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Make your own great tasting alcoholic drinks

Home brewing Caps Recipe eBook

Home brewing Caps Page 1

Home brewing Caps Recipe eBook

This is a short handbook on how to use Home brewing Caps and how they work, followed

by a comprehensive personal Home Brew Recipe Guide. I recommend taking a look at the

FAQ section of my website if you have any queries. If you have any questions that you think

may not have been answered then please do not hesitate to email me at

[email protected] and I will reply as soon as I can.


Contents

Section 1

Front Page Page 1

Contents Page 2

How to use Home brewing Caps

Alcohol strengths Page 4

How to stop fermentation? Page 5

When the brewing is complete Page 5

What to do if your Home Brew is not fermenting? Page 6

How exactly do Home brewing Caps work? Page 6

Taking off the Cap when you’re ready to drink your home brew Page 7

Section 2

Home brewing Recipes Page 9

Turbo Cider Page 9

Sweet Honey Mead Page 9

Spicy Apple Cider Liquor Page 10

Elderflower Champagne Page 10

Ginger Beer Page 11

Elderberry Wine Page 11

Nettle Beer Page 12

Beer Page 12

Section 3

Advanced Long term Home brewing Recipes Page 14

Apricot Page 14

Carrot Whisky Page 15

Date & Grape Page 15

Fig & Banana Page 16

Pineapple, Orange & Apple Page 16

Ginger Page 17

Mint Page 17

Orange Page 18

Plum Page 18

Port-type Page 19

Rhubarb Page 19


How to use Home brewing Caps

Using the Home brewing Caps is great fun. They’re easy to use and can be reused over and over

again as many times as you want. Simple steps can be found on my website at

www.homebrewingcaps.com.au/brewing-process but here are some more detailed ones:

Step 1) First of all you will need to find a suitable plastic bottle to use for brewing your

drink in. Any bottle will do really but obviously the larger the better. I personally use 3

litre emptied and cleaned plastic bottles. It is important to clean the bottles thoroughly

before you begin. Rinse them with hot water a couple of times. Do not use boiling water

though, as this will melt the plastic.

**Sanitation is very important when it comes to brewing. Even the slightest bit of dirt or bacteria

can ruin an entire batch. Although I have never personally found it absolutely necessary some

brewers like to use special sanitization products to make sure their bottles are clean. Star san seems

to be a popular one but I can’t comment as I have no experience with this particular product.**

Step 2) After cleaning the empty bottle it’s time to pick what liquid/juice you want to turn

into alcohol. You can choose anything, I mean literally anything, you could even turn water

into alcohol if you wanted to. However, it wouldn’t taste very nice! Using a measuring jug,

measure out a cup of sugar (or use a cup, it’s not incredibly important to be accurate with

measurements when first starting out as a home brewer). Now add the juice you’ve

chosen to the sugar and mix the two together with a fork (or use a blender if you have

one). I like to use cheap apple juice for cider and grape juice for brewing wine. Detailed

recipe ideas are included at the end of this guidebook. In my experience the quality of the

juice you use isn’t that important. I’ve turned £0.20 cartons of basics apple juice into great

tasting cider.

Step 3) Now we pour the mixture of sugar and juice into our clean bottle. We want to fill

the bottle up to a level about two finger widths (3cm) from the top. The reason for leaving

a gap at the top and not filling it to the brim is because during fermentation there may be

bubbling and expansion of the liquid. It’s wise to leave a little room for the brew to

breathe.

Step 4) Now it’s time to add a pinch of the Premium Home brewing yeast. When I say a

pinch I mean really put in as little as possible. The yeast is a living organism and will

multiply into large numbers as time passes. The yeast which I supply with the packs comes

as tiny balls so as a rough guide aim to put in about 15 -30 ‘yeast balls’. You really can

make this yeast last for years. You can even reuse yeast for new batches afterwards! If you

happen to add more yeast than this don’t worry, all that will happen is your home brew

will ferment more quickly and it may take a day or so off of the fermentation time.


