I'm thinking of making my own alcoholic apple cider out of apple juice. Is there a specific brand or type of apple juice I should use? Or will anything do?

>>20282
Avoid shit with preservatives in it.

>>20293
Gotcha! Thanks.

I've use this, but according to another thread, this is not very safe.
Apparently napkins don't keep out bacteria properly.
As far as I can tell, a simple balloon with some pinholes in it placed over the spout of your container is enough to prevent other unwanted bacteria from joining your yeast.

>>20379
You could also have an actual airlock shipped to your door for less than $4.

bump

If you are interested in making beer check out www.howtobrew.com. If you want to make it from scratch look up the brew in a bag method.

I've been making beer from scratch for about 3 years.
I takes about 3 hours, my setup cost ~300AUD and it's ~20AUD for a 20L batch but if your not a complete dickhead you can make some really nice beer.

>>20423
Or you can use a tube, some duct tape, and a cup full of water, for absolutely nothing, out of crap laying around the house.

Just sterilize everything before use, of course.

>>20593
How do you make an airlock out of that?

>>20624
Look here>>20243
Should be third picture down. Shows you how.

Been making Kilju for a while so I could drink when I was underage. I'll make an infopic next time I make a batch.

Also if anyone wants some info just ask, i'll be monitoring this thread.

>>20557
That looks like shit in a bucket of cola.

Bump for homebrewbros

Question for homebrew bros. Can I check the temp. of a liquid accurately with one of those RF temp guns? Something like this:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Non-Contact-IR-Infrared-Laser-Point-Digital-Tempreture-Thermometer-Gun-LC
D-C-F-/200660052184?pt=AU_Gadgets&hash=item2eb84568d8

question for brewbros: Im new to brewing and I want to make a pumpkin spirit. can I steep the pumpkin or do I need to malt it?

>>20679
Does that work? Someone in another thread said that it caused gas bubbles and you'd be lucky if you didn't have to visit the ER. Not sure if that was directed to that sort of filtration, though, his reply was a vertical on making beer similar to the ones posted ITT, there might have been some difference in there that he was referring to.

When I make the simplest one, it always comes out yeasty/sour. How fix? Cheap source of non-souring yeast?

I make a lot of mead, which is just honey wine.

I have a moonshine still i made, but i really dont use it anymore. I can make about 2 liters of the stuff for pretty cheap, the downside is it takes like 12 hours to distill a batch, i dont feel like tending the still for that long anymore.

Making your own is definitely cheaper but....you have to do work so...

>>21126
I dunno, are you using an air lock? If you let the stuff get exposed to oxygen you'll get tons of yeast in the product.

How dangerous is making your own booze? If a tiny bit of bacteria makes its way in then does it make your mix a tub of poison? Will you know if it is bad to drink (before you vomit everywhere and die)?

I have been thinking about using the guide in>>20379 except with a balloon.

How long does it take to get a reasonable amount of ethanol in your drink?

Bump

>>21139
Nah, it's certainly not a tub of poison. what it is, rather, is a tub of soured beer. People have been making beer much longer than they knew to use airlocks, so actually long ago beer was much more sour.

>>21289

Ah, thanks. I look forward to making my first batch. Where can you buy good yeast? I know Ebay has some but if it is an okay price in stores then I might as well do that.

>>20996
Of course it's going to cause gas bubbles. It's sole purpose is to let excess gas to escape so the container with the brewing yeast doesn't explode.

But it's only dangerous if you sit there in an air sealed room with it, with your face shoved in front of it huffing the gas. Just keep it in a rarely used room with plenty of ventilation, and it should be no more dangerous that the usual gases we humans exhale with each breath.

>>21388
Depends, how much booze are you planning on making?

If a lot, over a long time, as a hobby like I am planning, then you might as well buy a whole bunch in bulk online, for super cheap.

If it's a one time thing as an experiment, then just go to the store and buy some there.

>>21139
There's nothing lethal that can grow in your beer unless you have someone shit in your carboy. If you do get some sort of mold/bug/contaminant you're just going to end up with 5 gallons of nasty tasting funk.

Just shrug, crack a good beer, learn from your mistakes and start over.

I make hard liquor.
Takes a while, but I come up with some nice stuff.
I've even made my own 150 proof bourbon.

I homebrew beer the all grain way. i buy the malted barley, mill it, mash it, boil it, add hops, ferment it and keg it.

I built my own setup. it started as a cooler and some pots with random fittings attached but i have since upgraded to a few purpose built items

A couple of my friends make their own ''moonshine'' (not really moonshine because it's not corn based) via similar methods mentioned in this thread. They go get a food grade 55 gallon barrel and fill it with fresh pressed apple cider. they boil in as much sugar as it will take without having any undissolved and when it cools, they add yeast. On the top of the barrel, theres a valve with a hose attached, and usually on top of the barrel sits a 1 gallon milk jug filled with water. The other end of the hose goes into the jug and, viola, fermentation lock! After CO2 production settles down, they distill it and it yields a few gallons of 140-150 proof alcohol, that has a slight apple taste to it.

>>22160
>>22223
How exactly do you make it as strong as possible, without it tasting like shit? Is there a specific method or technique to it?

>>22335
Basically: Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol.
So, the more you concentrate the former, the more you will produce of the later.

>>22342
Ok, so fuck ton of yeast means more alcohol? Gotcha.

Also, is there any option for concentrating it after the fact? I heard people freeze alcohol, and that causes the water to form as ice on the top. So they just keep removing the ice layer until the alcohol content is too high to let the water freeze.

Does this really work? Or will it fuck up the booze?

NEVER USE BALLOONS

if any condensation gets on them, (99% chance it will) and drips back into the wart it will taint it with a horrid rubber/plastic taste.

>>22368
What is a good replacement then? Hose and cup of water?

>>22373
just buy an airlock. they cost like a buck fifty.

>>22365
freeze distillation works, but is just as illegal as evaporation distillation.

>>22365
I've heard of that, but never tried it.
If you REALLY need to make balls up insanely high alcohol try:
http://stillspirits.com/nz/makebetter-ferment-better-spirits

I've got a professional setup and I'm able to make almost pure alcohol.

in these guides, how much (in weight) is a "packet" of yeast?
Thanks!

>>22373
yes, or just buy an airlock. both work just as well.

>>22384
usually around 7 grams.

>>22365
yeast is less important than the sugar.
The sugar is what turns into alcohol, the yeast just does the work.
If you have a load of yeast, you'll get yeasty beer in half the time, but it tastes like mould.

The strength of brewed alcohol is capped at around 20% because the ethanol is a poison, it kills off the yeast.
After that you need to start distilling.

>>22378
Seriously? It's illegal? Why? Also, what is the evaporation method?

>>22386
Why would I buy something when this is a do it yourself board? I'm not doing this for the booze, I want to do this to have a hobby I can enjoy doing at home, by building and creating stuff with my own two hands.

>>22391
Great thanks!

>>22395
Cool, thanks for the info! What is the best method for distillation, in your opinion?

Also, would doing what >>22223
did, by adding the sugar to boiling water, create an over all higher alcohol content without having to distill anything?

