Easiest alcohol to make?

[bettersafethansorry]

I have an abundance of glass bottles with sealable lids. but not fermenting kits etc... Im wondering if anyone knows any nice and simple things that can be made and bottled without spending a fortune on equipment etc.

-M

[jansman]

One of my favourite hobbies! Ok then. I presume your bottles can hold CARBONATED drinks. If so, beer is the easiest by far. If not, wine.
Go to Wilkinsons and they do an own-brand beer kit. Bitter or lager. Not bad either if you give it time. You need a covered fermenting bucket , syphon pipe , small funnel and long spoon. The equipment will set you back about 14 quid. But you have that forever. As an interesting aside, the bucket can be used as an emergency water container, or if you find brewing ain't for you then you can use the lidded bucket for storing rice or pasta etc.
The beer kit is 10 pounds and makes 5 gallons ( 40 pints) and you need a kilo of sugar. Then just follow the instructions. The main thing is absolute, total, total cleanliness. I use Tesco or Asda thin value unscented bleach. Fill the bucket with water, put in a glug of bleach and leave awhile. Tip it out and rinse it. Treat the pipe and spoon the same way. Above all, wash your hands!
Beer is by far the simplest. If your bottles are not suitable for fizzy drinks then collect 10x 2 litre plastic pop bottles. That will hold 40 pints. Wash them beforehand and fill with water. Add a few drops of bleach. When it comes to bottling day, empty and rinse them. Wash your hands first.

[grenfell]

When I first started wine making I brought a bung and an airlock and that was it. The wine was prepared with everyday kitchen utensils and fermented in a gallon whisky bottle. As said cleanliness and sterilising is a good habit to get into although it is possible to brew using wild yeast so the must isn't boiled or has Camden tablets added. I've done it with elderberries for instance and commercial wine is fermented that way , what the French call " the noble rot"

[fuppingbaxtard]

My first foray into brewing was making mead, which is simplicity itself... just honey, water and cider yeast.

I also tried making 'apocalypse wine' from a bag of out-of-date raisins. It had one redeeming quality.

[ForgeCorvus]

I've been flirting with home brewing recently.

I borrowed a demijohn, a bung and an airlock and started a gallon of mead.
At the same time I re-used a cider flagon (Olde Rosey, I think) and a wad of kitchen towel to make a brew of Rum-Father.

All I bought (in addition to the ingredients) was an tub of yeast and another of brew-clense (both from Wilko's)

Had to borrow a siphon and a second demijohn when I racked the brews and I already had a very large cooking pot.

First rule: Boil it or Sanitise it.... "It" being everything

[tigs]

u rember watching one of the river cottage programs when they made ginger beer , it consisted of water sugar and ginger in a large bucket covered with a cloth and left for 4 weeks then bottled and left for 4 more weeks making a beer of about 4%

[Waterbaby]

Mmm,fupping,the thought of mead has got us considering bee keeping of late.
Unfortunately I'm quite allergic to stings,but hey ho,...

[jansman]

The idea of brewing in as economical way is commendable. However, if you want to do it properly, buy the kit!
As I said, the most basic items will set you back fifteen quid-and you have it forever. It is alright borrowing this and that, using a towel to cover a bucket etc. but it is hardly enthusiastic. Trust me, like anything, the right kit makes the difference to the end result. Good results mean you will continue to brew, and that is where you will start saving REAL money.
The beauty of beer brewing is you don't even need a vessel to rack it into. Just syphon it straight into bottles. If you make wine, you will need another vessel. However, if you bear in mind that although I use kits, I do make a lot of country wines too. Every Autumn I make elderberry/blackberry wine. I usually ferment 20 gallons(120 x75cl bottles) for the cost of the sugar and yeast. That amounts to about 18 quid or 15p a bottle! now that is cheap!

[itsybitsy]

Every Autumn I make elderberry/blackberry wine. I usually ferment 20 gallons(120 x75cl bottles) for the cost of the sugar and yeast. That amounts to about 18 quid or 15p a bottle! now that is cheap!

Party at Jansman's!

Seriously, though, what does it taste like? I'm a Pinot girl myself, but would like to give home-brewing a go, although I don't want to make industrial quantities. That could land me in AA!

What would you recommend in terms of a nice white wine for me to have a bash with?

[featherstick]

One of my allotment neighbours make elderflower champagne every year, which is just elderflowers, sugar and water. She bottles it in old fizzy drink bottles. Apparently it's pretty potent and very tasty.