People...do not knock the spoon of unusual size. I made a 5 gallon bucket and the first problem i ran into was 'Ummm how do i stir this. I have NOTHING in my home long enough to stir it!". The spoon of unusual size rocks and i highly recommend it. Thank you Brian and Derica for sharing it on your store.
Menthols also kinda calming in high doses like this. Mint actually has several chemicals in it that act on the same receptors as alcohol.. Just much less extensively.. So if you are lucky enough to percieve these subtleties.. It can produce a slightly different experience. This is sorta similar to why absinthe can be a little different than other alcohols. Youre essentially making an herbal tincture doing this lol
Oh wow, it's almost like you guys knew I was about to try doing a batch of Kilju. I recently learned about it through a Finnish video game called My Summer Car, one of the ways you make money in that game is by making and selling Kilju so I decided to give it a shot in real life since I already make mead, and then you guys put out this video. Sometimes the stars align just right.
I’ve been making mojito mead lately and it’s delicious! I froze both the garden mint and lime zest overnight in order to disrupt the cell walls, per your suggestions in the past. Oh, and don’t be surprised if your yeast colony hangs onto the mint. They love it! Even after swirling every day for the first week, the colony always coated every available surface of mint.
Started this recipe a few months ago with one deviation.... Red-stars champagne yeast! It was a success. We made mimosas with friends using it and it was terrific. What was going to be Backsweetening turned into priming sugars (because I don't have the means of stabilizing). And we have a delicious lime/mint sparkeling champagne.
If I recall correctly Kilju was the first alcohol that I ever bought. I must have been around 15 and I wasn't old enough to buy anything else in Finland but I went to school with some kids from a village where they made Kilju. It came in a 1.5L used Coke bottle and it tasted horrible. Ended up throwing most of it away, but I still think about it occasionally especially since I got into making spirits myself.
Hey! love you guys so much, you inspired me to make my first traditional mead. (almost ready to taste!) Have you ever thought of doing a, "things i wish i knew when i started brewing" video? much love and happy brewing!
I really love the way you guys produced this video! The editing makes things so much smoother! I love how you’re taking turns talking etc. and it comes across way more like a real TV show with a script and everything.
Here in Finland, kids make Kilju, because they can't buy alcohol from store :) Usually they are 15 - 17 years old who make this. For many kids this is first contact to alcohol. Or atleast it was when i was young, in 90's. I have not heard that people make this anymore. When i did make it, i used water, white sugar (cheapest), some juice extract (usually orange extract), and turbo yeast. It was ready in 3-5 days
If you dont have fresh mint.. A better way to do this with dry mint is called rehydration. You want loose leaf mint for this.. Its better than the tea bag stuff and this means you dont have to make any tea. You put the leaves in a cup and submerge them with water.. But make sure the water levels dont get too high. You just want it to be a little higher than the leaves. Leave it to sit for a few minutes and the leaves will actually absorb a good portion of the water. You can take them out and use it like fresh mint.. You can also use the mint water and add that to the mixture. Use a mixture of fresh and rehydrated mint and you get a really interestiny flavor that you wouldnt get from either of them seperate.
The last ginger beer I made(from your recipe) substituted a bunch of white sugar (about half) with brown sugar. The result started fermentation a dark caramel and turned light gold and brilliant as it finished out. The change in colour was unexpected but given the fermentability of molasses it makes sense in hindsight.
Just found you guys, and I've been having a lot of fun running through your backlog of videos. I watched this one without looking at the date and was devastated when I realized there wasn't a followup already there! Can't wait to see what happens with this. Your videos helped me make my first batch of mead yesterday. Thanks!
I just started a batch using your your interesting and creative addition of lime jello and mint tea, I was curious about how much time you allowed it to ferment. Thank you in advance! 🙏
Made one with water, bread yeast and raisins. Came out great, clears beautiful and discovered that you can take wine that stalls..yes I used my hydrometer!, lol add some, boosts alchohol in stalled wine. Odd I know bout ends up tasting less sweet, even though you adding sugar.
Lol omg I never thought I'd see the day when kilju became something hobby brewers outside of Finland would make. The image I have in my mind is of the sad depressed widower who makes homebrew vodka in his bathtub, but one day the thirst is so great he doesn't bother with distilling the must so he just goes straight for the must - i.e. the kilju. Maybe an undeserved reputation.
I made a gallon of kilju and let it settle after the first racking for like a month It ended up perfectly clear, a pale amber in color, and GREAT with chai spices and brown sugar syrup. It tastes oddly like apple juice, surprisingly
Happy to see you guys playing with effects and adding in sounds... really brings a mes light with the video production and is slowly adding to the package you guys are producing!
