Homebrewers - Spring has spring = what's fermenting at your abode?

Bottled a Lavender Spring Ale last night. Basically a mix of Pilzen and Belgian Pale with a with a bit of aromatic malts and victory added for maltiness. 2oz of dried culinary Lavendar pedals we added with about 15 left in the boil. Belgian Whit Ale yeast was used and it fermented for about 6 weeks. I was afraid it would smell/taste like soap but surprisingly it was very smooth, flavorful without being obnoxious and quite drinkable. Even the wife approved (it was her idea for the recipe)

I'm thinking of starting a Jalapeno Pale Ale next for the summer months although a good Kolsch works nicely.

originally posted by: TXRabbit
I'm thinking of starting a Jalapeno Pale Ale next for the summer months although a good Kolsch works nicely.

I will trade Italian food for that Jalapeno Ale.

a reply to: TXRabbit
I still have a bunch of Galaxy hops, some closely guarded Australia-only pineapple flavoured hop that I got from work. I should make something with that.

I used to make birch sap wine in the Spring. Tapping the birch trees with rhe rise of the sap produce alot of sap. For perhaps ten years I produced around 4 demjohns (4 gallons) a year, which ended up being and forcably fed to my family and friends once the wine was complete.

The rest of my homebrewing was based on summer fruits and the late summer harvest of blackberries.

Nowadays, it's sloe gin.

Wow! Your starting early. Oh well in wine brewing circles there is no end therefore no start date.
I just so happen to have 5 gallon of parsnip to bottle. When my brother was alive we only had 1 rule, only buy the sugar. All the bases for our wine either came from the hedgerows or was given to us. The best you can ever make is orange wine as the oranges have to be mouldy to begin with and if you frequent many markets the fruit man will give them to you as he can't sell them in that state.
I did have a wine book from the end of the 1890s and it was split into what you could brew in every month of the year. Let me tell you that you can make wine out of virtually any growing thing. It's so simple you wouldn't believe it. You don't need all the modern paraphanalia that most "new age" brewers say you need.
Water, ingredients( fruit, grains, leaves, stalks, whatever), yeast(which you can make yourself) and suger or sweetener that the yeast can work on. That is it.
Happy brewing folks.

I remember trying to make some homemade wine once. Made your lips curl over your top teeth.

I have a "Frankenbrew" ready to be bottled this week. Not sure what I'd call it, as long as I can call it Good.

7lb Briess 2-row
1.5 honey malt
.5 aromatic
.5 Victory
.5 flaked oats
.5 flaked wheat
.25 rice hulls

1oz Cascade
1oz Cluster


In hindsight I should have used more base malt or added some candy sugar or something. OG was only 1.040 so it's probably going to wind up around 4%

I brew kombucha ! Also wanting to make some fermented salsa. Haven't ventured in the wine and beer yet .

originally posted by: paraphi
I used to make birch sap wine in the Spring. Tapping the birch trees with rhe rise of the sap produce alot of sap. For perhaps ten years I produced around 4 demjohns (4 gallons) a year, which ended up being and forcably fed to my family and friends once the wine was complete.

The rest of my homebrewing was based on summer fruits and the late summer harvest of blackberries.

Nowadays, it's sloe gin.

You must be British! Homemade sloe gin? That sounds wonderful. How do you make yours?

In the States, the commercially-made sloe gin has never met a real sloe berry. It's even colored with beet juice.

Real sloe gin has to be imported from the UK and it's not cheap.

originally posted by: MamaShredAK
I brew kombucha ! Also wanting to make some fermented salsa. Haven't ventured in the wine and beer yet .

I make Kombucha tea too. Does that count for this thread?

a reply to: crayzeed
Exactly right! I've got a gallon of dandelion wine, a gallon of wisteria wine, and a gallon of redbud wine brewing on my kitchen counter. I make wines out of what I forage and there is an abundance of choices. I don't make my own yeasts because a can of brewers yeast lasts a looooong time. So simple to do.