Hope everyone has a happy Christmas and a successful new year in all their allotment endeavours, best wishes from Jane & Simon xx
Sunday, 22 December 2013
Christmas Veg!
Down to the plot today to pick some veg to go with Christmas dinner. Christmas sprouts STILL arent ready yet however there were enough of the earlier ones left for us to pick. Got two heads of kale, picked the whole plant so it stays fresh through to Christmas day. Some leeks, only small ones but you pay a fortune for baby leeks in the shop so they look a bit posh! Little carrots. And of course, a load of chard for the chickens. Cold down there today, particularly in the wind but at least the sun was shining. Couldn't see anyone else down there today, all a bit deserted.
Hope everyone has a happy Christmas and a successful new year in all their allotment endeavours, best wishes from Jane & Simon xx
Hope everyone has a happy Christmas and a successful new year in all their allotment endeavours, best wishes from Jane & Simon xx
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
GIFTS : Little Bottler & Country Wines by Mary Aylett (1953)
Received two lovely gifts from my Amazon Wish List this week, Thank you so much Emily.
I have one of these on my 25 liter fermenting bucket and they are great, really does make things nice and easy when it comes to filling up your beer bottles. This new one has been fitted to my smaller bucket (15 liters) for when I make my BIAB beers.
This a fascinating and informative book on the age-old and delightful rural art of wine-making includes a very extensive collection of recipes for traditional country wines and many absorbing stories about wine-making and wine drinking through the ages. Full of wine making recipes, which include country wines, beer, cider and mead making. A useful book for the amateur wine maker.
London, Odhams Press, 1953 . First edition illustrated by line drawings throughout. Chapters on Raisin and Dried fruit wine, Currant wine, Elderflower and elderberry wine, plum port and beetroot wine, several fruit wines, parsnip and vegetable wines, flower wines, wines from grains, herb wines mead and metheglin, cider and perry and so on. Mrs Aylett hopes that "the book will bring afresh to many the joys of "a simple valuable and once widely practised art, which can be a source of pleasure to all, a wholesome addition to a woefully depleted diet and a new stimulus to a sadly waning hospitality" possibly just as true today as in 1953. 8vo., pp192
I have already read through this whole book, it reads just like a novel, Even if you don't make home brew it's a great read. There are quite a few things I might make from this old book, but maybe not the wine the Manchus made from the flesh of sheep!!!
Little Bottler : Product Description (Youngs)
The Little Bottler is designed to swiftly and efficiently fill your bottles from your fermenter. The Little Bottler consists of a dispensing tap which can be used as usual, plus a detachable filling tube. When the filling tube is fitted, inserting it into a bottle will result in the brew flowing and filling the bottle. Taking the bottle away will result in the flow automatically stopping. Ideally this should be used over a drip tray as, inevitably with this sort of product, small drips will occur.I have one of these on my 25 liter fermenting bucket and they are great, really does make things nice and easy when it comes to filling up your beer bottles. This new one has been fitted to my smaller bucket (15 liters) for when I make my BIAB beers.
COUNTRY WINES MARY AYLETT
Product Description
This a fascinating and informative book on the age-old and delightful rural art of wine-making includes a very extensive collection of recipes for traditional country wines and many absorbing stories about wine-making and wine drinking through the ages. Full of wine making recipes, which include country wines, beer, cider and mead making. A useful book for the amateur wine maker.
London, Odhams Press, 1953 . First edition illustrated by line drawings throughout. Chapters on Raisin and Dried fruit wine, Currant wine, Elderflower and elderberry wine, plum port and beetroot wine, several fruit wines, parsnip and vegetable wines, flower wines, wines from grains, herb wines mead and metheglin, cider and perry and so on. Mrs Aylett hopes that "the book will bring afresh to many the joys of "a simple valuable and once widely practised art, which can be a source of pleasure to all, a wholesome addition to a woefully depleted diet and a new stimulus to a sadly waning hospitality" possibly just as true today as in 1953. 8vo., pp192
I have already read through this whole book, it reads just like a novel, Even if you don't make home brew it's a great read. There are quite a few things I might make from this old book, but maybe not the wine the Manchus made from the flesh of sheep!!!
