[HelenK]

Following this discussion with interest as me and the OH have just started our first ever homebrew which just happens to be elderflower Champagne too!

We're checking it for the first time tonight as it's been 2 days in it's bucket. I have bought some bread yeast to chuck in just in case though.

I had a sniff last night, we've also used Hugh's recipe and it smells amazing already! We doubled up so we used 12 litres of water and about 60 flower heads (should make 16 75cl bottles). I can't wait!

[BrianK]

Once its finished bubbling and you have bottled it then chill it. Reduces the bubbling rate so not so many explosions  lol.

Mine is lovely...

[andrewambleton]

Hi
 what would be the effect of adding more flower heads ?
 

[andrewambleton]

Hi
Why in some recipes does it  say to add citric acid and others don't, sorry if a stupid question

[andrewambleton]

hi
What kind of alchol percentage would it work out to

[BrianK]

Mine is 5%

Adding citric acid gives it a tang and stops it acting like a sugar syrup lol.  Really,  I don't know  but I am guessing its to counter the sugary taste.

Mine is lush.  It's not going to last a month.  Off to grab some more flowers for batch no 2

[barney rubble]

Mine is 5%

Adding citric acid gives it a tang and stops it acting like a sugar syrup lol.  Really,  I don't know  but I am guessing its to counter the sugary taste.

Mine is lush.  It's not going to last a month.  Off to grab some more flowers for batch no 2

Citric Acid (E330) is a preservative and stabilizer of food. Amongst other things it prevents discolouration, the development of off flavours, helps retain vitamins in food, stabilizes acidity and helps jam to set.

It occurs naturally in (surprise surprise) citrus fruit such as lemon, which is one reason its often recommended to add it  to peeled cooking apples to stop them going brown,

[BrianK]

Yay  thanks.

[andrewambleton]

Hi I made mine in a bucket i didnt see much fermenting going on but I have bottled it anyway  will it be ok or will it turn out to be cordial.  I can see small bubbles in the bottles

thanks

[Kate and her Ducks]

See what happens when you (cautiously) release the cap. If the bottle is sealed the CO2 won't come out of solution (and bubble) until the pressure is released. Be careful as the results can be explosive! Important to check that the pressure hasn't got to high as the bottle can explode (and it's a nightmare cleaning it off the kitchen ceiling, trust me!).

[sunshineband]

Or out of the cupboard under the stairs 

[tiptopchickendon]

Just opened a bottle from my first batch of Eldeflower Champagne (Hugh Whats-hisface recipe) and very nice it is too   

Very sweet, very Bubbly, Very drinkable and quite strong...

Made some last year, but left it in the fridge until october and it was not a sweet as this...

anyway, only another 17 litres to go....

and all those wild plum trees around us just coming into fruit, i can see some kind of plum wine being made over the next few weeks...

[Tattyanne456]

Hi I've used the flowers from the black elder. Its  a lovely shade of pink, but I havn't tasted it yet!

[maverick]

I made this for the first time this year and I followed Hugh's revised recipe. The firs one had too much sugar apparently. I had to add a little brewers yeast as it wasn't doing much on its own.

After a week, I bottled into plastic bottles but the pressure was building up like mad and I had to release some gas constantly. Each time I did so, it lifted some yeast sediment off the bottom.

I decided to pour all the bottles back into a sterilised demijon and cover with a cloth so that some gas could escape. Once it had settled down, I re-bottled into plastic.

The result is superb, a lovely refreshing drink and still has plenty of fizz (like a real champagne). The only sad bit is I only made 6 litres! Never mind, will make more next year and some cordial for the kids too 

[8doubles]

I also had the sediment lifting when letting the pressure off , when there was a fair amount in the neck of the bottle i`d give it a squeeze to overflow it out and top up from another bottle.
I`m anti 'all the eggs in one basket' since the incident with a 3 litre bottle of sloe gin a few years ago.