Homebrew Underground

You can make Blackberry Liqueur at home very easily in about 2 weeks. I originally found a very good recipe for Blackberry Liqueur at Gunther Anderson’s website: (Vargas and Gulling Blackberry Liqueur). This is how I make it, though. The original recipe calls for 100 proof Vodka – which is normally a lot more expensive than common 80-proof Vodka. So I came up with this less expensive way to make it. The trick here is to macerate with 80-proof Vodka, then blend with a little 100-proof Vodka after straining and filtering.

Another big difference between my recipe and the Vargas and Gulling recipe is that I use Standard Sugar Syrup rather than light corn syrup. You can find Karo brand light corn syrup in most grocery stores, but I am not a fan of corn syrup. I prefer using cane sugar. It is more traditional, and I think it gives a better taste and it is less viscous. I have even seen other recipes in other websites that call for thickening homemade liqueurs with glycerin. I believe that sweetening with properly prepared sugar syrup makes a far superior final product.

Here is another tip: Save the blackberry strainings at Step 2 and put them in a jar and refrigerate. The strained leftovers can have a second life. They are very delicious and can be used to make pastries: Blackberry Liqueur Pie and Blackberry Liqueur Turnovers.

Here is my recipe for Blackberry Liqueur:

Below is a shot of of the most recent batch Blackberry Liqueur that I made. I bought 3 containers of some really nice looking fresh blackberries at Costco. I forgot how many ounces they were per container, but those 3 containers of blackberries made enough for 5 (count ‘em FIVE) 2 Qt. Mason jars!

I don’t recommend you make this much at a time, because it took the better part of a day just to strain and filter it all! The glass dishes in front of the jars hold the lemon zest. I used two fresh lemons for this batch. First, I zested the lemons, and then I cut them in half and squeezed them.

Here is another shot of the jars after adding the Vodka and Brandy and the lemon juice, lemon zest and Standard Sugar Syrup. They are all ready to begin maceration. Note the jar of Standard Sugar Syrup on the far right.

Now we wait for 2 weeks while the liqueur macerates. In the next post I’ll cover the filtering and straining step.

Continue to Blackberry Liqueur Recipe – Part II

Here is a shot of some of my liqueurs.

I started making liqueurs last year. My first liqueur was a batch of almond liqueur. I took it to one of my neighbors and they encouraged me to make more. When I made more – and gave them a bottle – they insisted on a label. My wife came up with the name and so I made a logo and a label. In later posts I will show you where to obtain labels (or make your own) and where to get bottles, corks and seals. This will give your home made liqueurs that professional touch and will show that you take pride in your homebrews.

Right now I have 4 flavors: almond, almond caramel, blackberry and dark cherry. We give them to our friends, neighbors and people we do business with. In some of the upcoming posts, I’ll show you how to make blackberry liqueur. Blackberry liqueur is fast and easy to make, and when you are finished making the liqueur, you can make blackberry liqueur pastries from the berry "mash" that’s leftover from the liqueur making process … blackberry liqueur pie and blackberry liqueur turnovers.

Next, we want to siphon the beer from the carboy into the fermenter. Because we cleaned and sanitized the fermenter and Auto-Siphon in the previous step, we are all set and ready to go. But before siphoning the beer into the fermenter, you will need to prepare the priming sugar.

Add The Priming Sugar

As stated in a previous post, the purpose of the priming sugar is to carbonate the beer in the bottles. There is still some life in the yeast and the sugar will provide enough "food" for the yeast to produce the necessary gasses while under pressure inside the bottles. Here is a shot of the priming sugar that came with the brewing kit:

Follow the instructions exactly, here. In this case the recipe calls for 3/4ths cup of priming sugar per 5 gallons of beer. In my case, I have 4 1/2 gallons of beer in the fermenter. It’s time to do a little math. You have to calculate the exact proportion of priming sugar you need to add. Too much sugar and the bottles can explode … too little and the beer will be flat (not enough carbonation). Here is the equation I used:

3/4ths cup = .75 cup

      .75 cups / 5 gallons = x cups / 4.5 gallons

Cross – multiply the equation:

      5 times x = (.75 times 4.5)

      5 times x = 3.375

Now divide both sides of the equation by 5:

      x = .675 cup of priming sugar

So now I carefully measure out .675 cup of priming sugar. Whaaa?? what is .675 of a cup? Well, 2/3rds of a cup is .666 of a cup – pretty close … so I start with 2/3rds of a cup and I add a smidge more … okay? Good enough.

