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I recently made a coconut porter. I toasted the shredded coconut and noticed an oily deposit left on the oven paper. After brewing I similarly noted an oily film on the surface of the beer. I then carefully racked off into carboys for two weeks and made best effort to not transfer over the film...

'The wolf's call' A Netflix movie. Excellent and recommended.

This will be interesting. What yeast will you be using

I back sweeten my ciders and sparkling wines using Erythritol. Worth considering as it has fewer gut related issues.

I was feeling desperate for a pizza. So knocked out a prawn, bacon and mushroom pan pizza under the hood on the bbq - where I can get the temp to over 270 degrees C and not end up with a house that smells like a pizza restaurant . Used my paella pan to cook it in.

I have to agree with you re MO2 cider yeast. I've been using it for a number of fruit and botanical wines and ciders. I suppose it has become my 'go to' yeast when I can't quite figure what style. I similarly have been trialling the Mangrove Jacks Belgian Tripel and French Saison yeast for the...

With Saison being a top fermenting yeast, is is key that the yeast scum (floating on the surface) is removed daily. If it falls to the bottom of your fermentation vessel it will taint the cider with earthy unpleasant flavours. Whether it is cider or beer, Saison needs 'bottle time'. So my...

Every year I make a lot of both pear cider 5%ABV and sparkling pear cuvée 11%ABV. I back sweeten with Erythritol. You'll need a minimum 150 grams per uk gallon (4.5 Litres). Erythritol is about 80% the strength of normal sugar. If you want it more sweet then just add an extra 50 grams...maybe...

Maybe - what you and your friends are looking for is a bit of a twist. By that I mean - what if you do a small infusion of dry hops. There are a number of hops that have a fruit salad tang about them that will give your taste buds a bit of a zing. Also - add some sugar prefermentation and up...

Yes. If I were you, I would be using pectinase with your pear juice. You will also find that the pectinase will assist with clearing the wine. I make about 60 litres of pear ciders each year from the pears off my tree. I bottle after five months of bulk storage and only start drinking after...

That should work. If it doesn't - do not throw it out. All is still good. Your batch is momentarily frozen in time and sanitized. Keep stirring each day then again try to trigger fermentation with yet another dose of yeast. I had a similar thing happen in February. I threw in a lot of k- meta to...

Yes - as above - your issue is the large number of Campden tablets. Pectinase is not the issue. The addition of pectinase prior to, during or after fermentation will not give you any problem. Five campden is what has stalled your fermentation. Don't panic. It will start. It may just take at...

I have just re-watched Bourdain's program on Paris. If you enjoy France you'll enjoy his insights re the french way of life. It is Episode 2 in the Layover series. I found it in Netflix - it is probably also up on uTube .

Agree. It is a very pleasant read. Having lived briefly in a smallish french village once, it makes me want to go back again just to chill out

There is nothing wrong with a bit of Hamlet. Of all Shakespeare's work it seems like it is quotes and references from Hamlet that pops up the most in movie and tv scripts.

Experimentation is what it is all about. Done properly - there is not a lot that can go wrong as long as you follow the rules and the juice you buy isn't loaded with chemicals that will inhibit your yeast. Fermentation is fermentation. Analyse every thing you do before you do it and take notes...

The lot. Whole pulp and juice. As you also need to inhibit the action of pectin.

Have read your paper on Hard Cider Sweetners. Very good. Thanks for writing that. I have today bought some Erythritol. Is it easy to dissolve into solution. .. as I was thinking about placing a couple of table spoons into a 10 litre carboy as I rack my cider across.

Hi, is it easy to dissolve. I read somewhere that it pays to grind it to a powder before adding .....cheers

Very much agree regarding your comment on Mangrove Jacks MO2 cider yeast. It ferments dry with a hint of sweetness remaining. It does throw out a strong sulfite odour. But it preserves the basic quality and taste of your fruit. It is an absolute work horse, having used it to ferment a number of...