some very upsetting news

[goat]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200610/s1776385.htm :(:(

[Wood Butcher]

Just bloody fantastic!:mad:

[ozwinner]

Not only that, the grapes had fruited earlier this year than normal, then a frost got them.

There goes the cheap wine. :(

First bananas now beer and wine.
What next?


Al :(

[Auld Bassoon]

Not only that, the grapes had fruited earlier this year than normal, then a frost got them.

There goes the cheap wine. :(

First bananas now beer and wine.
What next?


Al :(

But they're the staples :eek: :mad:

It'll be interesting to see if imported beers & wines go up as well...

[Shedgirl]

Hmmm .... think there's still just enough room in the old shed for a Cooper's Home Brew kit: the bloke of the house is a winemaker so we're covered there.
.
I don't think there's much I can do about the ba-na-na-nah though.

[AlexS]

Better stock up before the drought really hits!

[Shedhand]

This will knock your socks off. :D Cheap and tasty. Side effects? Some...you'll find out....mwahhhhaaaaa

*!* hic... :p

Rhubarb Wine

Ingredients:

12.50 lb Rhubarb (cubed) -STALKS ONLY
5.00 ga Water
12.50 lb White granulated sugar
5.00 ea Campden tablets
50.00 oz White grape concentrate (optional)
5.00 pk Montrachet wine yeast
5.00 ts Yeast nutrient
1.25 ts Grape tannin Procedure:

Cut up rhubarb and put in primary fermentor. Pour dry sugar over fruit to extract juice. Cover with plastic sheet and allow to stand 24 hours. Put pulp in a straining bag (I use a new laundered pair of panty hose) and add water and Campden tablets (to kill any "wild" yeasts) and disolve well. Let stand another 24 hours. Add remaining ingredients including yeast. Ferment 48 hours. Remove pulp bag and squeeze as much of the juice into must as you can. Put the spent pulp in your mulch pile for the garden. Stir the fermenting must twice a day to break up the "cap" that forms on the surface. In 3 or 4 days (or when hydrometer reading is 1.040 or lower) syphon into a five gallon glass jug or carboy and attach fermentation lock. Rack again in 3 weeks. Make sure all containers are topped up. Rack again in 3 months. When wine is clear and stable, bottle. Wine may be sweetened to taste at time of bottling with sugar syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water). Add 2 stabilizer tablets per gallon (or follow directions on package if using powder) to prevent renewed fermentation. To preserve color and flavor add 1 antioxidant tablet per gallon.
Starting specific gravity should be 1.090-1.095, Acid .60%, Age 6 months

[echnidna]

and if yer want it a lot more potent use distillers yeast and more sugar

[Iain]

You use white sugar??? for beer that is a big no no, tastes like crap, difficulty in fully fermenting.
Dextrose is a better option although I use Malt.
Like I said though, for wine it may be different, and there are so many different yeasts available depending upon what outcome you desire.

[echnidna]

Iain, if yer make it strong enough yer aint got any tastebuds left after the first mouthful ~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

[Iain]

Double distilled french polish:rolleyes:

[Waldo]

G'day,

Strewth!

Righto fellas, there's only one solutiion to this problem. Any remaining room in your sheds or if you have any junk or carp tools like Ozito, XU1 or Black & Decker throw them out, clear some room in your shed and stock it full of slabs of beer.

I've started already as there's a carton of beer in my shed under the bench, but since there's only a 6 pack left in it I'd better get another, lucky I've got a trailer tomorrow as I can fill it with some slabs as well.

There's a drought coming and we don't want to get caught out. :D

[Iain]

:rolleyes: Yep, the Holden Torana XU1 was a really crap tool:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Shedhand]

Hmmm .... think there's still just enough room in the old shed for a Cooper's Home Brew kit: the bloke of the house is a winemaker so we're covered there.
.
I don't think there's much I can do about the ba-na-na-nah though.We related perchance? ;)

[Shedhand]

and if yer want it a lot more potent use distillers yeast and more sugarThe year? 1970. The Place? Nullabor Plain (just over the WA border). The drink? High octane rhubarb wine. The fool? Moi. Why? I vaguely remember staggering around the inside of an old 5000 gallon corrugated iron water tank blazing away at the moon with with a .303. My mate smelled funny and looked horrified. Will never forget and will never drink the stuff again. :eek::eek::eek::eek:

[Waldo]

:rolleyes: Yep, the Holden Torana XU1 was a really crap tool:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

G'day Iain,

Yep, it sure was. The GTO was much better. :cool:

[Shedgirl]

We related perchance? ;)
Hmm, Shedhand, we could be related. after all, my folks live in Tassie, too, and isn't everyone related there?????

[Iain]

Hmm, Shedhand, we could be related. after all, my folks live in Tassie, too, and isn't everyone related there?????

They don't have a family tree, it's a Wisteria(sp):rolleyes:

[Shedgirl]

Today I happened upon some Malt Shovel Brewery homebrew kit thingies in Big W, reduced from nearly $60 to $29, just because the boxes were dented.
So the first batch of Stout is in action (it's good for you, you know).

[Iain]

Try using DME or a mixture of LME and DME instead of dextrose, about 1.5kg, gives a much better result, and better head retention.

[Shedgirl]

Try using DME or a mixture of LME and DME instead of dextrose, about 1.5kg, gives a much better result, and better head retention.
When you say "better head retention", do you mean it's less likely to blow your skull off than Shedhand's Rhubarb Wine??? Oh, you refer to the Fluffyness (technical term).

[masoth]

Well, I've been into homebrewing for over four years and have just finished a 'brew room' inside my playroom (actually my workshop) to reduce the wood dust contaminating the beer and and to house a new spirits distillery.
The strongest beer made was 9.4%:eek: - the distilation will produce 100% alcohol which will be cut with water and syrups of choice. All time consuming but the savings are immense.:rolleyes:

soth

[Iain]

Oh, you refer to the Fluffyness (technical term).
Never heard it called that:D :D :D , but yes.


All time consuming but the savings are immense.:rolleyes:

soth
Not to mention the quality compared to the megaswill, it is a worry when the major brews have a use by date while yours continues to improve over a period of a year or so, if it ever makes it that far.
I have a dark ale that is about 8 months old and has now developed a deep burgundy hue, crystal clear, beautiful soft texture and a spicy finish as a result of using Tatsing hops instead of my usual Fuggles.

[Auld Bassoon]

. My mate smelled funny and looked horrified. Will never forget and will never drink the stuff again. :eek::eek::eek::eek:

Probably poohed his pants - and you wonder why he was looking worried? :D :D :D