Just started this one! Added a scant teaspoon of boiled yeast to help it along and tweaked as follows: My fresh mint wasn’t very strong (mild climate, mild variety) so I boiled my water and added a few bags of mint tea. Totally different scent! Makes sense: dried herbs add different flavours to dishes as well. Maybe this way I’ll get the best of both. Added the honey to that in a pitcher once the water had cooled to around 40°C (104°F) and let it cool further. Followed my father’s advice as a biochemist and hydrated the yeast, added a bit of the mint tea and honey must, doubling the volume each time until I went from a shot glass volume to a little over a cup. Once the mint tea-and-honey had cooled enough, I pitched that yeast culture and the mint-and-honey on top of the mint and lime zest. My kitchen smells heavenly right now... Can’t wait to actually taste the finished brew! Thank you for the recipe! I want a mojito kilju cocktail at my first sunset bbq this Spring. It’s still to cold for one but hopefully in a month or two... and then maybe a glassof mead with the main course. The cyser I’ve got bulk ageing might still be too young for that. Oh... and in order to jot down the relevant details, I must have watched your videos at least three times again. I’d lost my notes. Me being a fuddlebrains is an advantage for you. 🤪
@@CitySteadingBrews - Thought so. He argued that adding the must in increments would help as the yeast wouldn’t get shocked by the high-ish gravity. So I hydrated and then slowly added a bit of the honey-and-tea mixture. He’s happy I did as he told me to (he’s never done a home brew himself). From being dismissive about my home brewing he’s slowly getting curious and involved. Once this pandemic releases its hold I’m having him taste a few of my bottles. That’ll be even mre fun! As long as I get a nice kilju, I’m happy. And next time I’m free to do as I please. Now I’m already wondering about what wonderful brews you’re going to tempt me with in your next videos! I know from your live stream you’re working on a few things... and I’m excited to find out.
@@CitySteadingBrews - Glad to know. I prefer to just pitch and be done with it. I suspect he drew in part from what he witnessed as a student staying with family who were neighbours to a winery. That was before I was born. At any rate, he’s happy. I noticed the lag time between pitching and the airlock starting to bubble was roughly the same. It’s happily bubbling right now and I’m curious to find out how long that will last and if my batch of 71B will ferment out further than yours did.
Mostly when I think of Kilju is what people made for cheap booze with yeast, sugar and water, in empty larger soda bottles at the back of the cupboard. Alcohol percentage was unreliable but the pervasive yeastyness was not. This is pretty damn fancy for Kilju. Might even have a taste if someone offered.
Thank you for this great video! I have been following you for few weeks now since I got an inspiration from my friend (who began brewing beers). I have never tried making any beverage myself but this seems very interesting so I'll probably try this very soon. Br from Finland.
drinking it right now it this stuff is powerful, the crazy reaction worked not sure if I will follow the secondary fermentation again but If you don't you will miss out. :)
Whatever doesn't Kilju, makes you stronger. On a side note, people used to put a bit of fruit in it to circumvent the law. Even a tiny bit would do the job :) Also, Turbo yeast is a popular ingredient to make Kilju. Turbo yeast is mix of dry wine yeast (Saccharomyces Cerivisae) and nutrition.
I really had fun with this one. First, I duplicated your recipe. BIG hit both at home and with friends. Then, I experimented. Instead of using water, I used coconut water from our local Asian store (ingredients: coconut water). I split the fermentables between sugar and honey. then the rest was about the same: mint, lime, etc. So far, the result is... interesting. Certainly, an interesting mouthful. Not what I expected, and hard to place. Coconut came through on mouthfeel more than flavor. Also, a bit too aggressive on ABV (17%). I hope the flavors will meld a bit better after a year. (Bottled April '23)
The biggest secret to kilju making is realizing that it works at all. Generally bread yeast and table sugar are not thought of as booze making materials, but it works and with some finesse you can doubtless produce some decent results.
I'm doing something similar... I'm making unflavored kilju... just sugar water (OG 1.094) and 71b. When it's all cleared out, I'm going to rack it and flavor it with different pure extracts. I have strawberry, mint, and anise. Will likely back sweeten it as well.
Like the check up couple days after start part. Recommend this for all new videos. Nice to see status and what happened in the next few days. Ya'll be awesome.
Derica, you make Mojito's with vodka? You barbarian. Anyway, the slight residue of mollasses on the sugar should contribute some of the flavors typical of rum, so that's good.
Hey thanks for the video never had much luck with the Concord grape juice but did very well with white grape juice and concentrate outstanding white wine totally sanitary best way to go
will definitely be making this. unrelated question to this video. do you guys have any non alcoholic beverages you guys make? I have a group of friends that i routinely get together with. I was thinking of gifting them all a homemade brew this coming christmas. one of them however does not drink alcoholic bevs. i would still like to give him something homemade though like a non-alcoholic beer/wine, or home brewed soda. do you guys ever make videos about such things?
You Guys should do an in depth video about getting tannins into your mead.. I would really love to hear what you have to say about it. I love you guys and keep up the great work
I just did this one but with honey(meadjito)instead of sugar and it taste phenomenal! A little sweet but I think it’s not done even though it’s at 12.46875% abv. Can’t wait to do this again…maybe back the honey off a little.
Hey guys. Got really excited about this recipe and decided to follow along, with a couple tweaks. Since yours seemed to be a slow fermentation, we added an entire pack of 71B with some nutrient. Started up real quick and this morning it overflowed out of our 1 gallon carboy. 😂 I used a sanitized straw to gently push the mint back down into the liquid, let the foam subside, and slapped an airlock on it. I know we went a little overboard obviously, but my question is do you think adding the mint and lime peel in secondary would end up with the same results, flavor wise? Thinking I may do that next time.
