Vinegar anyone.

[PD]

There should be a section for this brew well away from other stuff so they don't get infected...

I've made wines and beers on and off for many years but I've never intentionally made any vinegar. I've had some brew disasters that have turned " vinegarry " and been disposed off but I've notice several folks on this site intentionally brewing vinegar . So can you give me some advice ? a recipe etc.

I like my vinegar astringent but not so much as to close my eyes when it sizzles onto a hot chip ! Also the wife uses flavoured vinegars in her cooking and when the autumn comes around we end up buying quite a bit for her pickles and chutneys.

Apart from Apple vinegar what other reliable / usable flavours are there. Can the resultant vinegar be watered down if too strong ?

Thanks for your time.

 

[graysalchemy]

I have made some Turbo cider specifically for vinegar. I had a bitter which went of a few years ago and I kept a 2 gallon for vinegar. It was fantastic the bestI have tasted. I have a small quantity of cider vinegar on the go to keepp the mother of Vinegar culture going.

:thumb:

 

[PD]

Nice one can you tell me how you brewed especially for making vinegar.

 

[calumscott]

So...

...cider vinegar is pretty self explanatory.
...wine vinegars the same.

...would I be right in thinking, GA, that what you ended up with from your bitter was what we would recognise as "malt vinegar"?

 

[PD]

I take it I brew (say) Apple Cider and when its done I add a bottle of some such bought apple cider to the mix and let it continue to work / change. Is that correct ?

 

[graysalchemy]

Unless you shop bought vinegar is unpasturized then no. You need the bacterial culture to make vinegar. However it is really easy to infect all you have to do is leave some in an open milk bottle then at this time of year some fruit fly will come and visit and it will get infected quite easily. once you have a culture you can store it in the fridge between batches.

 

[graysalchemy]

...would I be right in thinking, GA, that what you ended up with from your bitter was what we would recognise as "malt vinegar"?

Yes and no as it will be hopped. It tastes like really really god malt vinegar but with a slight bitterness to it. Great on chips in pickles, I use it for salad dressing with olive oil.

:thumb:

 

[calumscott]

...would I be right in thinking, GA, that what you ended up with from your bitter was what we would recognise as "malt vinegar"?

Yes and no as it will be hopped. It tastes like really really god malt vinegar but with a slight bitterness to it. Great on chips in pickles, I use it for salad dressing with olive oil.

:thumb:

D'Oh! Of course. They're not going to bother with hopping the wort for making vinegar.

Does acetobacter convert straight 1:1 ethanol to acetic acid do you know? So if you start with a 5% ABV beer do you get a 5% acetic acid vinegar?

 

[graysalchemy]

I'm not quite sure of the exact figure but it is about right. I had a 5.5% bitter which decided to turn to vinegar and it was as strong as any ordinary malt vinegar which is about 5%.

 

[calumscott]

Splendid, there's another project then... :)

 

[NathanJR]

So vinegar is basically gone-off beer/wine/cider?

 

[graysalchemy]

No it is beer cider or wine that has been infected with the acetobacter and oxygenated. Fruit flies are the usual suspects for delivering the acetobacter so leaving ajar full of wine beer or cider should become infected especially summer autumn time.