>>22403
Governments put a huge tax on spirits, they can't collect that if you make it yourself.
Evaporation method is basically where you let the weak booze sit under something like a mirror. The alcohol evaporates and condenses on the mirror and flows down into a collector.
All distillation methods work on the principles that alcohol and water have different volatility. Alcohol freezes and evaporates at different temperatures to water, so if you get to freezing point of water the alcohol is still liquid, and if you get to boiling point of the alcohol (about 20C) the water is still liquid. You just have to separate them.
>>22410
freezing is simpler to do at home, and a little easier to hide, but it leaves any impurities behind. Evaporation gets purer alcohol but will require more kit.
If you add more water at the same time as the sugar you'll end up with more volume, but no stronger. Without water it's just an alcopop.
Boiling the water to get the sugar to dissolve won't help much either, since the water cools so the sugar comes out again.

>>22410
> create an over all higher alcohol content without having to distill anything?
Yes, but it wouldn't be a very accurate method of doing so, you're better off following >>22381 advice and looking up a decent quality still.

You'll spend about $500 on a half decent still, but you'll be spoilt for choice as to what you want to make.
Good distillers can make shit that tastes almost exactly the same as stuff out the bottle shop.

>>22438
>>22440
Huh, ok. Thanks guys! But unfortunately I don't have enough money to buy anything like a good set up, lol. Milk jugs all the way!

recycle them, obviously

>>22581
I think you're in the wrong thread, bro.

http://editthis.info/macdiyvers/Moonshine

hey guys edit this

Ok, so to distill, you need a sealed vessel to 'cook off' the alcohol. If there are leaks, you lose the vaporized alcohol. One of the old style pressure cookers seems the way to go, the ones with the stem and rocker on top. Can be found cheap at second hand stores. Don't need the rocker, just make sure the seal ring is intact. You WILL have to drill one more hole in the top, to install a thermometer.
Need a short length of rubber tube, to act as a jumper between the kettle and your condenser coil.
Condenser coil, is simple copper tube, found at any building supple store.
You need a container to stick the coil in, that can be filled with ice, and preferably has a drain on the bottom to let out meltwater.
And a container to collect the liquid coming out of the coil, which will be distilled alcohol.

That should make a small but effective still.
And probably cost no more than $50. Depending on what you can scrounge.
If you boil the mix too high, you get water out with the alcohol. I think the temp should be like between 180F and 200F to get mostly alcohol, and less water out of the mixture.
You will need to distill it a couple times to get it good, and get he most of the water out.

>>22626
Done and done.

>22222

>>22806
double >
>22222

Also don't mess up threads with your pointless tests dickwad.

>>22817
I DIDN'T >>22222 MYSELF!

The test statement still stands.

I have been converting an old gatorade cooler into a mash tun, finally gave up on washers and gaskets and just sealed it with food grade silicone.

So now I've got a mash tun. Just got to get a kettle with a spigot and I'm ready to start all grain.

>>23017
actually I guess I could just use my autosiphon with some high temp tubing for now.

anyways, here's my shitty seal job. (I don't have a caulk gun and ended up just kinda painting it on to seal it up)

(the outside doesn't look that bad.)

i'm not going to make my own airlock. if it doesnt work well or something unforseen occurs preventing its proper function bacteria could get into my cider making me sick.

fuck that. not worth the risk. as another anon said you can get a proper airlock shipped to your door for like $5. and if use the yellowpages online or google maps and search brewing or wine supply they will sell cheap airlocks there.

enjoy cheap as fuck cider without taking any risks.

>>23619
to be honest as long as you sanitize everything it doesn't make a difference what type of airlock you use.

especially if you're in the camp of "I'm going to make alcohol that is cheap as fuck", you're not going to see any difference in taste when it comes down to latex flavors that you MIGHT run across with a balloon airlock.

>>24005
yeah, but a proper airlock is like $2. and some anons here are saying the napkins don't protect against bacteria and frankly of course they don't. the more oxygen that gets into your brew the more yeasty it tastes.

fuck, it's a $2 investment. fucking two dollars. and if it improves the quality, safeness, and taste then its totally worth. also it makes things a lot easier.

2 fucking dollars. oh shit build your own airlock out of garbage, save 2 bucks yeehaw. shut the fuck up

>>24487
.......

I was saying if you're the type to say they want to make alcohol that's cheap as fuck it's not going to matter because you're making cheap nasty quick alcohol.

I wasn't saying that I don't use airlocks when I'm brewing.

Get your panties out of your ass.

>>22365
The other problem is that it doesn't remove fusel alcohols, the sort of stuff that blinds and/or kills you. There shouldn't be a lot, but it doesn't require a lot to screw with you, especially since it's also becoming more concentrated along with the ethanol.

Is brewing from home safe?

>>25418
yes, brewing from home is safe.

There is nothing that can survive in homebrewed alcohol that can hurt you. Pathogens can't survive in anything with alcohol. If you're not sanitary it may not ferment right, or taste gross, but it won't kill you or make you sick. (unless you're sensitive to yeast)

If i was looking to make my homebrew clearer would pouring it through a coffee filter do anything. I've never made any just wondering if anyone does anything like that.

>>25531
it can work but it's a pain in the ass.
Irish moss, bentonite, racking onto secondary, etc. those are way easier and better in the long run.

Hey /diy/

I have always been interesting in brewing my own Cider, but I am a complete newbie at the process. Can anyone here give me a quick run down on how to do it with basic household materials?

Cheers

>>20243
This image has pretty much everything you need to know. If you can't get an airlock, just do the hose and water cup trick, the only thing that matters is making sure everything is cleaned properly before use. >>25701

>>25733
Thank you very much

>>25747
Welcome!

Love how weed threads get del, but booze? No fucking stress. Fucking moot is a hyprocirtial fag

News flash fag, alcohol is a drug, just because it's legal does not change that fact.

FYI I don't care what people post, I've even got links to producing meth using the German hot cook method, just think it's lol's

>>25783
you're retarded. Yes alcohol is a drug, but it's a legal drug, and the crafting of alcoholic beverages is just that- a craft.

Can you send in your shitty homegrown weed to international competitions? Can you open up a weedery?

No, you can't. Even if it were legal you wouldn't be able to because you're an asshat who can't understand the difference between growing illegal drugs and making beer/wine/mead/cider/some other respected alcoholic beverage.

>>25783
The difference is that booze is LEGAL. Whereas other drugs are not.

Lrn2logic, dumb fuck.

Question: What am I supposed to use to close whatever I'm fermenting? A poster earlier said not to use balloons... then what? condoms?

>>25829
Also, I'm gonna ferment large quantities of... stuff. I'm planning on selling them to my friends

>>25829
An airlock as has been said over and over again in this thread.

>>25845
Sorry, stopped reading right after the dude said to not use balloons. I guess I'll just read the thread.

>>25829
I'm going to refrain from RTT'ing and tell you to either order a cheap airlock online from one of the many homebrew stores. You'll need to sanitize everything that touches your fermenting alcohol so you should buy some star san anyway.

If you're not willing to get an airlock it doens't really matter. You can build a simple blowoff tube and just have it go into a jar filled with water.

