Hello.

[grumps]

Hello everybody, i'm only just beginning to try homebrewing, after being rather impressed with a batch a friend made. I'll probably ask some questions which seem really stupid to the more seasoned professionals, but please bear with me and be patient. I'm hoping to bring myself to a decent standard eventually, but i'm more than prepared to put up with plenty of failure in the learning process. Anyway, I just wanted to say hi from me, in the scottish borders. I look forward to being a part of your community.

 

[Tony]

No such thing as a stupid question .. you ask all you want!

Nice to meet you!
:

 

[31bb3]

Ask away nothin id too stupid wekcome to the forum

 

[Grumpy Jack]

The only stupid question is the one you don't ask that means ruining a good brew! Welcome on board. :thumb:

 

[grumps]

Thanks very much for the warm welcome everybody, just to give you a bit of an outline of what i'm into, I will be starting out by attempting some wine of some sort. I've not yet decided on the type, but I was lucky enough to be given 7 large glass demijohns, and I have ordered myself enough airlocks and bungs to fit them. I have also ordered a hydrometer, and have plenty of empty bottles stored aside. I'm not sure on the type of yeast needed, so pointers in the right direction would be appreciated. My partner would like me to make something highly potent, but my own preference is something with fruit from the supermarket or readily available ingredients, but as I have several demijohns I will try both. Once I have a bit of grounding in making wines I would like to start making beers, but one thing at a time. So if anyone can point me in the right direction for the sort of recipes mentioned I would be much obliged. Also information on other equipment I will be needing would also be appreciated greatly. Thanks very much for looking.

 

[highwayman]

You're in good hands here Grumps....Quite a few Scottish Members here too ...A warm welcome from a Yorkshire Brewer

 

[grumps]

I'm actually from Dover originally, but relocated a few years back, probably the best move i've ever made. I've met some great people and am getting opportunities for trying new things (such as brewing) which are giving me a new lease of life, so i'm very lucky.

 

[jonboymentalhealth]

hello and welcome :

 

[31bb3]

go for a WOW you will find it posted or just google it its really simple

 

[evanvine]

My partner would like me to make something highly potent

Potency comes from the amount sugar you use, whether it is from your fruit or added extra.
For example, if you dissolve 1 Kg of sugar in 4 Ltrs of water and ferment it out, you would end up with an ABV of approx 12% (OG 1090, FG 1000).
So do your own thing, just watch your gravities. :thumb:
Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Moley]

Go for something like a WOW first, it's quite easy and can be ready to drink in just 1-2 months. This thread should tell you all you need to know for now about other equipment and what yeast to use.

If you follow the quantities given you should end up with a wine of around 13% abv. As evanvine says, potency is directly linked to the amount of fermentable sugars used, but there is a trade-off and higher abv wines need longer to mature. The yeast compounds I mention have quite high alcohol tolerance and will ferment to 18 or 19%. I do occasionally push them to the limit with things like carrot whisky or wheat & raisin wine, but they need a year before they are properly ready.

Welcome to the forum, have fun and never be afraid to ask questions :

 

[grumps]

Thats fantastic thanks very much, I will get a look right now. As my partner seems to want quantity over quality I have ordered her a Solomon Grundy 30 bottle kit, and a large fermenting tub. As for me i'm going to follow your sugestion for a WOW, and maybe try some of the Vimto wine I've seen in the recipes. I've more patience than my partner and would be happy to wait for a while to get the desired results. Thanks for the help, and I will keep you informed on how things go.

 

[grumps]

Ok, so finally got around to making some WOW today. I also tried switching the orange juice for pineapple juice in a separate batch. How long should it take for the bubbles to start coming up? I have them in a room which is constantly warm, so the temperature I think shouldn't be a factor in it.

 

[Moley]

WOW can quite often be showing signs of life within 1-2 hours and should be fully up to speed within 1-2 days, other variations can take a little longer.

 

[grumps]

nice one thankyou. Actually found it really therapeutic making it. And as for the pineapple variety I just thought i'd try it for the sake of it. Will see how these turn out and after that i've seen hundreds of recipes i'd like to try. Would just like to get these ones done first. See if i've got it right, as i'm not the sharpest tool in the box. :thumb:

 

[Moley]

And as for the pineapple variety I just thought i'd try it for the sake of it.

Pineapple juice works well, I tend to label that as a Tropical Wurzel but the mental image of the bloke in a grass skirt gives me the screaming heebie-jeebies.

If you scale up to larger volumes I recommend MFPW - that's Moley's Fruity Pink Wurzel - a mix of red and white grape juices, orange juice and cranberry juice drink with some Twining's raspberry, strawberry & loganberry fruity ‘tea bags’ thrown in for good measure.

 

[Wendy1971]

hello and welcome to the forum :thumb:

 

[evanvine]

the mental image of the bloke in a grass skirt gives me the screaming heebie-jeebies.

And here was innocent little me thinking that you were tougher old bird than that.
Something about "monsters from the Id" isn't it?
I like the way you explain things to new members Ade :thumb:

 

[abeyptfc]

welcome grumps. theres a good few scots in here so you will feel at home! join us in the chatroom from friday night, there is a red banner that appears at the top of the page, its not available during the week though. :

 

[grumps]

Well i'm happy to say they are bubbling away nicely now. So now it's time to sit back and wait. Am very much looking forward to trying the finished product, but as its the festive season theres plenty of special offers to keep me going with the odd drink. And that way I don't need to drink this prematurely. And I can let it age for a while, for a more satisfying product. :
Thanks to all for their help and advice, i'm much appreciated.