Step 5) After putting in the yeast I suggest putting on a regular bottle cap (not the home

brewing cap yet) and giving the bottle a good shake. We want all the sugar to be dissolved

in the liquid and we want to mix the yeast into the solution. After this is done we can take

off this cap and screw on one of the Home brewing Caps.

**The Home brewing cap will keep contaminants out of your drink and prevent it from

spoiling. It will also allow the precise measured amount of pressure out of the bottle to stop

it from exploding but allowing for your drink to remain fizzy and carbonated. If you want to

brew a non-carbonated drink such as red wine then you simply loosen the home brewing

cap a little to release some of the pressure.**

Step 6) Once the juice has been bottled and the home brewing cap has been screwed on

you will have to place the bottle somewhere out of direct sunlight and preferably

somewhere where it won’t get knocked over. All the work is done and It’s now just a

matter of waiting for fermentation to complete.

This is where it gets interesting. The longer you wait the stronger the drinks alcohol content will be.

Here’s a rough guideline:

Alcohol strengths

Day 1: 0.5% alcohol

Day 2: 2 % alcohol

Day 3: 3-4% alcohol

Day 4: 5-6% alcohol

Day 5: 7-8% alcohol

Day 6: 9% alcohol

Day 7: 10-12% alcohol



Day 10+: 17-22% alcohol

An important note to make is that in order to reach the higher alcohol %’s you must put in more

sugar at the initial brewing stage. I find that 2 cups of sugar will get the drink I’m making to a level of

up to 22%. If I use 1 cup of sugar then it might get to 13-14% but it will taste very dry. In these cases

it is often necessary to sweeten the drink by adding sugar after fermentation is complete. I will go

into more detail in the recipe section at the end of the document. This does however bring up a

good question.

How to stop fermentation? What if you wanted to make a very sweet cider and you wanted to put 2 cups of sugar in but only

want to make a drink that is 8% alcohol. If you left it for 10 days then the drink will ferment to a level

way beyond 8%. So you need to stop the drink from fermenting after around Day 5. This is easy to

do. There are a couple of ways in fact. One way is very easy; you simply put the bottle in a


refrigerator. The liquid will cool down to a level where the yeast becomes dormant and stops

fermenting. If you take the drink out again then the yeast will wake up and start fermenting again.

The other way is to use something called a Camden tablet. It’s a chemical tablet that kills the yeast.

It’s harmless to humans so there are no worries in terms of whether it’s safe to use. Because I like to

reuse yeast I personally choose the first option. I refrigerate the brew for a day or two and then

carefully unscrew the home brewing cap (you must be careful because these bottles contain a lot of

pressure and the cap can shoot off violently causing the liquid to explode out). I then pour the drink

into another empty bottle trying not to disturb the yeast at the bottom.

It is then possible to reuse the yeast by simply adding another mixture of juice and sugar to the

original bottle. You can reuse yeast as many times as you like but people often suggest no more than

6 reuses.

In all there are 3 factors that will stop fermentation. The first one is if there is no more sugar for the

yeast to turn into alcohol. Remember yeast eats sugar and produces alcohol so no more sugar = no

more alcohol. The second way to stop yeast fermentation is the place the bottle in a fridge thus

essentially putting the yeast to sleep. The third way is to use chemicals to kill the yeast. There is a

fourth way but it’s not that common and that is to boil the liquid so that the heat kills the yeast. This

method is less commonly used because it also destroys the flavour and carbonation of the brew.

When the brewing is complete When the brewing is complete it is wise for you to put the bottle in the fridge for a day or two. This

is something known as the clarification process. During this process all the yeast in the brew will

collect at the bottom of the bottle and the drink will clarify (become clearer). The longer you

refrigerate the beverage the clearer is becomes. It is a personal choice about how long you clarify

your drink but some people feel that the longer it is clarified the better the final product tastes.

Separating the sediment from the finished product is known as Racking. More advanced brewer’s

like to perform racking by syphoning off the brew into another bottle before removing the sediment

and then going through another clarification process. This process can be repeated many times but it

is not essential, again it simply comes down to personal preference.

