Topic: Official Esink Home Brewing Thread

[Steve]

Buy a bunch of beer at the store that comes in 1L bottles.  It'll be more expensive but a lot more fun

Yea I thought of that. I have been calling the local bars and food joints, but most of them get some kickback from the city for recycling the bottles.

[Jake]

$30 for 12 is not a bad deal.

I get mine at ikea - I don't remember how much they were.

[Steve]

Nah it's not bad, and since the guy is in Independence (Apex Brew Wares) the shipping is free or 7.99 if I order a few cases. The issue is my other half, she is smart and knows if she doesn't monitor my spending I'll spend way too much.

Besides I HATE buying bottles when so many places will just give them to you. And no matter how many lables you put "Please return the bottle" on most people don't. I had an easier time in MI where there are bottle deposits then I'm having here. Going to call the recycling center tomorrow, and probably do some dumpster diving tomorrow night.

[Mike]

Weren't you doing moonshine?  Just use the canning bottles like the rest of your redneck brethren.

[Steve]

Weren't you doing moonshine?  Just use the canning bottles like the rest of your redneck brethren.

The moonshine all goes into mason jars, but right now I am brewing German Apfelwein which is a wine. Wine SHOULD be carbonated, and mason jars cannot handle the pressure safely. I can bottle a bunch of it "still" in the mason jars, but i like doing things the right way. Since about 14 bottles are going to other people, they have to be carbonated or I will be miserable about my work.

[Govtcheez]

> Wine SHOULD be carbonated

Maybe specific types, but not in general

[Steve]

> Wine SHOULD be carbonated

Maybe specific types, but not in general

I guess it depends on taste. I generally find I like wine better carbonated, so I will usually make a small batch (around a gallon) the first time I make a new wine. I will bottle still and carbonated, and then see which I like. With Apfelwein it's pretty uncontested that carbonated is better.

Turns out there are a few winery's and "fine" restaurants around here. Two of them answered my emails already and said they will save me a few bottles and if I show up when promised they will be happy to hold a case or two for me when I ask for it.

Score!

[Govtcheez]

> I guess it depends on taste.

No, it doesn't.  The vast majority of wine styles aren't carbonated

[Steve]

Commercial wines, maybe, but the majority of home brewers seem to prefer carbonated. Keeping in mind I was never a huge wine drinker, my first hand personal experience with wine is limited as this is a new acquired taste for me.

EDIT: I'm misinformed, the carbonated discussions are about champagne. The people carbonating wine are using swing top lager bottles or champagne setups. The bottles I have "popped" were champagne not wine.

[Mike]

> I guess it depends on taste.

No, it doesn't.  The vast majority of wine styles aren't carbonated

I'll admit I'm not a wine connoisseur but only carbonated style I can think of is Sparkling Wine (referred to as Champagne regardless of the origin).

Commercial wines, maybe, but the majority of home brewers seem to prefer carbonated. Keeping in mind I was never a huge wine drinker, my first hand personal experience with wine is limited as this is a new acquired taste for me.

EDIT: I'm misinformed, the carbonated discussions are about champagne. The people carbonating wine are using swing top lager bottles or champagne setups. The bottles I have "popped" were champagne not wine.

The bottles you have popped were cheap ass sparkling wine trying to pass themselves off as champagne.  Heres a hint:  Unless you are using the grapes and style from Champagne France you aren't producing champagne.

[Steve]

I'm producing wine, not champagne. I was saying that I was confused in thinking the bottles I have opened were wine when they were actually champagne. The brewers that are carbonating the wine are doing it in beer bottles and champagne bottles.

I'm just glad i realized it before i carbonated into wine bottles and had them exploding in the cooler.

[jkim]

The bottles you have popped were cheap ass sparkling wine trying to pass themselves off as champagne.  Heres a hint:  Unless you are using the grapes and style from Champagne France you aren't producing champagne.

Also, tequila is only from Tequila.

[Mike]

The bottles you have popped were cheap ass sparkling wine trying to pass themselves off as champagne.  Heres a hint:  Unless you are using the grapes and style from Champagne France you aren't producing champagne.

Also, tequila is only from Tequila.

Interesting, did not know that.  Thanks for informing us.  That said, Tequila = bleh

[Steve]

Have you ever had good tequila though? Cabo Wabo is not too pricey and very, very good.

[Steve]

So about an hour ago I cracked open my jug of prison hooch for a test taste.....WOW does that pack a kick. I had 2-3 good size sips and I kind of have a headache. My step father had a whole glass, and says he feels kind of tipsy.