This instalment is something of a departure from our usual format... that is, I am not going to be the author! This foreword is my only contribution, save some minor edits where needed. I have asked for any ideas for other people to contribute to some material for our followers to try out and we have our inaugural response right here folks! This is the first in a two part blog from our contributor, the second will be published in the not too distant future... but for now, I shall hand you over to Mr. Paul Arrondelle on the subject of home winemaking..... Pedro. ------------------------------------------------------ Beginnings My introduction to wine making is not that uncommon with other people. In my case it was my Dad who made wine when I was a kid, but most people of my generation seem to have a relative, either their Dad or an Uncle, who home-brewed. I can therefore remember him using an aged juicer on evenings to get apples ready, and the fact that my Mum worked on a pick-your-own farm meant that we had so many strawberries that we got sick of them, leaving the surplus available for a far nobler cause. Even my brother got in on the act, as he managed to blag a wine making kit for a birthday one year. He can't have been much more than 10, but was still allowed to make it and the result was declared a "Hock", and drunk with Sunday dinner. I sort of remember asking for the same privilege, but never got it for whatever reason. Years later I did have a go and made some Elderflower, around age 14 or so. I have no idea how it turned out, as it got forgotten and then poured down the sink without a tasting. My actual start to wine making, and home-brewing at large, came at University. An office mate was a keen brewer and didn't take much persuading to get me to go down to the Boots in Leeds city centre and buy a beer kit, with all the ingredients and equipment needed to make 20 pints of lager. This was duly done, with reasonable results, but the space required didn't really fit in with the small flat I had; so at some point, and I can't remember how it came about, I bought "First Steps in Winemaking" by C.J.J. Berry and that was that really. Since then, for 17 years with breaks here and there, I've gone through phases of making beer and wine. It has to be said that at the moment I’m going through a pretty major phase, although the arrival of my son has hampered things of late. Still, I get to grab a moment here and there to keep things ticking over. What this blog will tell you When Pete first suggested that I guest write on his blog I thought it was a great idea. In fact I considered writing my own blog and just cross-posting to his every once in a while (still may do this!). My intention is to start off with wine for this post, then cover beer the next and spirits the one after. Once those are done I will probably concentrate on wine, for reasons that will become apparent, but I can be persuaded otherwise if need be. The reason that I’ve chosen wine is that it is far easier and takes up less space than making beer, and with spirits you don’t really make them (unless you’re breaking the law) you just add different flavours. Firstly you’ll need to get equipment. You don’t need much, in fact to get all you need to start off will cost you less than £25 brand new and some of it you may already have or can improvise. What you need is: * A vessel big enough for all the ingredients; * A method of moving the finished product around; and * A way of making sure that all parts that the wine touches are clean. Of course you can go overboard and spend a fortune on much more, and indeed if you catch the bug this is exactly what you will do, but let’s keep things simple for now. I’ll go through one of the easiest recipes I know step by step and describe what was used along the way, with any shortcuts I can think of. “Aldi White” I found this recipe on a forum, where it was called “Lidl Red”. The principle is pretty basic, but a great idea - you buy 4 litres of cheap fruit juice and a kilo of sugar from a budget supermarket, put it all together and add some yeast, and in a month or two you have 6 bottles of wine. Easy as that! I considered starting by describing how to make a wine from a kit of concentrate, but to be honest this is easier and probably cheaper. Plus I felt that if I did that it would be akin to Pete blogging about a pot noodle that he made, or a pizza he ordered. Once I’ve covered the basics with this recipe I’ll expand out to wines that are a bit more adventurous, but for now this is as much about process as it is about content. Clean your fermentation vessel (FV), be it a demi-john or just an old 5 litre water bottle, using hot water and washing up liquid, then sterilize it. This can be done with a purpose made home brewing chemical, or with household bleach. The