Home brewing kits ....

Enjoying a pint of cider from Lidl apple juice. Last week it tasted like home brew, but this week it tastes like very very apply cider. It's lovely! Added about a 3/4 level teaspoon of sugar to the pint and it's absolutely spot on for me. Next brew will have more tea in it. The tannin really makes it quite a drink!

The only thing I regret is using campden and sorbate to kill the yeast. I've got quite a sensitive nose and I can smell the sorbate. In hindsight I think it didn't need it and it would have cleared just as quickly by itself.

The Lidl cloudy apple is a lot sharper and needs to sit for a bit. Then I'll sweeten it up a bit and bottle it. Not as good as the clear stuff but well worth a go. I might actually doctor it a bit to improve the flavour. Again, a bit more tannin would improve the flavour as it would stand up to the sharpness :)
 
I have my 4.5l of Lidl clear apple going it's about 3 days in , it never really look like it started as well judging from pictures your two brews, I don't like tea so dint have any tea bags though. how long did yours take?
 
Bottled up my Raspberry cider a few days ago (needs more raspberries next time) we'll see how it tastes in a few weeks :)

Just filtering the 20% alcohol, I added some turbo carbon to it also... once filtered I'll use the turbo klar, then filter it again then bottle it, I also have a few essences to try with it (Peach Schnapps, Apple Schnapps and Blue Curacao)

Filtering slowly...
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And just trying my Lemonade added sugar to the glass to sweeten it, it's nice, but a bit bitter. I think more lemon juice an try to zest the lemons better next time (less pith would've been better)

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Squid said:
I have my 4.5l of Lidl clear apple going it's about 3 days in , it never really look like it started as well judging from pictures your two brews, I don't like tea so dint have any tea bags though. how long did yours take?
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I think brewing time was 10 days start to finish, then about 2 weeks to completely clear.
 
Got a batch of Elderflower Champagne on the go at the minute. Not very alcoholic since it only takes about 10 days, but from testing it when releasing the gas, it's mighty fizzy and pretty tasty too.

Desperately want to make some elderberry wine this year, even if it means buying dried. Tried to make some last year but the amount of berries I'd have needed was prohibitive.
 
20% alcohol is Cleared and filtering again, once done it can be bottled. It smells like really cheap vodka... and smells like it'd give you a hangover from hell...
 
soullessfire Want to make some homemade sloe gin, if this year is good for sloes.

Another good wine to make is Parsnip or sugar beet.
 
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20% alcohol is bottled...

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20 litres bottled as is and in the front row Blue Curacao, peach schnapps and apple schnapps (sourz) made using the essences :)
 
Where are you?

Look for blackthorn trees in the hedgerows, pick the berries after first frost in October, sometimes even November before first frost.
 
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Just can't find any blackthorns around here. I've looked and found loads of hawthorn and elder, even the odd crabapple and cobnut but not a sign of any blackthorns. Weird for me really because they were everywhere in NI.
 
Jonny69 said:
The Lidl cloudy apple is a lot sharper and needs to sit for a bit. Then I'll sweeten it up a bit and bottle it. Not as good as the clear stuff but well worth a go. I might actually doctor it a bit to improve the flavour. Again, a bit more tannin would improve the flavour as it would stand up to the sharpness :)
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I take it back. This is easily the better of the two ciders now. It just needed to sit for a bit and a little sugar. It's so good I've got another two gallons on. One of them with 400g of sugar to see how it comes out. If it's too strong I'll 'water' it down with a weaker brew.
 
Update on the WOW. Though I'd put in pectolase to clear the pectin in the orange juice, it wasn't clearing. It tasted pretty rough too.

I've popped in some Vin Clear finings and within 48 hours it is noticably clearing, with the top inch now completely crystal clear. I'm going to give it another week or so and I think it'll be ready for final bottling.
 
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