I prefer a bit more during fermentation than just the sugar, and I doubt they slowed ferm much. There's just no real nutrients for the yeast, so slow fermentation. So if we remove the little bit added by the mint and herbs..... slower.
Sounded so good we had to start are own, yet I broke the rules I changed the mix by using 2 litres of coconut water as well as still spring water, only two weeks old though but seems it be good so far
I just bottled it today and had my first glass. Damn I like it! Making it with mint tea makes it super minty and the lime zest carries through. I going back for a second cup before bed and looking forward to sharing it tonight a game night with friends
so when i saw you oxygenating with the turkey baster i thought there must be a better way LOL! so i grabbed an air mattress pump and the nozzle fit perfectly to the tubing of the auto syphon! TONS OF BUBBLES! hopefully happier yeast as a result. how do you feel about this? is there such thing as too many bubbles?
In the 90's finnish youth used to make orange kilju by freezing cold pressed orange juice and then using that to start fermentation without any yeast. The original source i found used about 6kg (sounds a lot) of sugar and 10 liters of frozen orange juice and 10 liters of water. What I've read is that the melting of orange juice does something to the enzymes that are present and that would start fermentation. Have you guys ever come across anything like this?
Hey I know you guys answer comments sometimes, and I have a question. Huckleberry mead is my favorite recipe and I just finished one that is so good. I also just started 2 mojito kilju’s because Derica mentioned it as one of her top 5. So here is the question because sugar is free compared to honey. Can I make a huckleberry Kilju?
I had to laugh 🤣 a little because I mentioned to you guys about 4 months ago about making a kilju. You had said at that time you really weren't interested in doing them. I'm glad you're giving it a go. And yes the raw sugar does give a rum/molasses flavor. Mine fermented completely out. It had no flavor at all, so I had to back sweeten to get that. Also, I've discovered that lots of flavored alcohol use sugar wine. White Claw for example is nothing but flavored sugar wine.
@@CitySteadingBrews Well that makes a little more sense! Great video by the way though :) love how passionate you guys are about what you do, it really comes through on screen
I recently started 2 kiljus. One is three weeks old so I checked the specific gravity, and it seems to have stalled at 1.060. I checked the PH and it was down to 3.14. I got concerned and checked the younger batch and its PH was very close to 2.0. I corrected the PH with Pot.Bi.Carb. and both brews seem to be back to work. Did you experience this low PH in your Kilju brews? Guess I need to check the PH of the Walmart Drinking Water I've been using.
Amazing video as always! I would really appreciate it if you guys try to ferment tropical fruit. I've tried a few fruits from my country, so far they taste quite delicious. I want to know what you think.
Suomi mainittu! Torilla tavataan! Finnish inside jokes aside despite being Finn I have never made true Kilju. Completely fermented out Juhannussima plenty of times yes (midsummer solstice "mead", which is brown sugar, slices of lemon and raisins and which should be drunk young and sweet and is kid friendly, but some like me let it ferment dry to get a buzz. 😝) but not an actual white sugar wine. Maybe I should give it a go one day.
Thank you very much, you just help me understand my mistake with a lemon wine, lemon was added first, and lots of it, I wanted a very lemony flavor, and it does so much so is tastes like a lemon cleaner, not what I was looking for lol wanted a lemonade with a kick, I think it's still salvageable as a Marinade or as a flavor enhancer for another wine in a blend ? Thoughts ?
I have wild mind growing in the creek in my back yard- makes the yard smell amazing! Would you find mint from a creek to be safe to use? Would rinsing it directly in TRBOS be safe!? Its more the nostalgia that makes me want to use it vs buying mint tea..
Great video!!! I have been watching many of your videos for the past three weeks and I have started a batch of apple cider (although it will probably be apple wine because I added sugar like you did in one of your videos) in a one gallon jug with an airlock. My question is: would it make sense to rack the apple wine into another jug once the hydrometer reading hasn’t changed, de-gas it and then let it sit in the “secondary” jug with an airlock, so that if there is any CO2 still coming out, it will be fine (and also any lees can settle to the bottom?) The reason I ask is because when I make wine from a kit, that’s how it tells you to make it. I would then wait another week or two before racking into bottles. Is there any harm in doing this? Your advice is appreciated! Thanks!
Saw this video and had to buy a new 4L jug so I could make this, although seeing your wide mouth and quantity of mint I'm thinking I'll have to use my repurposed pickle jar.... Also, I've been using Domino golden sugar recently, wondering if that would be missing that extra flavor your 360 brand has?
Hello, I liked the wine because I tried it before, but I have a question and I hope you can answer me please. I added to the wine a few peaches and red grapes with mint for sure. Does this help fermentation better and add flavor and do I leave it to ferment until the bubbles stop please, please reply quickly ✌❤
@@CitySteadingBrews Thanks. Love your channel, it reminds me of the Brooklyn Brew Shop husband & wife doing brewing videos together. Im interested in trying the braggot mead. It would also be good to see hopped ciders, wines, etc.
Love this channel. What if you hang the mint to dry, would it taste better? I make green tea with added dried mint leaves it taste better than using fresh picked. Maybe the chlorophyll green taste goes away after drying.