>>25829
Just use duct tape, a hose, and a cup of water.

Or, you can use a clean balloon, and just use something that keeps it from straightening all the way, so any condensation won't drip back down into the booze.

Can I use smashed apples?

>>25881
yeah. Essentially that's what cider is.

Just press/smash/juice/whatever the apples and let it ferment out. You could probably just go lambic and not even add yeast, and the apples would start to ferment from the natural yeast in the air/on them/etc.

but I won't get into that.
tl;dr Yeah, you'll just have to be give it a lot of time to clear.

>>25881
No idea, try it and tell us how it works out?

Could you ferment Saccharin?

okay so I want to make wine. I never have so I would like some pro tips on it.

so far from what I read here (read everything without skipping) add juice (i want to try apple juice), honey (don't want to use sugar), yeast( I'm guessing 1/3 of how much honey i put). put in a glass 5 gallon bottle, and an airlock to it. keep in a generally cool area for about a month. then bottle and drink?

also what would be the yeast to honey and sugar ratio, and how can i make it some what carbonated, or can I just add something like tonic water to it to do the trick?

>>25977
>>25977
http://www.microbeworld.org/images/stories/resources/PDFs/Experiments/canmicrobestellthedifference.p
df
>>25984
Apple juice and honey is callled a Cyser, which is a type of Mead. Why don't you want to use sugar? Dextrose is cheap and will give the yeast plenty to ferment while not altering the flavor profile too much.

>>25984
also you don't need to add a ton of yeast. One packet will do. They procreate and don't need much help. You could start them off in some warm water with a bit of sugar, but a starter shouldn't be needed.

when you go to bottle it, you'll add a bit of sugar for the yeast to ferment in the bottle, this is what carbonates in bottles.

Course, then you'll need to buy a wing capper...unless you're just going to bottle in old soda bottles.

>>25783
look, i'm a major pothead, but i approve of no weed threads here. why? because they'd quickly take over the board. and for every awesome thread full of cool looking homemade bongs and shit we'd have 10 threads of "does this weed look good to you?" "how much does weed cost?" "how do i grow weed?" "smokers vs non-smokers" etc etc

and besides, there are literally an epic fuckton of well populated cannabis forums for us to go to. full of years of searchable material. we really don't need to clog up /diy/ with stoner crap.

if we could keep it to "only good weed threads dont get deleted" that wouldnt work because every moron thinks his "what grow light should i buy?" thread is vip material. and that would give the mods a little too much work and this website isnt a profit maker.

maybe if you make a "diy glassblowing thread" or a "making shit with kiln fired clay" thread where you just so happen to make "tobacco" pipes i dunno maybe they'd allow it. but frankly for every thread like that we'll probably get 20 threads of disgusting plastic bottle carcinogenic as fuck monstrosities.

i love weed and weed culture, but it would just overwhelm this board i'm sorry. go to 420chan

>>Course, then you'll need to buy a wing capper...unless you're just going to bottle in old soda bottles.

yeah about that. planning to do some cider. if i do just use old soda bottles what kind of shelf life am i looking at? aren't professional beverages on the shelves vacuum sealed for freshness (thats where that 'pop' comes from when you crack open a fresh bottle). without this vacuum effect wouldn't shelf life be reduced dramatically?

is there a diy method of sealing this shit vacuum style?

>>26112
>if i do just use old soda bottles what kind of shelf life am i looking at? aren't professional beverages on the shelves vacuum sealed for freshness (thats where that 'pop' comes from when you crack open a fresh bottle). without this vacuum effect wouldn't shelf life be reduced dramatically?

why don't you wait a few years before you tackle making your own alcohol?

>>26112
You know those types of bottles that have the red wax on them? That you buy in stores?

Just use that method. Close the cap, or put a cork in the bottle, then drip wax around it until it is sealed, and let dry.

oh the reason for substituting honey for sugar is for the taste. I plainly love honey. okay thank you! the yeast tip was alot of help.

my uncle makes beer, and a problem i saw him run into when he bottled it was that the bottles would pop ( doesn't happen anymore). so in lets say a normal size glass beer bottle (lets say a corona) should I put a 1/2teaspoon of honey)

oh and another question is would it be safe to crush some apples into it for like a heavier drink?

>>26130
>>26135
they're screw on caps.

there's no vacuum, the cap is just there to keep carbon dioxide in the bottle, which is one of the byproducts of yeast that has eaten sugar (along with alcohol)

I seriously watted with all my wats when you said that shit.

>>26130
>why don't you wait a few years before you tackle making your own alcohol?

because cider is quick, cheap, and easy to make you elitist jerk. it's the perfect alcohol to start with. and contrary to your beliefs, the beliefs that give you a warm feeling of superiority, making a batch of cider isn't rocket science. nobody needs to spend years studying alcohol before tackling cider that is quite frankly retarded.

>>26135
DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU ARE GOING TO CARBONATE YOUR CIDER.

regular wine bottles, which is what I'm assuming this luddite is talking about, are not designed to hold pressure. They will burst.
>>26163
I've not used honey for a sugar substitute in a cider but with meads, honey takes a LONG time to age to the point of drinkability.

>>26190
no, but you do need to be old enough to know that a carbonated drink that you buy at the supermarket isn't vacuum sealed you fucking teenager.

>>26169
He asked for a way to create an airtight seal, I offered him a way he can do it at home without using expensive machinery or whatever.

You got a problem with that?

>>26169
lol ok fair enough. i dont even drink a lot of alcohol but whenever i open a beer it makes that same popping noise as when i open a bottle of soda (and soda is vacuum sealed for freshness. it says that right on the lid usually). and i've never had homebrew.

>>26206
the easiest way to create an airtight seal is to screw on the fucking screw on cap that comes with a soda bottle.

jesus.

>>26205
>>you do need to be old enough to know that a carbonated drink that you buy at the supermarket isn't vacuum sealed you fucking teenager.

except that it is. if it wasnt the carbonation would just fizzle into the air. if it wasnt vacuum sealed your soda would be flat

i love how some people can't give out advice without acting like elitist fucktards at the same time

while others simply answer questions and provide helpful advice without being dicks

because when you do the former rather then the latter the thread fills up with butthurt insult throwing rather then serious conversation. so way to be cancer

I think I see the problem here...

A vacuum seal is when a seal is tight enough that even in the vacuum of space, nothing is escaping that container/bottle.

As opposed to using a vacuum to pump the container to a negative pressure to the environment around it.

>>26229
if it were literally "Vaccum" sealed though, all of the carbon dioxide would have been sucked out of the solution, leaving you with a flat soda. The pop you hear when you opened the soda bottle would be air rushing into the bottle, not the excess carbon dioxide escaping.

The seal on a bottle of soda that is brand new will be the same as the seal on a bottle of soda that you have reused to put some homebrew in.

As long as you screw the cap on tight it will be fine.

>>26229
actually i think what happens is that the screw on cap is airtight enough to prevent new air from flowing in. so before the lid is shut some carbonation is lost to the air. but after the lid is shut you only lose a little carbonation before the air pressure rises to the point where further loss of carbonation is prevented. and then when you open the bottle that pop you hear is the sound of the higher pressure inside the bottle escaping.

that's just a theory though i honestly don't know. can anyone confirm or deny?

