What do I need?

[phiber_optikx]

I am interested in getting into brewing but am a little stuck on where to start. I am wondering if I would be better off buying a kit or buying individual components. I am not sure what supplies I need (total noob) however, understand the flexibility that comes with piecing it together yourself. That said, it would be convenient to get everything in one go. Opinions?

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi phiber optikx, Brewing or wine making? Brewing involves boiling and boiling requires large kettles and a heat source. Wine making does not require heat. Both use many of the same tools and equipment but wine making tends to be less anxiety provoking: brewers tend to be near psychotic about the possibility of contamination. Wine makers are far more comfortable relying on their sanitation processes and the acidity and alcohol levels of their wines to inhibit the presence and growth of bacteria and molds.

 

[fuelish]

... but wine making tends to be less anxiety provoking: brewers tend to be near psychotic about the possibility of contamination. Wine makers are far more comfortable relying on their sanitation processes and the acidity and alcohol levels of their wines to inhibit the presence and growth of bacteria and molds.

Sure seems that way, eh???

 

[phiber_optikx]

Wine making to start. Long term I would probably try my hand at brewing but wine making is caching my eye at the moment.

 

[Yooper]

Wine making to start. Long term I would probably try my hand at brewing but wine making is caching my eye at the moment.

Winemaking can be simple, but simple doesn't always mean "easy"!

Well, making wine is easy, but making great wine isn't that easy is probably a better way to put it.

Initially, you will need some sanitizer (easily purchased at winemaking shops), some siphon equipment, a fermenter (plastic pail is fine), and a carboy or jug for the appropriate size of your batch size. Rubber stoppers for the carboy/jug and airlocks are needed, and are cheap.

I have a couple of very simple and easy recipes posted, using things like frozen or bottled juice that can be accessed under my user name and avatar on the left <-. The recipes should have good directions (I think!) and if you look at the list of ingredients often there are additives like tannin, acid blend, etc. Think of those things like flavorings, or spices, for the wine to add to the flavor. They aren't strictly necessary, but cheap and they make a big difference in the flavor of the wine.

There are kits that have siphoning equipment, corkers, etc, all available and if you are thinking of doing a 6 gallon batch (like in a wine kit), that can be the least expensive way to go.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

EDIT - whoops.

 

[bernardsmith]

and you can always go to your local supermarket, buy a gallon of fruit juice (not soda, but real fruit juice) such as pomegranate, or mango or apricot (sold in the chiller section), pour into your sanitized bucket, add pectic enzyme, wait 12 hours then pitch (add) wine yeast (71B, K1V , QA23, 47D, or EC-1118) and allow the juice to ferment until the gravity drops to about 1.005 (means you should buy an hydrometer) and then siphon into a gallon carboy, seal with a drilled bung and airlock (the airlock filled with water) and allow the wine to age a couple of months, rack again and allow to age another two or three months and then package (bottle) and drink. You could add 1 lb or more sugar to the juice before you add the yeast, mix thoroughly and then pitch (add) the yeast. That will increase the ABV (alcohol by volume) of your wine by about 5.25% - in other words, will produce a wine with about 9% ABV. If you added 1.5 lbs of sugar to the juice (no heat), you will produce a wine at about 11% ABV which is pretty standard.
You could buy frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries etc) allow them to thaw, add pectic enzyme, wait 12 hours or more, add yeast and make wine from fruit (rather than fruit juice). Takes about 10 lbs of fruit to produce 1 gallon of wine. Adding water dilutes the juice. You don't want to add water.