View Full Version : Homebrewers unite
gnomeuser
June 9th, 2009, 03:02 PM
I have, as is evident, a love for the occasional good ale. I have been pondering getting a starters kit and attempting my hand at a bit of homebrewing. A local company has a decent offer to get me started making my first 22 litre batch of a simple IPA which sounds like a safe first attempt. It seems like that best way to get started with a success before experimenting with flavorings to hit that personal soft spot.
Thus I wonder if there are any Linux brewers out there to share a few stories and encouragement.
Dragonbite
June 9th, 2009, 04:28 PM
I don't consider myself a real brewer, largely because I use the Mr Beer (http://www.mrbeer.com) kits which has a lot of the ingredients pre-mixed.
The best thing was that when my wife bought me the starter kit she included a book of recipes. So I don't brew straight batches, I do flavored beers such as Apple Ale, Christmas or Holiday brews, Pumpkin ales and the like.
With the kit, the time to brew is about 1 week in the keg and 1 week in the bottle.
I found that if I leave the wort in the keg for too long, it makes the beer a little more bitter. Yet if I leave the beer in the bottle for a little longer, the flavor blends very nicely and the beer is much improved.
I also usually leave it in the basement so it could be the cooler (50s? 60s) temperature helps. Not sure if it would be considered a lager though.
The book says that because there are no preservatives that the beer is best in the 3-4 months from bottling. I find that it lasts longer than that and 6+ months afterwards it still tastes pretty good and as I mention before the flavor is more blended by that time.
After that, I have fun making the labels. I use standard shipping labels and print-peel-stick them on the bottles and it makes it look pretty cool. People are more willing to take a bottle with a label than a bottle without.
Actually, right now is a good time for me to make an order, so that I'll have a case (~20 bottles) ready for this fall. So far my Apple Ale has been a hit!
LowSky
June 9th, 2009, 04:38 PM
i have been contemplating homebrewing for a while now, but it seems to be a vigorous hobby. and i'm afraid that i'll lose interest if my first batch turns out horrible.
that apple ale does sound good. hmm time to do research...lol
Therion
June 9th, 2009, 04:42 PM
Home brewing can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. If you're even thinking about trying it, go for it. Making your own beer is just an amazing process and hella fun too boot. Even the most basic extract brewing can produce some pretty awesome beer. If you're drinking factory beer currently, start saving your empty bottles now (no twist-offs though); you'll be needing them.
I've been home brewing for years now and I can tell you one key element in producing good beer is being able to keep your wort (wort is beer-in-progress) cool during fermentation. The importance of this one factor can not be overstated. It's tricky for me since I live in Southern California but where there's a will there's a way.
The other key to good beer is sanitation. Sanitation will be your new cruel, unforgiving Mistress and you will bend to her every whim or suffer the consequence.
I know some excellent home brewing web sites with enough information to make your head explode if you need them.
Get a basic starter kit from your local howebrew shop, or online, and a copy of The Complete Joy of Home Brewing (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Homebrewing-Third-Harperresource-Book/dp/0060531053) and get brewing.
Wiebelhaus
June 9th, 2009, 04:49 PM
I also have been kicking around this idea for awhile.
Maybe you could set up an IRC or mailing list or something and share experiences , trials and tribulations.
Therion
June 9th, 2009, 04:52 PM
I also have been kicking around this idea for awhile.
Maybe you could set up an IRC or mailing list or something and share experiences , trials and tribulations.
Hmmm... Guess I could. How exactly would one do that?
*cough*
Dragonbite
June 9th, 2009, 05:15 PM
For introducing into Beer brewing, the Mr Beer kits are pretty good. It makes it easy to do and I recommend it for introducing you to it. I got the kit that included some starter brews (3 I think), the keg, sanitizers and PET bottles.
Since then, I've gotten my hands on a bottle capper and started asking people at work and friends at home to give me their bottles (flip-top only). In exchange for a 6 pack or a 12 bottle case (or more) I would give them a filled one for free. That got pretty good results and I still have enough bottles for 1 1/2 to 2 batches (20 bottles each)!
