Category Archives: Hobbit homebrew

Hobbit homebrew

Hobbit Homebrew: Decant day 3-Blackberries, brandy and pudding!

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On the fourth of September, I harvested the last of the allotment blackberries and put them into a kilner jar. Added to this was some cheap brandy, and probably some star anaise and some spice along with some sugar. The jar was then sealed, and stashed away for three months. I have pedantically been counting down the weeks. Apparently, after three months the berries start to get a bit woody. So that was ringing my alarm bells. I was going to give the jar another week. Anyway,today I have retrieved the jar from storage. The liquid was all decanted off through a muslin cloth into clean bottles. The fruit, was saved and put into a simple crumble. It is cooking through in the oven as I type. This is the type of pudding that you cannot drive after eating. Ma’s kitchen starting to whiff of warm brandy, Probably should get some custard made. I had also saved the berries that were taken out of the dark rum a few months ago. I had secreted them into the freezer for safe keeping. Still have plums in brandy too, that should be done in the next week or so. This was also, yield another pudding. This close to Christmas, what’s another crumble?

cabbages and brassicas, Hobbit homebrew, NaBloPoMo

#NaBloPoMo: Decanting Day 2: Rhubarb’d Vodka

During the summer, I had harvested some rhubarb. This was then placed into a clip top jar, with cloves, ginger, sugar and vodka. This has been in the airing cupboard for approximately three months. I say approximately, as it had about another ten days to go for that exact term. Shaken at the outset, the concoction has then been left to it’s own devices.

Unlike the cordial that I had made, it actually looks orange. A lighter shade of irn bru, not at all pink as was expected. I had also expected a bit more liquid. There is exactly 70 Cl-ish there of vodka. Those bottles are 500 ml sized.. Unlike soft fruit, Rhubard doesn’t actually release it’s own juices. The boozy soaked rhubarb is now put aside for a boozy pudding.

Hobbit homebrew, NaBloPoMo

#NaBloPoMO: Hobbit Homebrew Gin infusions

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Gin infusions
Gin infusions

Have decided to do some more home brew experimentation. I have to confess that I have not grown any of the fruit products in this concoction. All of the fruit in this experiment is frozen fruit, from the frozen food section of a value supermarket. The Gin is also the cheaper stuff from that particular value super market. Blueberries apparently work better when they have been frozen, so we shall see. Notoriously difficult to grow, I don’t have blueberries on the plot for that very reason. At the back of the picture, the rhubarb vodka awaits decanting. More on that later.

On the left, the jar contain black forest fruits. Blackberries, red and black currants, grapes and sour cherries. The jar on the right, contains blueberries. Both have a generous helping of sugar. I’d say about 250g of normal granulated sugar. In addition, i have added coriander seeds and cinnamon. Especially for the blueberries. I was surprised as to how popular a combination blueberries and coriander actually was.

Both jars were then filled with 70 cl each of the gin. Shaken vigorously and stashed into an airing cupboard. There they will stay for six weeks, but will need to disturbed regularly for the first week, and then once a week.

Hobbit homebrew

Decanting Day Part one: Potent pink

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Setting up the stuff
Filtration with muslin cloth. Caution: Vapours inhaled
three bottles proud
and the batch has a name

Remember that first batch of home brew, the one with blackberries in Dark Rum. Well, since I couldn’t wait for three more weeks and I had a couple of bottles to recycle. Today was decant day. I cannot remember exactly what I might have put in there. There was the staple dark rum, sugar and blackberries. Might have put some cinnamon and cassia bark in there.

The bottles were cleaned and washed. The muslin scalded with boiled water, jam funnel thing located.

And then we decanted. The blackberries hadn’t broken down as much as I liked, so armed with a masher I went about breaking them up in the jar. This did make the jar liquid a bit cloudy. Otherwise, the liquid is a  beautiful claret colour. Very rich, very deep. Fairly potent, you cannot escape the potent vapours.

Small amounts were poured into a pint glass and then passed though the funnel. The funnel was lined with a scalded piece of muslin. I got fed up of watching it drip, though that is probably  the best way to get the liquid beautifully clear. So I took it in hand, and squished the muslin to aid the process. The cloudiness from mashing was significantly reduced actually.

You’re all wanting to know what it tasted like?

Pops tried a bit-i couldn’t get it all into the smallest bottle, so a dribble was left. Pulled a face, shrugged a shoulder, waved hand, That means okay, I think. I tried another dribble. It really was a dribble, after the vapours, I wasn’t going to have a cocktail.You get the alcohol, and then you get spiced blackberries. Might need more fruit, the next time I might make it.

Hobbit homebrew

Feeling cordial: blackberry, raspberry and rhubarb

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This recipe required:

1500g blackberries, I had 1kg,
With a few raspberries, plums and 3
Small sticks of rhubarb.
400g of sugar
Enough cold water to cover them, but let say a litre per kilo.
A stick of of cinnoman, I used powder
A teaspoon of lemon juice.

I put fruit and water into a pan, and boiled til burst. I did mash to be fair and probably shouldn’t have. Then with Ma’s fine mesh sieve, filtered the juice. Returning this to the hob, I added cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice. The recipe said to simmer, then boil for 20 minutes. I got as a far as 11 and the sugar had dissolved. Cool and then decant.

The taste test. Well I had double measure in that glass as it wouldn’t fit into the bottle. Not bad! A bit warm, bit nice.

Hobbit homebrew, Uncategorized

Boozy berry and roob experiment

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Please do not make this if you are under age and without parental supervision. My mother was present through out.

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The plan is to steep them both in vodka or another dark liqueur. Which ever is cheapest. The blackberries contain sugar and vanilla essence. The rhubarb has cloves, cassia bark as I had no cinnamon.

Popping into a cold dark place for occasional inversion.

My thanks to @bobleponge216 and @haywayne and @notjustjams for their advice.

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