Search found 89 matches

by Boozehound
Mon Nov 18, 2019 2:33 am
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: Ideas for a fruit maceration (gift for an aunt)
Replies: 12
Views: 2303

Re: Ideas for a fruit maceration (gift for an aunt)

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I had a look at the thread on the Dutch liqueurs and I think I'm going to go with the apricot one (it does say it's for girls). It's also fair to say the phrase "panty dropper" is not going to be one I'll be saying any time soon to my aunt. If anyone can...
by Boozehound
Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:20 am
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: Ideas for a fruit maceration (gift for an aunt)
Replies: 12
Views: 2303

Ideas for a fruit maceration (gift for an aunt)

OK, so my aunt liked a quince brandy I gave her last year but this year I didn't get the time to make any and I'd like to give her some booze for Christmas. I've got some 96% neutral spirit so I thought I'd do a fruit maceration because it's winter now and there isn't much on the trees (quinces all ...
by Boozehound
Thu Sep 29, 2011 5:37 am
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: apple vodka
Replies: 13
Views: 2535

Re: apple vodka

Autumn time so lots of fruit around.

I'm trying an experiment with unripe, green crabapples in neutral. They are sour as hell but for some reason I thought it might turn out alright.

Only been in the jar a week but I'll post when they've extracted enough flavour - probably about a month.
by Boozehound
Thu Jul 14, 2011 1:53 pm
Forum: Distilling News
Topic: Still explosion in Boston, UK
Replies: 23
Views: 3039

Re: Still explosion in Boston, UK

The event is a tragedy; the way it was reported really pissed me off. I saw the line trotted out in one report about it making people go blind. Same old cliches. What are these chemicals they're putting in the booze and how can they be cheaper than sugar and water? Because of this the average Joe th...
by Boozehound
Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:56 am
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: Aging a Neutral spirit
Replies: 25
Views: 6112

Re: Aging a Neutral spirit

I like to use bananas in neutral. Grind them up, macerate for a couple of months and it run through filter paper to get the solids out.

The sugar goes quite well and I've found even people who don't like shine can get into this one.
by Boozehound
Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:50 pm
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: apple vodka
Replies: 13
Views: 2535

Re: apple vodka

What do you reckon are the best type of apples for this?

I love fruit infused neutral - I make loads of stuff with bananas.
by Boozehound
Tue Jan 11, 2011 2:16 pm
Forum: Fruits & Vegetables
Topic: Plums + Sloes?
Replies: 3
Views: 1195

Re: Plums + Sloes?

Just an update on this. Even though picking them was a hassle I got about 3 gallons of them. The good thing about them is that they seem to be on the bushes for a long time (couple of months) so I could freeze them and build up the numbers. I've got a load in spirit but I had so much I decided to tr...
by Boozehound
Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:54 am
Forum: Off-Topic Discussion
Topic: what is your favorite non alcoholic drink ?
Replies: 30
Views: 3191

Re: what is your favorite non alcoholic drink ?

Tea. Never met an Englishman who doesn't like a cup of tea.
by Boozehound
Sun Oct 03, 2010 2:36 am
Forum: Fruits & Vegetables
Topic: Mould on plum wine - leave it?
Replies: 21
Views: 4181

Re: Mould on plum wine - leave it?

I've got 4 x 750ml wine bottles of stuff I'm happy with. What I've learned is that it's hard to keep the mash clean without the normal boiling / sterilising procedures but I was really happy with the taste I got from the wild yeast. A friend fermented his cider last year with wild yeast and that tas...
by Boozehound
Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:48 am
Forum: Fruits & Vegetables
Topic: Mould on plum wine - leave it?
Replies: 21
Views: 4181

Re: Mould on plum wine - leave it?

Read your posts and distilled the whole lot before I ended up with a whole load of vinegar. Thanks for the advice. The stuff is airing now and smells great so whatever was going on it doesn't seem to have messed anything up. I'll make the cuts tomorrow. One day I'm going to get into special vinegar ...
by Boozehound
Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:37 am
Forum: Beer, and Wine
Topic: Jelly wine
Replies: 2
Views: 1239

Re: Jelly wine

Weird, just this week as I've been picking blackberries I've been thinking about how similar making jam is to making wine. I remember as a child hating it when some of my mum's jams would turn alcoholic. Now I'm like, "Damn, I could have fermented all that stuff into wine". To think of all...
by Boozehound
Sun Sep 26, 2010 6:35 am
Forum: Fruits & Vegetables
Topic: Mould on plum wine - leave it?
Replies: 21
Views: 4181

Re: Mould on plum wine - leave it?