Someday I hope to do it more "old fashioned" than the kits. My in-laws remember their grandmother and grandfather having a bucket of brew near the wood burning stove during the winter.
forrestcupp
June 9th, 2009, 05:17 PM
A local company has a decent offer to get me started making my first 22 litre batch of a simple IPA which sounds like a safe first attempt.
Wow. 22 litres seems like a lot to risk screwing up on your first time. Is that the smallest kit you can buy?
azkehmm
June 9th, 2009, 05:21 PM
Well, I made 50 litres of apple white wine a couple of years ago. We lived 6 people in a huge old house. The basement had a constant temperature of 28C, and we had loads of appletrees in the garden, which yielded more apples than we could eat. So we figured we might as well make some cheap booze. The result tasted like **** and winegar, but it worked and we got pissed from it a few times.
I've never tried beer, but would really like to, so I'll have to ask what local company sells these starter kits. All I've been able to find is places selling different kinds of yeast and malts, but having never tried it before, it'd be nice with an easy start, I think.
WatchingThePain
June 9th, 2009, 05:21 PM
I have, as is evident, a love for the occasional good ale. I have been pondering getting a starters kit and attempting my hand at a bit of homebrewing. A local company has a decent offer to get me started making my first 22 litre batch of a simple IPA which sounds like a safe first attempt. It seems like that best way to get started with a success before experimenting with flavorings to hit that personal soft spot.
Thus I wonder if there are any Linux brewers out there to share a few stories and encouragement.
Right Matey,
I have brewed home ale before.
It kicks butt.
I added honey and double the sugar.
Brewing is not difficult, just make sure all equipment is sterile.
Today I met a veteran of Ale, a Mr Richard Larkin.
His job is to promote traditional ales.
It's getting harder to find a good ale in a traditional pub. It's all going to bars now.
Here's a taster.
http://www.twickenham-fine-ales.co.uk/
In London there is a hop exchange apparently.
I'm thinking of doing a Micro (or Macro?) Brewery.
Dragonbite
June 9th, 2009, 05:29 PM
Well, I made 50 litres of apple white wine a couple of years ago. We lived 6 people in a huge old house. The basement had a constant temperature of 28C, and we had loads of appletrees in the garden, which yielded more apples than we could eat. So we figured we might as well make some cheap booze. The result tasted like **** and winegar, but it worked and we got pissed from it a few times.
I've heard Wine is tricky to make.
I've done an Apple, a Pumpkin and Blueberry Ales and so far the Apple has been the most successful. Pumpkin was pretty good but not as well received and the Blueberry was .... well... adequate. Didn't taste bad, but didn't taste anything special either.
Therion
June 9th, 2009, 05:31 PM
Wow. 22 litres seems like a lot to risk screwing up on your first time. Is that the smallest kit you can buy?
MOST kits I've seen produce a batch of about 20L (or 5 US gallons), it's kinda the standard.
Besides, look at this way... Suppose everything goes right the first time? Awesomely right, even... You'd be bummed if you half-batched.
Besides, if you can read, follow simple instructions and be relatively patient, you can brew good beer. It's not hard to do; its simply a series of small steps you need to pay attention to AS you're doing them. Trust me, it ain't rocket science.
For the uber-patient there's also Mead. But in my experience a truly good mead takes a full twelve months to produce. Still, it's heavenly stuff.
So we figured we might as well make some cheap booze. The result tasted like **** and winegar, but it worked and we got pissed from it a few times.
I could swap you some Raisin Jack stories from when some buddies and I got desperate back in my Navy days: Raisins, water, brown sugar, bread-yeast and a couple buckets. Wait for the raisins to bloat-and-float, strain everything through a pillow case (a clean one if you can find it) "bottle" it and enjoy as best you can.
unknownPoster
June 9th, 2009, 05:55 PM
I've heard Wine is tricky to make.
