July 6, 2019
The last attempt at Pickled Ginger went bad so I’m giving it another go. I believe I had two problems last time: Low salinity Too much brine The recipes I found were by volume which should always be regarded with suspicion. A tablespoon of shaker salt has more actual NaCl in it than the same volume of […]
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June 1, 2019
Nell was wondering about this so I decided to give it a go. I scrounged around recipes online just to confirm that it’s no more complicated than vedge, salt, water, and time. Fermented pickles are magic! Put your vegetables in salt water and lactobacilli will eat sugars to produce lactic acid. The acid and salt transform the […]
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May 19, 2019
I’ve tried a lot of different things and decided I need to share what has worked best. Food Retainer Aeration Cups Forget about glass weights and springs, these are so simple and keep everything under the brine where it belongs with no floaties. During the first week, monitor the brine that overflows into the cup and […]
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August 20, 2017
Some great ingredients at the store this weekend so I started a bunch of pickles. For the brines this is the salinity I used… Okra/carrot: 2.5% Garlic: 2% with a splash of strong 20% distilled vinegar daikon/carrot: 2% A few days later… I have green garlic! I read about this a while ago and […]
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August 6, 2017
I’m starting to think that pumping up the ABV with honey is what causes oddball flavors in my concoctions. I’m going back to basics this time, no added sugar or honey. Wheatsville only had 2 gallons of apple juice so I also bought a gallon of Knudson’s cranberry pomegranate juice. Like most juice blends this […]
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July 3, 2017
Just seems wrong to have empty carboys sitting around. Brew time! Ingredients 1 1/2 quarts mango puree from SoCo Homebrew 8 1/2 quarts apple juice 2 quarts Clover honey. 6.5 or 7 lbs? 1 1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme 3/4 teaspoon DAP yeast energizer OG: 1.124, potential alcohol 14.96% Yeast starter: White labs mead yeast, 1/4 teaspoon DAP, 3 […]
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June 25, 2017
OK, I’ve had success with my other attempts… time to iterate! Each batch below also has 1/2 teaspoon DAP yeast nutrient, 1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme, and enough apple juice to top off a 1-gallon jug. I’m using a new yeast this time, a plain old RedStar Pasteur Red. It has a reputation for promoting fruity esters in […]
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June 17, 2017
My buddy Greg sent me this recipe… time to venture into the unexplored world of vinegar pickles! I’m really interested to see the color change. I used pickle weights to keep all the onion underneath the brine where it belongs. http://www.thehungryhounds.com/blog/2015/4/25/quick-pickled-mexican-red-onions
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June 3, 2017
I’m trying a plain old mead so I can compare it with cyser, the cider/mead hybrid. Also trying a new yeast. I wanted to get it going really well before pitching into the must. Time to do my first yeast starter! A yeast starter increases the amount of yeast you pitch so it gets going really […]
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May 20, 2017
Ingedients 2 gallons apple juice 2 quarts blueberry pomegranate juice (sweetened with apple) 2 lb honey with enough water to make 2 quarts. 1 additional quart water to compensate for racking loss. 1 ½ tsp yeast nutrient 1 ½ tsp pectin enzyme Yeast: Red Star Premier Blanc (champagne) Notes OSG: 1.074. If FSG is 0.99 […]
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