O.K. The barrel which I put the metabisulphite in is now dead in terms of reactions. There's a few patches of white stuff on the surface and below it looks like a kind of frog spawn, but everything is still. The other barrel is now totally infected and has a thin, see-through, white layer across the...
by Boozehound
Sat Sep 25, 2010 5:28 am
Forum: Fruits & Vegetables
Topic: Mould on plum wine - leave it?
Replies: 21
Views: 4181

Mould on plum wine - leave it?

I've been trying to make plum wine for distilling using the old fashioned way of just getting a load of plums and putting them in a fermenter to ferment on their own wild yeast. It worked fine for the early part and I had to split the batch into another fermenter because it was so busy it was pushin...
by Boozehound
Sat Sep 25, 2010 5:18 am
Forum: Fruits & Vegetables
Topic: Plums + Sloes?
Replies: 3
Views: 1195

Re: Plums + Sloes?

Well it's a nightmare picking the bastards and you have to be at it for ages to get a small amount. I've got enough plums anyway.
by Boozehound
Tue Aug 31, 2010 7:44 am
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: Cutting a branch off an oak tree.
Replies: 3
Views: 1206

Cutting a branch off an oak tree.

O.K. I like to use stuff from my local area so I want to use some English Oak to age my shine. There are loads of trees so I'll cut a branch off one soon. Is there a minimum diameter I need to get to the good wood? I understand the drying will take ages. Also, are dead branches that have fallen off ...
by Boozehound
Tue Aug 31, 2010 7:00 am
Forum: Fruits & Vegetables
Topic: Plums + Sloes?
Replies: 3
Views: 1195

Plums + Sloes?

It's the start of the autumn and there's loads of fruit on the trees. I'm collecting all the plums I can of various types. I've got three different types in there at the moment and I was thinking of adding some sloes. Sloes are related to plums but before I put them in is there any reason why you do...
by Boozehound
Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:41 pm
Forum: Grains
Topic: Jenever anyone?
Replies: 26
Views: 6693

Re: Jenever anyone?

I'm certainly no expert because I've only had Jenever a couple of times from an old Dutch sailor guy but I'd rather drink it neat rather than Gin any day. It was quite sweet, quite light and really nice. He doesn't say a lot but he said it was made from wheat.

I really don't like neat Gin.
by Boozehound
Mon Apr 26, 2010 12:02 am
Forum: Off-Topic Discussion
Topic: How many here have quit smoking? How did you quit?
Replies: 180
Views: 17848

Re: How many here have quit smoking? How did you quit?

It's such a twisted thing, smoking. Who'd have thought sitting in a pub having a drink would end up being a some kind of insane battle in my head. As you get drunk it gets harder to remember the reasons, or at least acknowledge them as reasons, why you're doing this and you're just left with the mem...
by Boozehound
Sun Apr 25, 2010 5:21 am
Forum: Off-Topic Discussion
Topic: How many here have quit smoking? How did you quit?
Replies: 180
Views: 17848

Re: How many here have quit smoking? How did you quit?

Good to see this thread on here. I gave up on Thursday last week because it was just getting embarrassing how easily I was getting out of breath. 13 years I've been smoking so there's a lot of habit to break. I decided to take advantage of the fact I live in the middle of nowhere and just burned eve...
by Boozehound
Mon Apr 05, 2010 6:07 am
Forum: The Construction Site
Topic: Not mine, mate's brother in law
Replies: 21
Views: 6264

Re: Not mine, mate's brother in law

What a beast. Jesus. It looks bloody complicated, though.

If it's German engineering it probably works like a treat.
by Boozehound
Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:58 am
Forum: ** Welcome Center **
Topic: HELLO FELLOW BREWERS FROM THE UK
Replies: 16
Views: 1992

Re: HELLO FELLOW BREWERS FROM THE UK

Nice to see another U.K. stiller. I started out with country wine making (C. J. J. Berry and all that) before distilling. If I had your experience with grains I'd get to work on some pot distilled grain spirits ASAP.

