Sparkling Malt Wine, aka "Home Brew" Recipe
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Category: |
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: EQUIPMENT:
Glass bottle (5 gallon) - Often a bottle can be found at a motor pool or gage. These bottles have contained battery acid, so they should be rinsed thoroughly before use. I a bottle cannot be procured otherwise, one can be purchased filled with spring water, distilled water, etc. The deposit on the bottle will be about $3.50 *.
2 hole rubber stopper to fit bottle - The stopper can be obtained from a hospital supply house, chemical supply house or scrounged from a hospital laboratory. If a solid stopper is available, holes can be drilled to accommodate the glass tubing. One hole will probably have to be reamed out anyway to accommodate the 3/8" glass tubing since most rubber stoppers have holes to fit the 1/4" glass tubing. A common cork can be used but the rubber stopper is much better.
2 feet of 3/8" glass tubing - This tubing is used as a siphon tube and is about the smallest size that will maintain a good flow when filling bottles. It should extend to about 1/2 inch above the bottom of the five gallon bottle and be bent in a smooth curve 90 degrees or more. The glass tubing can be purchased from a surgical supply house, but is sold in 10 lb. bundles; however, a single piece can often be procured from a hospital or chemical laboratory. It will be a straight piece, but can be scored with a file and broken to the desired length. The tubing can be bent by heating in the flame of a Bunsen burner, a butane torch or over the burner of a gas kitchen stove. The tubing should be heated slowly at first to avoid breakage. It should be rotated over the flame to insure even heating of the area to be bent. About 3 inches of the tubing should be heated to insure a smooth bend. If too small a length is heated, the bend will be too sharp and will constrict the tube. Flexible plastic tubing can be used but it is not as satisfactory as glass and must be carefully sealed in the stopper.
8" of 1/4" glass tubing - The 1/4" (7mm) is easier to find than the 3/8" since it is used for driving straws, etc. It is cut and bent in the same way as the 3/8". It is used for a vent to allow the carbon dioxide generated by the fermentation to escape. It should extend about 1/8" below the bottom of the rubber stopper and be kept open at all times. It should be bent to accommodate a small rubber or plastic hose which extends into a mall pan of water. Plastic tubing can be used, but with the same comment as for 3/8" tubing.
Rubber hose to fit over glass tubing - Suitable rubber hose for the 3/8" tubing can be purchased at a drug store. It is sold as replacement hose forgot water bottles. It can then be cut to a convenient length, but must always be long enough to extend well below the bottom of the 5 gallon bottle in order to maintain the siphon. Hose for the 1/4" tube can usually be purchased at a hobby shop or auto supply store. Flexible plastic hose can be used satisfactorily, but it is more expensive.
Water container - A convenient one can be made by cutting a half gallon plastic "Whisk" container down to about 4" in height. A 1 lb. coffee can may be used, but it rusts rapidly.
Large and small funnels - A large funnel should be procured for filling the five gallon bottle. The small funnel is very convenient for adding the 1/2 tsp of sugar to the 12 oz. bottles.
Bottle capper and caps - These items can be ordered from Sears Roebuck or can be purchased from Fisher Hardware in Springfield, Virginia.
Bottles - Throw away type beer bottles are satisfactory and are generally available from bars or service clubs (that's military service clubs!). The can be used over and over again, but should be sterilized before each use. An automatic dishwasher is ideal for this. Sediment should be rinsed from bottles immediately after use. NOTE: This recipe predates screw top bottles, so you might need old fashion ones requiring a bottle opener.
INGREDIENTS:
Malt - Blue Ribbon brand malt syrup can be purchased at the A&P grocery store. It comes in three pound cans and contains hops, thus no hops needs to be added. It costs $1.05 * per three pound can.
Sugar - Any granulated sugar is suitable.
Yeast - Common yeast such as Red Star cake or dried is satisfactory for most people. Brewers yeast is preferred by some, but it is not easily obtainable. In addition to the active yeast, about three heaping teaspoons of food yeast added to the five gallons seems to improve the flavor and head.
Water - Tap water is suitable and need not be sterilized. Some people prefer bottled spring water or boiled water. Use your own judgement.