Dissolve the priming sugar by adding it to 8 oz of boiling water. Let it cool, then pour it into the empty fermenter. We don’t want to whisk it into the beer after it is siphoned into the fermenter because we don’t want to aerate the beer and introduce oxygen which can cause off-flavors. We want the temperature of the priming sugar and water to be at room temperature because we don’t want to shock the yeast. The water used to prepare the priming sugar was boiled to keep everything sanitized and to prevent infection.

Once the priming sugar is in the fermenter we are ready to add the beer. Setup the carboy on a raised surface and begin siphoning the beer into the fermenter:

Get the siphon started then gently place the end of the tubing all the way into the bottom of the fermenter. DO NOT SPLASH. The siphoning action will mix the dissolved sugar into the beer.

While the siphon is going, add some of the beer to one of the plastic tubes that the thermometer or hydrometer came in. Fill it about 3/4ths full with beer and insert the hydrometer. Make the final hydrometer reading:

At this stage the beer is much more clarified than before. Continue to siphon the beer until you reach near the bottom of the carboy. Stop the siphoning process before reaching any of the inactive yeast that has formed as sediment at the bottom. We don’t want any of that going into the bottles. Keep it as clear as you can.

Boil The Bottle Caps

At this point, place a pan of water on the stove and heat it to boiling. Add the bottle caps to sanitize them. It will take awhile for the water to start boiling, so this is a good time to set it on the stove. Boil the caps for 5 minutes:

Okay, now let it settle for a couple of minutes and we’re ready to bottle the beer! Place the case of clean, sanitized bottles on the floor and start the Auto-Siphon … this time with the filler tube on the other end:

When you press the filler tube against the bottom of the bottle, the little valve on the end will cause the beer will flow into the bottle. When you release the pressure, the beer stops flowing. Pretty cool! Fill each bottle about 1/3rd up the neck. Move from one bottle to the next untill all the bottles are filled, then start the next case. Here’s a closeup of the siphon tube with the filler tube in the bottle:

The brewing kit comes with a really good bottle capper. Put a filled bottle on the counter and place a sanitized cap in the capper, then press down firmly on both of the capper handles:

Well, there it is, your first bottle of beer:

Store the bottles for 3 to 4 weeks to give it a chance to develop the carbonation and flavor. Store the cases in your garage or basement. It is a good idea to throw a towel over them, just in case one of them blows up! This is the hardest part because you have to wait before you can drink your homebrew!

Continue to Beer Making – Part VI

Okay … we have filled the fermenter with cleaner and now we are ready to clean and sanitize the bottles. I bought 3 cases of bottles. The recipe makes just over 2 cases of beer so I am going to wash 2 1/2 cases of bottles. Start by soaking about 1/2 case of bottles in the cleaner along with the bottle brush:

One at a time, scrub each bottle with the bottle brush:

This is the best shot I can give you … I had to shoot the photo with one hand … I also bought a Turbomatic Carboy and Bottle Washer to speed up the rinsing process. It fits over the threaded end of a faucet:

After washing each bottle with the bottle brush, rinse thoroughly with HOT water:

Gather up all the bottles. The next step was to sanitize all the bottles, the fermenter, the Auto-Siphon, the whisk and all the other utensils. Here is a shot of the sanitizer:

Follow the instructions for whatever product you are using and mix about 5 gallons of sanitizer … enough to fill the fermenter. Fill each bottle with sanitizer and let stand for the recommended time. In my case, the instructions called for the sanitizer to stand in the bottles for 5 minutes:

In my case, I lined the cardboard cases with paper towels on the bottom to drain the excess sanitizer:

After emptying the sanitizer back into the fermenter, turn each bottle upside down in the cardboard case to drain the excess sanitizer from the bottles:

The sanitizer instrructions called for the bottles to drain dry and not to rinse. Sanitize the Auto-Siphon, filler tube, whisk and other utensils and let dry or rinse and let dry – whatever the instructions call for. In the next post, after the bottles are all dry, we will add the priming sugar and bottle the beer!