I usually only clarify my drinks for a day or two unless I’m performing a more advanced longer term

home brew.

The best advice I can give is for you to experiment with clarification time scales and racking

processes and see what it is you prefer.

What to do if your Home Brew is not fermenting? Sometimes you will find that one of your home brews may have stopped fermenting or it may have

not even started. Although this isn’t that common it does happen every now and then. It usually

occurs due to preservatives/additives found in the juice you’re using. These artificial chemicals can

sometimes get in the way of the yeast activating itself and beginning fermentation. A fermentation


that hasn’t started or that has become ‘stuck’ can be given a little push in the right direction by

simply adding a little more yeast. Give the bottle a little shake and leave for another day to see if

things are back on track. To really get the brew going if it’s not responding to added dry yeast you

should add some yeast that is already active. Take some yeast from a brew that IS fermenting and

put it into the bottle that is struggling.

How Home brewing Caps work? As I mentioned previously the home brewing cap works by allowing a precise measured amount of

pressure out of a fermenting bottle through a specially designed pressure release valve in the top of

the cap. It prevents the bottle from exploding and also allows for the drink to be made fizzy through

carbonation. It also prevents bacteria and other contaminants from entering the brew and so stops

your home brew batches from spoiling.

The Caps are made from long lasting high quality materials which ensure that they will last a very

long time. They can be reused as many times as you want.

When you first use the home brewing cap the white rubber valve will be quite sturdy and flat. There

is a slit in the middle that allows the gas pressure to be let out. This slit can be seen more clearly

when the brew is in the middle of fermentation and the cap’s valve begins to bulge out. The bulging

is a good sign that fermentation has begun.

After a few uses you will notice that the bulge remains even when the cap is not on a bottle and that

the white rubber valve disk is not as flat as before. This is perfectly ok, the cap is still fully functioning

and has not lost any of its strength. Here is a before and after picture of what I mean.


The cap will continue to work exactly as designed. It is advised that you keep the caps clean by giving

them a rinse in water after each use.

Taking off the Cap when you’re ready to drink your home brew After you have successfully brewed your drink and you have placed the bottles in the fridge for a day

or two it is time to enjoy your home brew. The bottle will still have a lot of pressure inside it so it is

very important to take care when unscrewing the home brew cap. If you open the cap too fast the

bottle will fizz up and your brew will explode out like champagne. You can also risk being hit by the

cap itself as it shoots off the bottle. This is why it is important to open the bottle slowly. I usually

take about 120 seconds to open a newly brewed bottle. It is done in small twists of the cap. You will

be able to tell if you’re opening the bottle too fast as the bubbles inside the bottle will start to rise

up violently. You want to keep everything inside the bottle calm. Release the pressure little by little.

Treat the bottle as if it was a bottle of fizzy lemonade that someone has just shaken very hard. You

have to be aware that the bottle could overflow as it bubbles up.

It is therefore recommended that you open the bottle slowly over a sink and remember always point

the bottle away from your face and away from other people.

When the cap is off you should pour the drink into another empty bottle or if you’re going to pour it

into glasses straight from the original bottle then be careful not to disturb the yeast sediment at the


bottom of the bottle when pouring it. People don’t usually appreciate yeast in their drink, even

though it’s actually physically good for you.

Now that we know a bit more about brewing with Home brewing Caps we can move on to some

recipe ideas.


Home Brewing Recipes

There are an infinite number of home brews that you can ferment with your home brewing caps but

to get you started I have selected some of my favourites. For some very basic recipes I suggest you

go to my Home Brew Recipes page on my website.

For some slightly more unique recipe ideas read this section.

Turbo Cider This is an easy brew to begin with. I always recommend starting off with an easy brew before moving

onto the more complicated recipes.

- Mix 2 cups of brown sugar with 2 litres of apple juice. Any apple juice will do. I find that the

cheaper the apple juice is the better my brew is, but that is purely personal preference.

