How to Make Wine & Beer at Home

Check on your homemade brew every day to make sure it is fermenting.

Beer and wine can be made easily at home with the right ingredients and as long as you pay attention to the measurements. They will require time to ferment before they are properly brewed.

Things You'll Need

• 6 lbs. dried malt extract
• 42 pints of water
• Packet of yeast extract
• Large pot for boiling
• Large containers or barrels to hold the liquid
• Rolling pin
• Nylon bag
• Lid with air tight container
• Strainer
• Sugar
• Long spoon
• Bottles
• Grapes
• 1 campden tablet
• Cheesecloth
• Titration kit with tartaric acid
• Hydrometer

Instructions

Making wine

1. Crush grapes in a nylon bag using a rolling pin or similar. Sprinkle a crushed campden tablet over the crushed grapes. Cover the bag with a cheesecloth and leave to sit for 1 hour.

2. Add tartaric acid to the juice if needed. Measure the acid levels with a titration kit and add the tartaric acid in one eighth of a teaspoon measures until you have the correct amount.

3. Dissolve a cup of sugar in hot water and allow to cool before adding to the juice. Measure the sugar with a hydrometer, you should have at least 22 Brix. Brix is the unit used to measure sugar, invented by Dr A.F.W. Brix in the 19th century. The sugar of an apple averages around 10 Brix, while a tomato will measure around 4 Brix. If you have too much in your mixture, add water to dilute.

4. Add the yeast to warm water and wait till it the liquid starts bubbling. Pour the yeast and water into the nylon bag and shake. Cover with the cheesecloth again and leave in a dark place, the temperature should be around 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Stir twice a day and measure the sugar levels. When it has reached 0.5 Brix strain it into a bucket and cover for 24 hours.

6. Pour the strained liquid into a jug and add water that has been boiled and left to cool. When the jug is full put the lid on it. Keep topping up the jug with grape juice or wine and empty the liquid into another jug after 10 days.

7. Siphon the juice through a hose into wine bottles 6 months later. Fix corks on the bottles and leave in a cool, dark place for another 6 months before drinking.

Making beer

1. Place dried malt in a nylon bag and crush it with the rolling pin.

2. Heat 20 pints of water in a pan and add in the malt. Bring to the boil and turn off the heat, then bring to the boil a second time, but don't let the mixture boil over.

3. Strain the liquid into a large barrel or similar. Top it up with cold water so you have 5 gallons of the liquid. Stir the liquid with a long spoon to get rid of bubbles.

4. Stir in yeast when liquid has cooled down, then cover container with an airtight lid. Leave in a dark, warm place, between 68 F and 77 F, for a week or until the liquid has stopped bubbling.

5. Stir 1/4 of a cup of sugar in but take care to ensure you don't get too much air into the liquid. Strain the liquid into beer bottles. Allow an inch of air at the top of each bottle for the fizz and fix lid on immediately. Leave bottles in a cool, dark place for 2 to 3 weeks before drinking.

Tips & Warnings

• Ensure you always use adequately sanitized jugs and bottles. Poorly sanitized equipment can affect your brew.

References

• Winemaker: Your First Wine From Fresh Grapes
• Make Beer at Home
• David Berryman: Technical - Getting Inside the Juices