I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for a while, but the only fermentation vessel I have is a carboy with quite a small mouth. Do you think I could get away with breaking the leaves up into smaller pieces to make them easier to get in and out? Also! I’ve been loving the videos you put out, probably rewatched Tea Wine three times trying to decide which of your recipes to try out 😊
I've been following your channel for just over a year and made quite a few brews now. Have you ever made a "mead-jito" rather than this kilju? I have a couple big mint plants and before summer ends soon here in Canada looking at putting them to good use in something like your kilju or maybe a mead version.
We haven't made one of those yet. Might have to add it to "The List". I would most likely start with a basic mead and decide what my target ABV is going to be for yeast selection and honey additions if needed, then I would add the mojito flavors in Conditioning after fermentation was complete.
Just noticed that your ingredient list is missing a detail. In the primary, you added the peel of one entire lime, and then in the next video for conditioning you added the zest of one lime and the juice of two limes. After watching your new three-batch test video with berries, I was wondering if I could just add the mint in conditioning, but...I've already talked myself out of it. I'll mull it and add it in the beginning. 🙂
Dear Derica and Brian, awesome recipe. I have a garden full of chocolate mint and I’m very happy that you guys made this video. Question: I was wondering if you guys have ever used Sorghum juice for a brew (instead of sugar/molasses/honey etc.) and if there’s a recipe for it? Otherwise, I think that could be a nice video experiment! I recently tired ‘muddy pond sorghum’ for the first time and thought it’d make a great brew.
Quick question, I see that you guys use 71 be for the yeast. But at the beginning of the video, you guys said that bread yeast would be good for this. Does it make a taste difference if you use bread yeast?
You could try. Bread yeast doesnt put out high % of alcohol, so be mindful of that(you'll need to put in less sugar). Also from what I've read, mint isnt easy to ferment, thats why you need more powerful yeast.
Hi guys, I ask you this question because you are the best on testing alternatives and different techniques what i'm wondering if Stainless steel immersion water heaters are a good option for brewing. I have read that aluminium rods are not good as they leech metal into the water, but for stainless steel should be good enough, right ? Thank you for all your time and your awesome videos !
People...do not knock the spoon of unusual size. I made a 5 gallon bucket and the first problem i ran into was 'Ummm how do i stir this. I have NOTHING in my home long enough to stir it!". The spoon of unusual size rocks and i highly recommend it. Thank you Brian and Derica for sharing it on your store.
This sounds so good!
Mint is in fact anti-bacterial (probably due to the menthol) and if you're using spearmint it will have A LOT of menthol
Menthols also kinda calming in high doses like this. Mint actually has several chemicals in it that act on the same receptors as alcohol.. Just much less extensively.. So if you are lucky enough to percieve these subtleties.. It can produce a slightly different experience. This is sorta similar to why absinthe can be a little different than other alcohols. Youre essentially making an herbal tincture doing this lol
Oh wow, it's almost like you guys knew I was about to try doing a batch of Kilju. I recently learned about it through a Finnish video game called My Summer Car, one of the ways you make money in that game is by making and selling Kilju so I decided to give it a shot in real life since I already make mead, and then you guys put out this video. Sometimes the stars align just right.
The microphones and cameras we had installed are working :) Yeah, saw videos on that game, had no idea what it was at first, lol.
Wow I should have read the comments first. Just said the same thing. Love the game...
let me share the perfect MSC kilju recipe: 6 packs of sugar, 1 pack of yeast, close the lid and put it away for a whole day of ingame time
Best Game
@@CitySteadingBrews I have a few dozen hours in game and I still have no idea what it is, to be fair. 🙃
My wife and I made Mojito Kilju about a year and a half ago.
We opened the last bottle last week, and it was lovely.
It was so smooth and minty.
I’ve been making mojito mead lately and it’s delicious! I froze both the garden mint and lime zest overnight in order to disrupt the cell walls, per your suggestions in the past.
Oh, and don’t be surprised if your yeast colony hangs onto the mint. They love it! Even after swirling every day for the first week, the colony always coated every available surface of mint.
This is a fun channel! Love the increased video production, editing, and references you guys put into all your videos!
Glad you enjoy it!
Thats a new 71-B package! Not half of it! Everyone! Take note
LOL, you're right!
Soooo full pack?
LMFAOOO
Started this recipe a few months ago with one deviation.... Red-stars champagne yeast! It was a success. We made mimosas with friends using it and it was terrific. What was going to be Backsweetening turned into priming sugars (because I don't have the means of stabilizing). And we have a delicious lime/mint sparkeling champagne.
You should try Sima. Its another finnish fermented beverage. very tasty.
If I recall correctly Kilju was the first alcohol that I ever bought. I must have been around 15 and I wasn't old enough to buy anything else in Finland but I went to school with some kids from a village where they made Kilju. It came in a 1.5L used Coke bottle and it tasted horrible. Ended up throwing most of it away, but I still think about it occasionally especially since I got into making spirits myself.
Kiva kuulla
Hey! love you guys so much, you inspired me to make my first traditional mead. (almost ready to taste!) Have you ever thought of doing a, "things i wish i knew when i started brewing" video? much love and happy brewing!
