First EVER Brewday...TC and a wurzel!

[faulknerm]

Morning All,

An unexpected day off work today, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and start my first brews.

I decided to keep it simple to start with, as it gives me a gentle introduction to homebrew and also lets me gradually talk SWMBO around to the idea of me turning her shed into a brewery. :lol:


First up was a gallon of back to basics TC -

5 cartons of Tesco Value apple juice
Teaspoon of Youngs GP
Teaspoon of Youngs nutrient
half teaspoon of Youngs wine tannin.


No real method to be honest, just stuck it all into a plastic demijohn, shook it around and popped a bubbler airlock into the top - that's it. Now It's say bubbling away in the corner of the shed (after only an hour or so too!)



Next on the agenda was the Wurzel's orange wine - made to the exact recipe of the master himself. :thumb:

No photo's yet I'm afraid, as SWMBO has taken the camera into work today so I'll have to wait until she gets home before I can take some snaps.


Hopefully, in just a few short weeks I'll be enjoying the fruits of my labour! :

Next on the agenda is a Wherry kit, which will be ordered next week after payday. :drink:

 

[corby_brewer]

Nive one mate. :thumb: Keep up the good work. : No looking back now the home brew bug as bitten.

Lisa tends to hide our camera during one of my brew days. So i tend to use the mobile a lot.

 

[Samarith]

Umm...you topped both up to the shoulder right? Not to the neck of the DJ?

If you topped to the neck then put them in the bath or a bucket and expect to clean the airlocks frequently for a few days.

 

[faulknerm]

Yes, to the shoulder, don't worry!

The TC seems to have calmed down a bit now, but the Wurzel has picked up instead.

 

[Hawks]

Wurzels goes crazy, I always put mine on a tray now - have had the airlock blow even when only filled to the shoulder.. :shock:

 

[faulknerm]

Wurzels goes crazy, I always put mine on a tray now - have had the airlock blow even when only filled to the shoulder.. :shock:

Very sound advice!! :lol:

Yep, even with the Wurzel only topped up to the shoulder of the DJ, I've already cleaned the airlock out twice since I set this going.

Fortunately with the TC I've only set it away with 4L of the juice, and will add the remaining litre probably tomorrow as even that's nearing the neck of the DJ now - without any added sugar! I can only imagine what they must be like when people are adding additional sugar too :shock:

 

[grapefruitmoon]

I'm doing my first TC as well, started it Wednesday. What ABV does this usually come out as and how long does it take to complete? Used the same recipe as above, hope it's a good one!

 

[faulknerm]

What was your OG gfm? Mine was 1052 - not taken another reading yet, but I'm going to ferment to dry and then back sweeten when bottling.

Both still bubbling away merrily in the shed, no pictures yet though I'm afraid as SWMBO forgot to bring the camera home from work yesterday.


That's it, I've got the bug - I've spent all afternoon sat out in the sun with the laptop, reading all about AG brewing! :lol: Yeah, I know, I'm barely 30 hours into my first "basic" brews and already getting ahead of myself, but I do have a soft spot for a good real ale and I can imagine that it would taste all the more rewarding if I'd brewed it from scratch myself. In fact, as this is the Wine and Cider forum I'm going to pop over to the AG forum and post for some equipment advice...(shh, don't tell SWMBO, I need to get the Worzel finished to placate her before I introduce the idea of boilers lol )

 

[faulknerm]

Both still bubbling away merrily - I'm thinking this may turn into quite a fast ferment given how warm the weather has been since I set these away...we shall see.

Quick question, when the Wurzel when through it's initial "mad" phase of fermentation, the yeast head left quite a few deposits in the headspace at the top of the DJ. The head has settles back down now, however this deposit has been left at the top. Shall I give the DJ a quick shake to mix this back into the liquid below, or leave it as it is?


Also, with the TC I intend to ferment to dry and then back sweeten, however with the Wurzel I was thinking of stopping it at about 1.000. However I'm not going to have spare DJ's into which I can rack the Wurzel, nor bottles for the TC until next weekend - will they be okay sitting where they are even if the ferment finishes before then? (or in the case of the Wurzel, if it reaches the SG I want and I stop it).


Cheers,

Marc

 

[Samarith]

Once the Wurzels has calmed down for a few days, top it up to the bottom of the DJs neck. A quick shake to mix the deposit back into the liquid won't hurt. You'll be giving it more than a little shake when you degas.

It's fine to stop the ferment in the original DJ, I sometimes stabilise, degas and fine all in the first DJ. Multiple rackings mean you lose more of you're original brew and get a weaker lower ABV drink if you top back up with water or juice. Some wines need multiple racking to clear properly but usually have a very high inital sugar content, so the dilution actually brings the flavour/abv down to a more drinkable level.

You can leave finished brews in a DJ for months, so long as the airlock has water in.

 

[Barkie]

That's it, I've got the bug - I've spent all afternoon sat out in the sun with the laptop, reading all about AG brewing! :lol:

That's it for you now, no going back. I've been nabbed by the bug too. I'm reading and scribbling notes like it is going out of fashion I put a gallon of WOW on this afternoon (taking no chances it is in my Fv) and I'm going to have a brew day tomorrow.

Cheers! :

 

[bandit081]

when i first joined this forum I thought to myslef who the bloody hell is wurzel, and then i saw the thread and since then i have logged 44 gallons in my brew log. I got hooked on the stuff probably because I managed to pick up 50 cartons of mango juice for nothing