Brewing the Lager.. I have been given a, Lager beer kit, best before 06-07 07. I have opened it and it smells fine. I am going to proceed with fermenting the brew as directed, using fresh yeast. For you to do this, You will need: 1x 23-25 litre brewing vessel [plastic] an air lock. A hydrometer, [if you wish] . * A Lager, beer kit. 1 kg of white sugar. Follow the instructions provided, on the back of the tin. Brewing should take 5 to 10 days, depends on warmth.
pickles7,
May 5, 4:18pm
I have finally got this brewing. I had to buy a 10 gram pkt. of Lager yeast, and made a starter bottle; 2 cups of water 1 teaspoon of lager yeast 1 teaspoon of sugar 1 teaspoon of malt Every second day I took the lid off the jar, added 1 tsp of sugar, stirred it up, adding oxygen so the yeast would multiply, thus saving the pkt of yeast I bought for my next brew. I did this up till yesterday. I added that jar of starter to the brewing tank yesterday, by golly it woke our two chawahwah dogs up in the middle of the night, yapping hard out at two in the morning, at my burping brew. All is well, they are sleeping, my brew is hard out burping.
mybooks,
May 6, 4:18am
Will you make vinegar from it Pickles?
About 10 of the smaller bottles of beer are left from a party a few years ago, wondered about whether it would work to make vinegar? Also have a large bottle of apple cider that's probably not going to get used - wondered about making vinegar with that too - have you used either previously? Thanks for help.
pickles7,
May 6, 5:12am
yes I will. I would make vinegar with your beer, if I were you, tip the beer out into a food grade bucket, buy some raw cider vinegar [ bulk from a heath food shop, or buy, Bragg's cider vinegar] and put about a cup of that in to start it. Cover with muslin tie it on so fruit flies cannot enter, put the bucket into a warm dark spot and wait. Mine started quite fast to smell like vinegar, probably three weeks. A thick jelly like "mother of vinegar" grows over the top, this will sink, taste if it is good and strong, you have vinegar, if not stir it up a bit, re-cover and wait for the process to be repeated, until it tastes right. Wine, 12 % alc. you can add one part water to two parts of wine, and follow the same steps. Cider, treat the same as beer, don't add water. As it will be a raw vinegar, you will need to strain it as you use it. I pasteurise mine, but it takes a while and found it just as easy to strain it as I go. 30 wine bottles of vinegar I would pasteurise. I wish I started making vinegar years ago. I have always used such a lot of vinegar, and the cost was holding me back a bit. I loved giving plum sauce etc away, now I give vinegar. 50 cents a liter, makes using vinegar a pleasure.
pickles7,
May 6, 4:09pm
I bought 20 kg of feijoas, after cooking and freezing them, I was left with a huge bag of skins etc. I near covered them with water, boiled them, took off too large jugs of juice so I could fill the pot with the rest of the skins, boiled them up and strained the juice. I have decided to test the juice today to see if there is any sugar in it at all. We don't like feijoa wine, but will consider making some to turn into vinegar. All depends on the sugar content. The juice reminds me of balsamic vinegar, has that same texture. On saying that, I feel I have made a gallon of "pectin".
pickles7,
May 6, 9:21pm
I have decided not to add any sugar to the feijoa juice at all. It will be near a beer in alcohol at the end of brewing.It will lean towards being bitter. I am not sure about the end product, vinegar, being bitter. Time is all I will give this juice. 4.5 liters of juice 1 tsp lager yeast 2 tsp pectolase The results will be great if all goes to plan. fingers crossed for this lot.
pickles7,
May 14, 5:11pm
The feijoa juice has just started to ferment, I was getting a little concerned in case the natural sugar content was too low. I didn't put an air lock on either jar. leaving lots of room for the foam, from the fermentation process. At the first racking I will put the remaining juice into a jar, fitted with an air lock.
pickles7,
May 14, 5:49pm
The Lager has stopped brewing and is waiting for me to rack it off into my black container. That is where the vinegar with develop. No hurry, It will clear a bit more if left longer.
pickles7,
May 20, 8:38pm
yaaa,got the first 3 liters started today. It is not a great idea to put a tiny bit of "mother" into a 23 liter lot of lager at one time. As it is I only had 1 Tbsp of live raw vinegar to start with. I was not wanting to add wine or cider "vinegar mothers". This is the real deal. D.Y.C. malt "vinegar mother". I will get the 3 liters to turn, then put all of that in the black barrel
pickles7,
May 20, 8:51pm
I racked off the feijoa juice today and found the flavour to be very good. I halved the juice into the two jars, as there was still a bit much for 1 jar.I then decided to go on with the project and added 1 cup of sugar in 1 cup of boiling water to each jar, and will wait until it stops brewing to decide if more sugar is required. There was not much point in adding more yeast, it should start fermenting again, by tonight.