only disadvantage to bleach is that it is a bit of a bugger to rinse out, as I tend to get paranoid about any faint whiff of it still in the FV when actually I’m probably just smelling it on my fingers. And yes, I did say when rinsing out. You basically spend ages getting your kit sterile and then rinse it all off with tap water. Don’t ask. The way around this is to use “no-rinse” sterilizers, which of course cost more. The bottom line is keep everything clean and you should be fine. For all of the gallons that I’ve made over the years I’ve never lost anything due to lack of cleanliness. Because I’ve got the equipment I measured the specific gravity of the fruit juice using a hydrometer and a test jar. By doing this I have estimated the sugar content and so the potential alcohol I can get. It came in at 5%. The rule of thumb is that for every pound of sugar added to a gallon (sorry for mixing metric and imperial!) you add 5% to the wine, so if I had just mixed the juice and sugar that I bought in the same jar, then provided it all fermented out I would have had a fruit wine of between 15 and 16%. Not bad. In actuality I followed a slightly different route; I emptied one litre of juice into a pan, heated it and dissolved half the sugar in. Once it had gone into solution I mixed all of the juice together into my demi-john then poured some out into my trial jar to re-check. The potential alcohol came out at 10% so I added another 250g and remeasured - it came out at just over 13% which is what I was aiming for. Why? Different yeasts will ferment to different strengths. When I started out you only really went up to 12-13% unless you used a specialist yeast. Now you can go up to 23%, but the yeast I am using is unknown to me and if I added a shed load of sugar and it didn’t ferment out I would be left with an over sweet wine. Once that happens you either have to put up with it, or get into all sorts of trouble trying to restart the fermentation. Too much bother! If the wine ferments out all the sugar you can always add some extra - once the sugar is in though you can’t take it out. Needless to say if you are trying this recipe all you have to do is use a yeast that will ferment to 16% or higher and you should be fine without needing to buy a hydrometer. This also neatly bypasses the fact that the reading that you take is dependent on the temperature of the solution. Kit required so far: FV, cleaner, hydrometer & trial jar (optional), yeast. Once you have the potential strength you want the solution goes into your FV , you add the yeast you have chosen to use and seal the FV. If you are using a demi-john you would most likely use an air-lock of some kind, but you can just put a tea-towel over the top, use kitchen roll and an elastic band, or just the bottle closure without screwing it down air tight. What you are trying to do for the time being is keep dirt and bugs from getting in but allowing the carbon dioxide generated by fermentation out. Once closed, simply leave in a warm-ish place until the yeast has worked its magic. Again this depends on the variety, but it will take around 2 weeks for a modern yeast and around 4 for an older style one. You can tell that this has happened in a number of ways. The easiest is the hydrometer again; modern ones even have a scale that estimates where you are but if you are fermenting to dryness then the gravity will be 1.0 or less. Without the hydrometer you can watch the airlock for bubbles or make the FV air tight and see if it pressurises. Once fermentation has finished you should keep air from getting to the wine so that it doesn’t spoil, and let the yeast settle at the base. We’re almost there now, just a couple of steps left. The next operation is to get the fermented wine off the spent yeast, and this is usually done by syphoning into a second FV. If you use a tube with a special foot in it then it will draw the liquid from above, and so minimise the amount of yeast that transfers across. You may want to add finings at this point to make perfectly clear wine, but you don’t have to. Finally start thinking about storage. The best way is to use old wine bottles, and if they have a screw cap even better. Clean them out and sterilize them, then use the syphon again to fill them from the FV. Cap and store, then drink! Needed kit: FV, cleaner, yeast, FV closure or airlock, syphon tube and foot, second vessel capable of holding 5 litres Optional kit: hydrometer and trial jar, thermometer, finings, second FV You’ll most likely get 5 ½ bottles from this after wastage, which for the outlay isn’t bad. Do this a few times and the kit will pay for itself. Next time Beer making, and why you shouldn’t do it. Recommended Suppliers Basics, on the high street - Wilkinsons (http://goo.gl/hy3hD) Basics, on the web - Amazon More advanced - http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/index.html or http://www.art-of-brewing.co.uk/ My local home-brew shop (LHBS) - Arkwrights (http://www.arkwrightshomebrew.com/catalog/index.php)