My dad made some wine from some wild grapes that grow around here. It was fairly good in my opinion. However, he said he'd never do it again because of the amount of work involved just to get about a liter of the product.
WatchingThePain
June 9th, 2009, 05:58 PM
An old Italian guy (my mates dad) used to make wine.
He said it was easy, just grapes water and yeast (maybe sugar).
I thought it was difficult. They use finers to filter it and stuff like that.
I reckon beer seems easier. I would like to brew from scratch using hops.
My homebrew from a kit was popular. People said "have you got any more of that stuff?" and offered to buy bottles.
It is so cheap to brew your own. If like you know a wedding or party is coming up, get some going.
Dragonbite
June 9th, 2009, 06:21 PM
I think I estimated my most expensive batch (included canned sweet cherries and malt extract) came to ~ $1.50 per bottle, not including the bottle or the extras which you use so little you can get a lot of batches out of one container.
We've done Dandelion salad and mixed it with our homemade pizzas but I hear about dandelion wine and think any of those uses may make up for the ******* buggers that litter my lawn!
gnomeuser
June 9th, 2009, 07:45 PM
I really want to graduate to doing my own flavored beer but I figure starting with a "starter kit" is the safest route to a good experience with a passable result. I am a big brown ale fan (I tend to favor the some what neutral Newcastle Brown Ale of the commercial offerings) and I would like to do something in that genre later on.
I have decided that next month once the money comes in I will order a starter kit and try it out. My fiancée looked quite shocked but I suspect she will be happy I have a hobby that isn't exercised in front of the keyboard.
I second the need for a Tux loving brewers list, I find that beer and Linux go well together. Some of the most productive and interesting Linux meetings I have been to have been bar meetings. Give people a good brew and it's a medium for relaxed conversation and sharing of ideas.
WatchingThePain
June 9th, 2009, 07:53 PM
Yes mate I'm loving it.
Cherries and Newcastle Brown.
Damsen wine is nice if you like sweet wine.
Newcastle star is nice, bit stronger though.
I had cherry Beer in Belgium.
We have a pub chain in the UK called Belgo's and they supply all the continental stuff. Duvel for example.
Germany is quite interesting because a lot of the pubs there brew their own Beer.
capnthommo
June 9th, 2009, 08:11 PM
hi there
the points made above are spot on.
scrupulously clean.
take care with the recipe/instructions.
don't ferment too warm.
don't be tempted to try it before it's ready.
starting with a kit is sound advice. you may not brew the best but it should be relatively consistent and gets you learning the process.
here's a book i found worthwhile
Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy (Amateur Winemaker) (Amateur Winemaker) (Jan 10, 1995) by Dave Line and David Line
it's available on Amazon for about $20 or so. it uses close approximations to recipes used by the better beer brewers and as far as i can remember it also covers things like adjusting the water.
as with much in life, start with basic principles and extemporise when you have the skills.
i have tasted (unfortunately not brewed myself, though my mother used to make some delightful and devastatingly strong english country wines) some really excellent beers brewed in kitchens.
good luck, and thanks for reminding me - i must look out my kit and get brewing!
cheers!
nigel (a lover of real ales)
watchingthepain, there are quite a few micro-brewers in britain too, and smaller localised brewers catering to a small area. kriek would be the cherry beer perhaps? nice!
btw. the community cafe seems the perfect place to discuss brewing beers, yes?
Dragonbite
June 9th, 2009, 08:17 PM
Can start with a Social Group to get people signed on until some cooler connection comes around.
Therion
June 9th, 2009, 08:24 PM
Kit brewing is the way to go for your first couple of batches. You'll learn the in's and out's of boiling your wort, racking (fancy term for moving it from one bucket to another) taking your gravity readings, bottling and how to handle all the equipment and such while maintaining strict sanitation as you do so.