- When the sugar has dissolved pour the mixture into your 3 litre clean, empty, plastic bottle.

Top up the bottle with clean water leaving a little bit of space at the top of the bottle (about

3cm).

- Add 30 “Yeast balls” or an eighth of a teaspoon of your premium yeast and mix well.

- Screw on your home brewing cap and leave the bottle somewhere warm and safe, out of

direct sunlight.

- Now wait 5 – 7 days and then place in the fridge for another day or two.

- Your brew is now ready to drink. You can either pour straight from this bottle into glasses

being careful not to disturb the sediment or you can pour into a new empty clean bottle and

drink the brew at a later date.

This is a great base recipe to which lots of other ingredients can be added to give interesting variety.

Experiment with different apple juices. Try adding Elderflowers, strawberries or ginger to give it a

unique twist.

Sweet Honey Mead This is a delicious honey based brew. This kind of drink can sometimes be a little bit difficult to

ferment but the following recipe will make it as likely as possible to succeed.

- Add 300grams of honey to a cup of apple juice and mix in half a cup of sugar. Mix well and

add warm water.

- Add the juice of 1 fresh lemon.

- Pour into a clean empty 3 litre plastic bottle. Add 15 – 30 “yeast balls” and mix well.

- Screw on your home brewing cap and leave the bottle somewhere warm and safe, out of

direct sunlight.

- Wait 6 days (or longer for a stronger drink) and then place in the fridge for 2 days.

- Once the mead is done, you can add fruits and/or spices if you are so inclined.


- When ready to drink, carefully unscrew the homebrew cap and pour into glasses or pour

into a new clean bottle/jug.

Spicy Apple Cider Liquor This is a great drink to have as a shot or have with ice in a small glass tumbler. It was a recipe I

received from a Home brewing Caps user who sent their idea in to me. I was so happy with the

recipe I sent them some free brewing gifts. It’s actually a very simple brew, here is how to make it:

- Mix 2.5 litres of pressed apple juice with 2 cups of brown sugar. Make sure all sugar is

dissolved in the solution. I like to use a blender but you can use a fork if you don’t have one.

- Add 15 drops of Tabasco sauce and then pour into a 3 litre clean, empty plastic bottle.

- Add 30 “yeast balls” or about an eighth of a teaspoon of yeast to the bottle.

- Shake the bottle so that the yeast is thoroughly mixed into the juice.

- Put your home brewing cap onto the bottle and screw it on tight.

- Place the bottle somewhere safe and warm, out of direct sunlight.

- Wait 12 – 14 days. Then refrigerate for 2 days.

- Unscrew the home brewing cap slowly making sure not to let the brew fizz out of the top of

the bottle.

- You may need to pour the brew through a sieve now to remove any ‘bits’ that were in the

juice. If your brew doesn’t contain any pulp/bits then you don’t need to sieve it.

- You can now pour your brew into new empty bottles or you can pour it straight into glasses

to drink it immediately.

This brew should be at an alcohol content percentage of around 20% if you’ve left it for 14 days. It’s

very strong so be sure to drink it slowly.

Elderflower Champagne

This is an old favourite of mine and can be made very cheaply.

- Mix 2 cups of white sugar (dextrose if you have it) to 2 litres of warm water. Mix until the

sugar has dissolved.

- Add the juice of 2 lemons. Also add some of the lemon zest. What this means is that you

should grate some of the yellow, skin part of the lemon and add it to the mixture.

- Add 4 tablespoons of white vinegar and 30 elderflower heads and then stir the solution.

- Add a quarter of a teaspoon of yeast or about 45 – 60 “yeast balls”. Shake so the yeast is

mixed in.

- Leave the bottle somewhere safe and warm, out of direct sunlight.

- Wait 10 days and then after opening the bottle carefully pour the brew through a sieve into

a new empty clean bottle. Put this bottle somewhere safe and warm, out of direct sunlight

for another 3 or 4 days.

- Place in the fridge for one or two days.


the bottle.

- Your home brew is now ready to drink.


