[Samantha]

I am really happy to see this new forum ... I recently took up home brewing and so far have made cider and stout from kits with my next door neighbour which came out surprisingly well .. I have a bilberry wine kit still to make and have made some mead (my favorite drink) from scratch. Unfortunately I have to wait 18 months before it is ready 

I am really looking forward to posts in this section with recipes and idea's

Sam

[woodlandproductsfife]

Fancy a dram?   

[scattybiker1972]

ooh can i have mead recipe please.mmm.want it for my wedding.
cheers

[woodlandproductsfife]

I can see this is going to be a real busy topic, with some real intresting recipes! and a few sore heads!!!

[Greenerlife]

Second request for your mead recipe please!   

[Samantha]

Oops sorry I completely forgot /facepalm .. ok the recipe I used was from a book called Making Wild Wines and Meads it has a lot of very nice recipes in it and all from hedgerow type stuff.

ISBN-10: 1580171826
ISBN-13: 978-1580171823

The one I am making is a sweet desert mead

**ACID BLEND = 1 part citric, 2 parts malic and 3 parts tartanic**

4lb (1.8kg) Honey
1 teaspoon (5g) orange zest
1 teaspoon (5g) Pectic enzyme
1 teaspoon (5g) Acid Blend
1 cup (240ml) Jasmine Tea
1 campden Tablet (optional)
1 packet (5-7g) yeast
1 teaspoon (5g) Yest nutrient
1.5 c(360ml) Orange Juice (room tempreture)
1/8th (0.625g) Grape Tannin


Boil 1 part honey to 2 parts water for 10-20 mins skimming off any foam
Leave to cool then transfer to plastic fermentation bucket
Add the zest (be sure not to use the white stuff under the zest layer of the fruit as they can make it taste funny)
Jasmine Tea
Acid Blend
Pectic Enzyme
Top up with water to make 1 gallon
add campden tablet
let everything sit for 24 hours

NEXT DAY
in a jar make the yeast starter from
yeast
orange juice
yeast nutrient
Shake it all together
let the starter stand for 1-3 hours until bubbly then add to the fermentation bucket
lastly add the tannin

stick it in a demijohn /airlock etc
then rack after first fermentation
then 3 months later
then 6 months after that
final racking just before bottling and allow mix to completely clear.
keep in bottles for at least 6 months before drinking

then make with the merry

Sam

[dizzy1pig]

My first attempts are under way
plum  in one demi john, raspberry in another
bloop, bloop through the night as my place open plan....
Fingers crossed Any tips gratefully recieved though
 

[Dundonald hens]

Hi folks.
I had made brambel and elderberry wine last year and it was suprisingly good !! one bottle between 2 and you were very merry but alass 2 bottles and you were struggling with the walking.
So far this year I have made blueberry that is gluging away nicely, elderbery that smells like champagne and nettle that we are undecided on yet !!
And today i went to tesco and i always check the reduced bit to see if there is anything that i could try ot make wine from and yippeeee today it was full of BAnnanas so igot 4 carrier bags full for £3 !!!
Anyone got any Bannana recipes ??

[scattybiker1972]

no but banana  beer is gorgeous but no idea how to make it......someone might though

[suziequeue]

What's racking?

[Dundonald hens]

Racking means you syphon of the wine leaving the sedement in the bottom in to a clean demijohn and you keep doing this untill the wine is clear i think lol

[Mickyork]

Found this recipe for Banana wine. Hope it will be of use to you

Banana wine can be made dry or sweet depending upon the recipe and can be blended with other wines to add body and flavour.
Patience is required when making this wine because it takes a long time to become clear.

Ingredients:

3 pounds bananas
6 cups water
5 cups granulated sugar
Cup & a half of light-coloured raisins
2 campden tablets
2 lemons
1 teaspoon nutrients
1 package of wine yeast

Peel 3 pounds of bananas and mash them or slice them thin. Chop up to half of the banana peels into small pieces.
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and place the bananas and the chopped peelings into a saucepan.
Simmer for 30 minutes and strain with a straining bag.
Measure out 5 cups of granulated sugar into a fermenting bucket.
Add light-coloured raisins, 2 campden tablets and juice from 2 lemons & mix all the ingredients together.
Pour the hot banana liquid over the mixture and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
Add enough cold water to make one gallon of the liquid. Let the mixture sit overnight.
Add 1 teaspoon of nutrients and 1 package of wine yeast the following day. Mix well and leave for 5 days, stirring daily.
Siphon the mixture into a second fermenting bucket or demi john on the fifth day & attach air lock.
Do not stir before pouring. You don't want to stir up the sediment on the bottom during this process.
After letting it sit for 3 weeks, siphon the wine off the sediment and return the wine to the fermenter.
Rack the wine (or siphon it) every 3 months for a year for a dry wine.
Add half cup of sugar after dissolving it in 1 cup of wine at each racking for a sweet wine.
Keep adding the sugar until formation doesn't start again when the sugar is added.

[Dundonald hens]

Thanks for the recipe I may try it in the future.
I have already got some banana well on the go and it smells and tastes great.
So far i have
Blueberry from the reduced bit at tesco which is 14% and absalutly lovely just like juice !!/
The nettle wine is also surprisingly good as well although not quite ready and the red currant would be a delightfull rosie wine
and i do have to say after some bottling and starting some more and of course so tasteing  I burnt my arm on the large pot and didnt realy feal it untilll the morning !! and I couldnt decide what was sorer my head or my burnt arm