We could do that.
I really love the way you guys produced this video! The editing makes things so much smoother! I love how you’re taking turns talking etc. and it comes across way more like a real TV show with a script and everything.
Script? bwahahaha.
Here in Finland, kids make Kilju, because they can't buy alcohol from store :) Usually they are 15 - 17 years old who make this. For many kids this is first contact to alcohol. Or atleast it was when i was young, in 90's. I have not heard that people make this anymore.
When i did make it, i used water, white sugar (cheapest), some juice extract (usually orange extract), and turbo yeast. It was ready in 3-5 days
If you dont have fresh mint.. A better way to do this with dry mint is called rehydration. You want loose leaf mint for this.. Its better than the tea bag stuff and this means you dont have to make any tea. You put the leaves in a cup and submerge them with water.. But make sure the water levels dont get too high. You just want it to be a little higher than the leaves. Leave it to sit for a few minutes and the leaves will actually absorb a good portion of the water. You can take them out and use it like fresh mint.. You can also use the mint water and add that to the mixture. Use a mixture of fresh and rehydrated mint and you get a really interestiny flavor that you wouldnt get from either of them seperate.
The last ginger beer I made(from your recipe) substituted a bunch of white sugar (about half) with brown sugar. The result started fermentation a dark caramel and turned light gold and brilliant as it finished out. The change in colour was unexpected but given the fermentability of molasses it makes sense in hindsight.
Just found you guys, and I've been having a lot of fun running through your backlog of videos. I watched this one without looking at the date and was devastated when I realized there wasn't a followup already there! Can't wait to see what happens with this. Your videos helped me make my first batch of mead yesterday. Thanks!
I did a mojito wine with mint tea and lime jello.. it actually stayed a green color. It was fun and very tasty
I just started a batch using your your interesting and creative addition of lime jello and mint tea, I was curious about how much time you allowed it to ferment. Thank you in advance! 🙏
I like how I made this on a whim and had no idea it was already a thing. Thanks for the info on it btw.
I cant wait to try this, writing the recipe as I watch this video, again. lol. You two are awesome.
Cant wait for the update. I started as soon as I saw the video. I also have an abundance of mint in the garden
This is soo good! I made it, let it sit for few months after racking and its delicious!
Glad you liked it!
"muddle "is what you do to mint leaves or whatever in a cocktail to release the oils or flavor
Muddle. Muddle. Muddle.
The sound I make while I walk around brewing.
And the name of that masher thing.
Made one with water, bread yeast and raisins. Came out great, clears beautiful and discovered that you can take wine that stalls..yes I used my hydrometer!, lol add some, boosts alchohol in stalled wine. Odd I know bout ends up tasting less sweet, even though you adding sugar.
Lol omg I never thought I'd see the day when kilju became something hobby brewers outside of Finland would make. The image I have in my mind is of the sad depressed widower who makes homebrew vodka in his bathtub, but one day the thirst is so great he doesn't bother with distilling the must so he just goes straight for the must - i.e. the kilju. Maybe an undeserved reputation.
I made a gallon of kilju and let it settle after the first racking for like a month
It ended up perfectly clear, a pale amber in color, and GREAT with chai spices and brown sugar syrup. It tastes oddly like apple juice, surprisingly
I like the extra animations thrown in. Mojitos are delicious as well.
Happy to see you guys playing with effects and adding in sounds... really brings a mes light with the video production and is slowly adding to the package you guys are producing!
Trying different things.
Just started this one! Added a scant teaspoon of boiled yeast to help it along and tweaked as follows:
My fresh mint wasn’t very strong (mild climate, mild variety) so I boiled my water and added a few bags of mint tea. Totally different scent! Makes sense: dried herbs add different flavours to dishes as well. Maybe this way I’ll get the best of both. Added the honey to that in a pitcher once the water had cooled to around 40°C (104°F) and let it cool further.
Followed my father’s advice as a biochemist and hydrated the yeast, added a bit of the mint tea and honey must, doubling the volume each time until I went from a shot glass volume to a little over a cup. Once the mint tea-and-honey had cooled enough, I pitched that yeast culture and the mint-and-honey on top of the mint and lime zest. My kitchen smells heavenly right now...
Can’t wait to actually taste the finished brew! Thank you for the recipe! I want a mojito kilju cocktail at my first sunset bbq this Spring. It’s still to cold for one but hopefully in a month or two... and then maybe a glassof mead with the main course. The cyser I’ve got bulk ageing might still be too young for that.
Oh... and in order to jot down the relevant details, I must have watched your videos at least three times again. I’d lost my notes. Me being a fuddlebrains is an advantage for you. 🤪
Hydrating yeast does nothing. No offense to your father, but that's outdated information :)
@@CitySteadingBrews - Thought so. He argued that adding the must in increments would help as the yeast wouldn’t get shocked by the high-ish gravity. So I hydrated and then slowly added a bit of the honey-and-tea mixture. He’s happy I did as he told me to (he’s never done a home brew himself).
From being dismissive about my home brewing he’s slowly getting curious and involved. Once this pandemic releases its hold I’m having him taste a few of my bottles. That’ll be even mre fun!
