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alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 9:22 pm Post subject:
Have racked up two gallons of parsnip tonight and 2 gallons of Mrs D's simple beer.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 9:38 pm Post subject:

alison wrote:

Have racked up two gallons of parsnip tonight and 2 gallons of Mrs D's simple beer.

Parsnip is one of those wait 2 years before dring wines isn't it? I keep meaning to get some on.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 9:39 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

alison wrote:

Have racked up two gallons of parsnip tonight and 2 gallons of Mrs D's simple beer.

Parsnip is one of those wait 2 years before dring wines isn't it? I keep meaning to get some on.

Have you been dring?

Home on the Hill

Joined: 06 Feb 2005
Posts: 313
Location: Warwickshire

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 9:47 pm Post subject:
Any chance of a ginger vodka recipe - sounds great!

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sat Mar 05, 05 9:55 pm Post subject:

[quote="sean"]

jema wrote:

Have you been dring?

Not yet.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 05 7:52 pm Post subject:

moggins wrote:

What's an easy one for a novice to start off with? I have all the equipment in the cellar but it's never been a great success in the past. I could never find the right spot to keep it but I think I have now.

Depends what you like. I'd say that one of the simplest things to make would be something based on fruit juice concentrate and something else sweet. For example, the wine I've put on this very evening contains:

1 bottle apple juice concentrate
2 lb honey
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Juice of 1 lemon
half a cup of strong black tea
Water to 2/3 gallon.

I warmed it to a slow simmer for fourty minutes, till the scum from the honey stopped rising. Skimmed that all off, and in a while I'll put it in a demi jon and add some activated champagne yeast. When I rack it I'll top up to a gallon.

Dead easy, and it'll make a sharp but full bodied mead (or, technically, a cyser as it's got apple juice in it).

Look about online and you'll find lots of 'cheaty' recipes like this. Or let us all know your tastes and I'm sure a suggested recipe will be forthcoming

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 05 7:54 pm Post subject:

Home on the Hill wrote:

Any chance of a ginger vodka recipe - sounds great!

Mine is made by mixing a jar of candied ginger in syrup with half a bottle of vodka. I leave the ginger in for a month or so before drinking. The ginger is then rather 'special'.

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 05 9:36 pm Post subject:
Thanks Cab, that sounds lovely. I'm going to climb into the hell hole that is my cellar and dig out all my wine making stuff. What I could do with is a decent elderberry recipe and the other half is seriously into reds. If I can tempt him with wine, I might get him to come out picking with me

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 05 10:12 pm Post subject:
I'd really like to give wine making a go but don't really have the room My mum gave me a divine bottle of Victoria Plum today which shouldn't be opened for at least a month yet but I couldn't help myself it's wonderful stuff

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 05 10:14 pm Post subject:

moggins wrote:

Thanks Cab, that sounds lovely. I'm going to climb into the hell hole that is my cellar and dig out all my wine making stuff. What I could do with is a decent elderberry recipe and the other half is seriously into reds. If I can tempt him with wine, I might get him to come out picking with me

Elderberry is easy, but there are so many variants that I don't know where to start. My favourite is made with 3lb elderberried, 1lb blackberries and 2-3lb of sugar (I start with 2lb, add another lb if it comes out as really dry really fast). As ever, add a teaspoon of yeast nutrient and some citric acid. You can make a great nedium red table wine with 4lb elderberries and 3lb of sugar. But anything you want to add for more body will also work; try dried bananas.

If you've got a decent nylon mesh bag amongst your wine making stuff it'll really help.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 05 10:15 pm Post subject:

nettie wrote:

My mum gave me a divine bottle of Victoria Plum today which shouldn't be opened for at least a month yet but I couldn't help myself

it's wonderful stuff

My plum wine came out like 16% alcohol grape juice last year. It's now only a distant (and somewhat hazy) memory

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 05 10:18 pm Post subject:

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 05 10:28 pm Post subject:
I had a couple of demijons given to me today Which should help me play with some of the little batchs

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 05 10:39 pm Post subject:
I have a jelly bag that I use for making preserves. Would that work?

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 05 11:19 pm Post subject:

moggins wrote:

I have a jelly bag that I use for making preserves. Would that work?

If it's nylon, yes. It's just easier to put the fruit into a nylon bag, put that into a sterilised bucket and then pour the rest of the ingredients on top (hot). That means that when you come to rack it into the demijon you leave all the lumps of fruit behind.

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