Making vinegar

[clives-online]

Greetings,
I have surplus Elderflower wine and Cherry beer, wanted to make some vinegar.

Any suggestions??

 

[Clint]

I've looked at this...its a bit of a palaver..you need a starter pelicle I think..might be called a "mother " or something..sounds like a project though!

 

[Fatcontro11er]

I make my own ACV, I’m sure if you took a pellicle ( starter) you’d be well on Your way!

 

[user 41945]

Do you make your ACV direct from apples, or do you make cider first? I tried from turbo cider but it was uninspiring :-(

 

[foxy]

I made mine from cores and skin of apples, obviously not distilled but makes a good vinegar.
https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2015/02/how-to-make-apple-cider-vinegar.html

 

[user 41945]

Cheers - I did that for my first batch and it turned out better than from the actual cider. But, sadly, my family still prefer the bought stuff.

 

[BeerCat]

Add some organic apple cider vinegar, cover it loosely to let air get in stopping any insects and leave it for a few months. Male sure it's no more than 10% alcohol.
You don't need a Scoby. Live vinegar is all you need. It may turn without but it just gives it a helping hand.

 

[johncrobinson]

I think Foxy `s posted method will cultivate lactic acid bacteria (similar to sauerkraut) and not acetic acid bacteria
vinegar made this way would be milder,But still delicious.

 

[thegrantickle]

My Mrs makes vinegar from fermenting second run-offs or squeezing the bag of fruit after fermentation, wine or cider... and its bloody amazing. It's actually really simple... The main thing is to aim for an ABV of about 9% for your starting liquid we use clean vodka to top it up if needed. Fill a kilner jar 3/4 of the way with what you want to make vinegar from. Buy a bottle of Braggs and Aspall RAW cider vinegars, shake them up and throw in maybe 100ml of each in, to drop the pH a touch and add the culture present in the bottles. We also add in some of our house brett culture. Then just cover the jar with cheesecloth, secure with string or an elastic band, and leave it. It takes about 8-12 weeks to complete. You sill see a scoby (culture disk) form on the top of the liquid over time - that's a good sign, and you can cut that up with scissors and throw it into future vinegars to help speed up the process. I'm sure she would explain it better, but that's the gist of it! I'll do my best to answer any other questions, or ask her haha

Also it's a good idea to have a calibrated pH meter around, so you know when it's done as bottling too early and activity continuing without supplied oxygen spoils the product. Also pH meters are good anyway.