Homebrew / Moonshine - Sink vodka appreciation

[Troonos]

Raw they are horrible, but that flavor is why they are so good in wine or preserves.

I mean, if the raw fruit gets a 0/10 for flavor, the wine might get a 2/10. It's an improvement, but I can still detect the gross sugarfart. Maybe I just have weird taste buds.

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

don't have a ton to add, but I just wanted to tell you that you have amazingly good taste. Muscadines are amazing for wine, brandy or jelly/jam.

Sad news fam, our wild vines were completely torn down by the asshole neighbors who wanted to widen their driveway. One day we came back and they'd cut everything back 20ft off the driveway's edge; swearing the vines were kudzu, and was scratching up their truck & trailer + boat.

I mean, if the raw fruit gets a 0/10 for flavor, the wine might get a 2/10. It's an improvement, but I can still detect the gross sugarfart. Maybe I just have weird taste buds.

If you've never tried scuppernong, I suggest doing so before passing judgment; mixed with tonic water or club soda if it's still too sweet (ie. Weinschorle).

 

[Sammich]

Sad news fam, our wild vines were completely torn down by the asshole neighbors who wanted to widen their driveway. One day we came back and they'd cut everything back 20ft off the driveway's edge; swearing the vines were kudzu, and was scratching up their truck & trailer + boat.

If you've never tried scuppernong, I suggest doing so before passing judgment; mixed with tonic water or club soda if it's still too sweet.

oh fuck, i'm really sorry to hear that.

 

[Zhores Medvedev]

Sad news fam, our wild vines were completely torn down by the asshole neighbors who wanted to widen their driveway. One day we came back and they'd cut everything back 20ft off the driveway's edge; swearing the vines were kudzu, and was scratching up their truck & trailer + boat.

I am so fucking sorry, as a kid my neighbors poisoned our plum tree. Loosing stuff like that blows

 

[Señora Airi]

Sad news fam, our wild vines were completely torn down by the asshole neighbors who wanted to widen their driveway. One day we came back and they'd cut everything back 20ft off the driveway's edge; swearing the vines were kudzu, and was scratching up their truck & trailer + boat

I hope you called them slurs for doing that

 

[Troonos]

I am so fucking sorry, as a kid my neighbors poisoned our plum tree. Loosing stuff like that blows

Sad news fam, our wild vines were completely torn down by the asshole neighbors who wanted to widen their driveway. One day we came back and they'd cut everything back 20ft off the driveway's edge; swearing the vines were kudzu, and was scratching up their truck & trailer + boat.

There is such thing as Tree Law - lawyers whose entire professional career is to settle disputes over who has a right to destroy plants at the boundary of two properties.

Your friens at the Farms would have crowdfunded a lawsuit against these retards.

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

I hope you called them slurs for doing that

While I was standing by, my boomer father-in-law called them dumb niggers to their faces; but they're white, and he's not even racist. It was even funnier because he's a born-again, and dropped a couple "bless your hearts" in the mix too.

There is such thing as Tree Law - lawyers whose entire professional career is to settle disputes over who has a right to destroy plants at the boundary of two properties.

Your friens at the Farms would have crowdfunded a lawsuit against these retards.

We live in a part of the country where lawyers generally aren't used in property disputes. But it's been an ongoing thing ever since they turned the driveway into a loop, cutting across the corner of my FiL's property because they wanted to pull through with their trailers, instead of backing them up. But it's fine because they probably won't be there by year's end, since they're overextended as fuck on everything they own. The neighbor's house was left to them by their elderly parents (who were close friends with my in-laws); which they promptly mortgaged to hell & back for the boat, side-by-sides, and various other toys. So he's playing the long game, and intends on cleaning them out when the property is foreclosed on.

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But so as to keep this post OT, this winter we're making kudzu wine. I've had kudzu preserves before and it's tasty as fuck with fresh farm cheese, and am very much looking forward to it. But I'm still pissed those muscadines are gone, because that would've been fucking sweet.

 

[VeteranOfTheRetardWars]

Just started a big batch of cherry wine, and I plan to make it into a fortified wine.
What’s a good way to do that? Do I brew it as normal and later on add something like Everclear or have random Google searches been giving me bad advice?
Either way, cherries from our tree, some good peaches that were on sale, and the rest of the brown sugar I got in bulk is probably a pretty safe bet for a brew. It’ll be a good one.

