Here's a compilation of my different brews and results... will update as I brew! Hope this guides the newbies
Didn't have 2L soda bottles in Singapore, so I used 1.5L instead..
Note: Singapore temperatures is HOTI Temperatures range from 26 degree Celsius to 35 degree Celsius .. so ferment might be faster (before I get my electrical chiller, that is. See below)...I prefer sweeter ciders..

General:
For sanitation I used Morgan's Sanitize http://www.aussiebrewmakers.com.au/view/...55350.html to ensure no contamination , sprayed all equipments , bottles, caps before use

For fermenting sugars I used white cane sugar initially , but changed to Glucose (Dextrose) instead..


My first few brews..

1)Berri Apple Juice 1.4L
5.5 Tablespoon white sugar
Ferment time: 4 days
Remarks: Find it too tart.. didn't like the taste..

2) Berri Apple Juice 1.35L
5 Tablespoon white sugar
Ferment time: 5 days
Remarks: Too tart also

3)Florida's Natural Apple Juice 1.35L
5.5 Tablespoon White Sugar
Ferment time: 4 days
Remarks: Not bad, 2 of my friends said it's just nice, not too sweet, not too dry.

Bottled them in Flip Top Bottles bought from IKEA


2nd Batch: Increased sugar cos previous batch is too dry to my liking..


4) Marigold Cranberry Apple Juice 1.35L
15 tablespoon White sugar (!)
Ferment time: 4 days
Remarks: I find it not too bad~

5) Marigold Apple Juice 1.35L
14.5 Tablespoon White Sugar
Ferment time: 4 days
Remarks: Most of them say it's too sweet!! Taste wise ok

6) MEAD:Australian Honey 280ml, 1.2L Mineral Water
Ferment Time: 2 weeks
Remarks: Fresh mead tasted too honey-ish for me.. tasted better after 1 month..

3rd batch: Perry (HOT FAVOURITE)


7) Heinz Pear Juice 1.4L (4.3g Sugar / 100ml)
12 Tablespoon white sugar (+10.714g / 100ml)
Ferment Time: 4 days
Remarks: 100% of my friends LOVE this, very refreshing pear taste, sweet and tasty!

Q: "i have received my kit today and have tried the apple cider recepie (ive made beer before using a large brew set) but the yeast seems to be not working, or i might be doing something wrong. ive added apple juice, sugar and yeast, its in a warm spot, but its been 12hrs and there is NO action. please let me know what i might be doing wrong."

A: You are right, it should show signs of active fermentation by now. Add more yeast, shake vigorously and see if that re-starts the fermentation. Also check to see that your apple juice was free of preservatives.

Does anyone have any recipes or ideas for these 2 flavors ?

I love the different flavors of hawaiian punch. Has anyone ever tried using that to make a wine with, or does anyone know why it wouldnt work?

I step my fermenting time up to 10 days form 7, but the wine is still a little too sweet. Should I go 14 days and use half the sugar? Or do I need all of the sugar to raise the alcohol content?

I have 38 oz bottle of clover honey that I'd like to use either by itself or mix with a fruit juice. Something that can be used in a 2 liter.

Any suggestions?

Hi, I live in Asia, temperatures here is about 28-32 degree Celsius, would it affect the fermentation? Since its warmer, should I reduce the fermentation time?

Hi

I followed the instructions shown here with the required quantities of various ingredients, and after 'Clarifying' (I use the term loosely as it didn't clarify) The resultant cider is so sweet as to be undrinkable. I have a hydrometer on the way from my friend in the UK so i can check the ABV ratings, but all of my first batch of 6 test brews are useless as they are so sweet.

Is there a way of reducing the sugar content in these brews or are they non-redeemable?

I very much want this to work, and will give it another go with less added sugar this time if necessary.

