Fermentation Technologies Orange Brandy and other high alcohol kits.

[ericmark]

At last completed. Started 3rd July today 7th August so not that far over the 3 weeks stated on the instructions. And I tend always to leave it a little longer than required. The results are good I can't dispute that.

As with all the high Alcohol it does have quite a few stages, basic idea is make the alcohol, remove any flavour then add the flavour required. It was an out of date kit I considered the supplied yeast was likely past it, it did not froth up like most yeasts when added to water, so added a little yeast from a Prohibition kit, not really sure which in the end did the work.

The Package E (finings) did not seem to devolve at all, but it did the job, and one of the two Packages F (glucose) was solid had to break up with a hammer, how much of this was due to being out of date I don't know.

Slightly lower quantity than the Prohibition kits, so would fit into all of my demijohns, the Prohibition kits need 4.7 litre and some demijohns are not that big.

It claims 40° proof alcohol so between 20% and 23% ABV depending which "proof" they use. However no real way to measure as sugar added in stages. It requires some converting for Canadian measures to UK so there is some latitude as to the exact quantities added. So can't be sure exactly what the final ABV is.

However taste wise it is really good and seems well worth the effort. The kit cost £10 it was sold cheap because out of date, I would say nothing between this kit and the Prohibition kits. End results about the same.

I have done four high alcohol kits now, three were in the Prohibition kit range, two Orange, a Coffee and a Peach Schnapps. I did a wine kit and felt that the work involved was not worth it, the wine was good, but so is fortified wine from Lidi and £3 a bottle ready made compared with around £14 for 6 bottles with a a kit just did not seem worth the effort.

However the high alcohol kits at around 20% ABV are similar to buying Cointreau, Tia Maria, or Archers which are a lot more expensive, and the kits are around the same price for wine and the high alcohol so the high alcohol kits are well worth while.

I tried making high alcohol from scratch using some of the yeast from a Prohibition kit and reusing the charcoal, I added instant coffee at the end, to me it was a failure the instant coffee did not give the Tia Maria taste. However my local brew shop tells me he sells the flavours. In fact he sells all you need for a high alcohol brew.

A fermentor will hold around 6 demijohns so considering doing a whole fermentor of high alcohol and splitting it into 6 demijohns and adding a different flavour to each demijohn. However not sure what I would do with it all, it would last years the way I drink.

 

[Seafarer1966]

I made a lot of home brewed wine up until 25 years ago. Get yourself the C.J.J. Berry book on making home made wine from scratch if you haven't got it already. His recipe for rice and raisin wine involved two fermentations. you got a delicious and heavy medium white wine from the first brew then kept the sludge to make a second batch which was rocket fuel standard dry white. I also made fabulous wines from beetroot, tinned grapefruit, tea leaves you name it. I always thought kits increased the price of the hobby. Once you've got the equipment the world is your oyster. The only cost is the sugar, a few packets of whatever yeast to suit the brew and maybe the filter pads for whatever filtering arrangement you have to ensure a clear wine.

 

[SpannerHombre]

Is there a big work load in high alcohol production?
I used to do a lot of beer kit home brewing. It was pretty straight forward except for all the washing and sanitizing.
However, when ALDI began selling beer at 75 cent a can. The home brewing ended!!

But this high alcohol thing sounds interesting.

 

[ericmark]

It is more involved than simple beer kits the basic sequence is.
Mix water, sugar, yeast and yeast nutrient together and keep mixture within a temperature range, over temperature reduces the ABV and under temperature causes it to stall. But at around 20°C that is not normally a problem.
After it has stopped fermenting you add charcoal, and you have to stir a few times. Then wait for it to settle, adding other chemicals can speed up the settling.
Syphon to clean container, you may need to do this more than once to remove spend yeast and charcoal, the result is alcohol at around 20% may get 21% with all flavour removed by charcoal.
So next is to add the flavour you want, also more sugar if making a liqueur.
Unlike beer which needs time to mature, once sugar and flavour is added it is ready to drink.

I have found the mixing with charcoal and then allowing it to settle out is the important bit, try speeding it up and some after taste will likely remain. I have to date done one gallon at a time, I want to try a 40 pint batch, however not living at home where I have a fridge/freezer with temperature controllers to keep the brew cool enough, with one gallon it went off like an express train, so likely cooling will be required with a larger batch, I think 18 litres of water and 8 kg sugar is about right, but not tested yet.

Since flavour added at the end, I was hoping to split into 6 demijohns each with a different flavour.

 

[Curlewhouse]

We make very simple (I guess you'd call them liqueurs?) vodka, brandy and gin fruit from hedgerow things like cherry, blackberry, and I was lucky enough to find an entire wood last year where I work full of wild raspberry canes, so raspberry too.

Of course, it's little more than bunging the fruit and alcohol in a kilner jar and leaving it a few months.
The first one I made on a whim from cheap vodka and a bumper crop of bird cherries a few years ago (which were surprisingly sweet for bird cherry), it was quite thick and just mouthwateringly delicious. Last year we sent off online for some fancy little bottles and give them as Christmas gifts now, and friends absolutely love them. We always just use Aldi spirits for cheapness and in fact when I tried more expensive stuff, since the predominant taste is the fruit, you really couldn't tell any difference. But this method above would seem to suggest we could make our own alcohol at the 20% and use that - interesting.

 

[ericmark]

I tried using instant coffee to make a Tia maria type liqueur after making one following the kit instructions which worked out well, however it was not anything like the kit when I used instant coffee. However instant coffee does not taste like coffee made with beans and even the same beans in a filter or espresso machine taste different.

So it seems you need the proper concentrate.