Which is better for brewing refined sugar or raw sugar or is their no discernible difference?

>>26265
that is exactly what it is.

In a soda, the carbon dioxide is infused and the soda is put in the bottle which is then sealed.

In a homebrewed or bottle carbonated beer/cider, sugar is added to the alcohol before bottling. This sugar is then eaten by the yeast which produces alcohol and carbon dioxide. Hence the term carbonation. I said it before in this thread but apparently the vacuum theory makes more sense.

I find that the best alcohol cost ratio and also considering drinkability comes from mead. Figure 50 bucks for 5 gallons, approx 16-20 % alcohol -- thats about 4 times as efficient as say an extract + specialty malts + hops. Also, it is nice that it lasts as long as you want, where beer doesn't have the same 'age like wine' traits.

>>26305
some beers age really well. the darker the better is what I've heard.

>>26279
ok cool. then it seems as if >>20379 those instructions should be modified to include dropping a bit of sugar in prior to bottling.

also the use of a napkin in those instructions seems pretty meh to me. a simple diy airlock or advice to buy one and tape it on would be better i think.

but other then that are those instructions solid? i keep hearing people mention boiling the apple juice and sugar or something, what's up with that?

>>26319
you don't have to add sugar. Lots of people make cider and just mix it with seven up.

Chances are if you bottle it at a month and let it sit it will carbonate anyway because there will be some fermentables left in the solution. If you can tell that the bottle has pressure and is carbonated, stick it in the fridge and the yeast will go dormant once they cool down.

Leave in fridge for a week or so before drinking, allows for conditioning and lets the yeast settle.

also obviously don't shake it up when you're pouring and leave a bit in unless you like the taste of yeast.

>>26319
you don't need to boil it.

>>26339
cool advice bros. i'll bottle some with a bit of sugar dumped in at bottling and some without. and see which i like better or if i notice any difference at all.

i'll be able to start this in a couple months. right now my budget doesn't have $15 free anywhere. unless i go a week without food... hmmm... could be worth it

>>26376
bottle of mott's apple juice
>$2
package of fleischmann's bread yeast
>$.50
Airlock
>$2

>>25984

okay so honey takes longer. so if I use sugar this mention will work? or should i have it set out for abit longer then a month?

>>26400
true. i could make a smaller batch. i was thinking of the instructions in >>20379. where 15 litres would cost about 15 dollars. then i'd need a watercooler bottle which i assume is like 5 dollars. plus enough yeast and sugar.

could this be done with mountain dew or dr pepper?

>>27388
In theory yes. But I have zero clue what it would taste like and I read somewhere in this thread that you should stay away from acidic things when picking a brewing ingredient.

Winemaker here, I make quite good wine from winegrapes, but none other brew bcuz I suck at them. Now this can change, thanks!

>>27388
>>27593


I'm just going to start ignoring the questions that I assume are coming from teenagers.

>>20379
Should I not close the water jug, just cover the opening with 2 napkins?

Why, is the cap bad or something?

My dad, after home brewing is trying to run a business of brewing wine for others.

In Ontario Canada, there is like 2 places that can brew wine and sell it, so a loop hole in that law is that so long as the customer pours in ingredients and bottles it themselves, the store can watch the wine.

Does anyone have experience in this field they can share?

I assume, wine and beer will be the most common but he'll offer ice wine too at a reasonable rate.

>>28185
when yeast eat sugar they produce both alcohol and carbon dioxide. If you seal a container to let it ferment it will either stop fermentation when the yeast run out of oxygen or explode when the pressure gets too high.

>>20737
>>20737
I'm interested.
what's your process?

Okay guys.. So I'm going to make several brews at once... what are the best brewing ingredients?

I'm thinking on apple, peach, strawberry, and what else?
How could acidic ingredients fuck my shit up?

>>29092
Also, could I use Vanilla?

Does anybody have any info on making vinegar? The way I see it, if I'm making hard apple cider, I might as well make some vinegar too. I'm just wondering how to make sure you introduce the right bacteria to the mix. This still counts as home brewing I think...

How would one go about making my own rye.

>>29092

Pretty much for such a down and dirty operation you don't really need to worry about the acidity in your juice of choice, unless it is in the citrus family like orange juice or lemonade or something crazy like that.

I've had perfect success with a variety of cheap grocery store cocktails that have everything in them from pomegranate to carrot juice so you really should just pick whatever flavor you think will float your boat.

Although I do usually use highly active and healthy yeast from my homebrews, I've found that good 'ol storebought brewers yeast can get the job done, especially if you give em a boost with a yeast starter. Course once again, it really depends on how many fucks you give cuz this can be as simple or complex as you wanna make it.

Vanilla would be fine too.

tl;dr just pick something and go with it, you're not really trying to win a competition.

You know, I was hoping that this thread would contain something worthwhile.

Unfortunately, 90% of you are total fucking idiots. If you really want to learn about home brewing, go pick up a book, or read a homebrewing forum. I can't believe some of the shit I'm reading in this thread.

Fucking teenagers

>>29510
Thanks!

I'm currently letting my cider ferment... I'm doing only 1 lt because I don't want to make too much and try it before I actually start making 5 gals of something.

Next time I'll try vanilla extract and peach, and probably some strawberry, too.


The airlock is a system I made up because I didn't feel like going to the store and buy cyrurgical tubing or whatever. It does the job but I certainly hope the bottle doesn't explode.

>>30254
>DON'T ASK ABOUT BREWING IN A BREWING THREAD FUCKING TEENAGERS

this is one of the brews i made - u can see the hops bobbin in it

>>30332
These are the barrels ive got some home made bourbon in - same poster

>>30341
>those barrels

This is one of my bottling pics - moving the finished beer from the fermenter into a secondary container to filter all the gunk out - there u add a water/flavor/sugar mix for bottling

>>30358
forgot to load the pic

where to get glass containers to bottle stuff in after the fact?

>>30368
You can buy bottles from a homebrew supplier or take my preferred approach - tell all of your family and friends to give you their empties (as long as they're brown and not screwtops). It takes a bit of work cleaning them at times, but I have several hundred beer bottles for my own brews that I didn't have to pay a cent for.

>>30381
cool. but i was more looking for bigger than empties. like quart or more. i'm makine cider and wanted some bigger bottles to keep it in.

So here's a question for you /diy/ brewers.

If I can get my hands on fructose instead of sucrose, would that make an appreciable difference in the time/quality of the brew?

I know that fructose can be utilized in glycolysis (skipping the energy invested to convert glucose to fructose).

Is there any reliable information about it?

Picture sort of related.

This is one of the pale ales i made - u can see its rich with sediment cause i didnt let it set for long for it to settle - it was tasty

>>30368

I just use 1 gallon glass apple juice bottles for my secondary and then ask restaurants for their empty wine bottles when I'm ready to bottle. My primary fermenter is a 4 gallon icing bucket from a local bakery.

If you ignore the cost of the juice (I would have bought it anyway) my entire wine brewing setup cost >$10 (3 bungs, 3 airlocks were purchased).