What are you planning on doing with the neutral spirit you're making now?
by Boozehound
Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:59 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Distilling Feints
Replies: 18
Views: 10401

Re: Distilling Feints

It looks like you're putting the feints through a reflux setup, Rad. Is that how you always run feints or do you ever pot still it? Is there any point? Dnderhead, I only asked about adding backset in case that added 0.01% of flavour as opposed to water. Truth is I'm a little toasted right now and I ...
by Boozehound
Wed Mar 24, 2010 2:09 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Distilling Feints
Replies: 18
Views: 10401

Distilling Feints

I’ve read that when you get a large amount of feints saved up you can dilute these with water and distil them again to get a spirit of a better quality than even the stuff that first made the feints. I don’t get it. Feints are a load of heads and tails (obviously). Doesn’t that mean you’re going to ...
by Boozehound
Tue Mar 23, 2010 2:20 pm
Forum: Rum
Topic: Brand of Molasses for Rum
Replies: 13
Views: 11209

Re: Brand of Molasses for Rum

I asked the same question a while ago. I couldn't find the thread, though. I had the same problem: animal food molasses is full of preservatives and crap and the health food stuff is a rip off. Someone here said the answer was to use golden treacle as fancy molasses and black treacle as as close as ...
by Boozehound
Sun Mar 21, 2010 5:29 am
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Veg Oil and Re-using Backset
Replies: 1
Views: 417

Veg Oil and Re-using Backset

If you put veg oil into a wash when you put it in the still (I've got puking problems with a rum wash again) can you then use the backset when the stilling is done? Does the oil just "sit there", inert, or does it change at all, and would that then cause problems with the next fermentation...
by Boozehound
Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:24 am
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Any advantage to a cold fermentation?
Replies: 11
Views: 1450

Re: Any advantage to a cold fermentation?

I look out my window today and what do I see? More f**king snow. I look in my fermenters and find the treacle wash is STILL fermenting; that's its forth week and the total volume is only 20L. I type this wearing a coat and hat in a room so cold I can see my own breath. Bring on the spring, please. I...
by Boozehound
Mon Feb 08, 2010 1:33 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Any advantage to a cold fermentation?
Replies: 11
Views: 1450

Any advantage to a cold fermentation?

At the moment it's bloody cold (by our standards) in the U.K. 0 degrees C tonight. I keep the fermenters inside but my house is pretty cold as well (I wear a coat until I get into bed). The temperature is fine for fermentation because I can see the air locks going but the normal washes (UJSM and a b...
by Boozehound
Sat Feb 06, 2010 4:35 am
Forum: Off-Topic Discussion
Topic: "Oh Crap" Moments in stilling...whats your story?
Replies: 13
Views: 1501

Re: "Oh Crap" Moments in stilling...whats your story?

1.) Left a few demijohns fermenting a black treacle wash in the summer while I stayed with mates for a week. When I came back one of the demijohns had split (not exploded, just sheared in half) and the half fermented black crap had spilled all over my carpet. To make it worse the room had filled wit...
by Boozehound
Sat Feb 06, 2010 4:17 am
Forum: Distilling News
Topic: Don’t ban Buckie!
Replies: 23
Views: 2870

Re: Don’t ban Buckie!

The whole of the U.K. is in the grip of a moral panic about people drinking too much. Nothing really changes. If you look at Hogarth pictures of Gin Lane you'll know the we're a country of drinkers and at the same time we all say how awful it is. In my opinion people drink hard because they're force...
by Boozehound
Mon Feb 01, 2010 1:28 pm
Forum: Drinks and Drinking
Topic: Your last hangover...
Replies: 61
Views: 11350

Re: Your last hangover...

I've got a absolute bastard of a hangover today. Me and the boys went on a big piss-up last night which included drinking rum (Mt. Gay), whiskey (Jim Beam), cider (Aspall) down the pub and then loads of shine (the stuff I make out of black treacle) back at the house. Stayed up till 3am. I just can't...