Homemade & Commercial

Wine, Beer, Spirits, Cider & Mead Guides

Alcoholic beverages; most commonly beer and wines made at home. Brews made from brewing kits purchased at shops specialized in spirits. The Beer Pirate features homebrew recipes, equipment requirements, and commercial productions information; and all the best practices needed to make that perfect batch!

Some years ago in the National Press there appeared a recipe for ginger beer made up by means of starting off a ‘ginger beer plant’. Unfortunately, and quite by accident, my name became mixed up with it and I was inundated with requests for details for weeks afterwards. The general direction – not mine, of course – was to put a couple of ounces of yeast in a cup with warm water and some ginger until it began to ferment, or rather erupt like a volcano which it invariably did, spreading its yeasty lava over everything. The direction went on to explain that half of this was then made up to one gallon with sugar and water and the other half given away. This part of it seemed to be a sinister secret; if you did not give half away the rest would die – it would, naturally through lack of sugar or other yeast food. There still persists a rumor that this makes a drinkable drink – it doesn’t.

My reason for writing about it here is that the appearance of this book is certain to revive in the memory of many readers what was known to them in their early days as: Californian Bees, Beastly Beer Organism, Bee Wine, Bee Wine Organism, or Ginger Beer Plant. And I want to forestall anyone hoping to start this off all over again in order to save them endless trouble and disappointment.

Oh, I don’t doubt that forty and more years ago the ‘drink’ made from this stuff was acceptable; so was home made soap and boot polish and knee-high lace-up boots for teenagers.

You may recall, many of you, those bottles of cloudy liquid with some sort of sludge deposit in the bottom arrayed along a window sill that got plenty of sunshine to keep the liquid warm – sunshine, incidentally is another relic of the past, but I cannot concern myself with that here. In these bottles was a ‘mysterious’ substance rising and falling and by some stretch of the imagination giving the impression of bees buzzing about – hence Bee Wine. The same – or a similar effect – is often seen in jars of fermenting wine during the vigorous fermentation stage and when the jar is moved. Clumps of yeast rise to the surface and fall back again and because they have become dislodged, the gas rising carries them up to the top, where the weight of the lumps forces them down again.

But the yeast employed in Bee Wine or the Ginger Beer Plant is a type which forms tapioca-like clumps. There are other sorts which science describes as associations of yeast and bacteria to give a consortium with a possible symbiotic association between its components. In other words, a balanced complex mixture of yeast and bacteria. My advice to anyone thinking of reviving this, if only for the sake of novelty, is to forget it.

‘With modern methods of making wines where top class results are assured and with home brewing taking hold again, also with success assured, surely there is no need to go chasing dreams of a forgotten age – especially since the dreams are likely to turn out as nightmares.

Personalized Glasses by Glass With A Twist.

• 12 oz. bran
• 2 oz. hops
• 1½ lb. demerara sugar
• 1 dessert spoonful black treacle
• ¼ oz. citric acid – yeast – nutrient

Boil hops in a quart of water for fifteen minutes and strain into fermenting vessel. Boil bran for half an hour in half a gallon of water and allow to soak in the hot water after boiling for a further half hour. Strain into fermenting vessel and add treacle, sugar and citric acid. Make up to two gallons with boiling water, stirring until sugar and treacle are dissolved. Allow to cool to 65°-70°F and then add yeast and nutrient.

Cover and allow to ferment as directed for other beers.

• 2 oz. hops
• 1 lb. black treacle
• 1 lb. white sugar
• ⅞ oz. citric acid – yeast – nutrient

Boil hops in quart water for fifteen minutes. Strain into fermenting vessel, and add citric acid, sugar and treacle and make up to two gallons with boiling water. Stir well to ensure sugar and treacle are dissolved and then allow to cool to 65°-70°F. Add yeast and nutrient, cover as directed for other beers and allow to ferment as advised for these. This may be made as either a sparkling or draught beer.

