Fermentation

[lilrofl]

It got brought up in a different thread, but I enjoy fermenting my own hard cider, and am branching out into other single fermentation alcohols.

Not that distillation is out of the scope of my interest, but single fermentation is low maintenance and I feel creates a more enjoyable product... with the alibi of 'jacking' being an acceptable way to increase alcohol content without the hassle of running a still.

Just wondering if there is a shared interest.

[Necrix]

A friend of mine makes apple cider "beer."
He just bought two 5gallon kegs and a CO2 tank.

I'm pretty interested, myself, but haven't moved to make anything yet.

It seems pretty cheap..so I'm really thinking about it.

I bought some mead and liked it, so I'm thinking I could flavor whatever I make with honey.

[lilrofl]

single fermentation processes are fairly simple, and also easy on the wallet. You could probably get started for about 40 dollars (including a clearifyer which isn't really necessary, just nice)

Then making 5 gallons of single fermentation alcohol would cost yeast and juice. I live very close to an apple orchard so in the beginning of fall I'll go get some fresh cider, but when that's not an option any no preservative high% juice will work (even juicy juice)

Depending on what kind of yeast you use, you can be happily drinking cider/mead/beer/wine etc anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months later. Mileage may vary, but 5 gallons of cider will last me a fermentation cycle... unless it's one of 'those' months lol

[lilrofl]

Very exciting month for Hard Cider! I cultured my own yeast out of Pink Lady apples, (supposedly it will make a better fermentation then wine yeast).

Out of four simultaneous attempts, I have one sweet aggressive culture that I will use to make my first batch of hard cider for the year.. Final ABV should be between 13-15% and it will be self carbonated, semi-sweet (as I like it more then dry cider)

[DNR]

Wood Chuck Hard Apple Cider is great! Glad you chose ciders rather than beer.

DNR

[lilrofl]

There's a time and a place for beer... I make an incredible coffee stout., but there are great beers available on the market, if you want great cider you pretty much have to do it yourself (same goes for mead) and Fall/Winter is the perfect season... especially if you have access to an orchard... or a costco membership

I should have 5 gallons racked in a few months

Woodchuck is good stuff, it's my wife favorite after Two Rivers Cider.

[Lundis]

A friend and I are considering trying fermenting, but we're a bit worried about the smell since our apartments are basically just one room and we don't have any good sealed places to put it in. Water locks won't do anything about the smell, right? How do you deal with it?

[maboroshi]

Here in Canada if I was to leave any food outside over night a bear would get it and we all know bears are angry drunks

[lilrofl]

@Lundis: Single fermentation alcohols do not smell bad at all, wine, cider, and mead can all be made with almost no smell at all as the only gas released is CO2. Beer is a little different, but only while making the wort (that's what you call unfermented beer) While making the wort you get the same smells as cooking a strong tea ingrained with whatever it is you are fermenting, and a lot of that smell can be eliminated if you use malt extract (DME) instead of whole grains. Malt extract being a concentrated fermentable sugar made from whole grain. I ferment most things in my kitchen because the temperature is right, so you should be fine.

The exception to this is when you are trying to develop your own yeast strain, or if your brew gets contaminated with an outside yeast or bacteria. In these cases you still will be able to smell very little until you open up your fermentation container, where you will be hit in the face with rot instead of sweet alcohol. I just bottle in the garage so it's never a big deal.

In a small environment though, you can always pull the airlock out and smell the hole, you will know instantly if it's safe to open the container for bottling, or if you need to take it to the street for dumping without stinking up the apartment.

@Mabs: good point.... tithe to the bears while visiting Canadia

[JuggaloMushroom]

What about stouts,meads, or ales(non-american) , they're mighty tasty.

[DNR]

lol at mabo 'angry drunks'

DNR

[lilrofl]

Stouts and ales follow the same rules as beers, and meads follow the same rules as ciders and wines. I have a little camp stove that I use to steep the wort in the back yard, after you're done steeping though, there is no negative smells, so it is safe to bring inside for fermenting.

[DrVirus]

A small addition from my end to this topic. Beers are not just fermented spirits. After fermenting malted grains (mainly barley) it has to brewed in order for it to be considered a beer. The only fermented spirits are basically wines. Even brandy or cider is distilled wine. Thus called Burnt Wine.

If anyone is interested, the beer making process : -
"First the barley which is used to make the beer is "malted" by soaking the grain in water for 2-3 days and then allowing it to germinate.The germination is halted (by heating) after 3-5 days, before the starch begins to be converted into the fermentable sugars. Then it is dried in a kiln.
The mash is then powdered into flour called the grist.Then hot water is added which converts the enzymes into fermentable sugar and so it produces a sugary liquid called wort. This is all done into a large steel tank called mash tun.
In the mash tun the wort is then boiled with hops and other flavoring agents like herbs or sugar. Hops add bitterness and aroma to the flavor and also plays a role in the head (foam) of the beer. Some breweries add hops after the fermentation.
After that it is important to cool the wort quickly so that the yeast can be added right away and fermentation can begin.

After that yeast is added and the fermentation process begins in a fermentation tank. The whole process releases a lot of carbon di oxide ( No lundis no stinking gas ) which is collected for later use. When fermentation completes the yeast settles down. Then it is removed and the liquid it stored in a storage tank.

All that is left now is pasteurization. All canned and bottled beers are pasteurized in their containers." And duh duh duh duh duh dat's all floks



@juggalomushroom : There are 2 key styles of beers. Ales and Lager. The difference between those are yeast. Ales are made from Top fermenting yeast and Lagers are made form bottom fermenting yeast. The stout you love so much is a type of Ale.

To be more precise, a variation of the type of beer called Porter. It is made from roasted unmalted barley. Also often caramel malt is used. Real famous in places like Ireland or Scotland.

[l0ngb1t]

my grandfather been fermenting grape into a local drink beverage called "araq" for more then 30 years, he passed away, now my brother and I (mostly my brother 'cause i've been busy with my uni and work but i help) started fermentation at the end of each grape season at the end of September or in November.
it's awesome... especially when we taste fresh where the alcohol will hit year brain and waist you in no time

[trickb0x]

If you're looking to branch out, Kombucha is a fun area to get involved in which has its own set of challenges. It's basically a fermented drink made with Tea and the same bacteria you find in yogurt. Pretty good stuff and (from what I hear) easy to make a decent baseline batch of. Also, it's delicious.