Can Homebrew Kill You? (Dangers of homebrewing wine, cider and mead) Info for 2020

Homebrew wine cider and mead can kill you? Well, some people think so. Some people also think the earth is flat. Today we talk about some of the myths and misinformation and some of the current events that lead people to believe. It's murky waters out there today to find out the truth about homebrewing. Many will say it's deadly, many will say the opposite. Those that say it's deadly are either misinformed or trying to sell something. Homewbrew is not DISTILLATION. That's a whole other animal and CAN be dangerous if not done properly. Well, certainly anything CAN be dangerous if not done properly. I've actually heard of people adding rubbing alcohol, gasoline, turpentine and other crazy things to their brews in an effort to boost the power of it. Don't do these things, as they are EXTREMEMELY toxic. If you wouldn't drink it or eat it, don't put it in your brew. It's that simple.
Another major issue with homebrew is sanitation. If you don't keep things clean, you can get bacterial infections that are hard to identify or notice that CAN be dangerous. It's very rare though, to be honest. So stay clean, sanitize your stuff, and you'll be fine.
If homebrew was so dangerous, we'd hear a lot more stories about people dying from it. Millions of people around the world make wine, cider, mead and beer at home, yet in the last 10 years or so, I've only heard of a handful of reports of major issues from doing it, and EVERY ONE did something stupid.
Home brewing of wine, cider and mead is safe.
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#homebrew #dangersofhomebrew #homemadewine #homemadebeer #homemademead

[@mrLoftladder]

I am living proof that home-brew is no more harm than commercial brews. made my 1st beer at 19 YO and still brewing today at 65

[@edstar83]

Budweiser has left the chat

[@mrLoftladder]

@@micheals1992 as long as they don't put you under the table :-)

[@tomgoodwin7134]

you dont need to be proof

[@humairajamal85]

Respect sir! You have been doing it right everytime. My oncern is whether I can do it wrong ending up more methyl alcohol

[@crf80fdarkdays]

@@humairajamal85 pretty hard to do with beer from what I know

[@scottswineford6714]

I have lost vision from excessive amounts of home brew, I put my glasses in an odd place! Lmao.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

heh

[@mycrazylifewfawnlisette3582]

Hehe, haha. I've done that too!!

[@barrytdrake]

I had one glass of commercial wine last night, and dropped my glasses in the back yard. Homebrewing is safer!

[@gryph01]

🤣

[@kelvinwaweru5201]

How did you write the message and you are blind!?

[@mortenrasmussen2101]

Thank you for an enlightening show! As a biochemist, I just want to add a few notes on the methanol/propanol poison issue to clear things up, because it's two different things. Methanol (the stuff that makes you go blind and die horribly) is already in the fruit. It's a natural thing you just can't avoid. Surprisingly, methanol is not toxic to the body, BUT the breakdown product produced by the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme in your body IS toxic, so don't drink methanol... period. However, alcohol dehydrogenase will favor the most abundant alcohol in your bloodstream to convert. Thus, as long as the ethanol concentration is higher than methanol in your drink, there is no problem. Generally, any brew ( homemade as well as commercial) will contain 10+ % ethanol (that's the good stuff) and hundredfold less methanol. The alcohol dehydogenase in your liver spends its activity on degrading ethanol, while the methanol (and fusel oils) will leave your body intact, the way nature intended it - in shades of yellow. The breakdown product of propanol is LESS toxic than that of ethanol (and doesn't even give you a hangover), but propanol (read "rubbing alcohol) is much more intoxicating than ethanol (about 5 fold), so consuming one unit of propanol corresponds to 5 unit of pure ethanol, which means the risk of alcohol poisoning is quite high, so once again: don't spike your bevvy with rubbing alcohol. Just don't do it. None of these issues matter when yeast fermentation is carried out, because it's quite clean. Also, when your wine ages (again, it doesn't matter whether your wine is home made or commercial), the various alcohols combine with the fruity acids to produce very nice esther compounds, that produce a most satisfying flavor. Take-home message: brew away, keep it clean, and allow your wine to age for that greater taste. And for the love of bacchus, don't put s*** in there that does not belong. Happy brewing.😀

[@solvebeats]

Hey man, I am new to home made wine making & I have started my process, I have let it ferment for 8 days (with skins & seeds) which from writing this message I have now separated the skins etc from the wine and continued fermenting wine only. My question is: Is it safe to drink a small shot during this process?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@solve5267 should be.

