Boofy you can just start with the Oztops kit and get some yeast withe the tops as well, as Smicko said any of the $2 type shops usually carry silicone cake moulds that you just cut up to suit the lid size your using. I think eBay also has silicone baking sheets for sale, you need at least 1.5mm thick.

surferstu said..

Smicko, I'm assuming you are using a hydrometer, what ingredients exactly are you putting in to get 10% booze content.. I tried doing the same thing using various fruit juices/dextrose/honey/champ yeast etc A couple of years ago.. It worked ok. Doubt alc content ever got that high. Pro tip Don't keep reusing yeast leftover it loses potency over time, yeast is cheap, ingredients aren't.

Stu it depends on the yeast strain you're using as to how high your ABV will get. I'm using ec1118 which is a champagne yeast that will attain about 18% given sufficient fermentables, before it shuts down. You can also get a strain specific for brewing spirits that will ferment up to the low 20's before shutting down, it does tend to give 'off' flavours which makes it unappealing for brewing but obviously not an issue for distilling as those characters disperse with the distillation process. The reason I like to reuse the yeast beast is that like most vigorous yeast strains ec1118 has a tendency to strip fruit character from your brew, but once you've done a brew with added spice, honey, sultanas etc the yeast cake retains some of these flavours and brings them into your brew with an ABV of around 5-6% which is about where I'd like it.

I'd agree with Smicko, 5-6% is perfect for me for a session drink, the other thing is I'm finding the taste suffers as the ABV increases. I did do a few around the 8-10% but it creeps up on you real quick and the head really hurts next day.

And mac get a big juicy Granny Smith up ya!! Pup told me to say that.

smicko said..

vanders1 said..

And mac get a big juicy Granny Smith up ya!!

That'd just be a regular old Sunday then?

Did you say Granny I love Grannies

smicko said..
Bottle conditioned is the shizzle boys. Bone dry, but still with apple pie notes and with a really fine prickly bead. Seems to have a better acid balance too. Just the ticket to toast some benign news
Stoked!!

Bloody great news mate, crongrats, that must be a big relief. I'll crack one of my new batches tonight when I get home and toast your good health.

And back to the top just to $hit you Mac

Hey Vanders have you bottle conditioned any yet? My last batch I've bottle fermented to carbonate then pasteurized in the dishwasher to stop the ferment when I was happy with the flavour. Maintains that level of sweetness and prevents bottle bombs. Other than the one that blew up in the dishwasher.
Fining is the next step for me, not that I mind a cloudy brew but it can be off putting for some.
How are yours coming along?