Your Five Favorite Beers

[NCxM50]

Cider! Beer is good, but I'm just not a fan of bitter.
And no, I'm not talking about Hornsby's or Cider Jack, I mean the good stuff!

Woodchuck (Amber or 802 are the best)
Magners - in the bottle is good, but draft is fantastic.
Strongbow.

There are a few French brands, but they tend to be a bit too sweet for me. The Magners draft is the best though, just difficult to find except in Irish pubs, of which there are very few around here.

[intimid8er]

I make a mean cider too.

The last batch will crush your skull. Smooth and dry going down.

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by intimid8er

Sean..you've been gone a while. In addition to the BBQ...I make beer now.

Hey, ANYONE can make Budwiser. Go to your favorite microbrewery, drink yourself happy, then relieve the pressure in your bladder into a bucket.

Fill longneck bottles with the contents of the bucket, but a crown on top, and stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Voila ... Budwiser.

[omegajim]

Fill longneck bottles with the contents of the bucket, but a crown on top, and stick it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Voila ... Budwiser.

that's some of your best work; but I've only been posting here a couple of years.

[stp1971]

Originally Posted by intimid8er

Sean..you've been gone a while. In addition to the BBQ...I make beer now.

Holy Batcrap!!! Well,, I see another visit to the great state of Florida to see Tim of Tampa is in order soon. Hmmm.... maybe New Years in Tampa?

[omegajim]

had an uncle who made beer; it was a fair amount of work for 2 cases at a time.

reminds me, need to by some apples and make wine one of these days.

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by omegajim

had an uncle who made beer; it was a fair amount of work for 2 cases at a time.

reminds me, need to by some apples and make wine one of these days.

Jim.

Go to Wal-Mart. Get you a Gallon of Apple Juice. $2.39. And a 1/4 lb of sugar. If there's a wine making shop in town...get a pack of Montrachet Champagne yeast (no more than two bucks).

Pour out about half. Pour sugar into the container. Shake real well to dissolve. Pour remaining juice in container until there's about 1" of headspace left.

If you don't have a purpose built airlock. Simply drape aluminum foil over the mouth of the container, and loosely secure it. Or alternatively, fasten a latex glove on tightly with rubber bands. The escaping gas will expand the glove without letting any air in. You can always substitute a condom if you lack the glove. Makes for an interesting conversation piece.


If you lack a wine making shop in the area, and don't feel like spending money on the internet for a two dollar pack of yeast....I suppose you could use a package of bread yeast, but I'd favor putting the mixture in a shallow container, covering it with cheesecloth, and leaving it outdoors for a couple of days. Preferably if you have some sort of apple or fruit trees nearby, set it amidst them. If not. Just set it outdoors. Within' forty-eight to seventy-two hours you should see signs of fermentation. Bring it in, and rack it quietly (gently) back into it's container, and rig an airlock as I mentioned above.

[intimid8er]

Side note for anyone that wants to try the above recipe. That is just one gallon. Jim doesn't strike me as a big drinker so I recommended one gallon. That would get you five, almost six 22 oz bombers. You can scale upward as appropriate. Also, you can play with the sugar to juice mixture to make it stronger...it just requires more time to A.) ferment, and B.) mellow out...because you'll be making rocket fuel. My current batch was a 1:1 ratio, and I forgot to take my starting gravity, so I have no idea how strong it is. But I do know it can drop the most experienced drunk like Marlin Perkins shooting a rhino with a tranquilizer gun.

I make five gallons at a time, which gives me two cases and six pack. With the Hard Cider, I sometimes bottle it in bombers, and 12 oz'ers to take to parties and give as gifts.

Bottling....Without investing in the gear I have...I don't see any harm in bottling it in reusable PET soda bottles...but you'll still have a weak seal....Ideally...keep an eye on Craigslist for Grolsch swing top bottles. They'll maintain pressure and stay sterile. If you can't find freebies or cheapies on Craigslist....let's face it..if you're looking to make hooch...you drink...go buy some Grolsch or any other beer in swing top bottles and soak 'em when you're done. 1 Gallon will make you about ten bottles. So drink accordingly.

And...sterility is key here. Soak your bottles in a mixture of 1 scoop of Oxyclean to 1 gal of water. Rinse properly and either use a weak bleach solution (get with me on the proper amount..but I do not recommend this option), weak iodine solution, StarSan (highly recommended), put bottles in dishwasher and use the sanitizing/high heat cycle, or put in oven for 350/hr and cool slowly.

Racking is easy. You don't want to pour or splash your cider around. It starts a process of oxidation that takes your nectar from tasty to nasty. So get some CLEAN length of plastic tubing...not something you've siphoned gas with. Sanitize it. Fill it with water. Put one end into the hooch. Keep thumb on the other end have a catch basin ready. Allow water to fall out, and that should start a siphon. Invest $.50 @ Home Depot for a cheap hose clamp. Pinch off the flow. Stick business end of hose in bottle you intend to fill. Release the clamp. Fill right to rim. Stop flow. Remove hose. The gravity the hose displaces will give you the proper amount of headspace you need for the C02 that will be produced. (If you don't want fizzy cider....you want what is called "still" cider. Cold crash it in the fridge for a week or so after fermentation is complete, and before bottling. Cap it. Wait a week (for fizzy cider..but it's still drinkable), if you want still cider...just start drinking right away.

Remember. The longer this stuff sits...the more it mellows. The yeast continually clean up after themselves unless you kill them off, and still...time allows other things to drop out (fusel alcohols = harsh "hot" alcohol bite, sharpness, etc.)