[@MARTIAN207]

​@@solvebeats Hii! can you please tell me how to make wine in the easiest way possible? Did you use yeast or just the peel?

[@ColonelSandersLite]

"You can make anything dangerous and you can make anything safe." Well, I *HAVE* been considering taking up flaming knife juggling...

[@Mel-qr5ob]

Do it I bet it'll be fun (I think u meant torches/clubs tho, not knives). I do fire hoop and it's awesome.

[@hotlavatube]

PSA: Homebrews and flaming knife juggling do not mix well. ;-)

[@imjustaguy4340]

Well now i have to😂

[@glennware6815]

I had a chemistry teacher that would say at least once every semester/quarter, "Anything is toxic/dangerous in the incorrect amounts." Thank you both for addressing these issues and explaining, with wit, reason and facts. Thank you again for the great content.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup, they were right. It's the dose that makes the poison.

[@tikkidaddy]

2 gallons of the cleanest purest natural safest water you can find without electrolytes IN A SHORT amount of time is probably going to kill you, it will at best put you in the ER. IF you are dehydrated, in a desert , sweating your goodies off you NEED a gallon of water per person a day WITH electrolyte to drink. IF you inject pure water by IV into your veins that will kill, that's why hospitals don't do it. Don't ask me, ask your doctor. Ask Les Stroud. Ask Cody Lundin

[@dingoweasel]

It's also worth noting that if you consume enough homebrew wine to achieve a toxic dose of methanol, you've also consumed well over the amount of ethanol needed to prevent alcohol dehydrogenase from oxidizing the methanol to formaldehyde and formic acid, so you would still not experience methanol toxicity even if consuming enough methanol, if taken alone, to cause methanol toxicity. Alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme is what causes methanol to exhibit its toxicity via its metabolites, and it preferentially metabolizes ethanol over methanol. This is the reason that hospitals administer ethanol to methanol poisoning victims, so that the methanol can pass through the body unchanged due to displacement by ethanol.

[@richardwicks4190]

I've read that twice, and now realize I have to consult a search engine to make sense of it.

[@schrodingerscat1863]

@@richardwicks4190 He's basically saying that if these is enough ethanol in your system any methanol will pass straight through because your body prefers ethanol over methanol.

[@beachdvm]

As a veterinarian, we use the same treatment for antifreeze toxicity. Keep the liver busy with ethanol until the ethyl and methyl compounds are cleared from the body. I.V. PGA will really make a dog drunk in a hurry. 😂

[@superresistant0]

@@richardwicks4190 When you make alcohol you produce a lot of ethanol and a bit of methanol. You can only poison yourself with methanol if you drink it alone. For this to be possible you need to distil the alcohol and isolate the methanol from the rest and drink it. It basically impossible unless you intent to prepare poison.

[@AdBul_]

​@@beachdvmwhy did I read that as "I am an vegetarian" lmao

[@brianrenko9848]

In the U. S. there are more people that are going to die from eating McDonald’s and fast food than from drinking copious amounts of any home brew...say nothing about blindness....brew on people. Besides, you can stay home, and not wear a mask if you choose and not get COVID by home brewing... :). Peace, out.

[@MandalorV7]

I know my family had some concerns when I did my first home brew. But I spent a long time checking things out and it turned out amazing. The stories of things going wrong appear mostly to be people that didn’t research and did really stupid things.

[@deyken2008]

Another shout out from South Africa, guys!