You can use either 1 orange (squeezed), 1/2 cup of honey or 1 cups of blackberries (strained)
Needed:
Wheat DME (Dried Malt Extract)
Cascade Hops
one orange (squeezed), 1/2 cup of honey, or 1 cup of frozen blackberries added at wort cool down and strained from wort before pouring into bottles
1 packet Muntons Ale Yeast
sting closure tea bags (for hops)
a large stainless steel pot and spoon
water, obviously
a thermometer
a funnel
2) 2liter soda bottles and 2 ez-caps

How large of a batch you would like to make will determine the amount of each ingredient to use.
I generally will use the ratio of 1lb of DME per gallon of beer I intend to make. This can be reduced slightly or increased depending on if you want a dryer beer with lower alcohol content or a higher alcohol fuller bodied beer.

1. Put 2 tablespoons of hops into one tea bag. Put 1 more tablespoon into a second teabag.
2. Weigh 1lb of dried malt extract DME.
3. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil on the stove.
4. Once at a rolling boil, remove from stove, set in sink and add 1lb of DME, stir well with a sanitized steel spoon.
5. Cut orange in half and squeeze as much juice as you can into the wort.
6. Place the first tea bag containing the 2 tablespoons of hops into the wort and place back on stove over a medium heat for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, remove the first bag of hops and replace with the second bag containing 1 tablespoon, boil for 5 more minutes.
8. Remove from stove and place in sink filled with cold water and ice being careful not to allow any water to run into the pot. Remove 2nd tea bag of hops & allow wort to cool to at least 85° F
9. using the funnel, pour an equal amount of cooled wort into each 2liter bottle, top up any remaining space with cold water to within 2-3 inches of the bottle mouth.
10. Pour 1/8 teaspoon of yeast into each bottle, screw on an ez-cap and shake for a minute or two. Then place in a dark location.
Note: depending on how much water you added to the bottle in step 9, you may want to place a small piece of plastic wrap loosely over the cap to prevent any spray from going all over the place once fermentation has begun. While you're at it, it may also be a good idea to set them on a plate or shallow pan.
11. Allow to ferment for a total of 10 days. I will usually shake mine up at least once or twice during this time.
12. Remove ez-caps and screw on the original regular caps. Place upright in fridge for 3-5 days.
You should notice that the yeast has settled to the bottom. At this point you can either pour it directly into glasses or a pitcher to drink or you can pour it into another clean 2 liter bottle to drink later. When pouring, be careful not to pour the yeast sediment from the bottom. This is good for you if you drink it but will make the beer cloudy. Also, if you save this yeast you can reuse it for future batches!

Here are a few sources I have ordered from that greatly decrease the cost of a batch of beer. I will use ez-caps when I want to brew a smaller batch or experiment with several different recipes at once. Or when I just don't feel like having to go through all the extra steps. By ordering my consumables through the sources below I am now down to a cost of .48 cents a 12oz serving for any of my beer recipes. This includes the cost of shipping.

Hops - Buy your hops by the pound. There are 16oz in a pound. Most beer recipes will call for 1-2 ounces for a 5 gallon batch. With two 2-liter soda bottles and ez-caps you are brewing under a gallon. That's a huge savings.
Puterbaugh Farms -Good prices as they grow and sell direct however they don't list the cost of shipping upfront. Good prices and a few harder to find varieties.
http://www.hopsdirect.com/hops/pellethops.html

http://shop.atonofhops.com/ Very good prices, shipping is listed by number of pounds purchased.

Dried Malt - You can use liquid malt but dried has a better shelf life and you are not paying for water, just malt.
I have yet to find a better source for dried malt. Mind you, I live in Wisconsin less than 45 minutes from Briess Malt company in Chilton, WI. They are one of the largest malt companies in the world. Yet this fellow in FL has managed to buy in quantities and bag it up for the average home brewer at $10.95 per 3lbs bag of DME. I can't get liquid malt at my local homebrew shop for that much!
You have to buy a minimum of 12lbs or 4 bags but flat rate priority mail shipping is included in that amount. I have ordered several times from them and have been very impressed with the quality of the malt and fast shipping time. Again, all malt sold by DMEMart is made by Briess, an American Malt company. So it is made here and is guaranteed fresh.

http://www.dmemart.com/purchase.php

Lastly, Midwest Supplies in MN.
It will cost you more because of shipping however if you have a brew club or friends that want to go in on it with you, they offer DME in 50LB increments!
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/homebrew ... y-dme.html