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

Just started a big batch of cherry wine, and I plan to make it into a fortified wine.
What’s a good way to do that? Do I brew it as normal and later on add something like Everclear or have random Google searches been giving me bad advice?
Either way, cherries from our tree, some good peaches that were on sale, and the rest of the brown sugar I got in bulk is probably a pretty safe bet for a brew. It’ll be a good one.

You could use Everclear, but what proof are you looking for the final product? Without distilling Everclear again you run the risk of making your wine like a homebrew Thunderbird; straight Everclear is harsh as fuck. If it were me I'd soak some cherries in the Everclear, do a run off that, then add it to the wine. That should take the edge off.

 

[Hantavirus]

soak some cherries in the Everclear, do a run off that

He's not distilling, just looking to increase the ABV above what you can achieve with wine yeast. Besides, Everclear is very pure ethanol, with none of the impurities or off flavors you get with, say, bottom shelf vodka.

Do I brew it as normal and later on add something like Everclear or have random Google searches been giving me bad advice?

Yes, that's fine, it's basically how sherry and port are made, although they use brandy instead of pure ethanol. A decent rule of thumb is a pint of azeotropic ethanol (technically 97.2%, but 95% is the highest proof Everclear makes and the highest you can get with commercial equipment instead of a laboratory) adds about 10% ABV to a gallon of wine, and you need a few ounces more if you are starting with a low ABV, and a few ounces less for a very high starting ABV. It's actually a lot more complicated than that, so if you want to be precise, you can look up "Pearson's Square" or find one of the many online calculator tools that do it for you. This may actually be more precise than your ABV measurement, depending on how you got it. If you have a hydrometer that can go down to the specific gravity you are aiming for, add the bulk of the fortifying spirits, then go a little at a time with the rest, stirring and measuring SG with each pour, because it's a lot harder to decrease ABV than increase it!

As an aside, this is how most commercial vodka is made today. They buy rectified spirits and water them down to 80 proof. The quality of the original rectified spirit determines the quality of the vodka, and watered-down Everclear makes very neutral-tasting vodka. I would make a small glass of 23% or whatever final ABV you are going for and drink it to see what flavors it will add to your wine. Otherwise, you could use commercial vodka, brandy, or even cherry or other fruit brandy if you have access to more exotic spirits. Everclear is also great for making North German/American style schnapps, liqueurs, and herbal tinctures if you are into that stuff.

 

[VeteranOfTheRetardWars]

Otherwise, you could use commercial vodka, brandy, or even cherry or other fruit brandy if you have access to more exotic spirits. Everclear is also great for making North German/American style schnapps, liqueurs, and herbal tinctures if you are into that stuff.

If it's really just adding spirits to the final product, I could just run some experiments when it's done brewing to see what flavors go well with what.
Because I'm thinking if it turns out dry, peach schnapps could be really good and highlight the peach aspect of the brew. If it's not, neutral things could go well in it.
Here's the recipe:

As many cherries as you can reasonably obtain (we have a Rainier cherry tree and I got some sweet cherries on sale, I used a ton)
Four cans of good peaches in sugar syrup (leftover from last project)
Six pounds of brown sugar
Cinnamon stick
Nutmug, roughly chopped
71B Lavilin yeast

I extracted the juices from the fruit and spices by gently boiling them and using a potato masher, I do this for jelly as well because fuck pitting that many cherries. After very gently boiling and mashing the fruit for a few hours and adding the brown sugar I strained out the fruit and transferred the liquid to the brewing vessel. I added water until the vessel had 4 1/2 gallons of liquid, took a reading (1.041), and pitched the yeast when ready.
Tastes like, you won't believe this, a sweet cherry drink with some peach and hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Pretty good, I have hopes for it.

I like the brown sugar, my peach and brown sugar wine turned out super good and I would absolutely make it again. It just adds some deeper flavors, richer almost, and with fruits like peaches or apples or cherries it is real good for desserts.

 

[GratsTheat783]

Is it safe to leave your wine to brew inside a closet? The temperature seems pretty stable in there and it looks like it's doing well.

 

[Señora Airi]

It should be fine so long as you dont have any bugs or animals sniffing around your closet. Also remembering the brew is in there.

