The Greening of Gavin

Beer Tasting

@ By 5 Comments

I wrote a while back that I had been making beer and cider and even posted some YouTube video’s of a Home Brewing workshop I held for the Melton Sustainable Living Group.

That was back in June.  Time flys when you are living a full life.  Yesterday, after the hard days work, I cracked open the cider I made during the workshop.

It reminded me of the cider that I was served in the King Arthur’s Tavern in Tintagel, Cornwall, UK when I was engaged to Kim.  Yes friends, it was that good, and has a great cider flavour.  Four bottles (shared with Kim and the kids) later and it tasted even better.  That really capped off my fathers day celebrations!

I have also been drinking the Dark ale and the Cerveza.  Both brews have lived up to expectations and are extremely palatable.  The Dark Ale is best drunk at about 10C, and has a rich malty flavour and holds a great head.  The Cerveza is light, and fantastic with a wedge of organic lime straight from my tree.

Here is a picture, and don’t be fooled by the containers.  It is my own beer.

Front view.
Back view.
If you zoom in on either picture you will notice a little sediment in the bottle.  This is the yeast that settles to the bottom during secondary fermentation and is quite natural.  Kim now informs me that I must brew some more Cerveza before and have it ready before the end of the month, as it is her favourite beer.  I better get a move on and put a batch down tomorrow night.
So all in all, my brewing method has been validated and the electric blanket to keep the barrels warm in winter works a charm.  One tip of advice for would be brewers.  If you are going to make cider from a kit extract, once bottled, let it sit inside in a warm place for at least two months.  I have been testing a bottle every two weeks since the initial 21 days secondary fermentation was completed, and have found that it is only now optimal.   Nice!

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber's daily goal is to live a more sustainable lifestyle, in an effort to reduce his family's environmental footprint so we can all make a difference for our children & future generations to come.

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. gary says

    Good stuff Gav. I’ve made the Cerveza and the Dark Ale earlier this year. The cerveza is my wife’s favourite.

    What sort of cider did you do? I’ve made a Brigalow and Black Rock and both became almost too dry after a couple of months.

    Regards, Gary

    Reply

  2. Kim Webber says

    Now I’m not normally a beer drinker infact I would have to say that I
    do not like the taste of beer but Gavins Cerveza beer is wonderful
    with a wedge of lime in it and I believe I am now converted!!! As for
    the cider well what I can other than “can I have another one please”
    love your homebrew honey x

    Reply

  4. LynTaylor says

    I’ve recently started brewing apple cider, although I cheat by using OzTops. Just pop these tops on a purchased apple juice (preservative free of course) add some yeast and voila after a week, Apple Cider! Now I’m not sure how it compares to the properly brewed cider (something I hope to do in the future) but it is definitely consumable 😀 What is the traditional process for Cider brewing?

    Reply

  5. gavgams says

    Hi, Gav
    My names Gav
    I’m into Sustainabilty and years ago when living in Ascot Vale I started the Westgate Brewers. We even had some guys from Sunbury and one from Melton back then.
    I went on to run a couple of pico breweries and did so for over ten years. I’m still the only Victorian brewer to ever have won the Aust’n International Small Brewery Award.
    I still do some 30 litre all grain brewing batches occasionally.
    I recommend you get in to my old mate John Preston’s Grain and Grape shop in Yarraville.
    I’d love to set up a more sustainable brewery. Local, tick. low energy (solar pre-heating, etc), low emmisions, returnable bottles, etc.
    Keep up the blogging, too. Good stuff.

    Reply

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