pickles7,
May 28, 1:25am
I added 1 more cup of sugar, 1 cup of boiling water to dissolve the sugar,to each jar today. The alcohol is not there yet, it needs to be the same as beer, I am looking for 6 %. The yeast is working on the top of the jar. I have three lots brewing right now.
pickles7,
May 28, 3:04pm
Lager vinegar is stuck ! Darn a whole week has gone by, nothing has happened. I have now added more raw vinegar, it may be a little cold. If in a weeks time it is still not doing anything I will sit the jar on a heat pad.
mwood,
May 29, 1:46am
you are confusing the process - first make the low alcohol "wine/beer" then add water if it's too alcoholic the add the vinegar mother - why are you adding sugar and boiling water and vinegar ? - they are in conflict and will kill the alcohol making yeast - first make the alcohol with sugar, hot water,fruit/grain, cold waterthen add the yeast and when that fermentation is finished add the vinegar mother - you had it right the first time LOL
pickles7,
May 29, 2:02am
COOL HOW ARE YOU??? LOL. YOU CONFUSING YOURSELF.
pickles7,
May 29, 2:06am
FEIJOA juice, it is rubbish, I decided to brew out the natural sugars only. It is not even 5% alcohol, I added sugar and water to boost it up a bit. Then when it is up to 5 to 6% I WILL MAKE VINEGAR WITH IT.
pickles7,
May 29, 2:08am
LAGER VINEGAR. That has finnished making alcohol, I introduced "mother of vinegar"but SHE is sluggish.
pickles7,
May 29, 2:23am
My peach vinegar is the brew that is way over the 5 to 6% alcohol. I had to add another bottle of water= 1 bottle of wine + 1 bottle of water, now. If you make vinegar with too much alcohol, the vinegar will not keep. Why would you want to make 1 and a half bottles of vinegar, if the alcohol level will allow you to make 2 bottles of vinegar, I plan on doing a test to see if I can add even more water. The peach wine did turn into vinegar, "vinegar mother did not grow properly, that is a sign of too much alcohol. The alcohol killed of "mother". I am loving making vinegars. This peach vinegar is really nice you can taste the peach. I sort of feel with the extra water It may take the "peach flavour" away. Have you made any yet. I was going to make my own, malt. It was just a bit over the top for me. I usedmalt from Bin Inn, for the last malt vinegar, it was just as nice, just not a rich dark colour, as the dark malt, from the brew shop.
pickles7,
Jun 3, 3:21am
I will move peach into here as well. Peach vinegar. six days on and "vinegar mother" is growing over the top of the barrel. great tasting vinegar still. cool as. It is very strong, but I will wait until this vinegar mother sinks before testing for acidity.
pickles7,
Jun 3, 3:22am
Lager vinegar This has a film over the top at long last, it is turning, tastes like sour beer. lol.
lindylambchops1,
Jun 3, 3:28am
pickles7 I think you are so amazing!You are an inspiration!
pickles7,
Jun 3, 3:34am
feijoa brew Not wine not vinegar. A real mystery at this time. The brew is not working, very well. It won't spoil so I will just leave it to do the job, itself.
pickles7,
Jun 3, 3:47am
I am just so involved with making vinegars now. I love it. I will definitely be looking for the right grapes next year to start on making, balsamic vinegar. I have a wee while to read up on the method.
pickles7,
Jun 17, 5:10pm
Peach vinegar had another bottle of peach wine added, I knew Vinegar mother needed to grow a bit faster. It worked and now there is a nice thick layer over the top. The flavour has returned too, it did loose the hint of peach. I am well pleased with this lot now. As soon as "Vinegar Mother" dies this time , I hope It will be ready to bottle. Just as well I have kept up with this thread, the next lot will go faster, I will be able to work out exactly how many bottles of water to the bottles of wine. cool as.
pickles7,
Jun 17, 5:21pm
Lager Vinegar, is doing well. A layer of "Vinegar Mother has grown over the top. Taste is more sour beer than vinegar, still. There is a hint there, definitely on the back of my tongue, making my mouth water. Nice.
pickles7,
Jun 17, 5:24pm
Feijoa vinegar, mmmmm nothing is happening at all. I have added 1 more cup of, raw cider vinegar to this brew. It will happen.... This brings me down to earth..It is not the brightest way to grow a nice healthy "Mother". I should have got 1 litre of Feijoa vinegar made first. lol
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