how do i make wine/beer?

Question

im interested in making my own wine/beer, do you buy kits for this? how do i do it?

Answer 1

This is going to take some time. You can buy kits for both wine and beer [Ale, Larger, Stout,Cider etc] or you can make it from scratch. I brew my own beer [from a kit]. You will need 1, a brewing bin (5 gal ) 2. a heater of some kind. 3. Storage vessel of some kind either bottles or a pressure barrel [a lot less grief] 4. A syphon [get a large bore one, half inch at least] 5. Sterilising stuff. 6. A very large saucepan or similar 1 and a half gallons. Warm the beer kit can in a separate saucepan [the wort is pretty thick and gloppy cold] whilst heating up about a gal of water in the BIG pan. As the water heats stir in about a kilo of sugar, once the sugar dissolves open the can of beer kit and mix it in with the sugar water, poor boiling water from your kettle into the can to dissolve the wort that you could not get out the first time. Bring the BIG pan to the biol and then simmer for 5-10 min's. turn of heat and leave for 30 min's or so. Pour a couple of gals cold water into the brewing bin, add the content of the BIG pan then move the brewing bin to where it is going to live for the next seven days, now top it up with more cold water, give it a good stir. Add the yeast,some types you have to prepare in advance some are in powder form that can sprinkled on the top, cover, engage the heater, wrap up [I use a old sleeping bag] and forget for the next six or seven days, A week has passed grab a measuring jug or two add 1 level teaspoon of sugar per pint of [about 1 third of a whiskey tumbler full] kit to a jug add beer from the bin and stir until sugar has dissolved . syphon beer from bin to storage vessel {always check the tap is closed on the barrel] when barrel is about 1 third full add the sugar beer from the jug. Once barrel is full, close the lid give it a good shake, roll the barrel on to it's back and briefly open the tap to relieve some of the pressure. place the barrel in it's new home, you might want to slant it forward 10-15 degrees [stick an old book or something underneath the back] and in 7-10 days you can have a party.

Answer 2

There is no mystery about making wine and it is SO simple. You will need a demi-john (glass jar holding a gallon of liquid), an air lock and rubber bung (available from most chemists) and a large bucket to make the brew in.

My favourite is elderberry or damson but the recipe is very similar for most soft fruits.
Gather as many fruits as you need (at least a third of your bucket but more if you wish) and crush them into the bucket.
Add boiling water to make up to a gallon
When cooled to tepid, add a teaspoon of yeast (I find baking yeast is most reliable.)
Cover and leave for 4-5 days (it won't hurt to leave it for a week!)
Put 3 lbs of sugar into the demi-john and strain the juice onto it.
Fit the air lock and stand on a tray in a warm place - the wine may well go through a violent fermentation period and make a nasty mess for a couple of days.
Once it has settled, leave it in a warm (dark, if possible, but not sunny, place) until it has stopped fermenting (bubbles stop coming from the air lock.) probably about 4-6 months.
If it is not clear you can siphon it off into a clean jar leaving the slush at the bottom of the old jar. You can add finings if you want to to make it clearer.
Leave it as long as you can resist before drinking - I don't usually get as far as bottling it!

As long as you keep things clean you don't have to go through all those weird and wonderful habits that some wine makers swear by - keep it simple and you won't go wrong!

Enjoy!


I have made beer/lager successfully using kits - you can add extra hops if you have them.

Answer 3

Home brew kits are the easiest way to start. There are great websites and groups to start home brewing for beer, try beertown.org. Zymurgy is a fantastic magazine for the amateur brewer. Beer is also more fickle and requires good cleaning practices. Wine is more forgiving for fermenting. Also check out homewinemaking.co.uk

Answer 4

most towns inth UK hae a "brew shop". Look in YPages under hoem brewing.

Its easy. Start with kits - Beaverdale for wine,a nd coopers for beers are great makes with reliabel results.

You'll need somewhere warm and vibration free to ferment it.

You'll spend about £50 to get started including £8 for the kit and the rest on demijons and stuff.

The shops are really helpful.

Answer 5

Here are some ideal sites for getting started:
-for making wine at home
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/
http://www.homewinemaking.co.uk/

-for making beer, the best place to start is here
http://howtobrew.com

Then do a google search for home brewing stores in your area. The people there are always helpful. They carry all the books you'll need, the ingredients, the tools, and so on.

If you don't have one near by, my favorite online supplier is http://morebeer.com There are tons of others, too.

Answer 6

Before you get started you need to have a fundamental understanding of what you're doing. I reccomend buying
"The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing" by Charlie Papazain.
It is the bible of homebrewers and has helped thousands of people (myself included) get started making their own beer.

Next you'll need supplies. Consult your local yellow pages for
homebrewing supplies, if none, check out www.morebeer.com
They have wine making kits as well. The best thing to do is call
and ask to speak to a rep. Most of them are homebrewers and they can help you in your selection of supplies + reccomend a kit
for you to make your first batch.

Good Luck and Good beer

Answer 7

the best thing to do is look in your thompsons or yellow pages for a home brew shop. and decide which you want to brew. i brew a good drinkable wine for about one pound twenty a bottle. i would'nt go for the cheapy stuff, gut rot.just have a word with the shop assistant, he'll put you right.

Answer 8

Beer is considerably less time consuming.

Answer 9

water,vineyards ,grapes