This brew is great for celebrations and is probably one of the cheapest home brews you can make.

Which is another reason to celebrate.

Ginger Beer

This is great at any alcohol strength but this particular recipe will make a drink of about 6%.

- Boil 3 litres of water in a saucepan on the hob, peel 1 lemon (avoiding pith), then throw in

the peel and squeeze in the juice.

- Grate 50g of root ginger (skin too) and throw it in along with a teaspoon of cream of tarter.

- Add 1 cup of table sugar and reduce temperature to a simmer for about 30 mins.

- Put 30g of Sultanas into the bottle you will be using to brew in and then when the liquid

from the saucepan is cool enough pour it on top.

- Add an eighth of a teaspoon or 15 – 30 “yeast balls” to the bottle and mix well.

- Screw on your home brewing cap and leave it somewhere warm and dark to ferment for 2 -

3 days.

- Sieve the brew into a new empty bottle and recap leaving it for another 2 – 3 days.

- Place in the fridge for 1 day to clarify.


the bottle. This brew can be a little bit lively.

- Your home brew is now ready to drink.

If you wish to make smaller/larger batches then adjust the ingredients accordingly. This will make a

drink of approximately 6% ABV. Reduce the sugar if you want to lower the alcohol percentage and

increase the sugar and fermentation time if you want a stronger drink. You can also reduce the sugar

levels if the drink is too sweet for you.

Elderberry Wine This particular brew is for more advanced brewers and in particular those brewers with a good level

of patience. To really get the best from this brew you’re going to have to leave it for 6 months. It is

worth it if you have the space to leave a brew to mature for this long, although I personally prefer a

drink that can be made and drunk within a week or two. Here it is anyway for those who want to

know:

- Bring 3 litres of water to boil in a saucepan and add 1.5 cups of white table sugar allowing

the sugar to dissolve.

- Take 500 grams of elderberries, wash and remove all the berries from the stalks with a fork

and place in the saucepan.

- Add the juice from 1 orange and 1 lemon.

- Leave to cool for a while. When cool enough squeeze the fruit and add an eighth of a

teaspoon of premium brewer’s yeast and mix well.

- Leave for three days.

- Sieve the mixture and pour into your brewing bottle.

- Add half a cup of sugar to your bottle and screw on your home brewing caps.


- Leave in a warm, dark place until bubbling has ceased and fermentation has stopped, then

pour into a clean empty bottle.

- Check the bottle again 6 weeks later and pour into a new clean empty bottle to remove any

more sediment from the bottom.

- Leave for 6 months before tasting. It will improve vastly after a year

This recipe is too long winded for most of us to deal with but for those that do give it a try it’s

definitely worth it.

Nettle Beer Before the introduction of using hops, most beers were made using nettles to flavour the brew. This

beer is best drunk young and is ready in a couple of weeks. Use young nettles and only the top part

of the plant. As with all hedgerow brew avoid picking near to roads or where dogs are likely to have

passed by (for obvious reasons).

- Bring 3 litres of water to the boil.

- Add the nettles and leave to infuse for about an hour

- Strain through the sieve.

- Dissolve 2 cups of white cane sugar and add the juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon and add 2

teaspoons of cream of tartar.

- When the mixture has cooled, add an eighth of a teaspoon of yeast and mix well.

- Pour mixture into your 3 litre brewing bottle and screw on your home brewing cap. Leave to

ferment in a warm place out of the sunlight for 4 or 5 days.

- Place in the fridge to clarify for a day or two.

- When it’s ready to drink you can pour into a new empty bottle or pour straight to glasses. It

is best served chilled.

This is another cheap brew and a fast one too!

Beer

Finally I have a simple beer recipe for you. This recipe will make two 2 litre bottles of beer.

- You will need two 2 litre empty clean plastic bottles for this. Using hopped malt extract

syrup which is available from any online home brew shop, pour about 250ml of the contents

into 2 litres of water. Gently heat to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring the mixture.

