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Outstanding, thanks for the help.

Completely agree that whatever base I use (Kilju was more of a principle than a requirement, theoretically it could just as easily be something not dissimilar to Mead) it will have to be as clear as possible and, whilst not neutral, it can't clash with the fruit. So that will take some playing...

Thanks guys. In summary, it would probaby work, it would probably not be awful, but it would probably be easier to stick to the well-trodden path of just fermenting the fruit from the start to give more flavour. But if you have a small amount of fruit and want to make a stronger/dessert...

Valid point. The better the ingredients you use, the better the result. It's not just sloes that I want to test out; plenty of raspberries, blackberries etc around. Might have to make half a gallon of alcohol base and do a few different varieties!

Might I recommend "Booze For Free" by Andy Hamilton: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Booze-Free-Andy ... 1905811705 Beer, Wine and Cider-making tips, with foraging advice broken down by season, and recipes for a lot of left-field stuff you probaby wouldn't otherwise consider!

That's my thinking. Plenty of fruit kicking around, with autumn here. And gin IS expensive. So it is surely worth a smash. And you're right, perhaps some juniper berries to give it a gin "kick", or whatever. You don't use expensive gin for sloe gin, so it doesn't have to taste expensive, eh! I...

Hello all, Had a "brainwave" (though that may be too strong a word) whilst helping put on a batch of sloe gin. Please can someone tell me whether this is going to be purely awful or whether it might work. If it's been covered elsewhere, point me in the right direction and kill the thread! Mods...

Yeah. I am beginning to think I might have overdone it.. we shall see when the garage starts exploding. Storing them out of the danger zone!

Perfect! Time is the way forward. Glancing at the recipe, anything you would alter for the next attempt?

Cheers Rob - I had a feeling that might be the answer! I remember a while ago that someone mentioned to me that sparkling wines are best drunk young... I think I'll keep this one for a while and see what happens. Do you reckon time will help the yeasty smell too?

Hello all, Made a 1-gallon tester batch of a sparkling peach wine recently. 4 litres of Welch's White Grape & Peach juice, 2 tins peaches (food processor to a pulp, boiled for 15 or so) and 400g sugar added to peach boil. Into a demijohn, cooled, and added half a sachet of Young's Champagne...

Hello all, SWMBO has asked if I could make something summery for her. She is a fan of the old bellini so I was thinking something using white grape and peach juice would be a good start, and I have some Young's champagne yeast kicking around the garage. I want it to be fairly sweet and fizzy...

Outstanding, thanks for your help.

Hello all, Did a brewferm kit yesterday. Since it is a small (9l) kit, it came out very warm, and needed cooling before pitching. Don't have an immersion chiller but have cooled before in sink with ice packs, tap etc. However because I have moved house I didn't quite anticipate that my new sink...

Sorry to resurrect, but what quantity of hops is good for dry hopping? And any particular variety?

Thanks for that. The way I figured it, I don't expect to be able to make the perfect summer thirst quenched from a kit that is not designed for it at all, but I'd like to bias it towards that end of the scale if at all possible. Either way, I think 50/50 light DME and honey will get me in the...

Hello chaps and chapesses, I have a geordie mild kit lying around and was wondering how much variation I would get if I vary the sugar used? I'd like something to turn it into something towards the lighter end of the scale. What would happen if I used Light DME as the fermentable? What about a...

Bump... anyone?

Evening all, I have been given a Cordon Brew Continental Lager 1-tin kit as a present. Has anyone used this kit? What can I do to make the most of it? I have Munton's beerkit enhancer to use instead of brewing sugar, and I plan on bottling into 750ml swing tops. Does this all sound ok? I want...

Thanks for the replies chaps. I am getting the feeling that I either need a really good cooling system (not going to happen) or a really cold spell (can't guarantee it) or I end up with a lager that is not bad but still unlikely to convert a lager drinker to homebrew. I think i'll try and make...