Personalized Glassware by Glass With A Twist.

• 3 oz. hops
• 1½ lb. demerara sugar
• 1 tablespoonful black treacle
• ¼ oz. citric acid (or juice 2 lemons) – yeast – nutrient

Boil hops in a quart of water for fifteen minutes. Strain into fermenting vessel and add citric acid, sugar and treacle and make up to two gallons with boiling water, stirring till all dissolves. Allow to cool to 65°-70°F and add yeast and nutrient.

Cover as directed for other beers and leave to ferment in the manner advised for these.

This beer may be made as a draught beer or sparkling variety.

• 1 gallon young stinging nettle tops
• 2 oz. hops½ oz. root ginger
• 2 lb. dark malt extract
• 1½ lb. demerara sugar
• ¼ oz. citric acid (or juice two lemons) – yeast – nutrient
• 2 gallons water

Wash nettle tops and allow to drain for a few minutes. Put them into boiler with hops, malt and root ginger and boil for fifteen minutes. Put sugar and citric acid into fermenting vessel and strain the boiling liquid on to it, stirring until all sugar is dissolved.

Allow to cool to 65°-70°F then add yeast and nutrient, cover as already directed and leave to ferment in the way recommended for other beers. This may be sparkling or of draught variety. For directions for making either way see beer recipes in other chapters.

Personalized Shot Glasses from Glass With A Twist.

Definitely a refresher beer.

• 2½ tablespoonsful spruce essence
• 1 lb. sugar
• 1 lb. pale malt extract
• ⅛ oz. citric acid or juice of 1 lemon – yeast – nutrient
• 2 gallons water

Put malt and sugar in boiler and add half a gallon of water, bring to boil and simmer for five minutes. Pour into fermenting vessel and add citric acid and spruce essence. Allow to cool to 65°-70°F and add yeast and nutrient. Cover as directed for other beers and allow to ferment as for these. This is best made as draught beer, therefore merely allow fermentation to go on until beer goes ‘flat’, and then bottle.

Best if kept for at least two weeks.

Spruce essence is available from any chemist.

The recipes in this short chapter make what are popularly called ‘mock beers’, and that is precisely what they are. The fact that they are called beers at all is probably because they are too low in alcohol to be called wines and that where one recipe calls for the use of hops another needs some malt. In some recipes both malt and hops are used in smaller amounts than those used for true beers.

Like all aspects of home wine making and beer brewing, the making of mock beers is becoming more popular every day. Messing about in the cellar, kitchen or outhouse, knocking up all sorts of alcoholic drinks has taken such a hold on the country that I shall not be surprised to find a bottle of something fermenting under the seat of my train one morning, or to see a fermentation lock sticking out of my neighbor’s brief case.

If the trend continues, and I can safely predict that it will because we are no longer working in the dark with only hearsay and near-witchcraft to guide us, there will be hardly a household in the country not making some sort of beverage from low alcohol beers to strong beers and high alcohol wines fit for royalty.

The type of yeast is not important in these recipes, but do not use fresh baker’s yeast as this is likely to 87 impart a ‘yeasty’ flavor, or bakehouse mustiness to the beer. A good dried yeast in granulated form is useful. Do not use expensive wine yeast as this would be wasteful because the characteristics imparted to wines by good quality wine yeasts would be lost in these beers.

• 4 lb. crystal malt
• 2 lb. golden syrup
• 2 lb. white sugar
• 5 oz. hops
• level teaspoonful salt
• ¼ oz. citric acid – yeast – nutrient

Bring seven quarts water to 150°F. Pour this into polythene pail and add the malts at once. Put in immersion heater, cover with polythene and wrap vessel in a blanket to conserve warmth. Switch on heater and keep the wort at 145°-150°F for seven – eight hours. At this stage you may try the starch test if you want to.