*The malt extract syrup usually comes in cans that can make up to 40 pints so using only 250ml

of a can is a good adjusted measurement to make 4 litres which is about 8 pints. You don’t have

to use precise measurements so just estimate.*

- Let it cool a little and then pour 1 litre into one bottle and the remaining litre into the other

bottle (You don’t want to pour boiling liquid into plastic bottles though so make sure it’s cool

enough). Fill the rest of the bottle up with cold water leaving about a 5cm gap at the top.


*Beer brew will often be bubbly so you want to avoid the bubbles coming through the top of the

home brew cap. It’s not a great problem if some froth comes through the top but it is less messy

if you avoid this.*

- Now you can add an eighth of a teaspoon of yeast or about 15-20 ‘yeast balls’ from your vial

of premium brewer’s yeast to each bottle. Mix well.

- Screw on your Home brewing caps and leave the bottles somewhere safe out of direct

sunlight.

- Ferment for about 5 – 7 days and then refrigerate for 2 more days to clarify the brews.

Fermentation time will depend on how early your brews start brewing and how strong you

want your beer. 5 -7 days is just a guideline I like to use.

- After Clarification it is ready to drink. You can move the drink to another bottle or you can

drink from the bottle it’s already in. If you pour from the same bottle be careful not to

disturb the sediment at the bottom.


Advanced Long Term Home Brewing

Recipes

My main objective with creating Home brewing Caps was to make home brewing as simple as

possible. I wanted to reduce the amount of effort necessary for producing good quality alcoholic

drinks. I think I’ve succeeded in doing this but I think it’s also important to make it known that more

complicated recipes can also be made with the very same equipment. Many of you may prefer the

short term quick recipes but I know there will be some home brewers who would be interested in

making some longer term brews. To give you an idea of how long I mean when I say longer term

some of these brews can take up to a year before they are ready for drinking. Anyway, on to the

recipes!

*Note that it is worth using these longer term recipes to brew in larger batch sizes due to the longer

time frames. Making the initial preparations in bulk and then separating them into a number of

different bottles is a good idea. All the drinks can be made to be either sparkling or still. Simply

reduce the tightness of the brewing cap to produce a non-sparkling still brew.*

Apricot: A Sweet Social Wine

Ingredients

Brewer’s Yeast

1.5kg fresh apricots

Campden tablets as per instructions

900g granulated sugar

½ pint white grape concentrate

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Wash and stone the apricots, mash them and place them in 2 litres of cold water. Add 1 Campden

tablet and leave overnight. After 24 hours add 2 litres of warm water and then add the sugar, stirring

until it has all dissolved. When the temperature has reached 21C (room temperature) add your

brewer’s yeast. Ferment for three days before stirring daily before straining the mixture into

separate plastic bottles for further fermentation. Continue to ferment in a warm place out of direct

sunlight, but watch carefully in case pulp sediment builds up. You may have to perform a process

known as racking which involves syphoning off the liquid away from the solid sediment into new

bottles. When you’re brew has reached your desired strength it is necessary to rack the ferment

again this time adding a Campden tablet afterwards. Store if possible for up to 12 months, sweeten

to taste a few days before bottling.

Note: this wine may also be made from dried fruit- If so use 340g of dried apricots washed and

chopped into small pieces.


Carrot Whisky

Ingredients

Brewer’s Yeast

1.8kg Carrots


2 teaspoons lemon juice


Campden tablet as per instructions

Scrub the carrots, cut them into slices and cook them in 5 pints of water until they are soft – do not

allow them to mash. Remove the carrots by straining the liquid into another container, then add the

sugar, stirring until it is dissolved. Add 4 litres of warm water and add the brewers yeast. Separate

the mixtures into separate bottles and ferment for 4 days, shaking them up daily. Add the grape

concentrate evenly between the separate bottles. Ferment them to a finish in a warm place. This

brew will often taste dry but it can be sweetened to your preference when racking at which time 1

Campden tablet should be added. This brew may be drunk young but it will greatly benefit from a

maturation time of up to a year.

