oak leaf wine part 1

Oak leaf wine! you must be mad!

well I can say that this is an old recipe that should be brought back as it is a nice subtle drink and it get you out of the house on a spring day as well.

 the recipe i am using has been made a little easier as its quite hard to find native lime trees about these days so a lemon and a lime works just as well.

so here is the traditional walk through of making oak leaf wine part 1.
 sorry about the audio it cuts out in a place or 2 though its me babbling about nothing so most likely a blessing.

 enjoy!

yeast has different tastes! who knew?

Hello Readers!

 So in this post I wanted to help give you a basic idea on yeasts. Its not going to be scientific but it will be helpful as there are so many different types.

 So first a bit of history which is still true today.
back long ago, so silly sod left some juice ( believed to be grape ) in a jar, some wild yeast, which is abundant in grassy areas or just out side. got in the the jar and it fermented.
  being left for ages behind something so it settled ( this person didn't know about stock rotation, it was long ago after all)
the person found it and drank it, getting that person rather drunk!
  home brew was born!

 people would purposely leave it to ferment by collecting wild yeasts  ( though they may not have know why it works they did know it did)
  over time, people changed the yeasts by reusing the same yeast and basic experimentation until today you have so many different kinds it makes your head roll.

so lets make things simple!!!!!

bread yeast or bakers yeast.
in times of desperation or if you don't mind. bread yeast can ferment your wines and beers.
 it adds a yeasty/ bready kind of edge to your brews. I will do about 5 / 6%
I have found that this yeast is rather good at making traditional beers. ( pre 1900's )
and is best used in ale or beers, you will see.  

 universal wine yeast.
    I have made wines, cider, beer, schnapps, and apple jack. The list is endless.
it is a good all rounder and you can get 16 / 17 % ish with out having to mess about.
   This yeast gives a crisp clear taste, it adds an edge of strong alcohol, its the best way to describe it.
it is also better to age what ever you brew with it.


Bordeaux  yeast,
   it can make wines of 16 /17% tho it does take its sweet time about it.
it is especially good at red wines as its tolerant to the dioxides and ect ( the boring bit)
but the good thing is it really brings out the flavors of what every fruit  your brewing.
  it does very well with black berries.

 cider yeast,
 this yeast seems to work best around 8 /9 %
 it is very good at ciders and has a mellow fruity edge to it.
 if you are making fruit wines that are low alcohol content you should try it.
   also making a sparkling brew works very well.


desert yeast,
So here's the heavy hitter, you can make up to 22/ 23% with a little work.
 this is best for a sherry style or fortified wine.
it is best for sweeter wines as it has a warming and pleasant flavor.
 plum sherry made with this is to die for.


So here is my basic yeast guide.
 with these 5 strains of yeast you can pretty much made everything you could want to make.
they are for the most part none specific yeasts.
 which opens your potential wine making options. I have experimented with adding 2 different yeasts cider to start, up to 8 % then added in desert yeast and carried on till 19%
 the result was nice fruity and liqueur.

so i hope this helps you
and thanks for reading 
  

 



 

   

 

 
  

my 1.30 kit wine you didn't know about ( part 1 )

Hello Readers!

Yes, I was being a little vague on the details in the title but it did spark your interest.

  So what do you get for 1.30?
you will get 6 bottles of a rather nice rose wine that is 12%

I started on this as the wine its self is ready to drink as soon as it clears, you can age this wine and it will become more like a sherry after 6 or so months but if your new to home brewing you will want results now!

So what is this this kit?
 
The Answer.......... JAM!

Yes, my simple kit is made from jam. for this wine I have found the cheap, own brand jam from the supermarkets makes a very nice wine.
  just like in a kit it already has the fruits and the sugars like a concentrate.
all you need to do is remove the preserving agents and the pectin ( that's what makes jam sticky and thick)

Here is my part one on making jam wine.

I can also add  that this is an original youtube vid, the 1st!!!!!!
 not very often you can say that.

so i hope you stay tunned for part 2 and 3

if you like you are ore than welcome to subscribe.

see you later

the dude
 

why another home brew blog?

Hello Readers!,

well where to begin?....
I am a bit of a home brew hobbyist, I have to say.
 I started around 10 years ago, as you do when your young. making what can only be called paint stripper. It was an acquired taste for sure but very cheap and it did get you drunk.
     Since then I have improved some what and I have mellowed to wanting something nice to drink and not always wanting to get drunk.

Well I am the first to admit I am a little odd in some respects but that just adds charm ( I choose to believe anyway!)  So I have been known to do things differently from others, you have been warned!

So why does the internet need yet another home brew blog, as there are already more than a few floating about.
   simply put, unlike quite a lot of websites and youtube videos around all about home brew, I do not do any product reviews ( you know the kit wines and beers)
 I do not make kit wines or beers.

 I like to bring back old school alcohol recipes and give them a modern twist, mainly as tastes have changed a little over the centuries.
 such as GROG!  ( more on that later)

I also like to keep my home brewing cheap, well a cheap hobby is a good hobby as well as you dont mind sparing a few bottles for your friends, especially if it has cost you next to nothing and a little time.

So it is a few of my friends and their families that said that i should find a way of getting my home produce out there.
 well i like the free for sharing approach, I seem to spend most of my time when out at gatherings getting questions about my home brew and how nice some one said it was and that they used to do it a little years ago but it came out like rocket fuel!

So I will be posting up my recipes along side having my youtube channel with videos and of course the drinking!
 
I really hope that this will inspire you to try home brewing and why not? I do it well and cheap!

I will catch you later

 the dude