Anyone interested in making wine should really just get wine yeast, bread yeast (or wild capture yeast) will not reach effective alcohol levels and will taste like piss. Wine yeast is >$1 per packet.

this is my table top distiller - it is the "mr coffee" of distillers

this is one of the batches i made - 1 five gal bucket = 48 or so beers

>>30389
In that case you can do old wine bottles. I prefer grolsch-style bottles with flip caps. Homebrew supply shops sell them, somewhere around $25-30 for a dozen 16 oz. bottles. They make bottling sessions FAR easier than capped or corked bottles.

This is my 5 gal fermenter - its pretty much a home depot paint bucket - minus the paint - u can buy them empty never used - then drill a hole in the top for your water lock

Continued from >>30407

Here is a shot of 2 of my current wines: a Basil and a Prickly Pear. I have a gallon of oak leaf outside in a separate room (my closet can only hold so many fermenters).


(excuse the sewing machine, it is unrelated to brewing but very DIY)

>>30396
i think it would just affect how it is processed by the yeast. it may be too sweet/ not sweet enough

>>30409
where did you pick that up from

Continued still >>30441

Here is a better shot of the prickly pear wine. The bright ass fuchsia color is accurate.

Anyone wanting to make wine should check out Jack Keller's site: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net. There is more information there than you ever cared to guess about.

>>30441
Nice!

>>30441
>oak leaf

Could you elaborate on that?

>>30396

Per google and wikipedia:
Fructose, along with glucose, is one of the principal sugars involved in the creation of wine. At time of harvest, there is usually an equal amount of glucose and fructose molecules in the grape; however, as the grape over ripens the level of fructose will become higher. In wine, fructose can taste nearly twice as sweet as glucose and is a key component in the creation of sweet dessert wines. During fermentation, glucose is consumed first by the yeast and converted into alcohol. A winemaker that chooses to halt fermentation (either by temperature control or the addition of brandy spirits in the process of fortification) will be left with a wine that is high in fructose and notable residual sugars. The technique of süssreserve, where unfermented grape must is added after the wine's fermentation is complete, this will result in a wine that tastes less sweet than a wine whose fermentation was halted. This is because the unfermented grape must will still have roughly equal parts of fructose and the less sweet tasting glucose. Similarly, the process of chaptalization where sucrose (which is one part glucose and one part fructose) is added will usually not increase the sweetness level of the wine.[3]

>>30450
http://www.milehidistilling.com/Mr-Distiller-Moonshine-Alcohol-distilling-p/16050.htm

>>30475

Leaves from oak trees. I used Live oak and Burr oak, I have no idea if different leaves will yield different flavors.

You can buy it commercially too:
http://www.thegreenwellystop.co.uk/whiskyshop/scottish-beers-wines/scottish-wines/cairn-o-39-mohr-au
tumn-oak-leaf-wine/prod_765.html

>>29092
>How could acidic ingredients fuck my shit up?
I'm assuming that the acid kills the yeast off.

Summer ale
4 pounds light malt
2 pounds rice syrup
first flavering 1/2 oz of hallertau
second flavering 1/2 oz hallertau
aromatic 1/4 oz of saaz hops
1 teaspoon gypsum
1 teaspoon irish moss
1 package yeast
4 oz corn sugar

A compromise of all factors yields the standard mash conditions for most homebrewers: a mash ratio of about 1.5 quarts of water per pound grain, pH of 5.3, temperature of 150-155°F and a time of about one hour. These conditions yield a wort with a nice maltiness and good fermentability.

>>30492
I've heard of quite a few types of wine (dandelion, carrot, onion, beet, cabbage), but never oak leaf. I must try this. Finally those oak trees blocking light from reaching my vegetables might be able to pull their weight (since I'm too lazy to make acorn flour)...

How's the taste?

>>30476

That's good information. I was thinking more along the lines of an energy source for the yeast.

Not plant extract but actual pure fructose to start them growing quickly and then add glucose later while preserving the airtight nature somehow.

Has anyone had experience with petite strains of yeast? As in, they can only ferment and cannot use oxygen for energy.

That would cut down on the air step tremendously as long as the environment was kept sterile.

>>30254
really? I learned a good deal. I might even give it a shot and prepare myself a gift for my 21st.

>>30507

I have no idea, I've never tasted one. Jack Keller posted 2 recipes, a young and old leaf wine. He said they yield totally different wines and to use the recipe that matches the leaves you harvested. However both versions of the recipe on his site are the same. I figured I had a 50/50 shot of not using the wrong one, so I ran with it.

If you decide to try it, I'd recommend fermenting in a primary (bucket) for 5-7 days before putting into the secondary. The prescribed method has resulted in a very slow fermentation (I'm guessing due to lower initial O2 levels). Bon chance, ami.

>>30492

Do you happen to live in an area with magnolias?

I'd love to know what wine made from its leaves tastes like.

>>29092
Yeast prefer certain pH levels. The strain of yeast you use should have some instructions in that regard, otherwise the manufacturer likely will. Too much (or too little, for that matter) may not necessarily kill off all your yeast, but it can severely stress them. And stressed yeast mean undesirable side-effects. Unless you happen to enjoy the taste of fusel alcohols.

>>30516

You need to do some more research. The 'air step' is a period where you build your yeast population. You do not want to circumvent it. You also don't need an energy source, as sugar is just that. You can also buy yeast nutrient at any brew supply shop. Match your yeast strain to your end goal.

Either ask at the brew supply store or check out the yeast comparison here:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/yeast.asp


Your local supply shop is your best friend here. You don't have to be 21 to buy components IIRC, so don't be shy about going in and asking around.

>>30537
I would be very surprised if you have to be 21. I'm only 26 and I've been brewing for four years now. I have NEVER been carded at a brewshop.

>>30526

No I don't. At least not that I'm aware of. Google [ingredient] + Recipe and you will find reviews of most wines on brew boards.

Peace out /DIY/. I'mma make like /fit/ and go for a run. See yall around.

Wait

Holy shit

I'm brewing cider... and I took the label off the bottle I'm brewing with. What do I find? A FUCKING HUGE bubble. Is this normal?

>>30537

>The 'air step' is a period where you build your yeast population.

I didn't mean "air step" I meant making the vessel airtight. There are strains of yeast that grow well enough through glycolysis and alcohol fermentation even in the presence of oxygen.

I was just curious if they have been used and if they're effective.

>You also don't need an energy source, as sugar is just that.

Well glucose is converted to fructose in the pathway and high fructose corn syrup is suspected of re-routing the glycolysis pathway, freeing up glucose to do other stuff in the body. I suppose this isn't a big deal in yeast though.

I'm not actually going to do any of this. I'm just curious if anyone has played with the strains and energy intakes of the yeast.

I know a lot of people go by "Ain't broke, don't fix it," philosophy but I enjoy tinkering and I have access to the materials to do so.

>>30572
The primary purpose of fermenting with airtight seals isn't to keep oxygen away from your yeast (although that helps). It's to keep everything else away from your fermentables. You do NOT want to crack open a frothy bottle of random airborne bacteria and botulism.