Strain into boiler and add three ounces of hops and the salt. Bring to boil for five minutes and then simmer gently for forty minutes. Add remaining hops and simmer for a further ten minutes. Put sugar, syrup and acid into the fermenting vessel and strain the mash on to it, stirring thoroughly until all sugar is dissolved. Make up to four gallons with boiling water, cover with sheet polythene and leave to cool to 65°-70°f. Then add yeast and nutrient. Cover as directed and leave in warm place for seven-eight days.

If using hydrometer, take readings after six days until 1.005 is recorded and then bottle as already directed. If hydrometer is not being used, let the beer ferment on until it goes ‘flat’ and then prime – add sugar to recommence fermentation – and then bottle. If a draught bitter is required – most bitters are of the draught variety – merely allow the beer to continue fermenting until it has gone ‘flat’ and then bottle.

May be used after ten days in bottle, but is better after three weeks.

• 2 lb. crystal malt
• 2 lb. patent black malt
• 1 lb. black treacle
• 3 lb. white sugar
• 3 oz. hops
• 2 small level teaspoonfuls salt
• ½ oz. citric acid – yeast – nutrient

Bring seven quarts water to 150°F. Pour into polythene pail and add the malts at once. Put in immersion heater, cover vessel with sheet polythene as directed and wrap vessel in blanket to conserve warmth. Switch on heater and maintain mash at 145°-150°F for eight hours. At this stage you may carry out starch test if you want to. Strain mash into boiler and add salt and two ounces hops. Bring to boil and simmer gently for forty minutes. Add remaining hops and simmer hard or boil for a further five minutes.

Put sugar, treacle and citric acid into the fermenting vessel and strain the mash on to it through fine muslin. Stir well, making sure all sugar is dissolved and make up to four gallons with boiling water.

Cover with sheet polythene as already directed and leave to cool to 65°-70°f. Add yeast and nutrient and leave to ferment for six-eight days.

If using hydrometer, take readings after five days until 1.005 is recorded and then bottle. If hydrometer is not being used, allow fermentation to go on until beer becomes ‘flat’ and then prime – add sugar to recommence fermentation – and then bottle. If draught beer of this sort is wanted merely bottle the beer when it has gone ‘flat’. Improves with keeping for six or more weeks, though it may be used as soon as all yeast has settled and the beer is clear.

Personalized Beer Mug from Glass With A Twist.

• 1 lb. roasted malt
• 1 lb. black malt
• 2 lb. crystal malt
• 3 lb. demerara sugar
• 1 lb. black treacle
• ½ lb. flaked maize (cornflakes)
• 4 oz. hops small level teaspoonful salt
• ½ oz. citric acid – yeast – nutrient

Bring seven quarts water to 150°F. Pour into polythene pail and add the malts and flaked maize at once. Put in the immersion heater, cover with sheet polythene and wrap vessel in blanket to conserve warmth. Switch on heater and keep mash at 145°-150°F for seven-eight hours. If you want to try the starch test, now is the time to do it.

Strain mash into boiler, add two ounces of hops and the salt. Boil rapidly for one minute and then simmer gently for forty minutes. Add remaining hops and simmer for a further ten minutes. Put sugar, acid and treacle into fermenting vessel and strain the mash on to it, stirring until all sugar is dissolved. Then make up to four gallons with boiling water.

Cover with sheet polythene as directed and leave to cool to 65°-70°F. Then add yeast and nutrient. Cover again as directed and leave in a warm place for six days.

If using hydrometer take reading after six days until 1.005 is recorded and then bottle. If not using hydrometer, allow stout to ferment on until it goes ‘flat’. Then prime – add sugar to restart fermentation as already directed – and then bottle.

If a draught stout of this sort is wanted then merely allow fermentation to go on until the stout has gone ‘flat’ and then bottle.

Keep for two to four weeks before drinking. If you must sweeten use lactose to taste as already directed, but I think you will prefer this without it being sweetened.