Last updated
05 February 2012
Quest for the Good Life 
Beer, Wine & Cider Making
Home brewed wines and beers have had been something that we have always wanted to
do more than we ever actually have. Like many others, the kits, the fruits and ingredients
list have been assembled, made into what looks like wine or beer. On most occasions
the results have been quite good, but it’s the next follow on batch that has lost
the enthusiasm to keep a succession going. We make a good batch of wine from elderberries
or even a wine kit and then we tend to focus on enjoying it rather than getting the
next one ready.
We now hope that with maturity and dedication to the cause, we can focus more on producing a steady flow rather than glut and then famine as has been the historical record (although glut has not really happened). This will not be easy. Hedgerow fruits are seasonal and you have to get “into gear” in the autumn. Rather than this flurry of activity towards the end of the year, it would be preferable to get recipes that are spread across the seasons. That way production is more evened out.
We prefer to make beers and wines as natural as possible. What does this mean? Well you can read about additives to home brews and wines. Chemicals for clearing, enzymes etc etc.. We don’t say they are not useful, but we try not to use anything other than ingredients and yeast. We don’t think the results are perhaps as “refined” as they could be but we know they are basic, honest and as natural as possible.
Then there is the question of cost. There has to be an economic reason to brew it. If it costs more than commercial products but tastes worse then there would be no point bothering. So “value”, “natural ingredients” and “satisfaction” are the key themes to our home brewing activities.
What equipment do we use?
Very simply, the least possible to get the results we want. A plastic bin is always a good idea for mashing fruit, brewing beer etc. You need the size to hold everything, and in the case of beers up to 40 pints of water. A pipe to move the liquid from one vessel to another. Some bottles. We don’t use glass, instead we save and recycle fizzy drinks bottles. We find these really good, they are made to hold pressure, and they cost nothing!
We have three demijohns (could always use more), these are glass bottles that hold wine whilst it is fermenting. They have bung with plastic chimneys (called fermentation air locks) to let the fermenting gas out. Cheaply purchased from high street shops or on line brewing stores.
Then we call upon kitchen equipment, scales, measuring jugs and heating equipment and that’s it really. As always “Keep it simple”
Cleanliness
Now this is important. The brewing process is basically creating a fruit or malt mash, charged with the energy of sugar. This super food enriched liquid appeals to the yeast, but it also appeals to bacteria and nasty things that can spoil your end product. So you must clean all your equipment well and sterilise. Now you can buy special brewing cleaners etc, but we use household bleaches etc and rinse them really well before use. Never had any problems so far so it must work. If in doubt wash it, sterilise it.
Once the yeast has done its bit, the alcohol level keeps the wine or beer from going off. That’s if it hangs around long enough!
Basically that’s it. We have split this section into Beers and Wines. It’s still growing as we produce stuff. There are some unusual things like extracting Birch Sap to make wine and using Nettles instead of hops. Some of this is experimental and may or may not work.
Follow our efforts, try some yourself. Cheers!