>>30579

Hmm, I thought it was because when yeast had access to oxygen it will preferentially produce energy from oxidative phosphorylation as it makes far more energy from glucose.

When the environment is oxygen free, the yeast has no other option to regenerate NAD+ then through alcohol fermentation.

>>30341
Where did you get those? I'd love some small barrels like that.

No offense, but you're clearly overthinking this while simultaneously lacking insight gleaned from actually practicing. I think it's more than worthwhile to start the traditional way (after all, things are generally done a certain way for a reason), THEN start tinkering.

Airlocks are there because the whole point of brewing is to make an environment that microorganisms fucking LOVE, and then keeping them all away so that your yeast can do their work and you won't die when you drink it.

Wait, how do you make sure you don't get sick from methanol poisoning?

>>30610
It's pretty damn hard to produce methanol in beer brewing unless you're performing some sort of truly bizarre experiment. It's just not an issue.

>>30466


I am intrigued by the prickly pear. My local Winco usually has cactus fruit in stock, how much would I need to make some cactus fruit wine?

>>30441
>>30441
you're in texas too, eh?

my spiced caramel apfelwien. Took a gallong of the pressed apple juice, added sugars, fermented. Added a wet caramel with brown sugar, cinnamon and other spices, let it sit, then backsweetened it some more. It's ready to bottle I've just been lazy.

>>30610
In the case of most home wine and beer you'll get alcohol poisoning before you consume enough to suffer damages from the extremely minute amount of methanol that might be present. Now improper distilling could easily concentrate the trace methanol to a toxic level but a brewing thread is hardly the place to discuss proper distilling. Actually, while legal in some places, fractional freezing and home distilling are both violations of United States Law and are thus a violation of global board rules when taken as they are written (I'm unsure how else one would take them). I've seen distilling threads on occasion on /ck/ that were not locked or removed but they may have merely been overlooked. It's a low traffic board that tends to police itself (doesn't bump stupidity, often quickly points out troll posts, etc) so there might be some unspoken trust that it's users won't kill themselves doing something stupid. We could start a separate home distilling thread here on /diy/ with the grounds that no information is exchanged prior to approval by Moot or a Mod but I'm pretty sure the topic won't fly for legal reasons. For proper distilling I'd just suggest lurking/learning via the HomeDistiller.org boards.

>>30983
San Antonio, born and raised. In Boerne now.

>>31076
Distilling ethanol is not illegal if you make it for ``fuel''


They don't really care about your safety anything, they just want the tax income.

>>30609
This too.

The most common contaminates won't harm you (maybe with the exception of those suffering form immunodeficiency). Mold is bad shit but it will stick out like Don King at a clan rally. Lactobacillus is pretty easily identified too. Some species are actually used in the making of things like kimchi, yogurt, sauerkraut, styles of wine and beer, etc. It is pretty much harmless save for that it might ruin the intended flavor of your batch. Brettanomyces, present on the skins of some fruits, is yet another. In some cases it is seen to benefit or add complexity to wine but is generally regarded as a contaminant in the case of beer (with some exceptions like lambics and traditional Belgian ales).

Basically if you find the end result visually disgusting (cobweb-like or hairy shit on top) or the taste unbearable you've likely had some kind of infection take hold. Aside from mold, which should be disposed out carefully to prevent it from spreading, an infection shouldn't hurt you but will probably have ruined the intended outcome of your brew.

Here is homebrewtalk's "Post Your Infection" thread which will give some visual references to what it or isn't infection/contamination:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/post-your-infection-71400/

>>31091
only if you add 10% or more gasoline content to it, which makes it undrinkable. You are also limited to an arbitrary number of gallons per annum.

>>31094
Yes but the construction of a distillery and instructions about how to do so are fine.

also
``air quotes''

>They don't really care about your safety anything, they just want the tax income.
... and this as well.

It is about money and let nobody try to convince you otherwise. Most of the fear surrounding distilling stems from prohibition era methods of production and shady practices that are still used for other illicit substances today.

Back in the day unscrupulous &/or ignorant people would do the following:
- Build their stills out of automobile parts (frequently radiators as a condensor). These parts frequently had lead solder on them and/or contained things like antifreeze. The resulting distillate was of course tainted with these things.
- "Cut" their moonshine with whatever they could to bulk up the final product. Sometimes this meant leaving in amounts of methanol or adding other adulterants. Again this frequently produced a toxic product.

Once more, you can see things like this in illicit drug trade today. "Soap bar" hash is often cut with something like shoe polish, cocaine is frequently cut with something like baby aspirin and heroin in ecstasy pills. When a product is a illegal then the people producing and selling it have no inspiration to hold any standards. There only goal becomes to sell as much as they can at as little cost to themselves as possible.

>>31130
Like a dumbass I just re-read this after, rather than before, submitting. Pardon the grammatical errors ("There" in place of "Their") and the overuse of the word "Frequently." I think I'm gonna re-enable lurk mode until I've had some more caffeine.

What's the best way to sterilize your equipment? I seem to recall my grandpa sterilizing his pear jars with a quick swig of rubbing alcohol which he just set ablaze, would that work?

>>31274
Diluted bleach and a carboy brush will do wonders if you've somehow gotten residue caked onto the sides of your carboy. A scrubber-sponge will do well for things you can actually get your hands into should you be fermenting with buckets. Rinse thoroughly with plain water afterward. Plain soap and water will work fine if nothing is grimy.

For sanitation: Google around for a nearby restaurant supply store and you can get no-rinse sink-sanitizer tablets/liquid or something like Star-San for soaking equipment (empty bottles, plastic/metal paddles, carboys, buckets, racking canes, airlocks, so on and so forth). I'll even rinse and reuse my tubing a few times before discarding it so long as it isn't showing signs of staining, scratches and the like. I rinse everything through the sanitizer right before use. After the brew session I'll rinse it all out with water and give it a second pass through the sanitizer before putting it all away. If I've got an extra set of hands and eyes during the session I'll rinse some stuff like my tubing during the boil so nothing has time to sit and stick/dry to it.

I don't recommend burning alcohol as a method of sterilization as rubbing alcohol isn't 100% pure and burning it will leave unwanted residue behind.

>>31274
spend eight dollars on a container of no rinse sanitizer.

emphasis on the NO RINSE part. I don't understand how people seem to misunderstand this, but if you sanitize with a no rinse sanitizer and then rinse it out you have just desanitized your shit. and also you are retarded.

Star san is a favorite, as it's basically just phosphoric acids, which break down into phosphates that act as yeast nutrient.

>31604
>31604
>31604
>31604

Right guys, this thread is a huge tl,dr so despite being pretty sure the answers are somewhere up in this clusterfuck I'll ask anyway.

1. Will plain old white sugar from the supermarket work?
2. What's this honey vs sugar debate? Using OP's recipe how do I use honey and is it preferred?
3. Could I simply keep this in the crack of a very low slanted wall, which would prevent the balloon from inflating straight up and therefore keep the condensation out? Or would that blow the whole thing?
4. Assuming I'm not using the balloon method, just get a hose, duct tape the opening over the cup, and stick the other end in a glass of water? Did I get that right? Also no, I'm not gonna go buy one. This is a fucking DIY board for Christ's sakes, I'd buy the fucking cider from walmart if I wanted to go shopping there.
5. Only 3 days? wat? Something about that doesn't sound right,

Only strawberries,.

