Any home brewers out there?

**JohnH** · 01-02-2008, 06:37 PM

Myself and my friends brew just about everything. I'm a cider, wine and spirits man. Other friends handle the beer, which I don't drink so I never brew.

It is very east to brew and costs a lot less than what is for sale.

**Cricket1** · 01-02-2008, 08:02 PM

My DH does. He once won a blue ribbon for his blueberry ale. It was good, I guess. I don't drink beer!

**Darlene** · 01-02-2008, 08:44 PM

Hubby used to (brew beer) until the price of ingredients went through the roof when it became a fashonable thing to do. That was over 15 years ago, maybe the price went down? Nice hobby

**Lady_V** · 01-02-2008, 08:48 PM

The Old Man brews. He recently made some honey mead for the holidays. I don't drink, but I do know that we save a lot of money when he brews his own. He said something about brewing some root beer for me soon...

**Ceashels** · 01-02-2008, 10:23 PM

I've considered giving one of the brew kits to DH and I think he would be interested in the process, I just don't want to have yet another hobby accutrements sitting in a box not being used.

I would love it if he could brew me some cider or fruit beers though.

Yum.

**Ceashels** · 01-02-2008, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by JohnH

Myself and my friends brew just about everything. I'm a cider, wine and spirits man. Other friends handle the beer, which I don't drink so I never brew.

It is very east to brew and costs a lot less than what is for sale.

Do you distill your own spirits? That is a talent I would love to learn.

**JohnH** · 01-02-2008, 10:39 PM

I'm lucky in that I can get free fruit but when I don't have the apples I buy the cheapest apple juice from the supermarket. It makes delicious cider for a fraction of the price of supermarket cider. I just realised, what I call cider is what people in the US call hard cider.

We make our cider to preserve the apples. We add it to stews. And drink it.

I have made a still. Of course, I would never dream of breaking the law and actually use it.

**pizzamaker** · 01-03-2008, 10:55 AM

So I am taking the challenge. I want to learn. I love to cook, so why not! Any helpful hints are greatly appreciated! I perfected the art of pizzamaking, so now what goes better with pizza than beer! yum. This is the next project I want to tackle. Any websites anyone wish to share that would be educational? or perhaps books that I could get from the library?

Thanks

Pizzamaker

**Edna_E** · 01-03-2008, 06:03 PM

I used to make my own liqueurs. I really like fruity ones, and made an apricot one in which the strained off apricots made a GREAT sauce on ice cream also!

**Ceashels** · 01-04-2008, 09:50 AM

My mother in law made damson plum brandy one time. In reality it was damson plums macerated in gin... it bloody knocked me off my chair. Gin will make ya' crazy.

**kickchk** · 01-06-2008, 04:09 PM

We have five gallons of blueberry mead going right now. In about a year we'll give it a taste and put the rest away to age a few more years. Last year we finished off a 6 year old honey mead that we'd made. I was amazed at how smooth it got the longer it aged.
As for beer we usually have a keg or two going. Once the basement remodel is finished we'll be setting up shop again.