 

[Troonos]

Is it safe to leave your wine to brew inside a closet? The temperature seems pretty stable in there and it looks like it's doing well.

That's a great place for it.

 

[Honored guest]

So I have a couple of small red current bushes and this is the first year they've produced any fruit, however its not much maybe a pound all together. Does anyone have any recommendations on what fruit to mix them with?

 

[Troonos]

So I have a couple of small red current bushes and this is the first year they've produced any fruit, however its not much maybe a pound all together. Does anyone have any recommendations on what fruit to mix them with?

Schramm's in Michigan makes a red currant and raspberry mead.

Funktastic in Virginia makes one with blackberry, black currant, black cherry, and black raspberry, so you could adapt this to raspberry, red currant, and montmorency cherry.

I've tried both, and they're amazing.

 

[needforsneed]

As someone who has 0 homebrew experience and knows nobody who has ever dabbled in it, what's the best guide to follow for making my first batch of mead?

 

[Troonos]

As someone who has 0 homebrew experience and knows nobody who has ever dabbled in it, what's the best guide to follow for making my first batch of mead?

Buy this fermenter kit (1), this hydrometer (2), this sanitizer (3), this yeast (4), this GoFerm yeast rehydration nutrient (5), this Fermaid nutrient (6), this microgram scale (7) a gallon of store brand filtered spring water (, 4 pounds of a quality honey of your choice (9).

Mix 1 oz of StarSan (3) in 1-2 gallons of cold water. If you don't have a container large enough, do the math and downsize the ratio. Every single thing that touches the mead should sit in this stuff for 30 seconds. StarSan after mixing with water can be used for about a month. Don't rinse it off of your equipment; don't fear the foam. Stick the hydrometer (2), the fermenter's lid, rubber bung, and airlock into the StarSan bucket. Nothing that touches the mead or that touches anything that may go into the mead should be washed with soap. If you're going to use something that was previously washed with soap, rinse it really well under hot water for a good minute and then into the StarSan it goes.

Pour a bit of the mixed StarSan in the primary fermenter (1), maybe a half cup. Swirl and shake a bit to cover every internal surface then dump out the excess StarSan. Do not rinse.

Take a clean saucepan, and rinse out any soap residue as explained above. Fill with 50 mL of filtered spring water (7). Put on the stove BELOW the lowest setting. Use a thermometer (that goes below 100ºF) to make sure the water is holding between 85-95ºF. Weigh (7) and add 2.5g of GoFerm (5) to the water and stir until all the clumps are broken up. Then add 2g of the D47 yeast (4), but don't stir. Set a 15 minute timer to let the yeast hydrate.

In the meantime, pour the 4 pounds of honey ( into the sanitized fermenter. Pour a bit of the filtered water into the honey container and shake so none goes to waste. Pour this in the fermenter, then add more filtered water to bring the total volume to 1.5 gallons, which is at the blue arrow in this picture:



Use a rinsed and sanitized NON-WOOD/NON-PLASTIC spoon or whisk to stir the honey into the water until it dissolves. No need to heat anything. When the mixture is homogenous, float the hydrometer (2) in the liquid and look at the SG side. WRITE THIS NUMBER DOWN. It should read 1.098 or something close. If you need help reading the scale, post a photo of your reading and I'll check it.

Back to the stove, which should be reaching the 15-minute mark. When it has, turn off the eye and take the saucepan off the stove. Use a sanitized/de-soaped measuring cup to add little bits of the must (term for pre-fermentation wine/mead) to the saucepan until the thermometer reads 8-10ºF lower than before you added the must. Once the temperature drops, set a 5-minute timer. This is to acclimate the yeast to the temperature and specific gravity of the must. After 5 minutes, add another scoop of must to the saucepan. Watch the thermometer and repeat this step until it's within 5ºF of the must's temperature, which is likely around room temp. When it reaches this temperature, dump the saucepan of yeast/water/must into the fermenter.

Give it one more stir to ensure everything is mixed, then screw on the lid with the rubber bung in place. Submerge the assembled airlock in your StarSan and let it fill up. Shake it a little until it's half full, then push it into the hole in the rubber bung.

Set it in a place that's 64-68ºF.