Continue to Beer Making – Part V

When the beer has aged in the carboy for about 7-11 days and it has clarified, it is ready to bottle. The beer will clarify when all the inactive yeast has settled to the bottom of the carboy as sediment:

Getting Ready to Bottle the Beer

Before bottling the beer you have to add priming sugar. The purpose of the priming sugar is to give the remaining active yeast a chance to give off carbon dioxide which will carbonate the beer in the bottle. You have to add the priming sugar into the beer, but you don’t want to stir up the sediment in the carboy, so it is best to transfer the beer back into the fermenter by siphoning only the clarified beer while leaving the sediment in the bottom of the carboy. This requires a clean, sanitized fermenter and Auto-Siphon. You will also need clean, sanitized bottles so the next logical step is to fill the fermenter with cleaner and sanitizer and use the solution to clean and sanitize the bottles and all the bottling utensils while you’re at it.

Some homebrewers use B-Brite – a cleaning and sanitizing product available from homebrew suppliers. One advantage to using B-Brite is that it is a simple, one-step process. This time I used two products – a cleaner and a sanitizer. Here’s a shot of the cleaner next to the fermenter:

Follow the directions and pay attention to the safety warnings. Use precautions when handling these chemicals … especially avoid contact with your eyes!!

Fill the fermenter with cleaner:

Clean all the utensils and the Auto-Siphon … and this time clean the filler tube. The filler tube is a special apparatus with a valve on the end that fills the bottle when pressed against the bottom of the inside of the bottle. You will attach this to the end of the siphon tubing when you are ready to bottle the beer.

In the next post, we’ll be scrubbing bottles …

Continue to Beer Making – Part IV

Sanitize The Carboy, Auto-Siphon, Bung and Air Lock

After the beer has fermented for a few days and you no longer see any bubbles appearing in the air lock of the fermenter, it is time to siphon the beer into the 5 gallon glass carboy. The Deluxe Brewing Kit comes with an Auto-Siphon, a length of siphon tubing, a bung and a second air lock. The bung is a sort of "rubber stopper" for the carboy – it has a hole in it for the air lock. The Auto-Siphon is a very handy tool and is extremely easy to use. Sanitize the Auto-Siphon, tubing, carboy, the bung and the air lock. You can fill the carboy about half way with water, then add the sanitizer, then slosh it all around the inside of the carboy so all the surfaces are sanitized. Then insert the Auto-Siphon with tubing attached. Let it soak for the recommended time, then place a saucepan or pot below the carboy and pump the Auto-Siphon once or twice to begin the siphoning process. Run the sanitizer down through the tubing, siphoning the solution into the pot. Take apart the air lock and put it in the pot.

Siphoning

Place the fermenter on a counter top or other raised surface, remove the lid and insert the Auto-Siphon. Avoid siphoning the sediment at the bottom of the fermenter. The Auto-Siphon that came with my brewing kit had an anti-sediment tip which came in handy. Place the carboy on the floor and insert the other end of the tubing and pump it once or twice to start the siphoning. DO NOT SPLASH. Avoid aeration of the beer and introducing oxygen which can cause off-flavors:

You want to take another hydrometer reading at this time, so using the same tube that you did for the first reading (the one that comes with the thermometer or hydrometer), lift the siphon tube just out of the carboy and fill the tube about 3/4ths full, then replace the siphon tube into the carboy to continue siphning the beer. Aye, you can smell the aroma!

Here’s another shot of the carboy filling up with beer:

Here’s a shot of the second hydrometer reading:

The hydrometer reading should have fallen about half way from the first reading. "Half way" would be a reading that drops half way to 1. In my case, the first reading was 1.050 and my second was 1.020 … slightly more than half way, so we’re in good shape, here.

Carboy Handle, Bung and Air Lock

The Deluxe Brewing Kit comes with a carboy handle … it comes in handy when you’re muscling that 50 lbs or so of beer around the house. When you’re done siphoning the beer, slip the handle over the neck of the carboy and tighten the wing nut. Make sure it provides a secure grip. Next, insert the bung and air lock – again filled half full with water:

Okay … now it’s ready to age for about 7 – 11 days… enough so the beer clarifies and all the inactive yeast falls to the bottom as sediment.

