I'm in a sulk.
My elderflower champagne hasn't turned out at all as I had hoped.
After turning my lovely clean bathroom into a brewery for the evening- spending several hours scrubbing labels off wine bottles and then bobbing them about in Milton fluid in the bath, I couldn't get the stupid swing-tops to work and ended up cutting my finger in the process.
I had to make do with the few screw-top bottles I had and was then forced to tip the rest of the champagne away, which was heart-breaking after having lovingly gazed at it brewing away all week.
The seven bottles of fizz that I am left with, don't seem very fizzy at all. The brew was fizzing earlier on in the week, and fizzed a bit when I poured it through the muslin, but now is as flat as a pancake. Is that normal, or should it be brimming with bubbles already?
Oh well, on a more cheerful note, my sister in law designed me these wonderful labels for the bottles, so at least it will look pretty if nothing else.
Proof that one can't be a domestic goddess all the time...
After turning my lovely clean bathroom into a brewery for the evening- spending several hours scrubbing labels off wine bottles and then bobbing them about in Milton fluid in the bath, I couldn't get the stupid swing-tops to work and ended up cutting my finger in the process.
I had to make do with the few screw-top bottles I had and was then forced to tip the rest of the champagne away, which was heart-breaking after having lovingly gazed at it brewing away all week.
The seven bottles of fizz that I am left with, don't seem very fizzy at all. The brew was fizzing earlier on in the week, and fizzed a bit when I poured it through the muslin, but now is as flat as a pancake. Is that normal, or should it be brimming with bubbles already?
Oh well, on a more cheerful note, my sister in law designed me these wonderful labels for the bottles, so at least it will look pretty if nothing else.
Proof that one can't be a domestic goddess all the time...
I think the bubbles come with fermentation and time... mind you this is just something I read on a blog... not made it myself... yet!
ReplyDeletex Alex
oh no! all that work too, i can't offer any advice but will watch to see if you do get any, as it's something i'd love to make at some point!
ReplyDeletexkelly
Oh what a shame. Our elderflower champers is still in a bucket and with no fizzing going on I think we are going to add some brewers yeast to it, to start the fermentation.
ReplyDeleteHope yours starts fizzing soon!
Jenny
Oh dear, I hope it turns out ok, I have no idea how this process works. The labels look great though!
ReplyDeleteOh Charley, I'm sorry, but this has made me laugh! Are you still in a sulk? I bet the next batch will be great - even Moet had to start somewhere!
ReplyDeleteI volunteer to be your court taster, I bet it'll be great, and I'll save some screw top bottles for the next lot xxxx
Thanks folks, it's still not fizzy :-( I wonder if I went wrong by using a pinch of bakers' yeast instead of brewers? I didn't know where to get brewers' yeast from and didn't think it would make a diference. Bums!
ReplyDeleteUh oh - we had a couple of duff batches last year so please don't frown I will try and help if I can.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but ours went flat in wine bottles too - we had no probs with the flip top bottles, but if you find them bothersome then any plastic container that once had some kind of fizzy in it works just as well - tonic water ones are quite good (not that I drink (a lot of) gin that is!!)
Also - and I would research this thoroughly first - but I don't know if you can double ferment ie. add a pinch of yeat to each flat bottle to see if fermentation starts again.
Though please check this out first as I am no brewer. It was just something we had heard about doing last year when ours came out all flat, but the other half wasn't too keen incase of explosions.
I hope that helps?? The only thing I can think of why yours has gone flat is because they are in the wrong kind of bottles though.....you could always add a splash of the flat stuff to some fizzy wine (see Sue at The Quince Tree)that is going to be our back up plan.
Take care and so sorry this batch hasn't worked out.
Nina xxxxxxx
Thanks so much Nina, that's really helpful. I might try popping a pinch of yeast in the bottles and leaving them in the shed in case of explosions!
ReplyDeleteThe swing-tops I got were ones to convert ordinary wine bottles into swing top bottles, as I was being a cheap-skate and didn't want to fork out for expensive bottles, but they were cheap off ebay and they just don't fit on tight enough to work.
xx