schnapps

[dni_dave]

Local Paper

Ever since the Rhubarb schnapps has been mentioned on the vine we've been interested. The OH is forcing one of our 3 crowns at the moment.

We've been asking around for friends to see if they had any spare demi-johns but to no avail. I bought the local paper and someone was advertising not only 20 demi-johns, but a heap of wine making equipment as well!!! Not bad for 20 quid.

We're going to give the schnapps a go in the demi john and everyone we've told fancies a taste so I hope the other 2 crowns come good too!!!!

[andrewo]

You don't need a demi-john as the rhubarb stays in the liquid for 30 days before being taken out, a big barrel will do and then decant.

[pigletwillie]

Andrew, do you just cover with a lid of fit an airlock?

[Nicos]

Brewer - it's great to have a brewing expert on the Vine ( I'm sure there are one or two others hidden away too??)

Not done any wine making for about 20 years but have been sorting out rubbish in the attic (thanks to the rain!)and come across our old wine making book and some of the equipment, so......once we've got the rhubarb schnapps on the go we can get stuck into demi-johns again.
Have made elderflower,elderberry,fennel,peach,apricot,raspberry and strawberry in the past, and probably a few others which I can't recall just now. Which are your favourites, and what would you recommend for a beginner like me? (never thought mine were up to much in the past, but we never had anyone to help us out before- other that drinking it! )

Just a thought..have you actually made carrot wine??!!!

[andrewo]

With any schnapps or brandy infusion recipe, you need to leave the fruit or rhubarb in for roughly 30 days, do not open, make sure the lid is air tight and that you can shake it every day (I just jostle mine so it sloshes around), you can do this with any wine/beer barrel or even on a smaller scale in kilner jars (it's what we used to do and it meant we didn't even need to open them, we just shook them). After this period, you can decant in to bottles, filter out the rhubarb and debris through muslin, then store bottles to mature for another 30 days and start to consume. Don't worry if schnapps is cloudy, shake the bottle first and the cloudiness should clear, it is normally sediment but is not harmful as the ratio of alcochol kills pretty much anything. When you get to wines - I am learning here too, same process for fruit wines but not sure on the duration of 'soaking' and then you decant it into demi-johns for the yeast to get to work.

[pigletwillie]

Sorry Andrew, one more, can you use frozen Rhubarb as we have bucket load of it.

[Birdie Wife]

Sorry if this question has already been answered in another thread - is it better to use forced rhubarb for the nice pink colour, or does the colour fade anyway over time? Is the flavour any better if you use the forced stems?

[Nicos]

piglet- so have we but as we'd cooked ours before freezing,thought it wouldn't work out. Will just have to munch our way through that this year and use this years crop to make schnapps eh??? Had you cooked yours aswell?

[pigletwillie]

no mine is just chopped into 1 inch lenghts, what do you think?

[Nicos]

I'd give it a go... I asked the same question and was given that advice, but I'd forgotten it was already cooked

[andrewo]

Sorry Andrew, one more, can you use frozen Rhubarb as we have bucket load of it.

I don't know, I have used frozen blackcurrants in the past for something similar and they worked okay, all I would be worried about is the rhubarb distengrating as it defrosts and possible bugs being transferred in the process. Try a small batch and if it works - go for it.

Regarding forced rhubarb, the results should be sweeter but I tend not to force my crowns as it drains them and makes them pretty useless after awhile.

Funnily enough the flavour, just from ordinary rhubarb, unforced, has echoes of peaches in it.

[pigletwillie]

Right, rhubarb is out of the freezer and in a demi john along with 2 litres of Vodka and is now bunged shut. I shall let you know the results in September.

[brewer]

carrot, rhubarb wine

Hi! Andrewo and Nicos. If you want to brew with almost anything you first steep the ingrediants. This means you chop them up and pour on boiling water to encourage the flavour into the water. When cool, no more than warm, add the yeast so that the initial ferment can get all the flavour out of the crop (7 days usually, but with a lid on) You then refer to your books to see what your crop requires in order to brew, then if required add some extras to help fermentation.
Carrot wine is fine but it needs tannin, nutrient and citric acid in order to brew well. Chop them and boil, then strain the juice onto the above with 2lb sugar per 4lb carrots. Add yeast and keep air away untill things go quiet. but dont forget to rack it, and rack it again later. This gives you a chance to have a taste and add more sugar if required. Most modern day wine yeasts will stand 15% or more if you feed them with sugar gently.

[brewer]

stock-pile brewing

Hi! Nicos,
I have made carrot wine and it can be surprisingly pleasant and will reach 12+% with care. I reckon it needs fruit added to give it body, recipe posted elsewhere. The philosophy of the brewer is to use whatever you have an excess off to brew with. you could think of it as 'full utillisation'. You can only go wrong if you don't adjust the must ( fruit and veg in water ) to allow the yeast to work. Some items can leave a haze some need acid some need alkali but it only takes a small addition to 'adjust your must'. Apples and pears are a good back up brew. You can add fruit to adjust the flavours of either. Currently brewing apple and blackberry which is going fine.

[Sal]

Marrow Vodka...

Blimey, where have I been for the past few months? How glad am I that I've found this site and - obviously - this thread!?!! I'll tell you how glad, this glad!!!!!

Thanks to all for the brewing and alcoholic fruit, veg and specifically rhubarb ideas. Only eat Rhubarb because it's there, because I'd hate to waste crops and deep down I know its probably doing something good for me. Not sure about the crumble topping and ice-cream that go with it mind. You could put cat food with vodka and I'd probably give it a go....hmmmmm, actually I'd like to retract the last statement, I'm sure you'd all like to eat breakfast without that horrible thought in your heads.

But on the line of alcoholic veg, using up spare crops AND horrible thoughts I've been passed a recipe for Marrow Vodka, I know, I know. Not made any yet but being a gal who'll try anything once - and maybe more than once if I like it - I'm going to try it this year.

Marrow Vodka

• Slice the stalk end off the marrow & keep - this will become your lid
• Scoop out the seeds inside & put a small pin hole in the bottom for drainage making sure it goes through to the cavity inside
• Add sugar to half way up the inside of the marrow
• Put the marrow vertically in a stocking or a cut off tights leg with the hole at the bottom and the cut of stalk end at the top.
• Add vodka to top up the marrow making sure you plug the hole with your finger whilst you are doing this
• Put on your 'lid' on and then hang the be-stockinged marrow somewhere cool and dry with a collection container underneath the pin hole
• Make sure you collect the already strained vodka everyday and add this to a sealed bottle or jar so none evaporates from the collection container
• Serve and enjoy as the saying goes, or not as the case may be...