Thread: Fermentables!!!

Me and the guys minus Olivia ( I wonder where she was ) were talking bread in the chat room, which of course got me thinking beer and other various fermented goodies. Beer is after all only liquid bread. Anyways this all reminded me of my favorite thread, so I am bumping it.
This is a free for all thread where you can tell us of your favorite fermentables or your latest fermentable project and of course where you can ask for help and information on your particular troubles regarding getting your fermentables off the ground as it were.
Please post often and in great detail!

Originally Posted by ChrisL

I've made my own kraut and Kim chi quite a few times. I bought a German crock that has a moat for a rim; you fill the rim with water and the lid sets down in the water filled moat. This makes for an airtight seal, but the fermenting product inside can burp when/if it needs to. It's designed specifically for kraut.

My next fermentable I'm just going to try my hand at soon.......KOMBUCHA!! Man is that stuff tasty and refreshing. Fermented tea. Think sparkling cider or tangy ginger ale and you've got an idea of its flavor. Tart, just the right amount of sweet and fizzy. And it has naturally occurring alcohol normally between .5-1.5%.

I just ordered some gallon glass jars last night for my Kombucha project.

Chris L

Chris, you need to tell us how your Kombucha project went.

Unfortunately my attempted mead remained just that. Will have to try again....

Good Beers and Meads. I brew most of my own so I'm able to get basically what I want the way I want it. I'm not part of the big Hop craze that the majority of homebrewers/commercial beer drinkers are all wrapped up in. I do a lot of Southern Brown ales, Scottish ales, Strong ales (barleywine types) I don't have the equipment or patience to do most of the Belgium beers but a big fan of those. Hefeweizens. Pretty much if it's got malt character I'll like/brew it.

Nickelking- U should check out http://morebeer.com/ I'm not sure where they are in relation to U but they have an excellent selection of supplies etc. you might also check out Beer Recipes and Resources for Homebrewers. All-Grain, Extract, and Partial Mash Recipes for recipes (although I've found that some of them are rather vague).

Wow, I forgot about this thread.

I sheepishly admit that my Kombucha project has gotten as far as purchasing 4 new glass gallon jars with lids. They sit, still in the box on a shelf in my garage.

Now that you've refreshed this thread, I should get on this though. Making Kombucha (which goes for a ridiculously high price of approx $3.50-$4.00 per bottle in the stores in my area) is as simple and brewing tea, adding one of those pricey bottles to the tea to utilize the Kombucha's "mother" (a chewy blob of culture), some time and.....voila. Fizzy Kombucha.

I'll see if I can get myself motivated to try this. Thanks for the kick in the pants on this one, Mark.

Chris L

Originally Posted by Spike J

Unfortunately my attempted mead remained just that. Will have to try again....

I dunno what yeast's are available to you but if you can get your hands on some Lalvin D-47 that works great. It's a very aggressive yeast (I think Champagne style) so it'll finish dry but I've done a few meads & melomels using it and never had any issues. Need to keep in mind that the yeast needs oxygen when it first starts and that O2 doesn't disolve as well in a high gravity suspension (such as mead). Have to aerate almost daily for the first week. There's a pretty good site Got Mead - Mead (honeywine) making, mead drinking, mead recipes with a-LOT of info.

Woohooo! Fermentation thread! Man this place rocks.

I've been brewing beer for close to 10 years now. I have also done quite a few meads as well. Tomorrow, I will be brewing a Breakfast Stout...a nice big stout with rolled oats, lactose and coffee.

Not sure if this has been touched on, but one of the keys to a quick start on mead fermentation is the addition of some yeast nutrient (a tasteless, crystalline substance comprised mostly of dead yeast hulls, available at any homebrew store).

And a big +1 on good oxygenation before (AND ONLY BEFORE!) pitching. after the yeast is pitched, threat that mead with kid gloves! No splashing.

I cut and brought in the cabbages today before the big cold snap hits. I'll be cutting the kraut and starting it tomorrow. I can hardly wait!!

My late great grandfather used to make kraut every year. It was a staple at any of the family gatherings.
On the weekends when I'm out doing my errands there's a place here in Portland (1 of many) that make their own dogs/sausages etc. Almost 365 days a year they have the "kids" that work there out front with a charcoal grill cooking up their own products. They always have the full condiment spread complete with kraut that they make there. Even with as good as it is it just doesn't comapre to what I remember from being a kid in N.Y.
Now I'm sad....and I want a hotdog

Originally Posted by hornm

....and I want a hotdog

We have a thread dedicated to hotdogs also