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Homebrewing: Difference between revisions
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Making alcohol is very easy. Brewing up something alcoholic that you can actually drink is a little trickier, but too much. This article will show you how to brew your own beer. | Making alcohol is very easy. Brewing up something alcoholic that you can actually drink is a little trickier, but not too much. This article will show you how to brew your own beer. | ||
== Alcohol == | == Alcohol == | ||
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The above method will generally yield an alcoholic level of about 4.5% (usually between 4% and 5%, depending on temperatures, sugars, amount of wort, etc). But to get a more exact measurement of alcohol it's worth buying a hydrometer. This will measure the specific gravity of the liquid. You make a measurement before adding yeast (no alcohol) and a measurement when you bottle the beer (after first fermentation, with alcohol). By comparing the two values you can work out the alcohol level. | The above method will generally yield an alcoholic level of about 4.5% (usually between 4% and 5%, depending on temperatures, sugars, amount of wort, etc). But to get a more exact measurement of alcohol it's worth buying a hydrometer. This will measure the specific gravity of the liquid. You make a measurement before adding yeast (no alcohol) and a measurement when you bottle the beer (after first fermentation, with alcohol). By comparing the two values you can work out the alcohol level. | ||
== Recipes == | |||
=== Metheglin Mead === | |||
This mead is known as metheglin (spiced mead). It is brewed using a method taken from a 13th Century English text called "Tractatus de Magnete et Operationibus Eius", and this is where the three days and three nights method comes from, as well as the airing period of one night. The tract also calls for dregs from a previous brew to be used instead of yeast, but the recipe below uses yeast. | |||
Ingredients: | |||
* 4 litres of good quality still water | |||
* 3 strips of lemon rind | |||
* 3 strips of orange rind | |||
* 2 broken cinnamon sticks | |||
* 3 whole cloves | |||
* 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger | |||
* 2 lb of honey | |||
* 2 teaspoons of Allinson's Active Yeast | |||
Method: | |||
1. Bring 1 litre of water to simmering point. | |||
2. Add spices (lemon, orange, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, cloves) to the water and allow to boil gently for about 10 minutes. | |||
3. Take off the boil and strain the liquid to remove the spices. | |||
4. Mix the honey into the hot (not boiling) water. | |||
5. Heat the must (liquid with spices and honey) and bring it to a gentle boil. A white scum will begin to form on the surface. This scum is made of wax and turpines from the honey. It MUST be completely removed. Failure to do so will cause hangovers so bad that the Vikings believed they were only fit for the gods. | |||
6. Pour the must into a keg and mix in the remaining water. Make an initial gravity reading at this point. | |||
7. Allow the must to cool to a temperature for effective yeast activation, then sprinle the yeast onto the must. | |||
8. Seal and airlock the keg. | |||
9. Leave in the keg for three days and three nights. | |||
10. After the third night, pour the mead into open containers and cover with a clean cloth to stop dust getting in. Leave for one more night. | |||
11. Bottle the mead. | |||
The mead is now ready to drink, but further aging of the mead is recommended to allow it to develop its flavour. | |||
[[Category:HowTo]] | [[Category:HowTo]] | ||