In 24 hours, measure out 1g of Fermaid O (6), and drop it in the fermenter. Don't stir it; if you do, you'll probably have a mess on your hands. It'll sink slowly on its own, and the yeast will eat it. Add another gram at the same time on day 3, day 5, and then day 7.

After that last feeding, just ignore it.

You'll see the airlock blub and bubble constantly. This will slow and stop eventually. Stopped airlock activity doesn't mean it's stopped fermenting, but it's a hint that it may be stopping soon. The only way to determine completed fermentation is two hydrometer readings 7 days apart that haven't changed. If it reaches 1.000 or lower, however, it's likely done fermenting. This probably won't happen for at least 3 weeks. It may be hard to measure SG near 1.000 given the vertical space in the fermenter, so you may want to pick up a cheap graduated cylinder on Amazon and put a sample in that so the hydrometer will fit. The hydrometer I linked is durable plastic, but if you buy a glass one, DO NOT let it drop into a container, or it will break and spill toxic lead pellets in your mead.

Spoiler: Part 2: 3-4 weeks in

3-4 weeks in, time for more shopping. Buy another pound of honey. Buy this carboy kit; this will be your secondary fermenter. Buy potassium metabisulfite AND potassium sorbate; both are needed to stabilize (stop the fermentation). Also buy this auto-siphon to transfer the mead to the secondary (boil some water and dip the end of the tubing in to soften it, then gently push it about 1/2" onto the top end of the siphon's plunger.

When you're certain that it's done fermenting, add 0.5g of potassium metabisulfite and 0.4g of potassium sorbate. Stir these in.

Wait 24 hours, it's time to backsweeten. 1 pound of honey adds 35 gravity points or 0.035 to 1 gallon of liquid, bringing 1.000 to 1.035. 1.035 or higher will be sweet, 1.020-1.034 is semi-sweet. 1.010-1.019 is off-dry. 0.990-1.009 is dry. I recommend the full pound, as everyone likes sweet mead.

Sanitize the carboy you're going to use for the secondary, and add the preferred amount of honey to the carboy. Use the auto-siphon to transfer the liquid from the primary to the secondary. Place the fat tube in the primary fermenter, keeping the tip above the sediment ("lees") at the bottom of the primary fermenter, and put the end of the flexible tubing in the secondary carboy. Slowly pull the piston upward in the big tube to pull liquid in, then slowly push down to pump it through the tubing.

Since your primary fermenter is 1.5 gallons, you have some extra volume, so don't worry about losing a bit of mead to avoid sucking lees into the secondary, which has a max volume of 1.1 gallons if you stop filling it about 1" below the lid.

If you want some tannic value (astringency, barrel taste) like a real wine, break 1/3 off one of these American oak spirals, tie a piece of fishing line to the very end, and let it sit in StarSan for a minute, then drop it in the carboy. This will need at least a month to extract the tannins, but sometimes 2 months. Taste a little bit once a week until it's oaked to your satisfaction.

Once it's oaked enough, it's time for acid balance. Acid will make all the difference for brightness of flavor. Since it's your first batch, just buy some acid blend, which is a mix of citric, malic, and tartaric acids. I'd add 0.5g at a time and let it dissolve for 24 hours, then taste. If it isn't bright/acidic enough, add another 0.5g and taste after another 24 hours.

Once the flavor is where you like it, now is the time to be patient. Don't make the usual rookie mistake of bottling when it's still cloudy. Give it a month or two to just sit undisturbed until you can clearly read large letters through the liquid, then rack like before from above the sediment into bottles. A bottling wand will make this much easier, as it only comes out the end when you insert it into a bottle and press it on the bottom of the bottle. Use whatever bottles you prefer, but I recommend using well-cleaned used wine bottles to save money, and just buy a cheap corker and a bag of synthetic corks (because a lot of natural cork these days is tainted by TCA that can cause cork taint), as corks will allow the micro-oxygenation that allows flavor to improve and mellow as the bottle ages.

Brewing is not for the impatient, so don't rush things. Just enjoy watching your trillions of tiny pets do their job of creating alcohol, and let things sit as long as is necessary to produce something you can be proud of.

If you're looking for other sources of education, watch the Man Made Mead channel on YouTube. Avoid City Steading Brews at all costs, as their advice is not only detrimental to quality brewing, but dangerous in many cases.