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I love beer. To an unhealthy extreme some might say. They’re probably right, but I don’t really care, it really is something to get genuinely excited and passionate about… plus it’s something that the British are exceptionally good at. The ales we produce in these fair isles are pretty much second to none in some categories. There has been a surge in the popularity of microbrewery wares in the last few years, this is probably due to a combination of factors including the skills of the brewers pouring their hearts, souls and bank account contents into their projects and sharing the fruit of the labour with the rest of us. Another big factor believe it or not, has to be attributed to former Labour Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Mr Brown introduced a tax break for small breweries in the UK in 2002, the number of microbreweries has proliferated to double the number that year (http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2079988/CITY-FOCUS-Raising-glass-micro-breweries.html). Sadly, the number of pubs has been declining due to the harsher financial times we are all experiencing, but the quality certainly has been going in the opposite direction in some towns and cities. This is due to better food on offer, but more importantly a better range of beers with significantly better quality also present at these establishments. A recent visit across to Brasenose Street in Liverpool to pick up some goodies for Christmas (2 crates of very excellent brews) from the Liverpool Organic Brewery (http://www.liverpoolorganicbrewery.com/) warmed the cockles of my heart. The brewery, who are currently preparing for the Waterloo Beer Festival (http://www.waterloobeerfestival.com/) and increasing the range of the beers they have developed over the last 3 and a half years (since September 2008), has gone from strength to strength and also had a major presence at the National Winter Ales Festival over in Manchester. The National Winter Ales festival was held over 4 days just outside the city centre in Manchester, so after a train from Lime Street to Piccadilly and a short walk via meeting some friends, we built up a bit of a thirst whilst wondering what beers would be represented. I was slightly dubious about what would be on offer, as traditionally the beers at this time of year tend to be darker and heavier… more Stouts and Old Ales, accompanied by treacle, toffee, autumn leaves and heavily malted flavours. I was pleased at some of the easier-going drinks that were available at the event, but also managed a fair share of some rather less pleasant offerings. The atmosphere at the event was pretty good, there were a few seasoned veterans (you always get the obligatory ‘Stetson hat with goggles strapped to the top’ type along with several guys who look like they’re there for a Gandalf look a like convention) a few less eccentric people and surprisingly a lot more girls aged 20-30 which is something of a shift in the demographic over the last few years for Real Ale/Bitter drinkers. This speaks at length to how the image has changed for these types of beverages down the years. With regards the drinks that were tried at the Festival, the 1/3rd measure of beer available was immensely helpful for those who wanted to broaden the range of drinks they were able to partake in; especially useful since there were a number of barley wines available (typically higher alcohol contents and much stronger all round). I have a full list of tasting notes and ticks next to all the beers tried at the Festival, but suffice to say the results from the CAMRA judging panel did pick out what I regarded as one the best of what was available by the Saturday session for an award. The full results can be found here: (http://www.camra.org.uk/article.php?group_id=4140). The two favourites on display for our group were both Stouts and significantly more delicious than Guinness (in our opinion). First up, related to the prose above, Liverpool Organic Brewery’s Russian Stout was a big favourite in the absence of Kitty Wilkinson’s Chocolate and Vanilla Stout. The smooth finish on the smoky velvet texture belies the strength and although I was no stranger to the stuff, our mancunian counterparts were suitably impressed with it. The second stout was that produced by the excellent Coniston Brewery from Coniston in Cumbria. Their Special Oatmeal Stout was exceptional, even better than the excellent and very interesting No.9 Barley Wine (which is very strong, but has unusual cognac and marzipan qualities) which won the Gold Award in the