Easiest alcohol to make?

[BlinkingCory]

Deeps, the beer kits these days are leaps and bounds beyond what they used to be. I ain't exaggerating when I say that the brew I make, well, I'd rather have a sesh with it any day of the week than anything I could buy.
I think most people give up homebrewing because they try and drink it too quick after bottling, even the cheapest of brews improves a hell of a lot after a couple of months in the bottle.
Top tip if you ever do have a go at it.
For a first attempt, buy an expensive kit, I just picked up 8 kits that I use, normally £14, down to just over a tenner in the sale. Don't use granulated sugar, use a brew enhancer/spray malt instead. I've found it ferments easily, and conditions in the bottle quicker and will give you a deeper, fuller taste, not watery like some brews can be. People I've spoken to have given up after a first go if the results are gash, if you make a good one to start, I bet you'll stick to it.
Nothing wrong at all with using a standard kit and granulated sugar, but it needs time. Who wants to wait months to get it necked?
It isn't about saving money, I'm sure if you read some reviews of kits, you'll see people raving about how some kits are better than shop bought beer.

Having said that (saving money), I bottled 40 pints of barley wine the beginning of this month, and tucked it away for Christmas. Cost me less than £20 to make 40 pints of an 8.8% bevvie. That sorts out the men from the pt 3's no bother.

ps.As said before, sanitize, sanitize, sanitize.

[Deeps]

Deeps, the beer kits these days are leaps and bounds beyond what they used to be. I ain't exaggerating when I say that the brew I make, well, I'd rather have a sesh with it any day of the week than anything I could buy.
I think most people give up homebrewing because they try and drink it too quick after bottling, even the cheapest of brews improves a hell of a lot after a couple of months in the bottle.
Top tip if you ever do have a go at it.
For a first attempt, buy an expensive kit, I just picked up 8 kits that I use, normally £14, down to just over a tenner in the sale. Don't use granulated sugar, use a brew enhancer/spray malt instead. I've found it ferments easily, and conditions in the bottle quicker and will give you a deeper, fuller taste, not watery like some brews can be. People I've spoken to have given up after a first go if the results are gash, if you make a good one to start, I bet you'll stick to it.
Nothing wrong at all with using a standard kit and granulated sugar, but it needs time. Who wants to wait months to get it necked?
It isn't about saving money, I'm sure if you read some reviews of kits, you'll see people raving about how some kits are better than shop bought beer.

Having said that (saving money), I bottled 40 pints of barley wine the beginning of this month, and tucked it away for Christmas. Cost me less than £20 to make 40 pints of an 8.8% bevvie. That sorts out the men from the pt 3's no bother.

ps.As said before, sanitize, sanitize, sanitize.

Cheers for the advice amigo, I'll run it past SINKNAGMOAN and see if she fancies another bash at it. I'm more of a wine kind of a cat myself now but have been known to have the odd lager or two.

I reckon there will be a few scratched heads trying to figure out what a Part 3 is.

[jansman]

I use Coopers beer kits. The bitter is spot on. As mentioned, you have to give it time.

[BlinkingCory]

I use the Coopers too! Grand stuff. The Stout for me and Lager for the better half. I've prep stored so much of each, I'm pretty sure when I get around to drinking it, it's been bottled for at least four months. Absolutely gorgeous then. The lad is arriving soon for the football, so I'll be making a big dent in the stock. Perfect excuse to get another batch brewing tomorrow.

[Beatts]

By far the easiest alcohol to make is base spirit.

Buy a sachet of Alcotec yeast online (£3)
8 bags of white cane sugar
23 litres of water.

Mix the sugar and water, add the yeast and leave to ferment for about 2-3 weeks.

Makes 23litres of 20% base alcohol which then you add small bottles of flavouring to.

You can buy these bottles in dozens of flavours such as ameretto, whisky, Bacardi etc from any local home brew shop. They are a couple of quid each and will flavour about 2-3 litres

[Mad Scientist]

I've been given some ginger root so I'll be making ginger beer now. Easy peasy. Elderflowers are out so cordial as well. Hubby hates all the jugs and bowls and bottles everywhere in the kitchen, airing cupboard and pantry but happy silence falls when he pours the results down his neck. Yaay.

[Jamesey1981]

By far the easiest alcohol to make is base spirit.

Buy a sachet of Alcotec yeast online (£3)
8 bags of white cane sugar
23 litres of water.

Mix the sugar and water, add the yeast and leave to ferment for about 2-3 weeks.

Makes 23litres of 20% base alcohol which then you add small bottles of flavouring to.

You can buy these bottles in dozens of flavours such as ameretto, whisky, Bacardi etc from any local home brew shop. They are a couple of quid each and will flavour about 2-3 litres

Just a hint with those flavouring compounds, the ones you buy in home brew shops are massively diluted, if you buy the ones that you would use to flavour e cigarette liquid (not the liquid itself, it's full of propylene glycol and nicotine and wouldn't do you any good to drink it, but lots of people mix their own so you can buy all the components separately,) it's just the flavourings dissolved in alcohol, same stuff but much more concentrated (it has to be to flavour vapour) and works out loads cheaper, literally a few drops per litre, and they come in dropper bottles, if you find that it's too strong to judge the amount you're using easily then just knock it back a bit with vodka.

As for beer kits, some of the new ones are lovely, Youngs have a newish range of American style ales, they're not cheap, about 20 quid online, but they come with absolutely everything you need, including priming sugar. I've done the American Pale Ale and Mocha Porter that I'll definitely make again, and I have a New World Saison that's waiting for the weather to warm up a bit, that one needs it very warm during fermentation to develop the flavours.

[blue90]

This is an old thread but I was wondering, has anyone distilled their own spirits? Ive always fancied making white whiskey or poteen.

[jansman]

This is an old thread but I was wondering, has anyone distilled their own spirits? Ive always fancied making white whiskey or poteen.

As an avid brewer, I have to say that it is possible to distill However, as a moderator, I have to also say that under current uk tax laws, it is illegal. As we don’t discuss such topics here we will have to let that rest.

All I can say, is that it’s not illegal to research the subject.

[blue90]

This is an old thread but I was wondering, has anyone distilled their own spirits? Ive always fancied making white whiskey or poteen.

As an avid brewer, I have to say that it is possible to distill However, as a moderator, I have to also say that under current uk tax laws, it is illegal. As we don’t discuss such topics here we will have to let that rest.

All I can say, is that it’s not illegal to research the subject.

Agreed, and understood.