Fruit-flavored ales are really no more difficult than non-fruited ales, but when you start using fruit as an adjunct you also, typically, need to introduce non-fermentable sugars to support the fruit flavor. Not too mention how fruit-pulp can gunk up your blow-off valve and create a virtual beer-bomb in a bucket with the power to ... Oh, I don't know... Say for instance blast high-velocity raspberry pulp/ale, all over your face. And kitchen walls. And ceiling. And cabinets...
Now, I'm not saying that that's the voice of experience talking, but I'm not saying it's not, either.
gnomeuser
June 9th, 2009, 08:34 PM
Kit brewing is the way to go for your first couple of batches. You'll learn the in's and out's of boiling your wort, racking (fancy term for moving it from one bucket to another) taking your gravity readings, bottling and how to handle all the equipment and such while maintaining strict sanitation as you do so.
Fruit-flavored ales are really no more difficult than non-fruited ales, but when you start using fruit as an adjunct you also, typically, need to introduce non-fermentable sugars to support the fruit flavor. Not too mention how fruit-pulp can gunk up your blow-off valve and create a virtual beer-bomb in a bucket with the power to ... Oh, I don't know... Say for instance blast high-velocity raspberry pulp/ale, all over your face. And kitchen walls. And ceiling. And cabinets...
Now, I'm not saying that that's the voice of experience talking, but I'm not saying it's not, either.
That is definitely description of the year.
Personally I want to try adding elderberry flower (as a bonus they are in season now, ripe for the picking outside my door), I greatly enjoy the sutble flavor and I think it would go well in a beer. But now I am curious to paint my walls raspberry/ale
kwacka
June 9th, 2009, 08:52 PM
When I was in the UK I brewed both beers & wines.
My 'standard' beer was a recipe I found in *Ken Shales' book 'Brewing Better Beers'. I chose this because it was so easy to make. Most beers you make from scratch require holding the 'mash' within a degree or two whilst cooking - this was just throwing malt, malt extract, hops into a pan, boiling for a while straining onto sugar and adding water. I used a WHITE plastic dustbin for fermenting and had two or three plastic barrels for storing, dispensing. This was using the British method - keep warm, quick fermentation - rather than the German cool/slow fermentation method. Mates prefered it to a can when given a choice.
Best wine I made was made from one of the old frozen 'Birds-Eye Florida Orange Juice' cartons (tubes?).
As has been said, cleanliness is above Godliness when brewing (but NO soap - it kills a beer's head).
Here's a link: Award Winning Recipes (http://beerdujour.com/AwardWinningRecipes.htm)
*Ken Shales definately my kind of person - organised a party one night at his home in London to celebrate (somewhere like) Guyana's independence; brewing a special 'Independence Ale' for it. If anybody does have his book, could you post the recipe for his Xmas Ale please?
RiceMonster
June 9th, 2009, 08:55 PM
I usually brew a case of beer with my wallet
night_fox
June 9th, 2009, 08:57 PM
I've made two batches of the most primitive homebrew you can make and I'm the only one who likes it which can only be a good thing. I nicked a large water bottle from somewhere, bought an airlock (79p) glued it, bought a funnel and a syphoning hose and some sterilising solution. That combined cost me about £10. My beer comes in a tub in a gloopy mixture of hops/barley etc with a sachet of yeast and is £8.00. All you have to do is sterilise, rinse, add sugar, disolve, add yeast, and leave it in the container for 10 days. This ferments it. When you take it out, you can buy cheap bottled water (I spend £1.00 for enough for 32 pints), pour it down the drain, and replace with your beer + some more sugar. Leave space in the bottle for extra CO2 produced or it might explode. A master brewer I was talking to said that for the second part, using golden syrup or treacle was better than sugar, and to leave it in the bottles for as long as possible.