Sunday, 15 December 2013
Brewday : Elderberry + Mixed fruit wine
Had 1.5kg of frozen elderberries in the freezer taking up space that need to be used for Xmas food, also had a ice-cream tub of allotment mixed fruit, jostaberries, gooseberries, strawberries, black and red-currents, raspberries. Not enough to make much with but came to 0.5kg in weight.
I make Elderberry wine every year and is a favorite of mine for drinking. So I have made it up again but added the 0.5kg of mixed fruit to use it all up.
The Recipe is from How to Make Your Own Drinks: by Susy Atkins page 70.
The only things that have been done different to the book is the addition of the 0.5kg of mixed fruit and I boiled the Frozen elderberries up with the water and mixed fruit for 15mins and added 2tsp of Pectolase just in case when the Must had cooled to 20'c.
Today I strained the Must onto the sugar in the demijohn for it to ferment out. Used 1/2 a packet of Youngs champagne brewing yeast that I had left over. So I hope these changes don't change the wine to much.
I make Elderberry wine every year and is a favorite of mine for drinking. So I have made it up again but added the 0.5kg of mixed fruit to use it all up.
The Recipe is from How to Make Your Own Drinks: by Susy Atkins page 70.
The only things that have been done different to the book is the addition of the 0.5kg of mixed fruit and I boiled the Frozen elderberries up with the water and mixed fruit for 15mins and added 2tsp of Pectolase just in case when the Must had cooled to 20'c.
Today I strained the Must onto the sugar in the demijohn for it to ferment out. Used 1/2 a packet of Youngs champagne brewing yeast that I had left over. So I hope these changes don't change the wine to much.
Thursday, 12 December 2013
Tasting : Homemade Ginger Wine
Ginger Wine: Reviewed By Jane
As a lover of Stones Ginger wine it was a little courageous of Simon to make me some from scratch. However, I am more than pleasantly surprised at just how good it is. I would even go as far to say that I prefer his.
It is lighter and more refreshing and is not as heady as Stones, with a lovely strong ginger tang that warms the stomach and a very pleasant citrus aftertaste. It certainly is as strong as Stones, one glass is enough to put a little colour in the cheeks and a smile on your face. Beautiful golden coppery gingery colour as well. All in all, a great success and one I hope Simon will repeat.
As a lover of Stones Ginger wine it was a little courageous of Simon to make me some from scratch. However, I am more than pleasantly surprised at just how good it is. I would even go as far to say that I prefer his.
It is lighter and more refreshing and is not as heady as Stones, with a lovely strong ginger tang that warms the stomach and a very pleasant citrus aftertaste. It certainly is as strong as Stones, one glass is enough to put a little colour in the cheeks and a smile on your face. Beautiful golden coppery gingery colour as well. All in all, a great success and one I hope Simon will repeat.
Recipe was the one on page 31 from Favourite Country Wines and Cordials and uses 3 oz of root ginger a few lemons and 1lb of rasins and made 4 x 750ml bottles with a bit left over for sampling.
I made this wine on the 12th of August 2013 and was bottled on the 7th of November so it's still a young wine but very good.
Converting used barley into Eggs
After brew day us beer brewers have plenty of used malted barley left over, and not alot we can do with it. So my good lady wife's chickens get a treat on brewday.
Could do with a few more uses for this "spent" barley, maybe try doing a old English "small" beer or maybe add some to a bread recipe.
Could do with a few more uses for this "spent" barley, maybe try doing a old English "small" beer or maybe add some to a bread recipe.
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Brewday : Bitter with Homegrown Hops & Pumpkin
Roasted the home grown pumpkin in the oven in big chunks with the skin on at gas mark 6 for 2 hours on the top shelf so it was nice and caramelized. When it was cool enough to handle, I removed the pumpkin flesh from the skin into a bowl. 1.3kg of lovely pumpkin ready for the brew.
