Introduce Yourselves here

[Myles]

Hi There. I'm Myles from Sunny Somerset. Still trying to find my way round the site but it looks good so far. Well done to whoever set it all up. I have a question. Made some beer on Saturday using the seidel braumeister and it has now been in the fermenting barrel since Saturday night but it hasn't started fermenting yet ( no bubbles). I left it in the kitchen with a heat band on it but have moved it into the airing cupboard ( average temp of 22%). Wondering if the yeast is dead or it just takes longer to get going as no sugar was added ( unlike the 5KG added to the Elderflower ) sitting beside it. Any pointers? Thanks

[Cellar_Rat]

ooooo seidel braumeister. Now that got my attention straightaway !!

Presumably the all grain brew part of the process went okay? Did you start the yeast separately or sprinkle on top? After the boiling, was there an opportunity for the wort to get lots of air into it. Yeast needs air it is a living organism.

[oliver90owner]

Hi Myles,

What was the OG?

For that matter what is it now? (not too good to keep doing SG tests unnecessarily, mind).

What makes you think it has not started to ferment? 'Not bubbling' is not a an indication that fermentation has not started or is not progressing

What temperature did you pitch at?

Yeast age (best before date) and storage conditions might be useful to make a guess as to viabiity.

Don't know about that particular brew, but 22 dgrees seems too warm for most beer beer fermentation. Anything sitting on the side in our kitchen would be warm enough to start without any extra heat, I would think, at this present time (I'm in Lincolnshire).

[Mosel]

Hello everybody,

another new one over here. My name is Mandy, 33 years old and living on the country side near London. My mum used to make her own ciders and wine, and I'm giving it a try aswell. At the moment I'm trying to make a cider of Elderflowers, or as I got to know them from my German mum as: Holünderbluten. I've made a syrup a few times of it allready, which you can combine with other alcoholic drinks, but now I would like to make a cider or wine of it.

Well, you'll see me around here!

[Neil Ward]

Hi Mandy,

We've got an elderflower wine on the go right now (have made cordial a couple of times and wanted to try something new), that was our first just over a month ago. Since then we've also started strawberry, wine #1, rhubarb and our latest, tinned apricot wine.
Be prepared to get bitten by the bug!!

Debbie

[Cellar_Rat]

Be prepared to get bitten by the bug!!

Debbie

You got it right there, this bug has claws and teeth

Welcome aboard both

[Mosel]

Thanks to both of you! And strawberry sounds pretty good aswell. I wish you good luck!

[lockwood1956]

Have a look at the new winemaker series of wines, they are all easy to make and taste good too!

regards
Bob

[CharlieHarper]

Hi i've just started looking in here as i'm homebrewing again after many years away from it and think the site is great, very informative, just whats needed for me anyway.

I'm more into trying my own brews now as opposed to kits only, when i was younger.

First batch was 2 months ago used a wilco lager kit 40 pint added a 610g jar of malt extract from holland and barret and added a jar of honey to the sugar then bottled when ready, its all gone. I did notice a difference in the sugar used, half the bottles were primed with a teaspoon of tate and lyle sugar and half with a teaspoon of muntons spray malt. The tate and lyle was all fizz whereas the spray malt was more subtle and a better head.

I bought a 25kg muntons light malt extract(still have plenty left) and some hallertau mittelfrueh and brewers gold hops with lager yeast and made 2 batches of lager 1 more floral(hallertau) and 1 equal amounts of both hops and boiled for longer. Both results were interesting and drinkable.

I have an elderflower champagne which is still bubbling away and makes the house smell like cake mix(the kids) a kind of sweet lemony banana but we did pick some cats pee flowers which ended up in the bin, used Vinters s9 champagne yeast. I have read i will need proper champagne bottles for this and cages as well? i'm on the hunt through friends etc for the bottles.

I bought 4 corny kegs and fittings for a home filtration system, a water housing and 1 micron filters for lager, ales and ciders etc. but to my dismay have found i need a license for a co2 bottle to run it?

keep up the good work, cheers.

[Cellar_Rat]

I bought 4 corny kegs and fittings for a home filtration system, a water housing and 1 micron filters for lager, ales and ciders etc. but to my dismay have found i need a license for a co2 bottle to run it?

Welcome aboard

It sounds like the bug has bitten you firmly in the wallet already. I don't think you'll be disappointed homebrew and home winemaking has come on our long way recently.

Let us know how you get on.

[lockwood1956]

but to my dismay have found i need a license for a co2 bottle to run it?

there are ways around it

speak to normannumpa who deals on ebay

[lockwood1956]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/normannumpa/m.html?item=321150600028&pt=UK_Home_Garden_Food_SM&hash=item4ac611435c&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

[lockwood1956]

or here

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Co2-Gas-bottle-Free-Co2-for-Mig-Welding-Home-brew-Aquariums-Co2-Cylinders-55-/141021604988?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Food_SM&hash=item20d58aec7c

they are pick up only from Doncaster (near me) and we have a scottish contingent coming down here for grapefest in september (you could come too )

[Rich]

but to my dismay have found i need a license for a co2 bottle to run it?

Have a look at Hobbyweld cylinders, they now do food grade CO2. I eventually got BOC to rent me a co2 cylinder for a few £ a month, but I've had the same one since last year..

[CharlieHarper]

Cheers guys thanks for the welcome and info. I hadn't thought about making wine from grapes but the seed has been planted.

I'll let you know how i get on.

best of luck