>>31768

1. White sugar works, yep. Any sugar works to fuel the yeast.
2. Honey takes longer to ferment, but is tastier. You're basically making mead. Old-school.
3. what
4. yes
5. no; most beers/ciders/etc take like a month for all the sugars to get turned to alcohol. the longer you leave it, the better-tasting and higher-abv it will be.

Happy to have seen apfelwein mentioned! This was my first homebrewing success; easy as hell, tasty, and I still make a new batch every few months. I like to add hops to it while it ferments, gives it a nice floral bitter taste. I also rarely add the two pounds of extra sugar; it's less alcoholic that way, so I don't get TORE THE FUCK UP after like two glasses.

Apfelwein:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/man-i-love-apfelwein-14860/

>>32005

tl;dr Let it sit like that for a month then bottle and drink?

Also what's the bare minimum waiting time that would be required?

I've got a few questions. I just picked up a 5 gallon bucket last night, and an airlock. Im planing on making cider.

1. Can I use just a bottle or two of juice? Or do I need to fill bucket all the way up?
2. How much longer does honey take than sugar?

>>31768

If you are to 'busy' to read a thread that contains instructions and answers for the project you want to undertake, maybe DIY is not your you. Maybe, given your active lifestyle, you should look into buying finished products.

>>32044

You don't need to fill it all the way, but the more space you leave with just air in it, the more risk there is of some contaminant floating around in there.

Also, you want any air-chamber to be all CO2, which isn't very reactive. CO2 is given off by the yeast, so it naturally fills the air chamber. If your air chamber's bigger, though, all the CO2 may not be able to push out all the oxygen, and your drink can oxidize. With both oxidization and wild microbes, nothing will really harm you, but the taste can be kind of shitty. So I'd fill up the bucket with just an inch or two at the top, but you don't have to if you're feelin' risky.

As for honey versus sugar, it depends on the yeast strain and temperature. I've had batches of honey mead that are still fermenting after three months in the carboy. Sugar's more a matter of a week or so. In both cases, the longer you let it sit, the better the flavors become, but the difference is much more noticeable with honey.

>>32077
> given your active lifestyle

I guess all of us HBTfags should start tripping. Or not, whatever.

What is a carburetor used for? And do I need one for apfelwien?

>>32468
A carburetor regulates the flow of air and oxygen in your internal combustion engine. It's not strictly necessary for making apfelwine, but it can help to make transporting the ingredients and equipment much easier depending on the distance to your grocery store and homebrew/hardware shop.

>>32468
Carburetor? Even a google search for "carburetor" and "homebrew" turns up little pertaining to actual homebrewing of beer and wine. Are you asking how or if it is necessary to carbonate your brew? If so the short answer is that it isn't necessary.

The other answer is a little long-winded. If you want a bubbly/sparkling product and you're not using cornelius kegs (where you can charge them with co2 to force carbonate) then you need to calculate the proper amount of sugar to add to your brew prior to bottling. You boil the sugar into a enough water to take it all in, put the sugar-water into your bottling bucket and then rack your brew on top of it to evenly distribute. Then you bottle from the bucket. The sugars will give the yeast more food to eat triggering a second fermentation while they're in the bottles. Being in the air-tight environment the co2 has no place to go which forces the beverages to carbonate. You need either beer-bottles and caps or champagne bottles and the wires to hold the corks in. Too much sugar and you risk the pressure building up to the point where the bottles explode.

>>32495
>>32515
>>20243
Oh okay thanks. I was wondering if it was required since I didn't have one. So to make apfelwine I'd just put it in a 5 gallon fermentor instead? Or is there a simple way/item to use as a carburetor?

>>32578
>>32515
He was saying drive to the local homebrew shop, you bungholes.

>>32578
I think I've figured it out. You're thinking of a "Carboy" and not a "Carburetor." Carboys are the large glass jugs, typically 5 or 7 gallon. Glass ideal for homebrewing because it is perfectly air-tight and doesn't hold odors/flavors (try getting the smell out of a plastic pickle bucket some time!). Plastic fermentation buckets are certainly fine and significantly cheaper if you need to be thrifty.

Carboys and Fermentation Buckets *are* both fermentation vessels so yes again, either is fine. Ferm buckets usually already have a hole drilled with a rubber grommet and all you need to do is pop and airlock in. Carboys require you fit a blowoff tube or find a proper-sized drilled cork/stopper to stick the airlock into. Either way you've got the right idea:

- Sanitize whatever you'll be fermenting in
- Sanitize your tubing (if you're using a blowoff tube) or Airlock & Cork/Stopper and fill the airlock it with your sanitizer water or a neutral hard liquor like vodka or everclear
- Fill the Carboy or Bucket with your apple juice or grape juice or whatever, sugar and add your yeast and then agitate it (swish, swirl, shake) to work oxygen into the mix
- Stick your stopper/cork and airlock into the top of the jug or into the grommet of your bucket lid, or run your blowoff hose from the mouth of the carboy into a bucket of sanitizer water
- Let it ferment until it ceases to produce bubbles in your airlock/blowoff bucket. That will be a sign that fermentation has finished.

If you keep up with the hobby you might eventually want to invest in a graduated cylinder and a hydrometer so that you can take gravity readings. This will help you more easily determine if fermentation has finished and allow you to calculate a rough estimate of your brew's ABV.

I'll be awake for the next few minutes while I spam the thread with some example images for >>32578

I'll answer any questions asked during this period before I get me some sleep.

Here is an example of a Rubber Stopper & Airlock made to fit the neck of a jug/carboy. Stoppers come in various sizes so that you can find the right fit (1 gallon cider/wine jugs, 5/7 gallon carboys, big demijohns, etc). The airlock shown is a 3-piece airlock. You fill them about halfway with a sanitary solution like neutral alcohol or sanitizer solution diluted in water.

Here is the lid to a fermentation bucket with an S-type airlock fitted. You fill these airlocks until the liquid sits about halfway up the two bulbous sections. In the image CO2 produced by the used is being released so there is a bubble forcing its way through the lower U-section of the airlock. This is why right-side bulb appears to lack liquid. When the bubble pops through the liquid will resettle until the next bubble of CO2 begins to work its way through.

Depending on the prices of your local homebrew store you may be able to save a bit of change by going to local hardware store and making the bucket yourself. All you need to do is drill a hole in the lid and fit it with a rubber grommet. Forgive me as I don't recall the exact size off hand. If I had to eyeball it I'd say maybe 1/2 inch to 3/8 of an inch.

>>32659
Fermenting untill bubbles stop means that you have fermented out most-if-not-all of the sugar. This is going to guarantee a very-very dry beverage, note that the alcohol content will also be slightly higher.
Consider this before you ferment too an unpalatable beverage.
Anywho. I'm curious to know how I should carbonate a 5 gallan batch of hard cider; i've used ale yeast and two pounds of honey. Also, what should I store it in? As I am a 4channer consider that I am a slothful and poor individual.