Date & Grape: A sweet, heavy-bodied, sherry-type wine

Ingredients

Brewer’s Yeast

1.4kg dates

2 large lemons

2 oranges



Chop and boil the dates in 2 litres of water for 30 minutes, together with the thinly pared rinds of

the lemons and oranges, carefully avoiding the pith. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the juice

of the fruit and add 2 litres of cold water. Add your brewer’s yeast when the temperature is cool

enough. Ferment for 4 days, stirring daily before straining into separate plastic bottles. Add the

grape concentrate evenly to each bottle at this point. Rack when fermentation has ceased. This is

the only time a sherry-type wine is racked. This wine may be drunk after 6 months.


Fig & Banana: A sweet, social wine

Ingredients

Brewer’s Yeast

900g Bananas

900g dried figs

1.1kg granulated sugar


Wash the bananas in their skins, then slice them (including their skins) and boil for 30 minutes in 2

litres of water. Wash the figs and liquidise them in a little water (or chop them). Add the sugar to the

figs mixture. Strain the liquid from the bananas and pour over the sugar and figs. Stir until the sugar

has dissolved, add 1 Campden tablet and allow to cool. After 24 hours add the brewer’s yeast. Add

2.5 litres of cold water and ferment for 5 days, stirring daily. Strain into separate bottles and ferment

to a finish in a warm place out of direct sunlight. Rack as soon as the brew has completed

fermentation and add 1 Campden tablet. Note that this brew will probably taste dry so it may be

sweetened to taste. This brew will be ready to drink after 3 months.

Pineapple, Orange and Apple: A light, medium-sweet table wine

Ingredients

Brewer’s Yeast


½ litre orange juice

½ litre apple juice

½ litre pineapple juice

Note: Make sure the juices are free from preservatives.

Add the sugar to 1 litre of hot water and stir until dissolved, then add the juices. Add 2 litres of cold

water and when the mixture reaches room temperature add your brewer’s yeast. Ferment for 4

days, stirring daily, then transfer into separate individual plastic bottles. Ferment to a finish in a

warm place out of direct sunlight and rack as soon as the wine has fully fermented and become

stable. Sweeten to taste a few days before bottling. This wine can be drunk after 3 months.


Ginger

Ingredients

Brewer’s Yeast

250g raisins

1kg granulated sugar

120g root ginger

2 oranges

2 lemons

Campden tablet as per instructions

Wash the raisins and liquidise them in a little water or chop them. Place them in a large saucepan

with 6 pints of water. Bring to a boil, add the sugar and the ginger (which should be well crushed),

stir well and simmer for 30 minutes. Add 2 litres of cold water and add the juice of the oranges and

lemons and the thinly peeled rinds, carefully avoiding the white pith. When the temperature has

cooled add your brewer’s yeast. Ferment for 5 days, stirring each day, before straining into separate

individual plastic bottles. Continue fermenting until finished and then rack as soon as the brew is

stable. Add 1 Campden tablet and sweeten to taste. This wine may be drunk after 2 months.

Mint: A light, dry table wine

Ingredients

Brewer’s Yeast

1 ½ pints mint leaves (lightly bruised and loosely packed)

250g sultanas



2 table spoons lemon juice

Wash the mint leaves thoroughly. Wash the sultanas and liquidise in a little water or chop them. Add

them to the mint leaves along with the sugar and 5 pints of boiling water. Add 1 Campden tablet and

then leave for 24 hours. Add a further 3 pints of hot water and let the mixture cool to room

temperature. Add the lemon juice and your brewer’s yeast. Allow to ferment for 3 days, stirring

twice a day and then strain the liquid into separate bottles. Leave to ferment completely in a warm

place out of the sunlight. Rack as soon as the brew has finished fermenting, adding a Campden

tablet. A second racking will probably be required within 28 days. This brew can be drunk within 3 to

4 months.


