Simple Cheap and Tasty, Raspberryade

[Hou]

Yeah plastic bottles but left out on the side for a few hours then kept it in the fridge. With adding the lemonade it doesn't really need to be fizzy, but tasts great. Might try making it up with half a bottle to see how it tastes!

[scratch]

I just put this in, followed the recipe and got a hydro reading of 1.072!!

SWMBO is actually quite pleased LOL. I have had a few already but its my day off so I'm allowed

[scratch]

Its been 3 weeks today since I put this in, and its still bubbling away. Its not been very warm in Cardiff this last week but before that its been pleasant enough.

They're only small bubbles (more like a gentle fizz) and the airlock isn't going, but it can't still be fermenting surely I'm hesitant to bottle it while it still appears to be fermenting, but 3 weeks?!

[second2none]

Yeah three weeks is a long time, much longer than I would expect, but there again how much sugar did you put in?
If it was mine I would throw in a little yeast nutient and sit the DJ in a sinkfull of hotwater just to try and get it to finish off!
Or you could always try singing to it the sound waves vibrate the little yeasties and incourage them to multiply

You're correct in not wanting to bottle it while its still bubbling hehe thats how you make ur bottles explode

[scratch]

I put in 400g, dissolved in a litre of the water. Hyrdo reading was 1.072 and was 1.046 last week, and its the same today. It looks like this, bad quality due to the lack of sunlight in Wales today, but you can see it fizzing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcDna2V1mrI

Sadly not all us Welshies can sing, the yeasties will probably die of fright if I start warbling at them I did give it a rattle a week or so ago as I was moving it, it started going like the clappers again then.

I'm in the middle of getting another brew on, this time a bottle of the syrup in apple juice to make a raspberry and apple TC. Don't think I'll add much sugar this time, getting fed up of rocket fuel lol! So far its a lovely colour.

[second2none]

well it looks to be fermenting nicely ... It'll be worth the wait coz surely it cant take much longer!
All i can really say is wait and see and report back to us. What kinda yeast did you use not bread yeast or anything crazy like that!?

[scratch]

I'm not quite that tight, but it wasn't anything great like wine yeast. I used some muntons regular brewing yeast, only other stuff I had was cider yeast

[second2none]

Maybe using an ale yeast with an og of 1.072 the yeast is struggling to get it to 8-9% that ur brews going to turn out being
normaly ale yeasts are happy up the the 6% mark...

This could account for the slow down, thou to be perfectly honest Im pretty sure I have used ale yeast in the past and not noticed a difference!

[scratch]

I don't find anything wrong with it for stuff like this, I've used it to brew turbo cider, turbo wine and now this. I actually preferred the turbo cider using ale yeast to cider yeast, I prefer a less dry cider. I had a sneaky taste earlier and it was very nice, think this could be my new favourite brew.

I'll leave it a bit longer, no more than a week though.

Here's the apple and raspberry cider, 1 bottle of syrup, 4 litres of apple juice, 20g of sugar, cup of strong black tea and half a sachet of yeast. Its been pretty active, SG was 1.050 so I'm hoping for about 6.5%

[afur130173]

i am determined to try this but cant get my hands on one of those 5 litre water bottles. been to a few different tesco's and they have none. tesco online do one that has no ridges in the bottles so may be more like a real demijohn. I may need to do a trawl round all the charity shops one of these lunch times.

[second2none]

I have never seen them without ridges...
The ridges give the bottle strength (Structural Integrity) I Have mind you seen a bottle that has ridges but they are hidden under the label and I only found them when I got the bottle home!

The Ridges collect sediment thats the only draw back but if you rock them a little or flick the sides the stuff falls to the bottom. I brewed in them for about a year without any problems. Glass ones are better but dont worry if you can only get a 92p plastic one Good luck on ur hunt.... I think wilkos sell them for about £8

[Harlequin]

I got five litres of this on the go to the original recipe about an hour ago and its already bubbling away nicely. Cheers for all the advice on the thread second2none.

[scratch]

i am determined to try this but cant get my hands on one of those 5 litre water bottles. been to a few different tesco's and they have none. tesco online do one that has no ridges in the bottles so may be more like a real demijohn. I may need to do a trawl round all the charity shops one of these lunch times.

You got any other supermarkets near you? I've only seen these in Asda so far. That said you can pick up cheap/free glass demijohns on ebay/freecycle. Just be prepared to give them a good clean.

What makes the glass ones better? I've been brewing in the water bottles but I'm slowing gaining glass ones. Just not sure what the difference is in terms my brews.

[afur130173]

not got any other supermarkets close by. boss just told me they have 5l water bottles in sainsburys in town near work for £1.19. unfortunately its the ones with ridges.

will get one tomorrow and get one of these brews on probably tomorrow night, then i will pick up more of them to rack off into/get more brews on.

[second2none]

"What makes the glass ones better?"

To me the big benerfit is the smooth sides of glass DJ's dont trap sediment and therefore I found that my brews cleared faster
and they are easier to clean, but on the downside the glass DJ's dont bounce like plastic ones do.

Plastic ones are great for when you first start brewing, you can chuck them abount and if you dont feel like scrubbing the gunk out the bottom then u can just throw them away and get a new one.

I was given three glass DJ's that were headed to a carboot sale, if i hadnt had this lucky encounter then I would be still very happily be brewing in plastic water bottles! There is no taste difference or anythink like that to worry about, goodluck finish one!

///Its well worth looking on ebay, people always selling them off and once sterilized ur good to go///