My first introduction to the world of home brewing was my dad’s concoctions bubbling and burping away in the corner of the living room – a strange soundtrack which accompanied our TV watching. Demijohns of wine were placed in this spot because the warmth of the nearby fire aided the fermentation process. On one occasion it aided it rather too much as red, winey bubbles exploded one evening as we watched Corrie*, peppering the wallpaper with frothy red stains. After this wine making was banished moved to the bathroom airing cupboard.
Fascinated by the whole idea I decided aged 5 or so to undertake my own brewing. No alcohol was actually involved, just a rag-tag collection of dried fruit which had been lingering in the cupboard from the previous year’s Christmas cake making, various bits of fresh fruit, some sugar and a bucket of water. Oh, and I vaguely remember an enormous wooden spoon. The stirring of this weird mix kept me amused for a while but it never made it to the bottling stage.
Then there was the inevitable tasting of home brew at university. A friend would bring back supplies of pea pod wine from her family’s farm in Shropshire, it was very much like The Good Life** and was potent stuff to fuel a party.
In recent years more successful forays have included the fabulous jewel-coloured damson vodka which was opened with some ceremony on Christmas Eve in front of a roaring fire.
Spruce bitters and spruce martini
All this brings me to the book Brew It Yourself by the bloggers Two Thirsty Gardeners otherwise known as Nick Moyle and Richard Hood. There was a time when making your own booze was seen as the height of hippyness, all knitted sandals and face-puckering attempts at creating your own alcoholic drinks, but Nick and Richard have made it their mission to bring home brewing to a whole new audience. They’ve taken their two loves – gardening and alcohol – and created a book of over 70 different recipes which shows that home brewing can be fun, quick, inexpensive and tasty.
Well, I loved it, as did Wellyman who kept disappearing off with the book if I put it down for any length of time. It’s well thought out with a good mix of recipes for those who want something quick and easy such as liqueurs which can take minutes to concoct, to those for the more experienced or adventurous brewer such as India pale ale which needs a few hours of your time. Nick and Richard take you through all of the basics you’ll need to get yourself started including how to use a hydrometer to measure the percentage of alcohol – you don’t need this or much other equipment for many of the simpler drinks. The different sections cover wine and mead, cider, beer, ale and lager, sparkling drinks, liqueurs and cocktails. Alongside the recipes are interesting snippets and tips which makes it a thoroughly enjoyable read. I loved the design and stylish photography but most of all I thought the writing was engaging and witty.
It was fascinating to discover how drinks that are part of our heritage are made, such as the fabulously named Lambswool traditionally drunk when wassailing. Inspiration from further afield has also been included – there’s Sima a Finnish drink using lemons or rumtopf from Germany among others. And for those who want to dip their toe into home brewing there are suggestions for liqueurs where you can buy the basic alcohol – either whisky, brandy or vodka – and then give it a home spun twist using fruit, herbs and spices. Nick has included a recipe devised by his mum, Julia’s Orange whisky with its star anise and cinnamon, which sounds just perfect for a Christmas present.
And now’s the time to be using up gluts from the allotment and scouring the hedgerows. I do love the sound of the wild bramble brandy and the damson and fennel vodka, then there’s the cherry fortified red wine (you can use shop-bought wine). To be honest they all sound delicious. Not only could you create a variety of home-brewed bottles to impress family and friends with as Christmas presents but the book itself would make a fantastic present (sorry for mentioning the C word).
*Coronation Street otherwise known as Corrie – a soap opera set in Manchester which has never surpassed its peak of Derek with his travelling gnome and car with a huge paperclip on top of it.
** The Good Life – Seventies TV comedy based around Tom and Barbara Good who decide to become self-sufficient in their suburban garden. Felicity Kendal who played Barbara did the seemingly impossible by looking gorgeous in dungarees whilst splattered in mud.
Brew it Yourself is available to buy now. Thank you to Nourish Books for my review copy.
The Good Life has got a lot to answer for – my dad used to have a few filled demijohns lurking around the house as well (although I can’t remember them ever exploding!). This is an excellent review, Lou – it had me reaching for my Amazon account straightaway. I’ve only ever made sloe vodka and sage liqueur (both delicious) but I rather like the sound of damson and fennel vodka and other drinks you mentioned. I do love a hedgerow rummage at this time of year! Thanks for bringing this book to my attention – and I hope Wellyman can get his paws on a good read now that your review is up! :o) x
Hi Caro, Thank you. Glad to hear it. I tend to not review books now, it’s a bit too tricky now I know how much work goes into them and the compromises that have to be made behind the scenes. It’s all too easy to be critical of something the author had no say in or that the budget constrained. I loved this book though and I know the authors took a lot of time getting the recipes right and working on the design and images. I think it’s a perfect Christmas present. I really don’t want to have to say that word but I guess there’s an inevitability about the fact that winter is approaching. Yes, Wellyman is having a thorough read of it now. 🙂 xx
The only brew I make is a cup of tea but thanks to your excellent review I can see that this book would be most useful to anyone making alcoholic ones. xx
Tea is probably more my drink of choice. I like a good strong builders tea, Yorkshire tea bags, with no sugar. I’m quite partial to an Earl Grey too. xx
Oh many thanks for bringing this book to my attention Lou. It may well end up in himself’s Christmas stocking. He usually has some concoction on the go so I’m familiar with those “bubbling and burping noises” – in fact they can be quite comforting. We are waiting with bated breath now for the grapes at the allotment to ripen. They have too many pips to make for good eating but they are a good wine crop. Oh Derek and Mavis – those were the days!
Hi Anna, I wouldn’t normally be interested in this subject matter but it’s really well done and a fascinating read. I’m sure himself would love it if he found it at the bottom of his Christmas stocking. 🙂 Wow! I’m impressed that you make your own wine. Yes, Derek and Mavis and Des and Steph. I haven’t watched any soaps for years now. They’re on too much for me to keep up with and they’ve all become to miserable and obsessed with realism. A bit more humour wouldn’t go amiss.
Oooh, now that does sound like an excellent book, my bil would love it…
It is very good. 🙂
Ah, but did your friend’s pea pod remove the power of speech like Tom’s? Now THAT is proper pea pod (never tried by me, sadly). I did make Boots own home brew lager once as a teenager. I bottled it and had a dozen bottles in a cupboard under the stairs. Sadly almost all the bottles exploded, spraying broken glass and frothy lager everywhere – including into all the shoes that were kept there. I tried a second batch, which didn’t explode but it was bloody horrible. Good old Boots. But I do make a fine sloe gin (if I say so myself). D
It removed the power of pretty much everything – it was an acquired taste. I remember all those brew your own kits in Boots. Think they probably gave home brewing a bad name. I spotted a tree covered in sloes yesterday. I must try to make some this year. Lou