A spirited hobby

[Archangel]

Curious…

Does anyone here make their own alcohol as a hobby? Beer? Wine? Liquor?

I have done different things in the past. I have made different wines, with varying degrees of success depending on grape source. I’ve also done different infusions of clear liquors. I’ve never made my own beer, although friends do. I just purchased a pot still and I’m looking forward to adopting that as one of my copious tinkering hobbies.

Suffice it to say, unless you’re drinking top-of-the-line liquors, you don’t distill to save money. The ingredients alone for the yield is not cost effective. But it’s a lot like growing your own vegetables (which I also do) – it’s the most expensive and labor-intensive tomato you’re going to get all summer, but there’s a satisfying rewarding feeling at the end when you think, “I did this.”

[+ poolboy48220]

I made beer a lot in my 20's, then fell away from the hobby. I made one batch about 20 years ago & just made my first batch since then, using a recipe from a book about making beers like different commercial microbrews.  I'm (hopefully) cloning Bass Ale. It'll be ready to try in about a month.  Back when I first started, it was definitely a cost-effective way to make beer; it doesn't seem to be that so much currently.

[Njguy2]

Trying my hand at making a batch of Satsumacello (play on Limoncello).  It's been steeping for about 3 months now.   Had homemade Satsumacello couple of years ago in NOLA and loved it.  

[wsc]

Every other day I go to a bar downtown and have two glasses of my favorite scotch to check its quality and consistency. So far, so good.

[Rudynate]

When I was in high school, I played with it a little - read a few books on winemaking.   I saw a recipe in an old cook book for making dandelion wine and I tried it. The finished product was kind of cloudy, but tasty and the alcohol content was enough to produce a good buzz.  I also tried making applejack, which was very successful - I got a brandy-type concoction that was very boozy.

Years ago somebody gave a beermaking kit.  I tried it but it wasn't very successful.

Edited June 5 by Rudynate
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[rvwnsd]

Although I have never attempted spirit-making, one of my aunts made Wiśniówka (vee-shnov-ka), a Polish concoction made by soaking sour cherries in a vodka/sugar mixture. Unlike her cooking, it was quite tasty.

[+ cougar]

I have a local friend that started brewing his beer several years ago and he had many good batches. He did transition to liquor and continues to make some strong interesting batches. 

[+ pizzaBoy]

Ever since watching The Great Escape, I've wanted to make my own vodka. 

[d.anders]

Someone once gifted me with a homemade bottle of wine. She had gone to a class. I got the distinct impression she was trying to unload her stash of bottles that were collecting dust in her garage. I remember throwing it away without ever opening it.

[ICTJOCK]

I do have a friend who does this at his home.    He teaches fitness and is nationally known for his focus on long term health issues.   I found it curious when he shared some of his hobbies,   this being one of them.    I was a bit surprised,  but he explained how and why.     I have come to the conclusion it helps him  (or hobbies in general) to be more balanced as an individual.    I'm a gardener and work landscaping as one of my hobbies.   It all does help.

[Rudynate]

2 hours ago, d.anders said:

Someone once gifted me with a homemade bottle of wine. She had gone to a class. I got the distinct impression she was trying to unload her stash of bottles that were collecting dust in her garage. I remember throwing it away without ever opening it.

You didn't even try it?  Seems a shame.

[+ Summerson]

My father made wines from dandelions, elderflowers, elderberries, and pawpaws, all of which grew wild where I grew up. It was one of the many income streams he juggled and he was pretty well-known for it locally. Sadly, he died when I was three and those wines don't last long enough in the bottle for me to have tasted them when I got older. The adults around me always raved about how good they'd been, so I really wish I could have tried them. They always said his dandelion wine was so clear you could read a newspaper through the bottle. I've often thought about trying to make some, but haven't yet. 

[d.anders]

3 hours ago, Rudynate said:

You didn't even try it?  Seems a shame.

Unfortunately, I take too much medication to drink alcohol, but that was none of her business. I would have re-gifted it, but since I didn't know anything about the product, I didn't want the responsibility of ownership.

[Rudynate]

1 hour ago, d.anders said:

Unfortunately, I take too much medication to drink alcohol, but that was none of her business. I would have re-gifted it, but since I didn't know anything about the product, I didn't want the responsibility of ownership.

With the whole story, makes perfect sense.

[Archangel]

I put my first wine together in a fermenter the other night. Admittedly I’m excited about it. I want to open it up and see what it’s doing but I know do not open for a month! Gives me time to go but a siphon! I’ll determine then if I’ll let the wine in the carboy for a few months or if I’ll distill it, based on taste. I want to get another fermenter and mix up some grains for actual whiskey distilling. That’s my fave! 🤣 

[+ purplekow]

On 6/9/2025 at 6:43 PM, pizzaBoy said:

Ever since watching The Great Escape, I've wanted to make my own vodka. 

One of my roommates in college built a still and distilled vodka.  It took a long time to get any results and the results were putrid at best, but he seemed to enjoy drinking it.  Glad he did not go blind. 

[Archangel]

@purplekow, sounds like he’s not making clean cuts or isn’t cutting frequently enough. 

[Archangel]

I’m planning to siphon my first real attempt at wine tonight. I’ll sample it before aging it with oak. If it’s dreadful, it will become vodka 😂 

[Archangel]

On 6/15/2025 at 9:44 PM, purplekow said:

One of my roommates in college built a still and distilled vodka.  It took a long time to get any results and the results were putrid at best, but he seemed to enjoy drinking it.  Glad he did not go blind. 

Also wondering if he proofed it down…You shouldn’t drink the stuff straight from the still. 

[+ purplekow]

He was 19 and built a still in his dorm room, I do not know for sure but it seems the odds would be against him having any patience with doing anything else. Also, this was the 70s so no internet to help you along.  I never saw him read a book so I doubt he was at the library looking for the particulars.  I did see him drink from the still and my one taste was more than enough.  

[Archangel]

Well, that sounds like a recipe for disaster! Yes - lucky he didn’t go blind…I’m doubtful he made any cuts then and would bet he did no proofing either. He’s very lucky…

[+ purplekow]

So the surprise at not going blind part is not hyperbole.  

[+ poolboy48220]

I tried my Bass Ale clone about a month after bottling, I'm very happy with the results. I'd like to find some actual Bass Ale to do a blind taste test, but it's very difficult to find lately.