Elderflower Champers/Fizz/Beer...

[Ryecroft]

Thanks very much.

 

[Silverhill]

Just to throw things into the mix a little and for anyone wondering, I'm on my seventh year using Gervins No.3 yeast. One sachet per year has served well for up to 20 litres. One sachet as about a quid IIFC and is easily prepared with warm water and sugar before adding to the brew. I've come to settle on this yeast after trying repeatedly to get the brew started using the natural yeasts alone, which never really happened. Every year though, I still entertain the possibility that 'this will be the year that the brew will start itself' and leave it a week just to see what happens. Needless to say, the Gervins goes in roughly a week after I make the brew, and I then leave it a week or so before bottling, frequently samping until you get a 'taste' for it.

The Gervins No.3 yeast is marketed as a champagne-style or a starter yeast for starting 'stuck' brews and it reaches quite a strength. I drank a litre in one sitting last year, and it had a similar effect on me to a whole bottle of red

EDIT: Just made a quick check on mine, (7 days) and it's making a very quiet popping and fizzing noise (pretty much the norm), a quick taste and it confirms that it's still got a couple of weeks to go, so I've added the yeast mixture and will hopefully hear it at work very soon. Another taster on Wednesday should give me an initial indication of when it'll be ready for bottling.

 

[marcelxl]

Well, mines done.................and if somethings worth doing them its worth overdoing! 48l in 4 buckets now sat in my garage waiting for the magical alcohol fairies to come

I pretty much followed HFW's recipe whilst bearing in mind what had beed written above so I trimmed most of the stalks off and left them unwashed so hopefully no yeast will be needed but I will check in a day or so.

The first taste test too............Promising!


Also re. the posts above, should it start fermenting and everything goes well without adding the yeast, what sort of alcohol content are we looking at?

Would the yeast increase the alcohol content even if fermentation happens on its own, and its worth doing regardless?

 

[trinder]

Hi peps a bit of a newbie to this stuff generally but specifically to this site. I am not sure if you are all talking about cordial or champagne? if its champagne my recipe says just 24 hours then bottle for 10 days then consume within the month or cordial which has citric acid added is left for 10 days before bottling. elp

 

[HeltorChasca]

Just bottled my "wife's half" of the fizz (25 pints). OG1060 and FG1034 which brings her batch up to 3.5%. The brew is still VERY lively and I haven't added any sort of brewers yeast. The hope is to get the second half of the batch (mine) up to about 13% if I can without adding yeast. Although based on the sugar content and OG I might only get to about 10%. Cross fingers and see..............hc

 

[gregorach]

Just bottled my "wife's half" of the fizz (25 pints). OG1060 and FG1034 which brings her batch up to 3.5%.

Did you "stop" it in any way? Or are you making grenades?

 

[gregorach]

Also re. the posts above, should it start fermenting and everything goes well without adding the yeast, what sort of alcohol content are we looking at?

Would the yeast increase the alcohol content even if fermentation happens on its own, and its worth doing regardless?

The maximum amount of alcohol that can be produced is (generally) determined by the amount of fermentable sugars present, but whether you get there can depend on the yeast. If your got a yeast that can only tolerate 4% alcohol, then that's the most you'll get, and any remaining sugar will not be fermented. One of the main differences between "proper" yeasts and wild yeasts is that the former can (usually) tolerate more alcohol. One of the problems with using wild yeasts is that you don't really know what its tolerance is... Hence the exploding bottles you hear about so often.

 

[HeltorChasca]

Did you "stop" it in any way? Or are you making grenades?

Heh heh. I hope not. I'll start beefing up my shed walls now! I didn't stop the brew in any way, but I have used strong bottles. I did the same last year (and with lower %) and there weren't any casualties. This week, with higher temperatures, I hope that by leaving the shed door open it should all be ok.

 

[DMadden]

Hi guys, i'm planning on making up a batch of this over the weekend, I believe this is HFW's recipe;

Makes about 6 litres

Ingredients
4 litres hot water
700g sugar
Juice and zest of four lemons
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
About 15 elderflower heads, in full bloom
A pinch of dried yeast (you may not need this)

What do you make of that? does it sound about right?

Cheers,
Dan.

 

[tenderfoot]

Heh heh. I hope not. I'll start beefing up my shed walls now! I didn't stop the brew in any way, but I have used strong bottles. I did the same last year (and with lower %) and there weren't any casualties. This week, with higher temperatures, I hope that by leaving the shed door open it should all be ok.

