Hello from the real Nor-cal

I'ma pass on the spruce beer I reckon. *Maybe* I'll make a spruce soda someday though.

I will definitely be making Imperial IPA/Double IPA. Also English IPA, American IPA, Belgian IPA, Black IPA, Brown IPA, Red IPA, and White IPA. Gonna be a rainbow colored brew storm of IPA.
 
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Made 10 gallons of Belgian IPA yesterday. It's a SMASH (Single Malt And Single Hops). The malt is an heirloom English variety called Maris Otter. The hops are USA Cascade. In five gallons I used a Belgian Abbey yeast (BE-256); in the other five gallons I used a Belgian Trappist yeast (T-58). It's an England meets Belgium meets USA mash-up weighing in at around 7% and a pound of hops in 10 gallons.

Next up is a more standard USA Double IPA. It'll also be a SMASH. It'll use USA 2-row Klages pale malt, Columbus hops and S-05 yeast.

Happy Zombie Day!
 
Kegged 20 gallons of Plum WIne and Cherry Wine today.
I think I'll make 10 gallons of Double IPA tomorrow.

Interesting things about being a homebrewer:
  1. Measuring booze in gallons
  2. Having 50 gallons of booze in the closet
  3. Having 50 gallons of booze in the closet and thinking it's not *really* that much, so planning the next 50 gallons
 
Kegged 20 gallons of Plum WIne and Cherry Wine today.
I think I'll make 10 gallons of Double IPA tomorrow.

Interesting things about being a homebrewer:
  1. Measuring booze in gallons
  2. Having 50 gallons of booze in the closet
  3. Having 50 gallons of booze in the closet and thinking it's not *really* that much, so planning the next 50 gallons
You know there's a difference between a home brewer and an alcoholic, right? ;)
I made a (one!) gallon of black cherry liqueur once, all natural and hand squeezed, so much juice it looked quite black. :cool:
It might have been too much juice, probably didn't work, but I never got to try the finished product because I left it in the shared house when I moved out, and I couldn't go back because I stole their dog. :oops:
 
You know there's a difference between a home brewer and an alcoholic, right? ;)
I made a (one!) gallon of black cherry liqueur once, all natural and hand squeezed, so much juice it looked quite black. :cool:
It might have been too much juice, probably didn't work, but I never got to try the finished product because I left it in the shared house when I moved out, and I couldn't go back because I stole their dog. :oops:
Haha, yeah. I'm a very moderate drinker. I do love to brew though. All the wine is fruit from my own trees.
You should make more black cherry! No such thing as too much juice. 100% juice is the best for wine. You can add a pound or two of sugar per gallon to give it more kick if you want. And use a quality yeast, it makes all the difference.
You stole their dog?! Ruthless!
 
Haha, yeah. I'm a very moderate drinker. I do love to brew though. All the wine is fruit from my own trees.
You should make more black cherry! No such thing as too much juice. 100% juice is the best for wine. You can add a pound or two of sugar per gallon to give it more kick if you want. And use a quality yeast, it makes all the difference.
You stole their dog?! Ruthless!
Idk, I think you can have too much acidity for any yeast to thrive, and slow fermentation invites infection. A too acidic (or not acidic enough) brew doesn't taste right anyway, even adding sugar doesn't alter the acid. Besides I would have been able to make more by adding water to it. 1 litre of pure juice could make up to 1 UK gallon (4.5l) of liqueur. :)
Yeah technically I stole her, but I was justified. I had been the only one training her, walking her up to 100 miles per week with my bike, teaching her to swim the full width of the lake nearby.. I wasn't a dognapper, I just couldn't leave her to get bored to death in that house.
 
That's a good point! I never considered that it might be too acidic for yeast to thrive. I haven't had that problem, but my fruit is not so acidic I guess.

I hear you about the acid and flavor. It's a fairly narrow band that tastes balanced. Sometimes my wine is a bit too sour and sometimes it's a bit insipid. I could blend it I guess, but I probably won't. The wine that I add 2 pounds of sugar per gallon comes out strong and sweet (a bit like plum sake). It's dangerous!

Sounds more like you liberated the dog than stole her. Good on ya.
 
That's a good point! I never considered that it might be too acidic for yeast to thrive. I haven't had that problem, but my fruit is not so acidic I guess.

I hear you about the acid and flavor. It's a fairly narrow band that tastes balanced. Sometimes my wine is a bit too sour and sometimes it's a bit insipid. I could blend it I guess, but I probably won't. The wine that I add 2 pounds of sugar per gallon comes out strong and sweet (a bit like plum sake). It's dangerous!

Sounds more like you liberated the dog than stole her. Good on ya.
One of the problems with drupes (cherries, plums, nectarines, etc) and some other fruits like apples and pineapples is that a lot of the acid that is in them is malic acid. It's a very strong, very sour tasting acid.

Even using only one 1 litre carton of pineapple juice in a 4.5 litre brew, I found my pineapple liqueur far too sour to drink even when I tried to encourage a malolactic fermentation (MLF) by leaving it on the lees for a few weeks after the primary yeast fermentation has finished. I think this is because of the sterilisation of the carton juice.

Lactic acid is considerably less acidic than the malic acid, less sour tasting and a little bit buttery.
The drawback of the MLF is a loss of fruity fragrance, so perhaps blending could be preferable to MLF at times?

I enjoyed my pineapple liqueur blended (in the glass) with orange liqueur and freshly made banana juice (lethal concoction!). The gum that makes banana a PITA to brew
really smooths it out when it's added immediately before drinking. It's a faff to make banana juice though! Much nicer if you can just open a bottle and enjoy. :)

That's one thing I haven't tried, actually making the malolactic fermentation happen by adding some of the Oenococcus Oeni bacteria when the yeast fermentation has finished.
 
One of the problems with drupes (cherries, plums, nectarines, etc) and some other fruits like apples and pineapples is that a lot of the acid that is in them is malic acid. It's a very strong, very sour tasting acid.

Even using only one 1 litre carton of pineapple juice in a 4.5 litre brew, I found my pineapple liqueur far too sour to drink even when I tried to encourage a malolactic fermentation (MLF) by leaving it on the lees for a few weeks after the primary yeast fermentation has finished. I think this is because of the sterilisation of the carton juice.

Lactic acid is considerably less acidic than the malic acid, less sour tasting and a little bit buttery.
The drawback of the MLF is a loss of fruity fragrance, so perhaps blending could be preferable to MLF at times?

I enjoyed my pineapple liqueur blended (in the glass) with orange liqueur and freshly made banana juice (lethal concoction!). The gum that makes banana a PITA to brew
really smooths it out when it's added immediately before drinking. It's a faff to make banana juice though! Much nicer if you can just open a bottle and enjoy. :)

That's one thing I haven't tried, actually making the malolactic fermentation happen by adding some of the Oenococcus Oeni bacteria when the yeast fermentation has finished.
I'm just going to get my beer and delicious liquors from the store... Last thing I need is the CDC knocking on my door again over strange smells from my house and an awkward PayPal history.
 
I'm just going to get my beer and delicious liquors from the store... Last thing I need is the CDC knocking on my door again over strange smells from my house and an awkward PayPal history.
Don't be put off by the technical babble! There are kits for popular beers and grape wines from concentrates, which are very simple and easy to brew. The major advantage over store bought is the much lower price per bottle and the satisfaction of not feeling exploited for tax. :)
Making your own unique wine/liqueur rocket fuel with other fruits isn't too complicated either once you get confident and have the basic equipment..
It's as simple as building your own unique MB. :)
 
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