As a student, homebrewing is the best idea ever. Each batch costs me 28p a pint to make.
capnthommo
June 9th, 2009, 09:27 PM
I've made two batches of the most primitive homebrew you can make
that is the beauty of home brewing - it can be as simple or as complicated as you want - your choice.
i've produced some interesting brews using black treacle or honey - they certainly change the taste.
as to british warmer brew method, i think it's still beneficial not to let the fermenting temperature get to high and the process too fierce. i think the flavour is more rounded that way. personal choice again though.
damn, i have got to go and start digging out my stuff. i will do it now.
cheers
nigel
t0p
June 9th, 2009, 09:36 PM
When I was young and my liver still loved me, I got into making my own pop. I started off with kits, and made some tasty, potent brews - my fave was stout, it tasted yummy and destroyed more brain cells than I started out with.
Then I got more experimental: I made a wonderful apple ale, and a truly foul pale ale. Still got me drunk though.
Then I got into wine-making. Blackberry wine is lovely. As is nettle wine, and elderflower wine. Better than the beer, methinks.
Then I built a still, set out to knock up some moonshine, and it exploded and killed me. Good stuff though!
WatchingThePain
June 9th, 2009, 10:15 PM
I've made two batches of the most primitive homebrew you can make and I'm the only one who likes it which can only be a good thing. I nicked a large water bottle from somewhere, bought an airlock (79p) glued it, bought a funnel and a syphoning hose and some sterilising solution. That combined cost me about £10. My beer comes in a tub in a gloopy mixture of hops/barley etc with a sachet of yeast and is £8.00. All you have to do is sterilise, rinse, add sugar, disolve, add yeast, and leave it in the container for 10 days. This ferments it. When you take it out, you can buy cheap bottled water (I spend £1.00 for enough for 32 pints), pour it down the drain, and replace with your beer + some more sugar. Leave space in the bottle for extra CO2 produced or it might explode. A master brewer I was talking to said that for the second part, using golden syrup or treacle was better than sugar, and to leave it in the bottles for as long as possible.
As a student, homebrewing is the best idea ever. Each batch costs me 28p a pint to make.
I used Honey, mine was primitive but fairly good.
Golden syrup sounds like it would work well.
I wouldn't use tap water.
In the end there was loads of lemonade bottles which I had to keep releasing gas from every day (Lol).
IDK but adding honey seemed to lengthen the brewing process, so in all my first lot took about a month to brew.
Cider is probably easier to brew I imagine.
I've heard that some prisoners mix Marmite with Orange juice and leave near a radiator to make a gut rotting Hooch, maybe it's an urban myth.
Wiebelhaus
June 10th, 2009, 01:22 AM
Seriously if you guys do something I'd love to be included! I have no idea where to start but I'd love to try a brew and watching you guys converse back and forth about your experiences would be a fantastic learning opportunity.
uc50_ic4more
June 10th, 2009, 02:02 AM
I have been homebrewing for a few years now; from extract-based, pre-assembled kits to all grain. Brewing beer is ridiculously simple, but brewing beer well is not easy. Here are a few thoughts, looking back on my modest experience:
1) Given that there is burgeoning homebrewing industry, there are a LOT of companies out there competing for your dollars, and they are all trying to give you the impression that products make beer. See golf, hunting, fishing and pro audio for more examples of marketing becoming ubiquitous. Instead of buying a bunch of useless garbage, spend some time on the forums, get a magazine, and make some home brewing friends! Understanding and experience will be of much more value to you than products.
2) Like other industries, the folks who brew have made up fancy-pants names to represent the simplest of processes; mostly to help differentiate themselves from those who do not already know the vernacular. Basically, you're making barley tea, adding hops for flavour and aroma, and tossing in some yeast to generate alcohol. Understand the process, the why's and what-for's and you'll have a rewarding journey ahead of you.
3) Take notes.
4) Ask questions. Really stupid ones, if necessary. You'll find a minimum of rudeness and zealotry on the online brewing forums.
5) I'd recommend starting with pre-assembled kits, as the folks who put them together have a good idea of how the barley malt, hops and yeast will interact, and can help steer you towards the flavours and methods that'd serve you best. There is an infinitum of variables involving temperatures, timing and ingredient varieties, which is why I characterized the process as simple, but not easy.
