As i think i mentioned a few weeks ago i have decided to persue an old hobby that i used to enjoy back in the UK and it wes really rekindled because of something i just couldnt get hold of in Alberta and its not something i could pick up while on my travels because of an H&R policy then forbids any kind of alcohol on the vehicle except for whats on the manifest. So that rules out any thing in the States, Duty Free shops or even anywhere in Canada.
Anyway the thing i couldnt get hold of was a decent cider. Back on the rock, Jan and I would enjoy the odd "Scrumpy" in the evening. Now for those of you who arn't familiar with Scrumpy, it is flat and it is cloudy, and it tastes fantastic (We liked Westons, the one in the demi-john).
After looking high and low all we could find was the crappy commercial ones and that "Mangers" or whatever its called is disgusting, we prefer dry cider. I decided to make my own..............
We went into Lethbridge when we got back from UK and i bought all the kit, as we speak ive got a Canadian Lager which is about half way through and a Brown Ale which i started today. We have got an ideal stwore room down in the basement which i have claimed as a brew room, its below ground level and there are no windows so its ideal.
The kits over here are a lot more advanced than back in UK, they are a lot less concentrated and in some kits you actually get the 23 liters of wort in full form which has been taken directly from their own brew.
As well as being a fascinating pastime it also saves money. Concidering Molson beer comes in 355 ml cans so thats about 3 to a liter, i work that out to about $4.12 per liter and thats buying it in a liquor store, go anto a bar and you pay a lot more.
Once i got my kit together (including reuseable bottles and caps) which cost me about $80. My brew works out at $1.50 per liter for a good quality beer, top of the range would probably take it up to $2 per liter and if i wanted to be a real tightwad then i could probably get it down to under a dollar per liter. Oh by the way I make the stuff in 23 liter batches.
Having made a few enquiries i have now located cider kits and i have a few cider recipes so after the brown ale i think we will be looking at some Black Rock Hard Cider then time will be getting short so will need to get some wine on the go, i think it will be a nice Merlot Red first so it will be ready for Christmas, then we can have some good old Glühwein.
All of you ex-military out there who have wintered in Germany will be familiar with the drink but in case you are not here is a brief explanation courtisy of Wiki:
Mulled wine, variations of which are popular around the world, is wine, usually red, combined with spices and typically served warm. In the old times, wine often went bad. By adding spices and honey, it could be made drinkable again. Nowadays, it is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. In Italy, this beverage is typical in the northern part of the country.
Glögg is the Swedish form of mulled wine, similar to Glühwein in German-speaking countries. Glühwein is usually prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, cloves and sugar. Almonds and raisins are often added to the Scandinavian version, though not to the German.
Now imagine the scene, mid December, quite late in the evening, sat round a blazing fire pit in the back garden with a few friends toasting bratwurst, burgers and marshmallows and sipping hot Glühwein.
Sounds good to me............................................
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