General Chat

In the 70's we made a lot of wine from all sorts of fruits,flowers,and rice.
One of our favourites was dandelion which we made in a carboy holding 11 gallons!
One of the others that I remember well..We made some prune wine out of prunes my m'i'l had left over from the season in her guest house.We distilled a little bit in a "Heath Robinson" contraption and a friend who was an analytical chemist tested it for proof.
The result came back..........
It was 70%,as near to gin as you could get it ,and How the h*** did you make it!
Brenda x

Some years ago my uncle made some beer. He was so proud of it he took a bottle round to my grandmothers to show her. Unfortunately it exploded all over her piano and the wall my dad had just painted for her!
My uncle stuck to dandelion wine after that - light, flowery and slightly sparkly.

Marrow wine was an excellent one.......for some reason it had an after taste that was reminiscent of toast ? We tried to make it a second time but it wasn't anywhere as nice as the first attempt.

Yes Eldrick........I agree that Elderberry is better blended . We did a " Fruits of the Forest " Elderberry , Bramble and Raspberry.......it was divine and only a hint of wooden tongue to follow.

On that note - off to church give thanks for an excellent day :-)

Teresa........isn't it such fun to get unsuspecting visitors drunk on a sunny afternoon.....lol
One of my friends had to be carted home in a wheel barrow once.....she still laughs about it now.

I like the sound of the Plum wine : )) We have had over enthusiastic fermentation before , I think it was the Rhubarb.........that was vicious stuff if you went over the top with it..........the next day you would just double up with the bends...........lol

Shut up Eldrick LOL

Rhubarb...that was a good one though.

I used a pack of Bordeaux yeast for my elderberry, gave it better depth of flavour than a blended yeast.

I think there's a spot for you on *food and drink* Eldrick.........your last comment is just what it needs lolololol xx

I generally mix the bramble and elderberry, seems to come out smoother on the pallet, you know, like hedgerow fruits with a hint of liquorice and the tang of dark chocloate, mellow but potent, etc.

I really like rhubarb wine - the golden colour is like that of a field of ripe golden corn, gently waving in the soft evening breeze, reflecting the dying bronze disc of the setting sun as it dips below the cloudless horizon.

But it makes me fart.

We went to collect Damsons one year on a quiet country lane , we had climbed over the fence into the field ( more fruit on that side of the tree ), we heard voices , a real " werthers originals " type Grandfather telling his Grandson all about how the Damsons would be perfect next week..few more days sunshine etc..........poor old boy must have been really disappointed when he returned a few days later....lol

I havent brewed wine for a good number of years now, and flogged all my equipment, but it is something I mean to take up again eventually, if I ever get a place big enough.

Hmmm...Plum....explosive fermentation in the first few weeks, bit difficult to clear, but worth all the effort...gets you drunk from the toes up, so your head's ok, but the legs belong to someone else LOL
(me, then hubby, and neighbours all sitting on their front lawn, three bottles of the stuff between us, chatting away...couldn't get up, none of us!)

Beetroot...not great taste, but very potent. Sent neighbour home drunk as a skunk, he only came round to borrow a drill LOL

Elderberry, better than grape IMO

Parsnip....forget it bleurrrggghhh, like cough medicine.

blackberry yummy..

Hello Eldrick........I haven't indulged in Elderberry wine for a few years now ,
I used to drink far to much and end up with " wooden tongue" in the morning.....lol

It is a great " hobby " isn't it......a proper cottage industry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmuV9KUg3yo

Good reason why it's a bad idea LOLOLOLOL xx

One of my favourite topics :-)

The cellar's full of demijohns bubbling nicely away. Just set some broom away last week, and last autumns stock of bramble, elderberry, damson and sloe is doing just fine.

The highs and lows...................over the years we have brewed some wonderful wines and beautiful beers.........but there are always the disasters as well.
At the moment we have five demi-johns of Huckleberry wine maturing in the loft....I thought it was going to be a brilliant deep blue colour but now it looks black and rather satanic , which is somewhat off putting.
Mead is the best.....if you've never brewed it , I highly recommend it ( and oddly I cannot stand the taste of Honey).

Have you brewed any wine etc and how did it turn out ?

Amanda