Homebrew mishap

[rivuxgamma]

I've been making wine out of frozen fruit juice concentrate, water, sugar and regular baking yeast in 2-liter bottles for a while since I'm a cheapass. I didn't get or make an airlock and just burped the bottles a few times every day and it was working fine til one fateful day. I was stuck in bed with a migraine when I heard a loud explosion. Not a good thing to experience when having a migraine, btw. The night before, I had made up a new batch and I wasn't able to burp it in the morning. It blasted sugary yeast water all over my kitchen and even put a huge dent and crack in my cabinet door. I haven't gone back to it since.

Lesson learned, I suppose, but now I have to figure out how to repair a large cabinet door. :-{

On the plus side, I figured out that about 300 total grams of sugar is about the right spot for wine made from 1 can of juice concentrate mixed with water according to the instructions and fermented with regular baking yeast (not the rapid rise kind). It turns out just slightly sweet and not dry without being cloying.

[oettinger]

Too much yeast and sugar I`d say.
Atleast you can say this tasting blew your mind.
Also stay away from your explosive project for new years eve for atleast a month. Let it build up foam on it`s own.

To being cheap! Cheers!!!

[Badfellow]

I'd suggest trying a Pasteur Champagne yeast on your wine the next time around. A packet of dry Champagne yeast is fairly cheap (around $1 US per pop) ferments cleanly and it will tolerate up to 16% alcohol by volume.

Remember, fermentation is a powerful thing. I've heard of airlocks getting clogged by grape skins and blowing projectile spew all over the ceiling like a mortar shell.

[Bluto]

Very glad to see yo here again, Badfellow.

I'd like to add: storing is important. My best wines have turned out when I have stirred them daily. Leaving them to set and get unpleasantly funky is not the right way to go.

[Badfellow]

The sentiment is mutual, Bluto. I'm making an effort to spend more time with old friends here on the boards.

This thread inspires me to make up a bitch of a batch of homemade MD 20/20.
It's also apple and pear season with free fruit available in fuckton amounts. I still have a press and I'm wiling to use it.

[Patchez]

Send me some of the apple wine when it's done if you are able Good Sir.

[Tarcek]

...psst! Unscrew the bottle-cap 90% of the way, or use a thumbtac to poke 3 holes in the bottle-cap. WAY more effective than manually burping the little buggers...

[shawnonious]

I used to do a lot of homebrewing when I was underage. I started off with mead, but moved onto beer brewing, at which point I had proper kitting for airlocks and such.

Protip: If you don't have a setup for an airlock, wrap a balloon around the opening on your bottle or whatever you're fermenting in, and poke a few TINY pin-prick holes in it. Makes a VERY effective airlock. It's how I did my first brewing batches, which were meads, that, well, tasted like meads, to a guy like me who just doesn't like wine much in the end. Fermenting apple cider/apple juice (watch those preservatives), or even making Kilju though, man, that will FUCK you up cheap. Kilju fermenting is probably the cheapest drunk anybody can get.

[oettinger]

I'd suggest trying a packet of dry Champagne
ferments cleanly
and iwill tolerate up to 16% alcohol by volume.
Remember
fermentating is a thing. I've heard of
airlocks getting spew all over the ceiling

[Mr. Viking]

my dad hospitalized himself with exploding homebrew. Red wine. My mum heard the explosion and when she saw him thought it was just red wine all over him. Glass bottles. Then she saw how pale he was...

[MEAT!]

Haven't had a batch blow on me yet. Of course, I spent the 45 for the airlock and the bung right off the bat.

[Mr Boozificator]

I'd suggest trying a Pasteur Champagne yeast on your wine the next time around. A packet of dry Champagne yeast is fairly cheap (around $1 US per pop) ferments cleanly and it will tolerate up to 16% alcohol by volume.

Remember, fermentation is a powerful thing. I've heard of airlocks getting clogged by grape skins and blowing projectile spew all over the ceiling like a mortar shell.

Listen to Badfellow.
We have had to resort to so many things to keep fermentation under control along the years that it is not even funny. We resort to technology for wine everyday, it has become an affair not only of tradition but also of science, and I mean hard science. Worship wine and admire the winemakers, their job is not an easy one.

[oettinger]

my dad hospitalized himself with exploding homebrew. Red wine. My mum heard the explosion and when she saw him thought it was just red wine all over him. Glass bottles. Then she saw how pale he was...

That`s creepy

[sloweducation]

Been there and done that and my friends made fun of me for like 2 years. But everyone makes mistakes and no one complains when they are drinking OUR homemade hooch.

[Tarcek]

I used to do a lot of homebrewing when I was underage. I started off with mead, but moved onto beer brewing, at which point I had proper kitting for airlocks and such.

Protip: If you don't have a setup for an airlock, wrap a balloon around the opening on your bottle or whatever you're fermenting in, and poke a few TINY pin-prick holes in it. Makes a VERY effective airlock. It's how I did my first brewing batches, which were meads, that, well, tasted like meads, to a guy like me who just doesn't like wine much in the end. Fermenting apple cider/apple juice (watch those preservatives), or even making Kilju though, man, that will FUCK you up cheap. Kilju fermenting is probably the cheapest drunk anybody can get.

Bah! Of course it works, but you don't have to go to that much effort. Airlocks are over-rated as crap, and silly paranoia about germs and shit-

Memorize this important phrase: "If its good enough for the ancient rome, its good enough for me!" - And the ancient romans used vase things, with a hole poked in the top... you don't have to use a lid at all if you're going to drink it quickly, and if you divide a yeast sachet into 3rds, you can have 10L of sweet booze on the way with no fancypants equipment... more if you can find a bigger jug of water/juice!

We're alcoholics, not teen girls who can't wear shoes without putting baby powder on their feet! If you do it like i do, just unscrew the lid, then you can just screw it back up when youre ready to store it.

Never had any issues, certainly no explosions.