As long as I get a nice kilju, I’m happy. And next time I’m free to do as I please.
Now I’m already wondering about what wonderful brews you’re going to tempt me with in your next videos! I know from your live stream you’re working on a few things... and I’m excited to find out.
He is right for uber high gravity meads but you’d have to step feed it over weeks or months not a few minutes.
@@CitySteadingBrews - Glad to know. I prefer to just pitch and be done with it. I suspect he drew in part from what he witnessed as a student staying with family who were neighbours to a winery. That was before I was born. At any rate, he’s happy. I noticed the lag time between pitching and the airlock starting to bubble was roughly the same. It’s happily bubbling right now and I’m curious to find out how long that will last and if my batch of 71B will ferment out further than yours did.
I love a Mojito too. "Sam Axe" from one of my favorite shows "Burn Notice" loved em as well... Lol.
This looks like fun. Cant wait to see how it turns out.
Mostly when I think of Kilju is what people made for cheap booze with yeast, sugar and water, in empty larger soda bottles at the back of the cupboard. Alcohol percentage was unreliable but the pervasive yeastyness was not. This is pretty damn fancy for Kilju. Might even have a taste if someone offered.
That's us, fancy and schmancy.
Nice..! Couldn't believe it, when I saw you new post. There are a lot of stories about kilju here. Regards from Finland once again!
Great video. Side note: Even just a gallon batch over 1.14 could need closer to a whole packet of 71b to overcome the osmotic shock
I would never use 71B in a brew of that gravity though... that's nearly 19% potential ABV.
Thank you for this great video! I have been following you for few weeks now since I got an inspiration from my friend (who began brewing beers). I have never tried making any beverage myself but this seems very interesting so I'll probably try this very soon. Br from Finland.
drinking it right now it this stuff is powerful, the crazy reaction worked not sure if I will follow the secondary fermentation again but If you don't you will miss out. :)
Whatever doesn't Kilju, makes you stronger.
On a side note, people used to put a bit of fruit in it to circumvent the law. Even a tiny bit would do the job :)
Also, Turbo yeast is a popular ingredient to make Kilju. Turbo yeast is mix of dry wine yeast (Saccharomyces Cerivisae) and nutrition.
Bread yeast, wine yeast, ale yeast and all brewing yeast is sacchromyces cerivisae
I really had fun with this one. First, I duplicated your recipe. BIG hit both at home and with friends. Then, I experimented. Instead of using water, I used coconut water from our local Asian store (ingredients: coconut water). I split the fermentables between sugar and honey. then the rest was about the same: mint, lime, etc. So far, the result is... interesting. Certainly, an interesting mouthful. Not what I expected, and hard to place. Coconut came through on mouthfeel more than flavor. Also, a bit too aggressive on ABV (17%). I hope the flavors will meld a bit better after a year. (Bottled April '23)
The biggest secret to kilju making is realizing that it works at all. Generally bread yeast and table sugar are not thought of as booze making materials, but it works and with some finesse you can doubtless produce some decent results.
Oooooh, something else to use up my bumper crop of mint! Thanks :D
I'm brand new to the channel, but can I say - I love your channel. So helpful and wholesome!
Thank you so much!
I'm doing something similar... I'm making unflavored kilju... just sugar water (OG 1.094) and 71b. When it's all cleared out, I'm going to rack it and flavor it with different pure extracts. I have strawberry, mint, and anise. Will likely back sweeten it as well.
@hotdog97 it did all right. I drank what I made LOL
Like the check up couple days after start part. Recommend this for all new videos. Nice to see status and what happened in the next few days. Ya'll be awesome.
Derica, you make Mojito's with vodka? You barbarian. Anyway, the slight residue of mollasses on the sugar should contribute some of the flavors typical of rum, so that's good.
I must do this now. Thanks for the idea.
Absolutely love the Doctor Who 👕
Have you got an update on this thanks...I love mint so waiting to see your outcome
Coming soon. It's fermenting very slowly.
Hey thanks for the video never had much luck with the Concord grape juice but did very well with white grape juice and concentrate outstanding white wine totally sanitary best way to go
I got a ton of mint growing maybe I should make some of this
will definitely be making this.
unrelated question to this video. do you guys have any non alcoholic beverages you guys make?
I have a group of friends that i routinely get together with. I was thinking of gifting them all a homemade brew this coming christmas. one of them however does not drink alcoholic bevs. i would still like to give him something homemade though like a non-alcoholic beer/wine, or home brewed soda. do you guys ever make videos about such things?
You Guys should do an in depth video about getting tannins into your mead.. I would really love to hear what you have to say about it. I love you guys and keep up the great work
We did.
I just did this one but with honey(meadjito)instead of sugar and it taste phenomenal! A little sweet but I think it’s not done even though it’s at 12.46875% abv. Can’t wait to do this again…maybe back the honey off a little.
Hey guys. Got really excited about this recipe and decided to follow along, with a couple tweaks. Since yours seemed to be a slow fermentation, we added an entire pack of 71B with some nutrient. Started up real quick and this morning it overflowed out of our 1 gallon carboy. 😂 I used a sanitized straw to gently push the mint back down into the liquid, let the foam subside, and slapped an airlock on it. I know we went a little overboard obviously, but my question is do you think adding the mint and lime peel in secondary would end up with the same results, flavor wise? Thinking I may do that next time.