6) Allow yourself to make some mistakes. The experience will be of more value to you in the long run than the $25 for the kit, and your brew will still likely be consumable.
nitehawk777
June 10th, 2009, 02:04 AM
Back in the 70's,..up in the Ozarks (the part of the USA from the hills of Southern Missouri,...to the Northern mountains of Arkansas).....
they used to just make "grocery-store wine". potent stuff made from just the cans of consentrated grape or apple juice,...and plain baking yeast. Add a little sugar,...let set for a month or so,...........and yipes!!!!! (Who needed a still)????
(EDIT: oh yeah,..they would add a bit of water to that consentrated juice)
Wiebelhaus
June 10th, 2009, 02:07 AM
I have been homebrewing for a few years now; from extract-based, pre-assembled kits to all grain. Brewing beer is ridiculously simple, but brewing beer well is not easy. Here are a few thoughts, looking back on my modest experience:
1) Given that there is burgeoning homebrewing industry, there are a LOT of companies out there competing for your dollars, and they are all trying to give you the impression that products make beer. See golf, hunting, fishing and pro audio for more examples of marketing becoming ubiquitous. Instead of buying a bunch of useless garbage, spend some time on the forums, get a magazine, and make some home brewing friends! Understanding and experience will be of much more value to you than products.
2) Like other industries, the folks who brew have made up fancy-pants names to represent the simplest of processes; mostly to help differentiate themselves from those who do not already know the vernacular. Basically, you're making barley tea, adding hops for flavour and aroma, and tossing in some yeast to generate alcohol. Understand the process, the why's and what-for's and you'll have a rewarding journey ahead of you.
3) Take notes.
4) Ask questions. Really stupid ones, if necessary. You'll find a minimum of rudeness and zealotry on the online brewing forums.
5) I'd recommend starting with pre-assembled kits, as the folks who put them together have a good idea of how the barley malt, hops and yeast will interact, and can help steer you towards the flavours and methods that'd serve you best. There is an infinitum of variables involving temperatures, timing and ingredient varieties, which is why I characterized the process as simple, but not easy.
6) Allow yourself to make some mistakes. The experience will be of more value to you in the long run than the $25 for the kit, and your brew will still likely be consumable.
Thanks for taking the time to write that up , it's appreciated!
dragos240
June 10th, 2009, 02:10 AM
I thought you meant software homebrewing, jailbreaking, etc.
Wiebelhaus
June 10th, 2009, 02:12 AM
I thought you meant software homebrewing, jailbreaking, etc.
Lol , no we want beer.
nitehawk777
June 10th, 2009, 02:23 AM
Lol , no we want beer.
HAHA!!!!
Actually,...I knew some poor folks,..(years back) who got government suppliments,....(but nothing else). They could make some great stuff from just their quota of sugar and yeast!!!!
("where there's a will,....there's a way").
capnthommo
June 10th, 2009, 11:35 AM
hi again
IDK but adding honey seemed to lengthen the brewing process, so in all my first lot took about a month to brew.
i think that might be a honey thing, maybe to do with sugar concentrations? some years ago i brewed a gallon of mead - honey wine - and that took ages to ferment. i mean several weeks. but what it produced when it was eventually drinkable (some authorities suggest maturing for even as long as 7 years, but i was far too impatient - i wanted to get hammered) was gloriously remeniscent of honey. dry as h. and with a kick like a mule.
anyway, i look out keenly for the ubrewers group (ideas for logo anyone?) and shall certainly make it one of my bookmarks. this simple question has really reignited my brewing interest, and who knows, it may even get my wife to take an interest in ubuntu, then we can get windows off the home desktop too (that weren't a windows bash, just expressing a preference).
cheers again
nigel
WatchingThePain
June 10th, 2009, 01:36 PM
Yeah I was thinking of Mead when I did the brew.
