Home Winemaking - The Basics
The basic brewing and winemaking process could be thought of as being split into very different stages:
- Fermenting Sugar, water, yeast (and some kind of flavouring) are placed together in a brewing vessel and left some kind of (sterile) brewing vessel. The yeast ferments the mixture to produce alcohol, carbon dioxide and an array of compounds much smaller in quantity. Because carbon dioxide is produced as part of the fermenting process, some kind of neat airlock/waterlock or method is needed to ensure gas can escape but that air cannot get in. The reaction is anaerobic and gas coming in could also risk contamination. Without this, the gas would continue to build until the vessel exploded under the pressure! Though I would be quick to dispell the common myth by saying there would be no fire or smoke. For some reason I've seen this in films and even cartoons (One Episode of The Simpsons fell foul of this urban myth too!
I figured I should take my skills that I have learnt through work (i.e. Food, Drink and Pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, and lab techniques) and apply them to writing my recipe.
So therefore this recipe was written using a more scientific method, carefully calculating what quantities of ingredients would produce a strong dry wine.
I wrote the recipe without testing it out, and then I just went ahead and made some mead!
The end result is actually almost exactly what I was aiming for, a dry, very potent mead!
In future I intend to develop variations on the mead, including adding lemons, oranges, raisins etc, to end up with different flavours. I also will try using the same methods to make other wines (as I have access to lots of fruit, vegetables, plants, and sugars for free!).
I would love to hear from anyone who tries this recipe, and also welcome any suggestions for improvement!
Happy Brewing!
Dave Jones (Donkeyschlong).
Davy’s “MEAD IN ENGLAND!” Recipe!
(Per Gallon)
2Kg Honey
3.5L Water
15g Citric Acid
1 Teaspoon Tannin (or ½ a cup of strong tea)
4 lumps Crystallized Ginger
Yeast (high alcohol tolerance, for nice alcohol content)
Yeast nutrient (if not already in yeast packet)
Directions
Take 2Kg (4.4lb) of Honey, and mix in 3.5L (6.2 pints) Water. Add 4 lumps of Crystallized Ginger, and then bring to the boil, stirring regularly. Carefully skim off the scum that rises to the surface, and get rid of it (as it is just wax and impurities).
Take off heat and add 15g (½ oz approx) Citric Acid, and one teaspoon of Tannin (or half a cup of strong tea, as I use).
Leave to cool to about 25°C, add one crushed Campden Tablet, and transfer to fermentation bucket.
Add Yeast and (if required) Yeast nutrient. Stir vigorously, allowing the mixture to get aerated, cover the bucket well, and leave at a warm room temperature (About 25°C).
Then sit back and watch the yeast go mental!
NOTE:
Stir once or twice daily.
Don’t let any little bastard vinegar flies in!!!
NEXT:
Rack off into Demi Johns after about 1 week.
Next racking- 3 weeks later.
Then again after 1 month.
Rack, drink or bottle according to your preferences!
Should really be left 6 months before drinking, but is drinkable straight away, which is what most of us will be doing I am sure!
Enjoy!
Dave.
http://forum.rogerdavies.eu/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6