Mrs B and I went through a period of making both beer and wine at home from kits. Stopped around 25 years ago for reasons to do with kids, space etc.
Thinking of trying again now. Old kit like fermenters and beer spheres went to the tip in late nineties so starting from ground up.
Anyone else doing it now?
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Tue 28 Nov 23 at 16:35
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Not done it for decades, but gave my last 40 old style beer bottles with the 'stone' screw bungs away only this year.
I bought them in the 70s from the old Hey and Humphreys bottlers warehouse in Huddersfield, still with dregs in and Guinness labels on.
Boots used to sell home brew stuff but I haven't noticed any in there for years.
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I did until a couple of years ago. I wasn't into it for that long maybe a couple of years. I bought my supplies from wilko, they had a pretty good selection. I made lagers and a few bitters. Cheap hobby and plenty of varieties to mess about with.
Like most things there's websites that specialise in it, Beers of Europe do kits and home deliveries.
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>> Anyone else doing it now?
Dont go back there, it was foul stuff then, and will be now. Plus your airing cupboard will have another sticky explosion.
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I'd have thought the same but when I was in Arizona a few years ago my (local) mate took me to an American friend of his for an evening of home made tasting and the stuff was at least as good as the real thing - he also did replica ales which tasted extraordinarily good.
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.. actually, the stuff I brewed from the better kits back in the day wasn't bad
I once had a go at brewing from scratch, boiling up the wort with hops and all.
The result was christened "Old Undrinkable" and it wasn't attempted again.
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Likewise made both beer and wine whilst living at home in my mid teens. After a few years practice it was no better.
I have two friends who consistently brew excellent beer. It really is top notch stuff and very drinkable. One of them is a good friend of the head brewer at one of my favourite beer makers, so has had advice re hops, although I suspect he teaches the professional brewer.
I don’t drink at home...just a (very) social drinker. 5 mile lunchtime walk today from Gargrave to Skipton, bought my 3 Christmas cards, 6 boxes of Tesco’s finest shortbread as presents...two will go to Jet2 cabin crew as I always give them a small present when boarding as I like to spread a little happiness in this world, the other 4 as Christmas presents.
My Xmas shopping doesn’t take long. Then to The Boathouse by the canal basin, roaring stove, nice quiet afternoon ambience, Tiller Pin @ £3.50 pint, quick half, bus home.
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>> Dont go back there, it was foul stuff then, and will be now. Plus your
>> airing cupboard will have another sticky explosion.
Investigated brewing from scratch but it was (way) too much bother. We did it with kits from one Homebrew shop or another depending on where we lived. The best one was Kwoffit bitter which was reasonably drinkable after a fortnight or so.
Kwoffit no longer going and nearest physical shop seems to be up near the Black Cat roundabout. Plenty of one line sellers though.
Wilko used to do kits in cans as did the early DIY sheds - WHS Do it All at Wembley is one I remember. Sure I've seen them in Home Bargains or similar but can't remember which.
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Oh yes, now you mention it I saw some in The Range on one of my rare (forced!!) visits there.
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The last time I made wine was about 35 years ago - what happened to all the kit I haven't a clue.
My father used to make very drinkable wines - date (rich) strawberry (rose) and orange (crisp white).
It all dates from a time when a bottle of wine was a semi luxury purchase and saving a couple of £ a bottle was important. With reduced consumption and a reasonable bottle for £5-10 it is hardly worth the trouble.
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>> My father used to make very drinkable wines - date (rich) strawberry (rose) and orange
>> (crisp white).
Mrs B's aunt/uncle made wine in bulk from kits. Their preferred brand was Larsen which I think used grapes but with other fruit too to give both reds and whites that were very drinkable. I think he got those from a specialist shop; they were not in Do it All or wherever.
Mrs B and I tried with cheaper kits and got acceptable results.
We gave up on making wine as we were drinking way too much and were in serious danger of liver disease. So did the aunt and uncle.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Wed 29 Nov 23 at 09:04
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Been down to the Homebrew shop at the Black Cat roundabout and invested £100 in a fermenting bucket, pressure keg, kit for a 'festive' winter beer and a plastic syphon pipe.
Looked at the current versions of the cans of wort to which one added water and sugar but shop man said the best results are to be had with kits in boxes with two cans of wort concentrate and needing no added sugar. I'm giving that a try.
Mrs B is going bonkers about 'mess' but I strongly suspect she's over worrying about stuff that's not there. Two plastic containers with the footprint of a large bucket.
Normally I'd stow the fermenter under the table in the kitchen but not this weekend as The Lad's down with his dog. It'll be fine in the utility. Having found an adapter to add CO2 to the pressure vessel from a Sodastream cylinder i suspect that can live in the utility too.
Given two of us rattle around in a 4 bed family house it can't be that difficult...
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I bought a home brew kit when I was at Uni, I can't remember why particularly. Small grant, probably. But I remember getting drunk on it. There was a new recruit in our house, she was a mature student. 32 years old she was, a decade older than me and she was well hot. We sat in her room drinking that stuff for a couple of hours and it was so obvious I was going to sleep with her. Time to get physical. But I suddenly felt a bit nauseous so I staggered to the loo and vomited the whole lot out (loudly) which took a while, too. Then I had to go to bed and pass out.
A couple of days later she was dating some other student and shortly after that she moved out with him. A huge regret. Could have been her toy-boy getting busy under the sheets were it not for drinking that crap.
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We went down this path in the '70s. I ended up seeing how strong a brew I could make. Succeeded, but it tasted foul whilst blowing your head off! Thereafter I concentrated on taste. Had some success with wines, I particularly recall a pleasant rice & raisin.
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As you will not be filtering the product, or putting it in bottles, may be better to use a bottom fermenting lager yeast.
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Bottom fermenting yeast, thrush?
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>> As you will not be filtering the product, or putting it in bottles, may be
>> better to use a bottom fermenting lager yeast.
Previously, back in the eighties, folks were a bit sniffy about the sachet of yeast that came with the kit. Instead you bought a 'premium' product and perhaps got it going as a starter before adding it to the wort.
I asked specifically if that was still recommended and shop man, who has been in the business for decades, said the kit stuff was fine. I just chucked it in. By this morning there's clearly a gentle fermentation going on
I suspect it's 'top' fermenting but I don't know.
Once it's cleared down it'll be syphoned off into the King Keg I got yesterday.
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My invitation to the tasting is on its way - yes?
I am in Northants for Chrimbo - I could pop round...
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Update:
The smugglers ale I bought wasn't that good for my taste. Nothing wrong I think just not my sort of beer. It has though improved with keeping and I'm now down to the last eight pints of 40.
Found an American IPA in Home Bargains and that's next up. Needs Dextrose brewing sugar which I've ordered on line for delivery tomorrow.
Will report on drinkability idc.
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Home Brew - Manatee
