this may be a stupid question but can you ferment water?ORGINAL POSTER: buckrogers69626

hi all i am new to this list and i just bought e-z-caps on ebay and iwould like to know if anyone has a simple beer recipe?markORGINAL POSTER: buckrogers69626

lidl is excellent for buying your pear juice its really nice and verycheapORGINAL POSTER: p_bates02

lidl is excellent for buying your pear juice its really nice and verycheapORGINAL POSTER: p_bates02

Does anyone have one?I knew one before and i lost the recipe a whileback.Any help would be great!! thanks,PearlORGINAL POSTER: pearl

--- "lafaria28" wrote:> What's> the shelf life of the liquid hopped malt extract and is there a dry> version?As far as I know, the shelf life of a liquid malt extract isindefinite, because it's sterilized before it's sealed. There may be ayeast packet in the tin that has expired, so you'll need to pick up anew packet of that if the date is past.> What type of yeast have you had success with and is there a preference> between ale and lager yeast? What's the difference?The difference is mainly in that lager yeast is bottom-fermenting, andale yeast is top-fermenting. Lager yeast produces a clearer beer, butferments at much colder temperatures than ale yeast. Too warm, and thelager yeast will produce off-flavors that are unattractive. If youhave a garage and are in the northern climes, you might be able tostore your EZ-Capped bottles in the garage for the fermentation stage,but the temp range is narrower: ~45-60F for lager, versus 54-89F forale yeast.> Is the addition of sugar or corn syrup required for brewing a beer/ale> in this manner? If so, is there a preferred sweetener and how much> should I use?No, the addition of sugar or corn syrup will just increase the alcoholby volume, pushing you closer to a barleywine.> Finally, has anyone added fruit juices (apple or grape) to their> beer/ale with any success? What other flavors are commonly used and> are they added at the beginning or the end?Typically added at the end of the fermentation stage, before bottling,in order to keep the fresh flavor of the juice. Traditional flavorsinclude cranberry and raspberry. I've never heard of apple or grapebeing added to beer, since the flavors/aromas are not necessarilycomplimentary to hops, and they can produce quite a lovely beverage ontheir own (cider and wine).> Variations on the standard cider recipe would be very helpful as well.> On a side note, I generally prefer a drier, not overwhelmingly sweet> cider (aiming for around 6% alc) so I made my current batch with 1/2> cup of sugar instead of the full cup. I plan on brewing it for about a> week. Does this sound right or did my logic fail somewhere along theway?Sounds like what I do. I first produced a cider with 1 cup of sugarstirred into 2 liters of apple cider, and it was way too sweet (andtoo boozy, as well!). 1/2 cup of sugar in 2 liters of apple juice wasjust right, a bit dry, and quite delightful. So I think you're on theright track!ORGINAL POSTER: k_

--- "Christopher Damien Davis" wrote:> I know this question may come off as odd but I have heard there is a> way to make tasteless wine from just sugar, anyone have a recipe that> could be used in a 2 liter bottle?For optimal fermentation, yeast needs 2-1/2 cups of sugar per gallonof water, plus some nutrients and acid. In order to make the sugarmore yeast-digestible, boil the sugar in the water for severalminutes, removing from the heat before you get to the point where thewater turns brown (as if you're making caramel), approximately 5-10minutes. This breaks the disaccharide sugar granules intomonosaccharides, which yeast can eat efficiently.Then cool the liquid down to just about body temperature and add ~2tbsp (or more) of frozen OJ concentrate to serve as the nutrient andacid. Stir well. Portion the liquid into 2-liter bottles. This willfill 3 of them 2/3 full each, or you can adjust the ingredients tofill them to 3/4 or more, but remember to leave at least 10% headspacein each bottle for foaming. Pitch the yeast (which you have alreadypre-bloomed in 102 degree water for 10 minutes), seal with EZ Caps,and leave to ferment in a warm place for a week. This should produce~12-14% alcohol with little or no flavor.ORGINAL POSTER: k_

--- "dotzler5435" wrote:> My question is this: What is the EASIEST> recipe to make beer. I know I have to have some kind of malt extract> but what else do i need? Also, is it necessary to boil or can i just> add all of the ingredients together.Hi,To make beer, you need to purchase a tin of malt extract, which is asyrup. You add the extract to boiling water, add the hops, then coolit down to just about body temperature, and add the yeast. A can ofmalt extract usually makes about 5 gallons, so you can use aproportion of the extract to fill your 2-liter bottles that you thencap with the EZ Caps. Be sure to leave enough headspace, since theyeast will produce quite a head in the bottle, and you don't want itto overflow.You do have to boil the malt extract in water, because malt needs tobe warmed in order to kickstart the enzymes which convert malt sugarinto yeast-digestible sugars (which are what make the alcohol).Boiling also destroys all of the other "nasties" which could outliveyour yeast cells and turn your malt into vinegar or worse.Frankly, I've found that EZ Caps are better for making ciders andwines from concentrates than they are for making beer. Cider and winecan both be drank directly from the 2-liter bottle, whereas beer willneed to be decanted into bottles for a secondary fermentation andcarbonation step before you drink it. I've had great success turningregular old apple juice + sugar into hard cider which is very tasty!ORGINAL POSTER: k_

Greetings,I am new to this whole brewing thing and I chose EZ caps because itlooks relatively fool-proof. My question is this: What is the EASIESTrecipe to make beer. I know I have to have some kind of malt extractbut what else do i need? Also, is it necessary to boil or can i justadd all of the ingredients together. I appreciate your help ahead oftime and hopefully become experienced enough one day to share my ownrecipes.ORGINAL POSTER: dotzler5435

Store your bottle on top of the refridgerator or water heater and coverwith a blanket or towel.--- "lsjakes" wrote:>> I have trouble making wine in the winter. Too cold. Any ideas?>> Any good recipes?> Thanks>ORGINAL POSTER: willum