Miscellaneous - Many people use rice, raisins potatoes and other exotic ingredients. These ingredients will impart a different flavor What product do you want? Unflavored gelatin is sometimes used to improve the head.
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Directions: |
Directions:Mix 1 1/2 lb. (1/2 can) of malt syrup with 4 lb. of sugar, using about a gallon of warm water or as much as needed to dissolve the sugar and malt. A 2 lb. coffee can, rounded is about 4 lb. of sugar.
Dissolve a cake or package of yeast in 1/2 C. of warm water and stir into the malt-sugar mixture.
Pour this mixture into the 5 gallon bottle and fill bottle to about 4 gallons with water. If bottle is filled too full, the foam and ingredients stirred up by the fermentation will get into the air tube and could possibly stop it up.
Assemble the stopper and tubing as shown in the drawing and insert in the bottle neck. Put 2 - 3" of water in the small water container and put the tube from the 1/4" glass tube in this and weight it down. A small rock is good for weighting the tube because it doesn't rust.
The mixture should begin to ferment in 2 -3 hours, producing bubbles in the water container. The bubbles will be produced in bursts when fermentation is under way because of the large space at the top of the bottle. The fermentation will continue for about 4 - 8 days, depending upon the temperature of the room. After the initial heavy fermentation is over, (2 - 4 days), fill the bottle to the neck with water. Bubbles will then come from the tube in a steady stream. When bubbles from the tube slow down to about 20 - 30 bubbles per minute, the mixture is ready to bottle.
At this time, 1/2 tsp of sugar is put in each 12 oz. bottle. The bottle is filled and capped and stored preferably in a cool dark place (hide it!). The fermentation proceeds in the bottle, carbonating the liquid. The "wines" can be consumed in about two weeks, but is better after 3 months.
COMMENTS:
Yeast will settle to the bottom of the bottles so the liquid should be poured carefully so as not to disturb the sediment (you have to drink from a glass, NOT the bottle, hence, it might be considered to "wine" to some!).
Bottles should be rinsed before the sediment hardens or it will be there forever.
If it is desired to make another 5 gallons of the "wine" within 48 hours, mix malt syrup and sugar and pour into the five gallon bottle. Since the bottle is closed all the time, it is not necessary to wash it and there is sufficient yeast left in the bottom of the five gallon bottle after bottling to start the fermentation of the second batch. Use the same procedure for filling the bottle as before.
One five gallon bottle will produce 53 12 oz. bottles at about 2 1/2 cents a bottle.
The "wine" is about 8% alcohol. The alcohol content can be varied by increasing or decreasing the sugar. 8% is pretty strong to be driving from individual 12 oz. bottles. Let the consumer be warned!
The amount of bubbles coming from the escape tube depends upon the size of the tube. If a small tube is used, the mixture should be bottled when 5j0 bubbles are counted. A tube the size of the siphon tube would probably produce no more than 20 bubbles at bottling time. Some experimentation will tell you the optimum amount of bubbles being produced when bottled. If bottled too soon, it will break the bottles or blow off the caps. (There were some batches that would wake us in the middle of the night sounding like firecrackers going off!) If bottled too late, there will be only the carbonation produced by the 1/2 tsp of sugar in the bottle, which is not enough from most people. If the bubbles completely stop before bottling, throw it out and start again.
An individual can make up to 200 gallons of wine for his own use, to be consumed on his own premises. He is supposed to get a permit from federal authorities to do this. No further comment is needed. **This bit of information is circa 1962, so beware! |
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Number Of
Servings: |
Number Of
Servings:53 |
Preparation
Time: |
Preparation
Time:2 1/2 - 3 wks |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: One of my fonder memories was of one batch that Dad was brewing on the kitchen counter when we lived in Charleston, South Carolina (1963). An apartment house a few doors down caught on fire and they had to evacuate the old folks home next door, using our house as a temporary place to stay and, more concerning, the only phone was on the same counter, so all the police and firemen where using it to communicate with people (no cell phones). We children (I was oldest at 9) were afraid that Dad was going to be arrested!
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This recipe for Sparkling Malt Wine, aka "Home Brew" is from