I prefer a bit more during fermentation than just the sugar, and I doubt they slowed ferm much. There's just no real nutrients for the yeast, so slow fermentation. So if we remove the little bit added by the mint and herbs..... slower.
Yay!! The Mojito Kilju. Can’t wait until the next video.
Gonna try this but add lavender and juniper
Sounded so good we had to start are own, yet I broke the rules I changed the mix by using 2 litres of coconut water as well as still spring water, only two weeks old though but seems it be good so far
That intro is so cool lol I keep replaying it.
aah yes good old kilju.
Less than 100 views and somebody already mentions this. Torille.
A good beginner wine you say? And I’ve got grocery shopping to do tomorrow. I do love me some mint....
I just bottled it today and had my first glass. Damn I like it! Making it with mint tea makes it super minty and the lime zest carries through. I going back for a second cup before bed and looking forward to sharing it tonight a game night with friends
so when i saw you oxygenating with the turkey baster i thought there must be a better way LOL! so i grabbed an air mattress pump and the nozzle fit perfectly to the tubing of the auto syphon! TONS OF BUBBLES! hopefully happier yeast as a result. how do you feel about this? is there such thing as too many bubbles?
In the 90's finnish youth used to make orange kilju by freezing cold pressed orange juice and then using that to start fermentation without any yeast. The original source i found used about 6kg (sounds a lot) of sugar and 10 liters of frozen orange juice and 10 liters of water. What I've read is that the melting of orange juice does something to the enzymes that are present and that would start fermentation. Have you guys ever come across anything like this?
Love it, this is great !!!!🎉
looks good i may have to make 1 with all the mint i have wonder how chocolate mint will taste if used in a Kilju.
Any lime is fine.
Might try this, currently experimenting with making my own yeast to try to make kilju with
my summer car is real omg!
Hey I know you guys answer comments sometimes, and I have a question. Huckleberry mead is my favorite recipe and I just finished one that is so good. I also just started 2 mojito kilju’s because Derica mentioned it as one of her top 5. So here is the question because sugar is free compared to honey. Can I make a huckleberry Kilju?
I had to laugh 🤣 a little because I mentioned to you guys about 4 months ago about making a kilju. You had said at that time you really weren't interested in doing them. I'm glad you're giving it a go. And yes the raw sugar does give a rum/molasses flavor. Mine fermented completely out. It had no flavor at all, so I had to back sweeten to get that. Also, I've discovered that lots of flavored alcohol use sugar wine. White Claw for example is nothing but flavored sugar wine.
Yeah, plain old Kilju doesn't interest me, but this sounded interesting.
Man, I hope you guys use those kaffir leaves for cooking, cause they're like THE BEST single ingredient in Thai cooking!
We've found out they are actually rangpur limes.
@@CitySteadingBrews Well that makes a little more sense! Great video by the way though :) love how passionate you guys are about what you do, it really comes through on screen
I know the videos about a year old but anyways could I use dried rosemary instead of mint?? Or any other herb like idk oregano or parsley
Mojitos use mint.. but sure? If you really want to sub it, it's your drink.
I recently started 2 kiljus. One is three weeks old so I checked the specific gravity, and it seems to have stalled at 1.060. I checked the PH and it was down to 3.14. I got concerned and checked the younger batch and its PH was very close to 2.0. I corrected the PH with Pot.Bi.Carb. and both brews seem to be back to work. Did you experience this low PH in your Kilju brews? Guess I need to check the PH of the Walmart Drinking Water I've been using.
We should have checked, but we didn't, weren't so vigilant about it then.
I agree Jason. I thought I wanted a little mint but there's no such thing.
Amazing video as always! I would really appreciate it if you guys try to ferment tropical fruit. I've tried a few fruits from my country, so far they taste quite delicious. I want to know what you think.
Suomi mainittu! Torilla tavataan! Finnish inside jokes aside despite being Finn I have never made true Kilju. Completely fermented out Juhannussima plenty of times yes (midsummer solstice "mead", which is brown sugar, slices of lemon and raisins and which should be drunk young and sweet and is kid friendly, but some like me let it ferment dry to get a buzz. 😝) but not an actual white sugar wine. Maybe I should give it a go one day.
Thank you very much, you just help me understand my mistake with a lemon wine, lemon was added first, and lots of it, I wanted a very lemony flavor, and it does so much so is tastes like a lemon cleaner, not what I was looking for lol wanted a lemonade with a kick, I think it's still salvageable as a Marinade or as a flavor enhancer for another wine in a blend ? Thoughts ?
I have wild mind growing in the creek in my back yard- makes the yard smell amazing! Would you find mint from a creek to be safe to use? Would rinsing it directly in TRBOS be safe!? Its more the nostalgia that makes me want to use it vs buying mint tea..
We use wild mint all the time. Just rinse really good with water.