>>32717
gallon.
Also, I use the cheapest vodka available for the liquid in my air lock. If anyone is interested.

>>32716
where did you get a bucket to ferment in? is it rated for food?

And finally an example of what looks like a 5-gallon carboy fitted with a blowoff tube. I believe a 1" outer-diameter tube should fit 3 and 5 gallon carboys perfectly. If you don't have a lot of headspace in your carboy I highly advise a blowoff tube because the foam ("krausen") the yeast produces will often blow up and out of airlocks making a bit of a mess. Using a blowoff tube the krausen will just get expelled through the tube into the second container/bucket/cup.

I'll stay up a few more minutes just in case and then I gotta get some sleep.

>>32717
This is a good question and my limited experience does not allow me to give you a proper answer. I rarely have residual sugars left over when I brew. I try to take into account the alcohol tolerance of the yeast I'm using and only feed them accordingly (my experience is limited to beers and dry ciders/meads; my sweet meads being the result of low tolerance yeast). If you're halting fermentation early you may need to look into force carbonation as restarting fermentation runs the risk of bottle bombs. It may be possible to kill the yeast with something like sulfites and then introduce a lower tolerance yeast for carbonation process but I've not attempted it myself.

>>32729
I'm using Google Image searches for my example images but yes, that should be a food grade bucket. Buckets from homebrew stores will certainly be rated for food and hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot frequently carry food-grade buckets.

>>32740

If you don't feel like fooling around with blowoff hoses (like me), you can also just use a 7 gallon carboy and brew 5 gallon batches. This will give you enough head room in your vessel to allow for the foam and still let you use a good ol S airlock.

>>32772
how do i seal the bucket airtight? duct tape?

Since it sound like most of the people asking question in this thread don't have or want the equipment necessary to make booze properly I give you this. The DIY toilet wine instructions.

>>32776
It will have a lid, attach the lid properly, it doesn't need to be a NASA grade seal.

>>32740

Oh man, speaking of the foam making a mess, one time I was dry-hopping a fermenting saison, and the hops clogged up the fermentation lock, because -- like an idiot -- it didn't occur to me to use a blowoff tube instead. So I went away for the weekend, not realizing that the pressure was building in the carboy. Eventually, the fermentation lock shot out of the top like a cannon, and beer foamed out everywhere. My roommate was SO MAD

>>32776
Not at all. A food-grade bucket will provide a tight enough seal. In truth most any bucket will (but you want food grade for brewing) which is why paint doesn't immediately dry out when kept in plastic paint buckets.

>>32790
Haha. You're not officially a homebrewer if you've never had to mop your ceiling!

Yeah, you don't actually need that tight a seal; just enough to keep wild airborne microbes from getting in the bucket. You could even just place a sterile piece of wood or plastic over the top if you're not worried about accidentally knocking it off.

>>32792
>>32788
word. thanks.

would a rubber o-ring i could get from hd or lowes be ok for a seal on the airlock?

>>32801
Not an o-ring. They make a seal when pressed between things. It is specifically called a grommet and has a ridge around the inside. An o-ring wouldn't say in place because it lacks that ridge. But yeah, a grommet from the hardware store would be fine. Dunk it in your sanitizer with your lid before you install it. If the krausen ever rises to the point where it touches the bottom of your lid the grommet and lid might get a little gunked up. Before your next brew session just be sure to pop the grommet out and scrub it and the lid with some sanitizer-water solution before using them again.

>>32801
I would recommend a rubber bung. That is exactly what you are looking for and they can be paid for with the change in your pocket.

>>32819
I meant a ridge around the middle of the outside edge*, not the inside.

>>32820
can you get those at hd/lowes?

Okies all, I'm getting my rest. Ask any questions you please no matter how basic/stupid you're worried they are. You're anonymous if you choose to be and only stupid if you don't ask. One of our many homebrewers, many more experienced than I, should give you an answer or I'll my best myself upon awaking.

Keep your yeasty beasties happy!

>>32837
No idea, but you could call them up and ask.

>>32837
Yes indeed:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?keyword=rubber+grommet

http://www.lowes.com/SearchCatalogDisplay?Ntt=rubber+grommet

I sleep nao! :3

>>32857
or just ask in person when getting my buckets!

>/diy/ brewers obsessed with sanatization
>Multi-step tube cleaning process
>Nobody suggests copper pipe

.

what is the best sanitizing solution? diluted bleach or vinegar?

if it's bleach how do i wash the bleach out? water rinse?

how long will packaged yeast last?

>>20379
spend the money on a glass carboy, and the stopper for fermentation. Its worth it.

Question:

Only brewing a liter of cider here. How much should I let it there? three days?

>>33100

I'd say a month at the very least. If you can see your cider, you can tell when it is fermenting because you will be able to see the CO2 bubbles. However, fermentation will slow down significantly as your yeast move from their preferred sugar source to other sugars in the mead.

If you're just looking for the novelty of your own cider and a way to get drunk, a month will produce pretty much all the ethanol you'll get out of your brew. However, if you're looking for more refined results, I'd say 2-3 months. This being your first time, I'd say make 2 batches: drink the first one after a month, then the second one in 3 months just so you can appreciate the difference.

>>33133

>sugars in the mead

woops I meant cider lol

I once made some mead. I used the "make-a-fucking-hash-of-it" method. Rocket fuel was the result.

>>33139
how much yeast did you use?

>>33059
STAR SAN
>>33100
uh, no. probably a week or two.


also I am totally being a snob but if you've got a soda bottle of cider that you've haphazardly thrown a bit of extra sugar and some yeast into you're not brewing.

yeah you're making cider but you're not brewing. That's like saying you're an awesome guitarist because you play rock band on expert.

>>33257
it most likely has nothing to do with how much yeast he used. yeast does not equal alcohol output. Yeast are living creatures and can only survive in certain solutions and once the alcohol level reaches a certain point they begin to die. Yeast also procreate like fucking crazy, so using one packet of yeast (like a few grams or so) is totally acceptable for five gallons of homebrew, whether it's beer, wine, cider, or mead.'
It probably has everything to do with the fact that he made mead and didn't age it for a few years before drinking it. I have some I made last march for my girlfriend's birthday in may. Sucked in may. Sucked in august. Left it alone until this may and took a bottle with us on a camping trip. Delicious.

the rule with mead is if it tastes like crap wait a year.
repeat.
repeat.
repeat.
repeat.

>>33509
also he may not have given any yeast nutrient for to help with the mead, but if anything I believe that would end up lowering the alcohol content.

>>33497
>That's like saying you're an awesome guitarist because you play rock band on expert.

Sounds fair.


I'm thinking on doing some vodka next. Could anyone care to share some recipes?

bump

deal of the day.


ah gots me a keggle now.


also because I bought all the stuff to brew I wanted to brew today. Had a friend who was going to help and I waited until about 10pm until finding out he was bailing on me. Didn't get started brewing until 11ish, it's 4:11 a.m. now and I'm letting my wort cool.

I'm excited about my first batch of all grain beer but I'm also tired as a motherfucker.

when brewing cider is there a smell? how bad is it? i live in an apartment