Barley Wine category. The tasting notes described the Stout thus “Oats used in the grist give body and smoothness, enhancing the roasted barley, giving it complex flavours reminiscent of dark chocolate and coffee”. The dark chocolate note was spot on, as was the description of its smoothness. There was a very rich and satisfying undertone to the Oatmeal Stout too, meaning it stood out above most of the other beers that were tried in our group. Moorhouse’s Pendle Witches’ Brew was also on, which is simply one of the finest ales I have ever had, on its day of course. But I have to shine the spotlight elsewhere now and again! Unfortunately, I have to caveat that this was not a scientific assessment of the beers available due to many of them simply having been demolished in the previous 3 days of drinking. This is something of a bugbear for me, but running out of a beer at a festival, especially ale that does sound incredible only for you queue for 10 minutes to be told it is all gone. The logistics of a festival are difficult at the best of times and an establishment simply can’t store as much ale to double up on what they provide, as such I know I can’t complain too much but maybe one day something will be done to ensure exciting sounding offerings such as the Lytham Gold will still be on for the final day of a festival! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Threshold Festival and Liverpool Craft Brewery Linking into the beer theme, some of you may have noticed there is a recent addition to the current crop of Merseyside brewers in the Liverpool Craft Brewing Company (http://www.liverpoolcraftbeer.com/). They have recently created two new brews to add to the Liverpool Icon, Icon Dark, Viking and Hop Beast in their range. Most recently, Tane Mahuta has been pushed as a result of tinkering with the Hop Beast recipe. Intriguingly, there has been an ale which the guys have specifically brewed to link into the Threshold Festival which takes place in Liverpool (http://www.thresholdfestival.co.uk/). The Threshold Festival began life as a collaboration between the Contemporary Urban Centre and Under the Influence in order to bring opportunities to push music, live performance, theatre and visual arts in a single setting. It is soon to have unshackled itself and pushed to be held at a multitude of venues to champion the grassroots artists that it prides itself on providing a platform to. The details of the venues and shows on offer are best sought out on the website for the Festival or by contacting the Festival organisers. Following the success on a maiden voyage and going into its second year, the festival has won many friends and some critical (including journalistic) acclaim in many quarters. Kaya Herstad Carney, ------ said of the collaboration with the Craft Brewing Company: “When Paul approached us and asked if we would be interested in having Liverpool Craft Beers making a special Threshold beer, the answer was indeed easy - Of course! Being able to be part of the process, even from the measuring and mixing to separating vanilla pods just made it perfect for us; DIY with a root in knowing your craft and a big measure of passion: Ingredients.” Rachel Dyer, a Festival Coordinator for the Threshold Festival also commented that: “It was great meeting Liverpool Craft Beer, I've never tasted beer let alone been to a brewery! Paul and Terry introduced us to the whole process and got involved with weighing ingredients, mixing and starting the brewing of the Threshold beer. The beer grain was so tasty I carried on nibbling at my sample! It's clear how passionate they are, and being self-taught independent and innovative, they're exactly the kind of people we want to call friends and work together for Threshold Festival 2012. Can't wait to see the final result!” The festival takes place between the 10th and 12th February 2012 and tickets for many of the events are available now. Heading along, spreading the Valentine’s love and having a look and trying a delicious pint of collaborative ale would be the only sensible thing to be doing! Links: Threshold Festival 2012 (10th til 12th February 2012, Baltic Triangle, Liverpool). Bigger Better and Baltic Bound! Facebook for Threshold Festival: https://www.facebook.com/undertheinfluencenight?sk=app_134506053246185#!/undertheinfluencenight?sk=info Follow the festival on Twitter (@thresholdfest), Tumblr (Thresholdfest) and Flickr (Thresholdfest). Buy advanced tickets through Skiddle. Follow Liverpool Craft Brewing on Twitter (@Craft_Beers) Follow Liverpool Organic Brewery on Twitter (@LivOrganicBrew) All the pictures for the Threshold Beer visit were kindly supplied by the organisers, therefore, it's their copyright too. ;o)
Catch you all next time dudes! Pedro x |
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