Continue to Beer Making – Part III

Equipment and Ingredients:

This is my first homebrew beer, so I elected to order a brewing kit. Here is a shot of it on my kitchen table …

I ordered the Deluxe Beer Brewing Kit with Ingredients here from Beer-Wine.com:

The kit comes complete with all the ingredients and everything you need – except for the brew pot, so I ordered a 16 qt stainless steel boiling pot. They can be quite expensive … even a cheap one locally was going for almost 50 bucks. I got lucky and found one online from eBay.com for about 15 bucks – including freight.

Step One: Brewing

Add the specified amount of water to the brew pot and bring it to a boil. In my case it was 1 1/2 gallons. I used regular tap water, but I have a cartridge type water filtration system for drinking water – which removes all the bad taste and heavy chlorine odor. Next add the ingredients according to the recipe. Pretty much all the homebrew recipes will use malt extract and, of course, hops:

Malt Extract:

Hops:

The kit came with 3 – 1 1/2 oz packets of hops, but the recipe only called for one packet. I added the hops in stages to try to preserve some of the flavor of the hops so it wouldn’t all get boiled away. The recipe called for the ingredients to be boiled for 30 minutes, so I added about 3 tbsp of hops in the beginning, about 1/2 tbsp after about 15 minutes, and at the end of 30 minutes I added the remaining hops from the packet (about 2 tbsp) and let it boil for 5 minutes more. The brewed batch is called "wort".

Step Two: Fermenting

This is a two-stage recipe … it calls for the wort to be transferred to a fermenter, and then after a few days when the yeast stops bubbling, the recipe calls for the beer to be transferred to a 5 gallon glass carboy to be aged for about 10 days or so before being bottled. While the beer is brewing on the stove, sanitize the fermenter, the lid, one of the air locks, the thermometer and any utensils that will come into contact with the beer with special sanitizer (obtain from a homebrew supply store). Some kits come with enough sanitizer for the batch.

CLEANING AND SANITIZING IS VERY IMPORTANT

During the fermenting and aging and bottle conditioning, the yeast is converting the sugars to alcohol and gasses, giving the beer the desired flavor. If bacteria is introduced, it can grow in the beer as well … a little bit of bad bacteria can grow enough to spoil the taste.

After brewing, cool the wort down and transfer it to the fermenter. You want to cool it down rapidly so any bad bacteria won’t have a chance to start growing. You can put the brew pot in a tub of cold water or you can freeze one gallon plastic containers of drinking water and cut the plastic off and put the block of ice in the fermenter and ladle the wort into the ice. Use whatever method works best. The next step is to pitch the yeast into the wort. You want the temperature to be between 68° and 75° Farenheit to add the yeast.

Here is a shot of the wort in the fermenter with the thermometer floating in it.

Priming the Yeast

Just before the temperature is ready to add the yeast, add it to a sanitized glass about half full with warm (not hot) water, then stir it with a sanitized plastic whisk (or plastic spoon). Wait for about 10 minutes, then add the primed yeast to the fermenter, then whisk briskly with a sanitized stainless stell whisk to thoroughly aerate the mixture and give the yeast a good start.

The brewing kit also comes with a hydrometer. Both the thermometer and the hydrometer come in a plastic tube. Fill the plastic tube about 3/4ths full and take your first hydrometer reading and write it down on a sheet of paper along with the date. Discard the beer in this tube … do not risk contaminating the beer.

Put the lid on the fermenter and fill the air lock about half full of water, then put the air lock into the small hole with the black "O" ring to seal it.

Bubbles will appear in the air lock during fermentation. Let the beer ferment for 3 or 4 days or until you stop seeing bubbles in the air lock.

Continue to Beer Making – Part II

Anise and fennel both provide a similar licorice like aroma and flavor to liqueurs. These two herbs are very complimentary and harmonious when used together. I have been looking at several liqueur recipes that use both anise seed and fennel seed. I have noticed that many of these age old recipes use proportionately less fennel than anise. For example, if a recipe calls for 4 parts anise, then there will usually be 3 parts fennel.