Orange (Seville): A sweet aperitif wine

Ingredients

Brewer’s Yeast

8 small Seville oranges



250ml white grape concentrate

Wash the oranges and peel 4 of them very thinly taking care not to include any of the white pith. Boil

the peel for 20 minutes in a pint of water and leave it for 24 hours in order to extract the zest. Peel

the remaining 4 oranges. Extract the juice from all the oranges. Add the sugar to 2 pints of boiling

water, add the juice as well as the water with zest extract along with the thinly cut peel from the 4

oranges. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add 1 Campden tablet and then cover and leave for 24

hours. Add 3 litres of cold water and add your brewer’s yeast. Ferment for 4 days, stirring daily. Add

the grape concentrate and then separate the mixture into individual bottles. Ferment to a finish in a

warm place out of direct sunlight. Rack as soon as the brew has stopped fermenting and add 1

Campden tablet.

*Note: this brew will take some time to mature, for at first it will be inclined to be bitter. Time will

mellow this and when it is ready (probably 3 months) it can be sweetened to taste.

Plum: A sweet, white social wine

Ingredients

Brewer’s Yeast


1.8kg golden plums


250ml white grape concentrate

Add 1 Campden tablet to 3 pints of tepid water. Wash, stone the plums and discard the stones. Place

the plums immediately into the water and leave for 24 hours. Add 3 pints of hot water and the

sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and add your brewer’s yeast when the mixture has cooled.

Ferment for 4 days, stirring daily, before adding the grape concentrate and straining off the mixture

into separate bottles. Continue the fermentation in a warm place. Rack as soon as the wine has

become stable and has stopped fermenting, and rack again after a further 3 weeks, adding a

Campden tablet at each racking. Mature for 6 months to obtain best results, sweetening to taste a

few days before bottling.

*Note: by substitution of damsons for the golden plums, and red concentrate for white, a rich sweet

red social wine can be made.


Port-type: A full bodied, sweet dessert wine

Ingredients

Brewer’s Yeast

100g dried bananas


1.5kg elderberries

900g blackberries

150g raspberries


500g bilberries (bottled – no preservatives)

½ pint red grape concentrate

Cut the washed, dried bananas into small pieces, put into a saucepan with 3 pints of water and bring

to a boil. Simmer for 25 minutes. Strain the mixture and add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Wash the

fresh fruit; liquidise or mash it. Add it to the mixture along with 1 litre of warm water and a

Campden tablet. After 24 hours add liquidised/mashed bilberries. Add 1 litre of warm water. When

the mixture is cool enough, add your brewer’s yeast. Ferment for 3 days stirring twice a day. Strain

the mixture, removing all the solids. Add grape concentrate and ferment for a further 2 days.

Separate into individual bottles and allow to ferment to finish in a warm place. At end of ferment,

rack, add 1 campden tablet and sweeten to a reading of 1026 (you will need a hydrometer for this).

Rack again after 28 days and again 2 months later. To be at its best, keep for at least 12 months.

Rhubarb: A light, dry table wine

Ingredients

Brewer’s Yeast

2kg rhubarb


2 pints grape juice

Wash the rhubarb well, slice it longways and then cut into 5cm lengths. Place into 4 litres of cold

water and then add all the ingredients. Keep in a warm place and ferment for 2 days stirring daily.

Strain, removing all solids and ferment for 5 days then separate into individual bottles. Ferment to a

finish in a warm place, rack as usual, but be weary of what is known as ‘malolactic ferment’. This

often occurs when ingredients contain large amounts of malic acid (such as rhubarb). The wine may

be drunk after 4 months.


Now that you have instructions on how to use your Home brewing Caps and you have some good

recipe ideas you’re ready to get started.

If you visit my website www.homebrewingcaps.com.au you will find a FAQ section that seems to be

a great help to new home brewers who are just getting started.

If there is anything that you think hasn’t been fully explained or if you have any home brewing

questions please feel free to email me at [email protected] and I will do my best to

get back to you with an answer.

Thanks again for showing an interest in the Home brewing Caps products. Tell your friends about us

and help us spread the great hobby that is home brewing.

I hope you enjoy brewing the best drinks you’ve ever tasted.

Good luck,

Home Brewing Caps

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