The hops are all home grown as well, from this years crop, and with this brew I am using up the last of them. I like my beers quite hoppy which is why the quantities look a little high for a 20 pint brew.
The brew method is the same as I always do for my beers and follows the procedure here this makes around 20 pints of beer. The only thing that was done extra was the addition of the pumpkin flesh at the mash stage. The whole 1.3kg of pumpkin was added right at the start of the mash after the grains where rained in.
Pumpkin Bitter (Home Grown Hops)AleRecipe by Simon Scott |  |
Recipe Specs
| Original Gravity | Final Gravity | Colour (SRM / EBC) | Bitterness | Alcohol by Volume |
| 1.036 | 1.009 | 8.3 / 16.4 | 30.9 IBU | 3.5% |
Brewhouse Specs
| Recipe Type | Batch Size | Boil Time | Efficiency |
| All Grain/BIAB | 12.0 Litres / 3.2 Gal | 60.0 min | 65.0% |
Fermentables
| Name | Type | SRM | Percentage | Amount |
| Golden Promise Malt | Grain | 3.0 | 90.48 % | 1.90 Kg / 4.19 Lbs |
| Crystal 60 | Grain | 60.0 | 9.52 % | 0.20 Kg / 0.44 Lbs |
Hops
| Name | AA% | Amount | Use | Time |
| Target | 9.0% | 10.00 g / 0.35 oz | Mash | 60 mins |
| Challenger | 6.1% | 8.00 g / 0.28 oz | Boil | 60 mins |
| Fuggles | 5.7% | 12.00 g / 0.42 oz | Boil | 60 mins |
| Fuggles | 5.7% | 5.00 g / 0.18 oz | Cube Hop | 2 days |
| Target | 9.0% | 5.00 g / 0.18 oz | Cube Hop | 2 days |
Misc
| Name | Amount | Use | Time |
| Pumpkin | 1300.00 g / 45.86 oz | Mash | 90 mins |
Yeast
| Name | Attenuation |
| Wyeast 1098 - British Ale | 75 % |
Mash Steps
| Step Name | Time | Temperature | Type |
| Saccharification Rest | 90.0 min | 66.0 °C / 150.8 °F | Infusion |
| |
READINGS:
| Reading | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Temp 'C At Start Of Mash | 68 | ||
| Temp 'C At 45min mark Of Mash | 66 | ||
| Temp 'C At End Of Mash | 65 | ||
| SG Before Boil | 1033 | ||
| SG After Boil | 1045 | ||
| Volume of Wort in Cube | 10.7 ltr | ||
| Dilution Required for target ABV% | 2.5 ltr |
Sunday, 8 December 2013
Below Zero
The greenhouse thermometer is giving us an idea of how cold its getting at night now, only had a couple of very light frosts at home, only had to de-ice the car once. Coldest recorded so far in the greenhouse is -3.5. Chillies are still doing OK in there and there are even some flowers on the Super Chilli! Forecast is supposed to be for mild weather for the next week or so but expect we will see much lower figures before the winter is over. Shortest day in a couple of weeks though so Spring wont be too long in coming.
Interesting to see how the 2 different brussel sprouts varieties I planted have performed this year, did a couple of rows of F1 Brilliant and a little block of Fillibasket. F1 Brilliant has proved to be very productive, have had lots of meals from these already.
Yet the Fillibasket variety are very tall and weedy with not many decent sprouts, some have not a single sprout on.
No prizes for guessing which I'll be doing next year......
So, more mulching and chicken muck spreading today and a general check around, all is very quiet down there. Still got to get down there with pen and paper and do some planning for next year.
Interesting to see how the 2 different brussel sprouts varieties I planted have performed this year, did a couple of rows of F1 Brilliant and a little block of Fillibasket. F1 Brilliant has proved to be very productive, have had lots of meals from these already.
Yet the Fillibasket variety are very tall and weedy with not many decent sprouts, some have not a single sprout on.
No prizes for guessing which I'll be doing next year......
So, more mulching and chicken muck spreading today and a general check around, all is very quiet down there. Still got to get down there with pen and paper and do some planning for next year.
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