Concentrating on Homebrew
After an extended hiatus, I have got another brew going, speculatively christened “Summer Mild”. As with the brown ale I made in January, this one has been created directly from crushed malt rather...
View ArticleBack to Gravity
Almost all the yeast has cleared from the top of my “Summer Mild” brew so it is time to start checking the gravity readings. This time I’m trying an idea I saw on the Brew in a Bag forum. It suggested...
View ArticleKnowing the time to bottle it
The gravity reading has held steady and I think my “Summer Mild” could have gone in the bottle yesterday but there were too many other things to do. This afternoon though…. At least if I aim for the...
View ArticleBottling the Summer Mild
I did manage to get the “Summer Mild” bottled yesterday afternoon, which filled twenty Grolsch bottles (with spring-capped lids). Each of those holds about 450ml so I got the 9 litres I was aiming for...
View ArticleCrabby Cider
It is apple season and, with the gift of a bag of apples from a friend, I have set to making rough cider again. This year though, I am applying a slight twist in the form of a trug-full of crab apples...
View ArticleCrabby Cider Fermenting
For my records, I should note that I got the crabby cider onto the next stage on Friday. The solid lumps of apple were removed and the liquid siphoned into a second, sanitised plastic vat. I had about...
View ArticleSummer Mild — Tasting Notes
I’ve actually been drinking my Summer Mild brew for a few weeks now. To begin with it was still a bit young but it has now reached the point at which it can reasonably be called ready. In its favour,...
View ArticleCrabby Cider … Vinegar?
Last night I bottled four quarts of my crabby cider (apple cider with the addition of some crab apples). It had reached 1.004 at 17.5°C in my sample tube, which should give an ABV of about 4.5%....
View ArticleNottcider
I’ve got some more cider on the go. Since I think I had too much headroom on the previous batch, I’m using a smaller vessel (an old 5l water container) for this lot. I was also doing some reading that...
View ArticleNottcider and More
Malus trilobata My Nottcider is now bottled up (3 quarts which had got down to about 1.004 at 15°C) and I have also moved my next brew from juice extraction to fermentation. This one is made from the...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....