I used to put it in champagne bottles or the old dimpled glass screw top fizzy lemonade bottles and even these used to explode occasionally beware... by the way it often happens that they go off when you move them ie are in close proximity to the flying shards. eye protection might be adviable just in case.

 

[HeltorChasca]

Hi guys, i'm planning on making up a batch of this over the weekend, I believe this is HFW's recipe;

Makes about 6 litres

Ingredients
4 litres hot water
700g sugar
Juice and zest of four lemons
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
About 15 elderflower heads, in full bloom
A pinch of dried yeast (you may not need this)

What do you make of that? does it sound about right?

Cheers,
Dan.

Mmmm - Nice. Similar to the one I do. Only crit would be: "Why not double the proportions?" Seriously, not just for the extra supping you get, but even John Seymour says in his literature it seems to increase the quality and lessen the risk of infection etc. Go on - You know you want to....hc

 

[HeltorChasca]

I used to put it in champagne bottles or the old dimpled glass screw top fizzy lemonade bottles and even these used to explode occasionally beware... by the way it often happens that they go off when you move them ie are in close proximity to the flying shards. eye protection might be adviable just in case.

Just an update: So far so good. Managed to get through another unseasonally hot week
down here in the South West and no casualties so far (but with another hot week forecast next week, perhaps my shed may be in for some action.

I've also put the remaining 25 pints or so into a secondary fermenter just to strain out any sediment/flowers etc. The gravity came in at 1000 which I work out to be 8% and it's still going! (without brewers yeast) May make 10% or more by mid week when I've got some time off work.

I'll be bottling this all up if all is well with the Goddesses of brewing.........hc

 

[Ryecroft]

Well mine is done now, followed HFW's recipe to the letter.

May add a bit of yeast if required however.

I have saved up a few Grolsch type bottles and will use those (are these the type that turn into bombs? :yikes

Only 6 litres made, but will ramp up the production next year, if succesful.

I was pleased that I managed to forage for enough elderflower just from my garden so no 'theft' involved

 

[hiho]

yup they where my bombs last year. still bits of glass in the cellar ceiling...

 

[DMadden]

Hi, how would I go about disinfecting my container, so it is spottlesly clean?
Thanks
Dan

 

[chickenofthewoods]

I shall pass on my mates' recipe then, as it's very quick & simple indeed & she swears by it (I can vouch for it too! I made the first of a couple of batches a couple of weeks ago following it to the letter and the results have been delicious). Here it is, with grateful thanks to Sarah at Creative Living Forum:

Mrs L's Foolproof Elderflower Fizz recipe:

1 gallon hot water
1 1/2lbs white sugar
7 heads of elderflowers
2 lemons, sliced thinly
2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Dissolve sugar in water, and leave to get cold; add lemons, flowers and vinegar. Cover loosely with a tea towel and leave for 24 hours. Strain and bottle, try after a fortnight.

 

[marcelxl]

Mine's now bottled and in locked away awaiting the first bottle bombs!

We did it pretty much to the letter of HFW's recipe but took a gamble as we have a big party every june we'd supersize it! So, we've ended up with 54 bottles of it and HOPE it will be quaffable

The bottling thing too, there's a minefield to the novice like myself!:yikes:

Uncle hugh suggests swing top bottles, now I did not have the presence of mind to start necking grolsh with abandon from january to accru the amount of bottles required and Ikea do them but research indicated that there were probably not up to it (another veggie growing forum) so my cunning wife begged the 54 used champagne bottles from various establishments locally and we sterilised them, bought plastic stoppers and cages from the homebrew shop which were easy to fit and I'm confident that its the securest way, so hopefully a tasting report to follow!

Thanks for the pointers above chaps!

Marc

 

[Ryecroft]

yup they where my bombs last year. still bits of glass in the cellar ceiling...

Oh Poo!


FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!:yikes:

 

[marcelxl]

Heres my little attempt!

 

[HeltorChasca]

Hi, how would I go about disinfecting my container, so it is spottlesly clean?
Thanks
Dan

Couple of different sterilising products available at your local home brew shop or on the intertubes. If you want to avoid chemicals you'll have to go the boiling water route. Not sure of any other natural / eco friendly strerilisers, but would love to know.