Cooking For Engineers

[Gareth]

I should think that you lot are now completely sick and tired of my kitchen worktop "unique wild yeast" capture, nuturing and brewing escapades. .... .... .... but I've recently been at it again. So far this year, that's; Everlasting Ginger Beer, Elderflower Champagne, Dandelion & Burdock, Liquourice Root Beer and Home-brewed Bucks Fizz (click on each to see the original recipes) all brewed utilising naturally captured and/or nurtured Yeasts.

Star Anise small Beer/Pop

Ingredients: (makes 5 litres)

5 whole Stars of Anise .... .... .... doesn't sound a lot, but believe me, it's enough to to make this lovely Aniseed flavoured small Beer/Pop.

750g White granulated Sugar

4-6 dessert spoons of Lemon juice

A very small pinch of bread making Yeast.

Lots of hot water.

Equipment:

A 500 ml (or there abouts) glass jar with a sealable lid ~~ I like to use flip top type kilner jars.

A 2 gallon/10 litre bucket.

A Funnel to fit the necks of the bottles.

A filter ~~ I like to use a fine wire mesh filter taken from an old coffee maker

A large wooden or plastic spoon

A thermometer (optional)

A hydrometer (optional, and only really necessary if you wish to know the brewed out ABV%)

Method;

Day 1

Sterilise the jar, and then dissolve 2 teaspoons of sugar in about 250ml of boiling water, when cooled to approx 40*C (or body temp) add this to the jar. Break one of the Anise Stars in half, and using a morar and pestle ( or one of those cheap spice grinder jars from the £1 shop) finely grind the Star Anise half. Add this to water and stir in well. Sprinkle a very small pinch of bread making yeast on to the surface of the liquid, and allow to stand with the lid off for 2-3 hours. Seal the lid.

Day 2

Add one teaspoon of Sugar, and a light dusting of ground Anise to the jar. Stir well and seal the jar.

Day 3

Add one teaspoon of Sugar, and a light dusting of ground Anise to the jar. Stir well and seal the jar.

Day 4

Add one teaspoon of Sugar, and a light dusting of ground Anise to the jar. Stir well and seal the jar.

Day 5

Add one teaspoon of Sugar, and a light dusting of ground Anise to the jar. Stir well and seal the jar.

Day 6

Add one teaspoon of Sugar, and a light dusting of ground Anise to the jar. Stir well and seal the jar.

Day 7

Dissolve the sugar into 5 litres of boiling water, and using a motar and pestle (spice grinder, etc.) grind up the rest of the Star Anise and add to the hot sugar and water solution. Allow to stand until cooled to 40* C or less. Stir in the lemon juice, and strain the starter contents from the jar. ( As with the Ginger Beer, D&B, etc. You can of course half the contents of the jar and continue feeding the starter culture so that it is ready to use again to make another batch in 7 days time).

Strain the contents of the bucket through a filter into cleaned, and sterlised Plastic Pop Bottles and leave to ferment for 7 days. At this point the abv% will be negligible, and therefore granny and the kids can drink this one. After 7 days the alcohol content will increase, so drink responsibly.

Caution: Because this recipe includes fermenting in the bottles, the liquid will carbonate and pressurise the bottles; do not use glass bottles. the contents could also be a little lively when you open the bottle and awaken the beastie; it could spray .... you have been warned!


The Star Anise small Beer/pop starter residing safely in it's jar:

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