Topic: going to have a go at making me some drink this year,,

[gazzaroo]

hi guys , now that am growing all this fruit and veg and the cost of my drink keeps going up i thurt ill have a go at making some ,, any tips on what to try 1st,, and how to do it ,,

[Gordonmull]

I can't recommend this series of tutorials enough. Each one builds your skills from the last and you get some quick, cheap and rather palatable plonk from the first and second tutorials.

http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?62-New-winemakers-start-here

Equipment-wise, plastic 5L water bottles from Tesco are passable demijohns. A plug of cottom wool, cling film held in place with a rubber band or a balloon with a pin-prick in it over the mouth of the demijohn are acceptable alternatives to an airlock. Use juice of 1 lemon instead of a tsp of citric acid if you can't get it easily. Wilkos for some wine yeast will suffice to begin with but don't use baking yeast. Lidl will see you through for cheap juice for the starting wines. Cheap thin bleach for sanitation. Campden tablets from Wilcos too, and syphoning equipment.

There you go, tutorials to work through and a shopping list for equipment that won't break the bank.

If I can give you one tip from my own personal experience: stronger is so, so not better.

Give it a go and enjoy. You could easily be drinking a nice dry white or medium rose in the summer sun. But beware - it can be as addictive as sowing seeds.

[Uncle Joshua]

What is it you fancy brewing gazzaroo?

[ToniD]

hi guys , now that am growing all this fruit and veg and the cost of my drink keeps going up i thurt ill have a go at making some ,, any tips on what to try 1st,, and how to do it ,,

Check this forum out: http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk

[Uncle Joshua]

If you wanted a UK based beer making forum Jims is about the best... http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/index.php

[gazzaroo]

don't no really .. i like real beers and the miss like allco pops ,, iv been picking up every thing ill need to start even been looking a buying a still that iv seen to make proper drink,,

[Uncle Joshua]

don't no really .. i like real beers and the miss like allco pops ,, iv been picking up every thing ill need to start even been looking a buying a still that iv seen to make proper drink,,

I'd start with a few beer kits until you get the hang of things. Jim's (the link I posted)  is great for advise and I think its the UK's most used beer making forum.

I would look on Ebay for equipment, you don't need lots to get started and it doesn't need to cost a lot. If I was doing a kit I'd go for a two can kit, Wherry always goes down well but I'd go with a St Peter's kit because I like lighter hoppy beers. Its always worth getting to know the chap that runs your local homebrew shop, they always know alsorts of worthwhile stuff.

I wouldn't bother with a still for now, they cost a fair amount for one worth havingand you can produce fair spirits without one these days.