is there a good 'how to' guide

[MadLarkin]

either online or in a book i can buy that explains everything very simply for a simpleton like me?

what i need to find out is what all the different additives/ingredients are (like pectalose, or the yeast nutrients, finings, bentonite etc)
what they do, when to add them, how much to add and what the best ones are!?

what is the steraliser ive seen on youtube that they dont need to wash off?
they seem to soak their equipment in it for a few mins then its good to go as it is. it looks very easy, and im into easy!!

the importance of acids? citric acid ive seen mentioned here and there!
i want to brew a pineapple cider/wine for my 1st batch but someone said it wont be very strong due to the high citric acid present in the fruit.
can anything be done to up the alcohol content? (i would quite like to get drunk on my brew!)

sorry for the amateur hour
an online guide or ebook i can download would be preferable as im a tight fisted ******* :

 

[Dieseljockey]

Hi Mad....
The forums own "How to" will give you a very good start..just take a look in the board index...and the guys will answer any Q's you will have... :pray:

Ps..Try This one

 

[Moley]

Take a look around Jack Keller for all the basics and what everything does.

 

[MadLarkin]

thanks guys, ill check out those links in after i get a cup of tea

i have just found this guys website to be really helpful and informative to a noob like me.
it has loads of info on really basic parts of equipment that gets used in video form so its even easier than reading :grin:
although the music does get annoying after a few clips!

http://www.basicsofhomebrewing.com/bohbvids.html

 

[Crastney]

Pooley and Lomax - Cider making on a small scale

that's what I'd recomend for a beginner to cider making. lots of useful info.
(check the spelling though, might be wrong)

 

[MadLarkin]

thats grand, thanks!

i made it out to the library today and they had a couple of homebrewing books! :)

 

[stig1963]

http://www.homewinemaking.co.uk/forum/YaBB.pl
A great forum with lots of experts on hand to answer all questions.

 

[Moley]

A great forum with lots of experts on hand to answer all questions.

:thumb:

A bit slow, rather stuffy, a few experts on hand, but I joined that forum before I ever found this one and that's still where I go if I have questions.

 

[denpat]

Hi
I would Say you can,t go wrong with C.J.J Berry,s book First steps in winemaking
And after 30+ years of wine making I still use it

Den :thumb:

 

[MadLarkin]

thanks guys, i did manage to get the cjj berry book out at the library! just a shame its been in the boot of a broken down cdar at a peugeot garage for the last week... doh!

 

[hedgerow pete]

forget ccccccjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj berry, as a lot of his wine recipes have miss quotes on the quantities that beginers follow blindly, if you you want a starter book berry is great but when you want to realy understand whats going one then there are only three authors to choose the first one is proffessor garry fowles his book called "must" is a classic that will be going on for centuries, this guy was a proffesor at reading uni and studied yeasts for a living the guy is a genius

the other two authers are single published and combined published they are bryan acton and peter duncan they have loads of books between them and they are all brilliant and very well writen

 

[asm88]

This is a good article about cider and the production process http://ezinearticles.com/?Cider-Making-Process&id=6757645