I guarantee, after about three sips, if it tastes harsh, or vaguely like apple flavored wine, it will start to leave a pleasant coating on the tongue, and suddenly becomes sweet, and you think you're drinking heaven sent nectar. BTW...the buzz it gives is like no other.....no matter how strong or weak. Enjoy!

[stp1971]

Bring me a bottle next time you are up here.

[intimid8er]

Indeed I will.

[stp1971]

Originally Posted by intimid8er

Indeed I will.

[intimid8er]

I feel bad. Gumby was down here and wanted to do dinner. Couldn't. Mrs. Intimid8er was on that trip she goes on when we go to Daytona. And the eldest of my progeny was having clutch issues with his vehicle.

Intimid8er Sr. and I replaced the clutch cable the previous week, and the truck was acting up again. After messing with it, apparently the cable stretched out. Problem fixed.

What sucks though...is we're now out of adjustments on the cable...there's no room to move and it's acting up again.

[NCxM50]

Originally Posted by intimid8er

Go to Wal-Mart. Get you a Gallon of Apple Juice. $2.39. And a 1/4 lb of sugar. If there's a wine making shop in town...get a pack of Montrachet Champagne yeast (no more than two bucks).

If you're starting out with store bought apple juice instead of pressing or juicing your own apples, I get better results if I use a starter batch because the potassium sorbate usually used as a preservative can inhibit fermentation (won't stop it all together, but it can slow the process). When I lived up north, I found the best results came from going to the local orchard and buying the fresh pressed cider from them directly. Now that I'm in the land of corn and cotton, I'll probably buy a juicer, because you can make batches of cider from mixed apple assortments and tailor to your preference of tart vs sweet.
Another benefit of the starter is it allows you more control over how dry of a cider you end up with as well as how potent a cider you end up with. I find that adding more sugar to the starter makes for a drier and stronger cider. Oh, and if you make a batch any time soon, try a half and half mix of dark brown and white sugars. The end result is a little less sweet and a little more dry.
Dangit, I haven't made hard cider in 4 years.. now it looks like I may have to get my gear out of the closet and fire up a batch sometime soon.

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by NCxM50

If you're starting out with store bought apple juice instead of pressing or juicing your own apples, I get better results if I use a starter batch because the potassium sorbate usually used as a preservative can inhibit fermentation (won't stop it all together, but it can slow the process). When I lived up north, I found the best results came from going to the local orchard and buying the fresh pressed cider from them directly. Now that I'm in the land of corn and cotton, I'll probably buy a juicer, because you can make batches of cider from mixed apple assortments and tailor to your preference of tart vs sweet.
Another benefit of the starter is it allows you more control over how dry of a cider you end up with as well as how potent a cider you end up with. I find that adding more sugar to the starter makes for a drier and stronger cider. Oh, and if you make a batch any time soon, try a half and half mix of dark brown and white sugars. The end result is a little less sweet and a little more dry.
Dangit, I haven't made hard cider in 4 years.. now it looks like I may have to get my gear out of the closet and fire up a batch sometime soon.

Good point man. No preservatives. However, I've been using the Wal-Mart brand with no ill results. They have one additive. (Forgot what it is.)

[frostbitevinnie]

THIS guy has more than five favorite beers. HAHA!!

[intimid8er]

Oh my frickin' god Vin!!!

I've got it open in another tab, and I'm laughing my a55 off.

[NCxM50]

Originally Posted by intimid8er

Good point man. No preservatives. However, I've been using the Wal-Mart brand with no ill results. They have one additive. (Forgot what it is.)

What is that, the Great Value brand or something like that right? I'll have to check it out. Wife might be less inclined to say something if I don't have to go out and buy a juicer

I've also toyed with the idea making something more, um, corn based....
But NC has a LOOOOONG history in that department, and the authorities here frown even on very small batches made for personal consumption. Maybe I'll just make a particularly strong batch of the apple cider? wine? brandy?

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by NCxM50

What is that, the Great Value brand or something like that right? I'll have to check it out. Wife might be less inclined to say something if I don't have to go out and buy a juicer

I've also toyed with the idea making something more, um, corn based....
But NC has a LOOOOONG history in that department, and the authorities here frown even on very small batches made for personal consumption. Maybe I'll just make a particularly strong batch of the apple cider? wine? brandy?

Yeah..it was the house brand. Looks like it's co-packed by Mott's or someone. You're out less than twenty bucks for five gals of hooch.

Just be careful...the packaging looks like it's a gallon but it's not. It looks roughly the same size as the name brand next to it that is a gallon, and the Wally brand is 3/4 gal.

If you live near an orchard, it'd be interesting to see if you did a small gallon test batch with wild yeast like I mentioned. Stick it in an orchard with a cheesecloth covering for a few days.

[omegajim]

That is just one gallon. Jim doesn't strike me as a big drinker so I recommended one gallon.

fooled you pretty good.

found out from an cousin of mine, if the wine is over 10% (he has done the homework, I haven't) it keeps for long periods of time.

Which requires the use of specific gravity meter - although I like the concept of using apple juice, but 1 cup of sugar to boot?

going to have to do some digging, I know there are local wine supply stores around (and don't forget to put potassium sorbate to kill the yeast so you don't have exploding bottle syndrome).

my cousin in the process of making wine used concentrate, but I cannot recall what it could or could not have in it to be eligible for wine making.

now that I think about it, I believe the frozen concentrate couldn't have preservatives in it - and there is frozen concentrate out there w/out preservatives.

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by omegajim

Which requires the use of specific gravity meter - although I like the concept of using apple juice, but 1 cup of sugar to boot?

No.

1/4 lb - 1 lb. per gallon.