Homebrew ?

[Zardoz]

Do we have any home beer brewers, winemakers or other on the forum? I'm thinking about getting into a little homebrewing, But so far I just make a couple varieties of Loki, (which I guess is in the 'other' category!) a popular libation with the renfaire crowd.

[Mad Scientist]

I am a homebrewer, do it you wont regret it...

[Heming]

Me too. Very rewarding! What's Loki?

[Zardoz]

Me too. Very rewarding! What's Loki?

Loki is sort of a catch-all name for various drinks made by ren-faire folk. They are basically flavor concoctions, usually sweet, added to an alcohol base, a bit like a liqueur.

Everybody has favorite closely guarded recipes. My Apathetic Amber tastes like vanilla and cinnamon. I've tried loki that tasted like all kinds of stuff, even apple pie and gingerbread. If you want to give some a try, here's a basic recipe that's been around since dirt to get started, it tastes like Amaretto;

1/2 gallon of Water
One 2lb bag of white Sugar
1/2 cup of Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup of Almond Extract (get real organic extracts, or it will taste funny)
750 ml (one fifth) of Everclear

1. Mix Water and Sugar together in a large pot over a medium heat. Ensure
that all the Sugar melts.
2. Allow to cool completely.
3. Add the Extracts and Everclear.
4. Bottle and store on a dark place for at least a month, three or more preferably. This will produce about a gallon of Loki, so be prepared with enough containers. Don't use plastic bottles!
5. Drink responsibly.

[KiltedBrewer]

I started homebrewing when I was still in the Army back in 2000. I went pro at a small brewpub in Green Bay, WI in 2006, and now I'm at a much bigger brewery here in Missoula, MT.

Start homebrewing. It's awesome! And if I can give you one piece of advice, the thing that will ruin your beer faster than anything else is poor sanitation. Make sure everything's clean and sanitized. (You'll find sanitation instructions in any good homebrewing book. My favorite is How To Brew by John Palmer.)

Happy brewing and let us know how it goes!

David

[Ayin McFye]

Proud brewer as well. About to start an 80 gallon batch of home brew mead. Just straight up mead. No flavors added. We import our honey as well, we don't use any of that store bought crap. I saw someone made mead once with crocker's honey and 6 months later he had an alcoholic drink that nobody would touch. Ingredients make a world of difference.

Have also won a few gold,silver,bronze medals over the years, but my brother and I don't compete anymore. We know we've got a good product, and that's all that matters. Looking to get our distributors license in the next year and make a few bucks off of it.

Cheers to homebrewing!

[Brother Falldown]

I started homebrewing when I was still in the Army back in 2000. I went pro at a small brewpub in Green Bay, WI in 2006, and now I'm at a much bigger brewery here in Missoula, MT.

Start homebrewing. It's awesome! And if I can give you one piece of advice, the thing that will ruin your beer faster than anything else is poor sanitation. Make sure everything's clean and sanitized. (You'll find sanitation instructions in any good homebrewing book. My favorite is How To Brew by John Palmer.)

Happy brewing and let us know how it goes!

David

David is absolutely right. Nothing can ruin a batch quicker than poor sanitation. I boil everything that can be boiled, utensils etc. before starting and I use an iodine rinse while using the equipment. Post brewing clean up is equally imporant. There are some excellent products out there that will help you get the residue out of your vats and bottles.

Another thought. When I first started I took great pride in achieving maximum alcohol content. Older and wiser now I find I can enjoy the fruits of my labor far more if I'm not smashed after the second pint!

[CDNSushi]

<sigh> USED to... But since moving to Japan, I haven't been able to. The laws governing homebrewing (and wine making) are SO strict and convoluted here in Japan that it may as well be outright illegal. In fact, if you ask ANYONE, including public officials, they will tell you that it's illegal, even though that's technically false. It's just that no one has the stomach to wade through all the crap bureaucracy and paperwork that governs it, so it's much easier to just issue a blanket "no"...

Back in Canada I used to do it quite often.... Sometimes the results were palatable, and other times, well -- let's just say I did a lot of cooking with beer.

I also used to make wine, and once I made mead. I always enjoyed making custom labels for my products -- that was probably the best part.

[kilted_brewer]

I'm a proud homebrewer since 1998, all-grain brewing since 2001! It's a great hobby because (wait for it) you get beer when you're done.

I think there are quite a few other past and present homebrewers here as well.

[Steve53]

Used to, but am diabetic these days, so don't. If I did, I'd drink it, to my detriment.

Steve