Making homebrew, bottle corks flying off!?

Question

Hi, i was reading a bit about making some home brew so i tried it. Ive got two bottles, one full of apples and oranges, and the other full of apples and watermellon.

Then i added sugar, water and potatoes (thats what my friend said to do)

Diddnt really measure quantities or anything, just whacked it in and left it. Anyway, my corks keep flying off. Whatevers happening inside that bottle is making alot of pressure. Anyone know why??

Also, did i do that right? Will i have some home brew soon or just a pressurised bottle of not so good?

Any tips on how i could make it better?

Answer 1

I have been reading about this. It is pressure from the carbonation. You have too much. Use less yeast and sugar.

Answer 2

I don't think your friend knows much about the brewing.  don't ask him for any more advice.  a few sugestions:

1. you are lucky that the corks poped out of the bottles.  If they had been in tighter the bottles would have burst from the pressure.  You can put a balloon over the top of the bottle to keep air from the outside from getting in without risking an explosion.

2. this time you are probibly just going to end up with some bottles of alcoholic not so good.  next time try skiping the potatoes.  go to your local homebrew store or look one up on the internet and buy an airlock to fit on top of the bottles(about $2).  

3. buy a packet of yeast that is specially designed for fruit wines and use that instead of the wild yeast that is naturally present on the fruit(which is why your wine is fermenting now).  

4. I don't know if you just stuffed the fruit in the bottles or not, but make sure that its mashed to allow the yeast to get at all of the sugars and flavors.

5. once it stops fermenting(you will know because the balloon on the bottles starts to shrink) carefully seperate the liquid from the sludge on the bottom and let it sit for a while for all the rest of the cloudyness to settle out.

6. drink up!  it might taste a bit sour because the yeast ate all of the sugar, so you can mix a bit of sugar into it before you drink or mix it with 7up if you want.  

what you're making probibly isnt the best stuff in the world, but it will get the job done.

Answer 3

you said

"Also, did i do that right?..."

Me

What do you think?

you said

"Any tips on how i could make it better?"



Me

DO NOT listen to anything your friend says about brewing

now

go out and get a basic home brewing book and start again. This will be a great story years down the road when you are making beer

Cheers

Answer 4

When yeast and sugar are combined, the byproducts are alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2 is a gas).  During brewing, this gas must be released.  You don't bottle your brew, and let it ferment.  It has to go through a primary and secondary ferment stage that allows CO2 to escape.  Then it is bottled.