Our new home-brew station.

You sure do keep busy Pete, good for you! Nice setup.

 

I used to brew beer and I loved it. I made a couple of bad batches in a row and lost interest. I can't drink much anymore (it bothers my stomach for some reason)

 

Pete, I have a recipe book called North American Clone Brews. Has all grain and extract recipes for all. Some of my favorites were Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Red Hook Esb, magic hat no. Nine, Newcastle, etc. I haven't brewed in a while. If your interested I'd send it your way in trade for a couple of Sixers of the results. If the recipe is followed closely you can make some very convincing clones.

 

I wish I was closer to you. I love some home brewed beer. I want to try to brew some myself.

 

Mad scientists you are.

My neighbor has some hard cider put up that we sample every now and then.

I follow these threads with much interest but I can't afford another hobby, both money and timewise.

 

That's funny you talk about giving so much of what you make away as a friend of mine who made all organic wines and meads did the same thing... He would show up at a dinner get together and bring a variety of wines he made... So smooth and the funny thing was watching it sneak up on people who were use to drinking store bought... People told my buddy that they would buy all he made it was that good... He's since moved from here to Tennessee to get away from these taxes... Now he's brewing there along with raising his bee hives again... When he lived here he had swarm after swarm show up at his place... What's weird is where he is now in TN, he has swarms coming to his place there as well. Sounds like you guys are going to have a lot of fun brewing....Something I'd like to try sometime..

 

It is relatively easy and cheap to get into, it is the results of that, that makes the cost go up as you want to do more and more.

I'm still looking for a local source of honey that doesn't break the bank.

My first mead batch is from honey I got at BJ's.

Blackberry wine is basically time and scratches, the rhubarb wine is flavoring and spice costs, we have some wild grapes here but the vines aren't producing much yet. Tons of stuff to ferment out there . Then it is the wwaiting and bottle costs and more carboys or fermenters, well you get the idea.

 

My buddy got all the fruit and grapes right from his own property... I'd get raw honey from a local bee keeper near you... Stuff in the store has all been heated to where the good enzymes in the honey have been destroyed... Plus the raw honey is night and day tasting better.. That should be nice making 50 gallons at a time... Then you'll have some beer sitting and aging all the time,,, if you don't give it all away..

 

Just had some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale last week, wasn't too bad. Didn't think I would see that name on here.

 

One of my favorites. That reminds me that their seasonal Celebration Ale should be in stores now. More of a barley wine, high gravity. Buddy and I share a few each year.

 

It is a lot of science. And also a hobby that the gear collector can go crazy with. I need to get my gear out and make some batches again. The brewing stopped when the kids came along, but now they are a bit older.

 

You do understand, I hope, that all those good enzymes are going to get destroyed in the mead making process.

The local bee keepers were not able to harvest enough honey around here to sell a lot. I know of several who just didn't have enough for a number of reasons this year. I balk when the price gets too high. A five gallon batch of mead needs 12 pounds or so of honey.

My apple/pear wine was from the trees in my yard, I have three pear, two apple, a plum, and a peach tree growing just for the purpose of jams, jellies, sauce, fermenting, and pies. The oldest trees just hit bearing time this past season. The rhubarb was planted by me in 2008, moved in 2010 and basically was available for heavy harvest this past season. The blackberries were from the 95 acres behind the house, not enough raspberries or they would have made it into the mix. Slowly getting there. Still adding to the bottle collection (both brew and canning).

There are large water bottles available at Walmart to use as secondaries. The local supermarkets also are a source for 5 gallon pails and lids to make fermenters or bottling buckets from.

Currently in various stages I have 3 ales, a hard cider, 3 wines, and a spiced mead. Likely after the holidays I'll start an imperial stout. I need more bottles again.

Happy brewing Pallet Pete, be certain to not give all of it away. After all of the waiting I'd want plenty for myself.

 

Sam's club has 5 lbs for $15. Sue bee. Did you try the health food stores. Some grocery store honey isn't all honey.

 

Yes, I'm aware of some grocery store honey not being all honey and I paid $8 for 3 pounds at BJ's.

Raw honey also isn't pure honey, it still has some wax from the comb in it. This has to be heated to allow the wax to float to the surface and is step 1 in honey into mead if the jar doesn't already indicate that the honey has been processed. I have no idea what would result if I attempted to ferment honey with the wax still in it. Honey is mixed with water, the mixture is heated and the bits of wax and other debris is skimmed off. I might try a small batch someday, but would rather not experiment until I got a batch by the recipe out of the way.