Brewing

This is a repository of my brewing experiments and experiences. I do not guarantee the accuracy of anything here and any attempt to apply this information is made at your own risk, but it WorkedForMe(TM) (except where noted).

• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Process

Recipes

All of these are based on the above process. The instructions are mostly just an aid to memory for me.

• My Standard Bulk Cider

• Treacle Cider

• My Standard Bulk Mead

• Lemon Mead

• Maple and Ginger Mead (experimental)

• Spiced Mead (experimental)

• English Heather honey, Orange and Ginger Mead (experimental)

• Chilli Mead (experimental)

Logs

• Mead batches
• Cider batches

General Notes

• Brewing cider and mead is really really easy.
  • Bottling is really boring though.
• Adding lots of honey to something forgives a multitude of sins.

Sources of Ingredients

• Apple juice found in supermarkets and intended for drinking as-is will work for cider, but ensure that it's pure juice.

  • Pure juice plus antioxidants (eg. ascorbic acid) is fine.
  • Drinking juice tends to lack tannins, which would give it a dry or sharp taste. I add tea to try to work around this.
  • Drinking juice tends to lose a lot of flavour during fermentation (depending on yeast, etc). Backsweetening may be desired. Adding a bit of molasses gives the cider extra flavour too.

• Honey is best bought in bulk, from a responsible source.

  • My current source (UK): https://www.payneshoney.co.uk/
  • We should seek to support beekeepers as much as possible, particularly if using a lot of honey.
  • But I did start out using supermarket honey and I still use it for small spur-of-the-moment experiments.

• Blackstrap molasses can be easily found in health food shops and on Amazon.

  • The type I usually use is this one.
  • It's slightly bitter and has a distinctive burnt-sugary smell.

The Brewery