anyone brewing?

[danno]

To cold with never ending lake effect snow to do much of anything else.    Anyone have anything fermenting?   I just bottled 5 gallons of chardonnay that I aged in oak.   I have 5 gallons of tart/dry hard cider to bottle up this weekend.  I have 5 gallons of stout that is bulked with 1/2 doz brewer friends beer and has been aging for 6 months in a burbon barrel.   This will be sampled this coming week and should be ready to keg and force carbonate.      I have a schwarzbier lagering and a berliner weisse that I brewed last weekend that is still in the primary.   Next on the list is a Gose a german salt brew

[D D]

Just thinking of last spring when i was tapping maple trees . i had some maple syrup left when i was finished boiling with nothing to do so i made 5 gallon of maple meed. not half bad if i say so myself it is a conversation drink for sure. CHEERES DD

[nella]

I have an 10 gal. Yuengling Larger clone in the secondary and am going to make a Green Apple Riesling next.

[Vance G]

DD I have the maple syrup waiting to make an acerglynn and would love to look at your recipe if you share.  I have five meads bulk aging, a batch of vinegar starting to vinegar and need to make a base mead that will make friends with the tart cherries, blackberries and peaches I have frozen.  I usually use d-47 or KIV for that and rack onto the fruit.  Peach gets blown away so easily.  About the best I get is a good smell when I open the bottle.  Has anyone ever put blackberries in alcohol?  Sorry I am hijacking. 

Just thinking of last spring when i was tapping maple trees . i had some maple syrup left when i was finished boiling with nothing to do so i made 5 gallon of maple meed. not half bad if i say so myself it is a conversation drink for sure. CHEERES DD

[danno]

Vance have you ever been to a Fustinis?  Google it if you haven't.   All they sell is vinegars and olive oils.    They have a Maple Balsamic that is just amasing in a pork glaze.   We bottled 3 batches of vinegar last weekend     

[BeeMaster2]

I have 5 gallons of blackberry wine that is now about half gone. I also have 10 gallons of hibiscus wine that just finished bubbling. Both are pretty good if I do say so. I need to get some bottles to finish them. The blackberry was a hit at our Christmas dinner. I add honey to sweeten them up a little.
Jim

[D D]

vance G   i just keep it simple  i think it was 1 qt syrup,1 small bottle of maple extract found in the baking goods isle, then i took up to 24 brick with sugar for 24 days then stopped it from working .

[Vance G]

Thanks DD and I will have to check out Fustini's.  I had never heard of it.  I am shooting for about 7% acid honey vinegar.  I had a partial bottle of mead that got left uncapped and it became vinegar tasting amazingly fast!   I guess with my sauerkraut making I have acetobacters already living in my basement!  I have a couple gallons of oxididized wine and mead.  I guess I should just open them up and holler come and get it!  Trouble is they are all pretty high gravity and I will have to do MATH!  A frightening prospect for me.

[danno]

The Berliner Weisse that I brewed last week is a sour beer that I purposely infected with lactobacillus bacteria.   This is the same bacteria that ferments cabbage into sour kraut.   I have 15 gallons on kraut stored in the same room I ferment my ales and wines.   So far I have not had a problem with unwanted infections

[bulldog]

I just put a batch in the fermenter. I'm not sure what variety of honey it is, I got it from a friend of a friend, it's dark and strong smelling/tasting and it crystalizes quickly, maybe buckwheat ? since I can't stomach it I used it to make alcohol instead, it may have to age for years before it is palatable. when the fermenter is once again available I will make another batch of mead from my leftover goldenrod honey which is not nearly as strong tasting.

I also have a batch of maple mead/wine whatever you wish to call it that has been aging for almost a year now it is about 13% abv , but it tastes like apple cider to me, maybe I shouldn't have made it so dry ?  but it was my first attempt so live and learn.

The Berliner Weisse that I brewed last week is a sour beer that I purposely infected with lactobacillus bacteria.   This is the same bacteria that ferments cabbage into sour kraut.   I have 15 gallons on kraut stored in the same room I ferment my ales and wines.   So far I have not had a problem with unwanted infections

just wondering, is that like a lambic beer  ?

[danno]

I just put a batch in the fermenter. I'm not sure what variety of honey it is, I got it from a friend of a friend, it's dark and strong smelling/tasting and it crystalizes quickly, maybe buckwheat ? since I can't stomach it I used it to make alcohol instead, it may have to age for years before it is palatable. when the fermenter is once again available I will make another batch of mead from my leftover goldenrod honey which is not nearly as strong tasting.

I also have a batch of maple mead/wine whatever you wish to call it that has been aging for almost a year now it is about 13% abv , but it tastes like apple cider to me, maybe I shouldn't have made it so dry ?  but it was my first attempt so live and learn.

The Berliner Weisse that I brewed last week is a sour beer that I purposely infected with lactobacillus bacteria.   This is the same bacteria that ferments cabbage into sour kraut.   I have 15 gallons on kraut stored in the same room I ferment my ales and wines.   So far I have not had a problem with unwanted infections

just wondering, is that like a lambic beer  ?

Lambic is another sour beer and does have Lacto-bacteria in it to sour but also get fermented with  Brettanomyces yeast that gives it a horse/barnyard taste.  Berliner is just a sour wheat beer.  Your maple mead can be sorbated and back sweetened to taste.   Althought I am a dry wine drinker  I personally dont like dry meads