I would like to try Mead or maybe it's Meade but I am going to get the "proper" stuff.
Sometimes they label Wine as Mead but real Mead is made with Honey as we know.
I think the more sugar added, the more stronger the brew will be but it may take longer.
I used granulated sugar and Honey and put like twice the amount that the kit said. It was naughty but strangely my stuff tasted very like Carlsberg Special Brew so I was quite happy with that!.
Next time I am gonna use different sugar like fructose.
Of course "Waggle Dance" is a beer made with Honey but I'm sure it's very different from Mead.
My Brew was also as strong as Special Brew (that was the showoff part).
I have never had a homebrew that did not get people completely "Blotto"!.
5 Pints of Brewbuntu, Brewskibuntu, Bevvybuntu, Grogbuntu, Brahmsbuntu, Lagbuntu, Dizzybuntu or Giddybuntu..
Dragonbite
June 10th, 2009, 02:11 PM
Oh, Mead is good. Even lousy Mead.
Had some after a long day at a Renaissance Faire and that was goooood.
Wouldn't mind trying to make some too.
I'm getting thirsty with wall this talk!
capnthommo
June 10th, 2009, 04:12 PM
hi meadmen
i used a recipe i found in one of my mother's old country-wine books. it was basically (as far as i can recall) 3 or 4 pounds of honey (best if it's raw stuff from a local bee-keeper rather than over filtered store-bought) and heat to make a solution with water, make quantity up to a gallon. cool, add yeast, and ferment.
it should have enough sugar without adding more and if you do there is the probability that you will stop the ferment.
if you dig around you can find a trad mead or melomel recipe somewhere.
it's certainly stronger than most commercial stuff, more akin to country wine than beers. and i mean the lethal stuff, not a nice little chardonnay. stuff more like fortified wine.
good luck and if i come across the recipe i used i will post it.
Edit: this looks like a useful one. plenty of recipes and info from different eras. a
whole study here in alcohol.
http://www.solorb.com/mead/mead.html
cheers
nigel
Therion
June 13th, 2009, 04:02 PM
I've made beer and I've made mead. They're similar and then again they're very different. Adding honey to a beer recipe will indeed slow down the fermenting process for the same reason meads take longer, generally speaking, to make than beer: the sugars in honey are extremely difficult for yeasties to ferment. They work hard at it and, though it takes longer, they eventually get the job done.
Mead also tends to produce higher alcohol levels in the wort which, at some point, is what kills the yeast and stops the fermentation process. The meads I've made have always used Champagne yeast because of its higher alcohol tolerance; this results in a drier, less cloyingly sweet mead.
Meads are, in my opinion, simpler than beer in that you only have water, honey and maybe some spices to deal with. No boiling is required (a hotly debated topic (no pun intended)), no steeping grains, no boiling hops, no flavoring or aroma hops, just a lot of racking and waiting. It's also, in my opinion, more challenging since you have so little, really to work with to produce your final product.
Oh sure you can start adding fruit (or fruit juice) but then you're talking melomel, not a traditional mead. Just tasting a really well made, traditional mead, is like your first kiss and sort of takes you to that same place. Creating one yourself is a whole 'nuther ecstatic experience.
capnthommo
June 13th, 2009, 09:14 PM
hi therion
thanks for the champagne yeast tip. i tend to agree about mead rather than metheglins and melomels. ithink i shall explore the meads in more depth than i have before - yes there is a purity from the simple recipe, rather like a clean bitter with only malted barley, hops yeast and water that you dont get with adjuncts that can be chucked in. if all you want is to get hammered than fine, but there's so much more to be had from a fine ale.
cheers
nigel
Chudz
October 1st, 2009, 01:53 AM
So, did a group start out of this?
I have my very first batch fermenting right now, made from an American Light Ale extract kit. Gosh it smelled great when it was boiling. I'll be bottling in about 5 days or so, anyone have any suggestions on bottle cleaning?
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