ben i bought all my stuff from a tourist shop in paignton for about 70 pounds,havent looked back i messed up a few times at first,once you get the hang of it,you can make beer and wine as good as you buy in supermarkets ,i dont bother making scrumpy (cider),because i know a farm in denbury were i can source that from
lifes good ,but even sweeter under the stars
Brewing is fermentation and not distillation, Distilling is the process of rectifying and refining a low alcohol product into a high alcohol product.
I make my own country wines - bilberry, blackberry, elderberry, elderflower, oak leaf, birch sap etc... I also do the odd beer - nettle, dandelion and burdock.
Funnily enough though, just having a still on the same property as my wort, wine or beer is enough to get me in trouble.
Another really bizarre fact - nearly every country in the 1st world has legislation regards distilling spirits except New Zealand.
Having said all this, I don't really know of any cases lately involving home spirit making - C&E are too busy chasing drug smugglers and tax dodgers!
If you do want to do something with spirits then try making things like sloe gin or blackberry vodka/whisky, all you need is some cheap spirits bases, sugar and some berries. The end result is a sweet fruity spirit that is a few % points higher than the original - I love bilberry Whisky and Chilli Vodka.
[SIZE=4][COLOR=#8b4513]Wake me up when things are over, and I'm Wiser and older.
i meant to say brewing ,thanks mike some usefull tips there i like the idea of using blackberrys in vodka ill have to try that out m8,im not a vodka lover more of a whiskey man they would be nice with bourbon
lifes good ,but even sweeter under the stars
you can brew beers at home with as simple kit as a bucket and piece of cloth to cover it with as long as it is all clean and sterile but you can buy complete kits online from many places or even evil bay if you want to just google home brewing kits, but i would recommend the coopers brew kits
Here in New Zealand, loads of people "moonshine" - it's totally legal! So is prostitution
Previously known as Kieran, joined NBC in 2010, then lost my account details last year
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"No" is the short answer. Pine resin was used to create a seal on the wine jars. People got used to the taste and smell and the practise is still continued to the day.
If the wine that buy is unresinated ie a normal bottle of wine, you used to be able to ask the Café/Taverna for it to have resin added. I don't know if this is still the case.
Did someone mention distilling? I'm sat here in work presently 'distilling' about 13000 ltrs of new make spirit (also known as malt whisky)
You can buy stills though (like the one that isn't sat in my shed) as they are legal for making essential oils rather than distilling spirit.
Many are sold as 'scale working models' mine is powered by a meths burner and does @1ltr of wine/spirit base per load (not that I would try such a thing) and the base liquor is available widely from home brew shops.
Homebrew Banana wine chucked through the still needs SERIOUS respect .... allegedly...... and whiskey aint as easy to get right as Flounder_al et all make it look. But then the price of a decent malt now *grumble*moan* Bloody supermarkets....
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