Great video!!! I have been watching many of your videos for the past three weeks and I have started a batch of apple cider (although it will probably be apple wine because I added sugar like you did in one of your videos) in a one gallon jug with an airlock. My question is: would it make sense to rack the apple wine into another jug once the hydrometer reading hasn’t changed, de-gas it and then let it sit in the “secondary” jug with an airlock, so that if there is any CO2 still coming out, it will be fine (and also any lees can settle to the bottom?) The reason I ask is because when I make wine from a kit, that’s how it tells you to make it. I would then wait another week or two before racking into bottles. Is there any harm in doing this? Your advice is appreciated! Thanks!
You rack when readings don't change over a week or more, and yes, keep that under airlock.
Saw this video and had to buy a new 4L jug so I could make this, although seeing your wide mouth and quantity of mint I'm thinking I'll have to use my repurposed pickle jar....
Also, I've been using Domino golden sugar recently, wondering if that would be missing that extra flavor your 360 brand has?
it fun to see the variations :)
I love Derica's Doctor Who shirt, and that's a cool background. Why don't you use it anymore?
Hello, I liked the wine because I tried it before, but I have a question and I hope you can answer me please. I added to the wine a few peaches and red grapes with mint for sure. Does this help fermentation better and add flavor and do I leave it to ferment until the bubbles stop please, please reply quickly ✌❤
How long do wines, ciders and meads last before you have to drink them? If you don't pasteurise it.
We get a few years.
@@CitySteadingBrews Thanks. Love your channel, it reminds me of the Brooklyn Brew Shop husband & wife doing brewing videos together. Im interested in trying the braggot mead. It would also be good to see hopped ciders, wines, etc.
I love the videos you guys make, informative AND entertaining. :-)
Love this channel. What if you hang the mint to dry, would it taste better? I make green tea with added dried mint leaves it taste better than using fresh picked. Maybe the chlorophyll green taste goes away after drying.
Could try that.
No bye bye from derica hehe.... This looks good so far might try it using Natural grape yeast since we don't get brew yeast here
I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for a while, but the only fermentation vessel I have is a carboy with quite a small mouth. Do you think I could get away with breaking the leaves up into smaller pieces to make them easier to get in and out?
Also! I’ve been loving the videos you put out, probably rewatched Tea Wine three times trying to decide which of your recipes to try out 😊
Sure, or just put them in conditioning.
@@CitySteadingBrews Thank you!
I've been following your channel for just over a year and made quite a few brews now. Have you ever made a "mead-jito" rather than this kilju? I have a couple big mint plants and before summer ends soon here in Canada looking at putting them to good use in something like your kilju or maybe a mead version.
We haven't made one of those yet. Might have to add it to "The List". I would most likely start with a basic mead and decide what my target ABV is going to be for yeast selection and honey additions if needed, then I would add the mojito flavors in Conditioning after fermentation was complete.
Just noticed that your ingredient list is missing a detail. In the primary, you added the peel of one entire lime, and then in the next video for conditioning you added the zest of one lime and the juice of two limes. After watching your new three-batch test video with berries, I was wondering if I could just add the mint in conditioning, but...I've already talked myself out of it. I'll mull it and add it in the beginning. 🙂
Awesome awesome t-shirt, big Nirvana fan myself
Really excited to try this! If I decide to use dried mint how many grams should I use for a one gallon batch?
Hmm. I would use 30 g and make a tea then brew with that tea.
Hi! Kindly share the link of the dropper you use, to check the gravity. Thx.
hey ya! Brian I started some with with fresh mint, its crazy active. 71 beast half pack, is yours still bubbling?
We will be taking a reading this week.
the towel under the mint forms an interesting shape :D
When you see it 😂🙊
Lol yes
Love it guys.
Dear Derica and Brian, awesome recipe. I have a garden full of chocolate mint and I’m very happy that you guys made this video. Question: I was wondering if you guys have ever used Sorghum juice for a brew (instead of sugar/molasses/honey etc.) and if there’s a recipe for it? Otherwise, I think that could be a nice video experiment! I recently tired ‘muddy pond sorghum’ for the first time and thought it’d make a great brew.
Haven’t no. Will check it out though.
Eagerly awaiting part 2!? Any idea when we should expect it? My mojito Kilju is sat under the stairs awaiting instructions! Lol
We only recently checked it the first time, still fermenting.
Omg do sahti next you guys! Never had kilju myself but sahti I make on regular basis. Suomi mainittu torilla tavataan :D
Quick question, I see that you guys use 71 be for the yeast. But at the beginning of the video, you guys said that bread yeast would be good for this. Does it make a taste difference if you use bread yeast?
You could try. Bread yeast doesnt put out high % of alcohol, so be mindful of that(you'll need to put in less sugar). Also from what I've read, mint isnt easy to ferment, thats why you need more powerful yeast.
Hi guys,
I ask you this question because you are the best on testing alternatives and different techniques
what i'm wondering if Stainless steel immersion water heaters are a good option for brewing.
I have read that aluminium rods are not good as they leech metal into the water, but for stainless steel should be good enough, right ?
Thank you for all your time and your awesome videos !
Sure. I broke mine using it for beer, but others say it works great.
Oh no drinking it all by myself? Oh boy 😁
I just mixed up lemon tea Kilju. Using this recipe just with lemon rind and black tea as flavouring.