#home fermentation

[homedecor45]

Teal Velvet Copper Living Rooms – Warm Organic Luxury

[jazzeria]

Another Cyser (22 Mar 2026)

In autumn 2025, I bought a jug of apple cider (unfiltered apple juice), and kinda forgot about it in the fridge til spring 2026.

Although the juice had been pasteurised, I was a bit worried. The plastic jug looked like it had been inflated slightly! When I opened it, there was no apparent hiss or deflation, and the juice still smelled normal. I gave it a cautious taste and it was still sweet and tasty. But there was the faintest amount of carbonation.

To be safe, I transferred the juice to a pot and brought the temperature up to at least 70C for at least 20 minutes (probably longer). Dissolved gas bubbled out of the juice quite eagerly once the juice got warm!

I took a sample out to cool just enough to get a hydrometer reading; it had a specific gravity of about 1.060. I did some napkin math and figured I'd add about 1100g of honey for my target ABV of 11%. My mix ended up being too sweet, so I added a little water (in hindsight, I think I had assumed 3.8L or 1 US gallon of juice, when the jug was actually 3L).

Recipe:

3 L unfiltered apple juice, pasteurised

1.122 kg liquid honey

100 g water

half packet, Lalvin 71 B

1/4 tsp Go Ferm

1/8 tsp pectic enzyme

handful of dried apple peels

OG: 1.109

For the first few days, each day, I gave the brew a big stir to let out gas, mix in oxygen, and then added 1/8 tsp of Fermaid K. After that I'll keep giving it a stir for a few days, then just let it do its thing undisturbed until primary fermentation looks done.

I honestly don't know whether I'll ever replicate that amazing Triple Jims cyser, or make something as good as it. But I'm gonna try!

[i17iskillingmylife]

can i just get some anon hate for razputins syrniki from scratch

[badpsychicadvice]

Drunk In Hell's Kitchen | Bad Occult Podcast Ep 5

What happens when you let demons into the kitchen? Can they cook anything? What do they make? Is it edible or potable? Is it way more alcoholic than it tastes? Is it better than anything you've ever made? Live taste analysis! Recipes! DEMONIC HOOCH!

LIVE PODCAST EPISODE STARTING AT 9 PM PST

[jazzeria]

Meadjito Batch 2

After the success of my first Meadjito, I started brewing another.

I pasteurised this batch on 7 Nov, adding a little bit of Sparkolloid directly to the batch (not pre-dissolving it in hot water) before heating. Only ten days later, it was already clearing up visibly:

Note: I'm not necessarily endorsing using Sparkolloid this way. I'm admittedly miserly

I'll wait a little longer for the sediment to compact before racking. After racking I'll store this in the fridge, and prepare a bottle for drinking the same day or the day before.

I have a BonneO beverage carbonator (a soda maker that uses a chemical reaction instead of CO2 canisters!) and their bottles hold about 750 mL.

My carbonator needs extra liquid to run the machine (my old "BonneO" model steals liquid from the bottle to activate caronation, and replenishes the bottle from the reservoir; but the newer "Sparkel" model uses a water reservoir to activate the carbonation instead). I don't know exactly how much liquid is extracted from the bottle, but the reservoir holds about 135 mL.

If I'm very fussy, I can make sure all the liquid is pre-mixed to avoid dilution (when the machine replenishes the bottle from the reservoir). Either way generates waste; using all pre-mix means wasting a little more mead, but results in a more predictable ABV.

To get an approximately 6% ABV beverage, I'll use:

For just the bottle (750 mL):

340 mL mead at 11% ABV

75 mL honey

25 mL lime juice

enough mint tea mixed with the honey and lime to make 410 mL

To make enough for the bottle and the reservoir (885 mL):

402 mL Mead

89 mL honey

30 mL lime juice

enough mint tea to make 483 mL

I served this at my birthday party and it was a hit!

[jazzeria]

I made a cyser using Triple Jim's apple juice.

I'll make a more detailed post another time, but I just wanted to brag because this turned out to be one of my favourite brews so far!

3.8 L apple juice (Triple Jim's)

2 lbs honey (no name brand)

1 lemon, quartered (juice and rind; no seeds)

yeast: 1/2 packet Lalvin "47B" (I think I meant 71B)

1/4 tsp Go Ferm

1/8 tsp Pectic Enzyme

OG: 1.104 (estimated 14% ABV)

Vessel: 5L glass jug

The apple flavour really persisted throughout fermentation--especially compared to other apple meads (cysers) I've been trying lately. I did add some spices (cinnamon, clove, etc), but it's very subtle.

I pasteurised the batch in early June 2025. I racked one bottle to preserve it as-is; then backsweetened the remainder of the batch.

On Summer Solstice, we opened the un-sweetened bottle. Everyone loved it! It's very slightly sweet, crisp, clean, lightly tart. Scents of clove, apple, and honey. It had one foot in autumn and one foot in summer. It's a recipe I'll have to repeat.

[jazzeria]

I successfully moved my (kinda) active ferments from the old place to the new!

I need them somewhat visible so I can tell if something has gone wrong, but somewhat out of the way so I don't bump them. This might not be their final home, but I want to move them as little as possible, so I need to choose a sensible location.

So I appropriated this Ikea KALLAX shelf in the basement.

My partner was very amused with my choice of location.

The shelf is across from a couch and coffee table in our finished basement. Underneath a TV wall mount.

Like, it kinda implies that someone would come sit on the couch and instead of watching TV they would watch the Kraut Box 😁

And maybe that someone is me.

[jazzeria]

Brewing alcohol became 100000% more exciting when I realised it doesn't just produce alcohol, but also LAVA LAMP:

This is from Day 8ish of Pumpkin Mead, after I cooked down some of the solids and topped up with more honey solution and yeast nutrient.

There's a cool effect where, in the sediment layer, trapped gas slowly builds up, forming a little peak in the sediment. Eventually, the peak reaches a critical point and forms a small geyser, shooting up a little stream of buoyant sediment! When it reaches the top, it dissipates and falls back down.

For some reason, this effect travelled clockwise around the jar for long enough that I could predict where the next jet would form, and decided to record it.