocence...)

 

[biochemedic]

I made dandelion wine once.....“dandelion wine huh?” Then walked away giggling. It must have been popular back in the day.

I think it was...about 11 or 12 yrs ago or so when I started brewing, my mom happens to mention to me something about how my grandmother apparently used to make dandelion wine! Unfortunately, she knew nothing of the recipe...

I half heartedly tried to get rid of them, but I used to have $hittons of dandelions in my yard when I lived in NC, and had thought about trying it multiple times (as well as doing an dandelion IPA), but never did. Now I have no good access to dandelions...damn my well manicured PA lawn!

 

[DeadYetiBrew]

...bleach was the sanitizer of choice.

I'm gonna feel bad but I STILL use bleach...

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

I think it was...about 11 or 12 yrs ago or so when I started brewing, my mom happens to mention to me something about how my grandmother apparently used to make dandelion wine! Unfortunately, she knew nothing of the recipe...

I half heartedly tried to get rid of them, but I used to have $hittons of dandelions in my yard when I lived in NC, and had thought about trying it multiple times (as well as doing an dandelion IPA), but never did. Now I have no good access to dandelions...damn my well manicured PA lawn!

I so love the idea of dandelion wine, so off the grid, so homemade, with a dash of defying the establishment, but was disillusioned when I started looking at the recipes. Its like a bushel of dandelions and a pound of sugar. Very disappointing. I mean, I’d be fine with a dandelion brew that has at least a 1.035 SG and then add a bit of sugar to bring it into a 5% ABV level, but my impression is that its a kilju dandelion tincture

 

[gunhaus]

How about when malt extract had recipes for biscuits and muffins on the side!

 

[AzOr]

I so love the idea of dandelion wine, so off the grid, so homemade, with a dash of defying the establishment, but was disillusioned when I started looking at the recipes. Its like a bushel of dandelions and a pound of sugar. Very disappointing. I mean, I’d be fine with a dandelion brew that has at least a 1.035 SG and then add a bit of sugar to bring it into a 5% ABV level, but my impression is that its a kilju dandelion tincture

When I made it I followed a recipe I found online. It came out way too sweet.i shoulda known better. It does have a unique floral flavor that was really tasty. We mixed it with plain soda water and it was delicious.
This spring I’ll do a dandelion mead with white grape juice (pyment metheglin?).
It’s definitely worthwhile. You can also pick the flowers and freeze them. So you don’t have to pick a whole crapload at once.

 

[AzOr]

How about when malt extract had recipes for biscuits and muffins on the side!

Wow! How long ago was that? If memory serves my first batches were Coopers brand and also used a lot of dry malt extract.
I have to admit, malt muffins sound great.

 

[gunhaus]

79 or 80. Canned hopped malt. There were two or three brands, but I'll be damned if I can remember them! I do remember at least one was supposed to be from Stroh's or a Stroh's subsidiary - They were pretty big around here at that time.

 

[rlmiller10]

My dad made beer in an open porcelain/ceramic crock in the 60s. He said they waited for it to go still before they drank it. He said it had strong notes of barnyard, with a hearty vomit finish.

Back in the 70s, well before I was old enough to drink, my father and I made a beer like that. Can of malt extract, water, bread yeast, and for some reason he said we should also slice up some potatoes to add to it. Put it all in a 10 gal crock, add 5 gal or so of water and cover with a dish towel. I really don't remember the flavor but I do remember a yeasty aroma that was nice.

 

[AzOr]

I googled 1920s malt syrup. Whoa. Apparently some of the breweries produced hopped malt syrup during prohibition with warnings on the can that read, “do not boil syrup with hops and water, then add yeast.” Wink wink.
One article I read also stated that the syrup was available in grocery stores, hardware stores, Woolworth etc.
it also states that bottling supplies were usually sold near thr syrups.

 

[Zuljin]

I had to google that as well. Was it drinkable?

That batch was vaporized. We later tired and remembered to burp the jugs. Those batches were, they had an interesting flavor profile. Kind of like an assassin tried to mask the taste of a poison. We also did it with strawberries. That was oddly good, if you like oddly flavored things. Both sweet and sour.