[@deyken2008]

Yeah, I have been brewing beverages ever since our government outlawed alcohol sales and distribution (prohibition 100 years later, halfway across the damn globe this time! It will fail again!!). Much of the skill I now use to brew beers and ciders, I have attained from your videos, so thank you very much for that. If I wasn't on furlough, I would subscribe to your Patreon! Love your work! Keep it up. I would like to send you my new recipe for a tasty South African IPA, as soon as I have perfected it! I call it the HPPA (hendrik potgieter pale ale), or HoPPA. It'll be dangerous ONLY if you drink too much of it at a time. LOL!

[@mycrazylifewfawnlisette3582]

I had no idea there is a modern prohibition!! That sucks!!

[@tyronecrossmanphotography2713]

@@deyken2008 Ja Hendrik, ek dink meeste van ons gaan nou ons eie wyn en goed maak :)

[@sUASNews]

And another! KZN

[@kleinwolf35]

yup, same 'ere.

[@genericpill]

When you deny people alcohol, they’ll just figure out a way to have/get/brew it anyways! Great vid, let’s do a mango 🥭 habanera mead! 😃🙃

[@amanuense]

I'm currently making a habanero pasilla mead that tastes very good. next time I'll try mango too :D

[@ericromano8078]

Oh you have just inspired me something fierce random internet person. I was on the fence about buying supplies but that settles it.

[@Pheatrix]

The misconception that homebrewing can create poisonous amounts of methanol is very widespread. Even in the land of beer (Germany) people ask me if I'm not afraid of going blind when I'm telling them I'm homebrewing

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Exactly why we made this video. There's a lot of misinformation out there. People just have no idea!

[@jimcurt99]

When I was in school I worked at a pet store- I had fish tanks for years- worked with the furry beasts- the reptiles- everything- learned A TON- went with my sister 2 weeks ago to set up a fish tank for her grandkids- and EVERYTHING the "fish expert" told us was wrong- I think maybe most brew stores suffer from this same problem...

[@lizrdjuice3318]

what

[@vintagexsellout]

I know you're not going to do it, but boy oh boy would I travel to you guys all the way from Ohio just to try your brews lol.

[@karlcolt]

LOL!!! Drinking a cup of TEA can cause blindness if you leave the spoon in the cup!!! Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

[@crawdaddct]

These stories reminded me of my wife’s grandpa during Prohibition. He said they would take foam off the sugar Cain vats, put it in. Wood buckets. Place a rag over the top and let it sit in the corner of the barn for a week or two. They would then go out to the barn and get hammered.

[@mr.robinson1982]

Ive made homemade wine for a year.....& guess what?? It absolutely slayed my family @ Christmas last year...they can't wait for this years batch....2019 French Merlot 14.7% ABV....

[@DPW13]

Started my first brew 7/10/24 with blackberries from our property and frozen cherries, went stable and racked into the long storage bottles lat night 9/12/24 At the same time started my second brew, pears from our pear tree, honey and spices....Hope for the best :)

[@tatietamatie]

Hey you read my comment!!! so I still followed the stories and what happened in 2 of the cases reported on here in South africa people were adding surgical spirits to their "homebrew" hence the reason for their death but the headlines read "2 dead from homemade beer". I wouldnt call drinko pop(similar to your koolaide i believe) and rubbing alchohol homemade beer. And you were right in your original reply to me our goverment is trying to incite fear around homebrewing because we have alot of hospitalisation cases in SA because of intoxication and they want open hospital beds because of the virus. Their end goal might be noble but their means are deceptive we are still not allowed to buy alcohol :( Great vid btw

[@CitySteadingBrews]

:) Thanks.

[@leroylewis6797]

Hello from Kwa-Zulu Natal! I believe that the commercial beer companies just don't want us to brew our own beer as that will take away from the gold lining their pockets.

[@stevenpeter3676]

Shout out from KZN as well. Got over this when they banned us a second time... so I upgraded to 25L batches of cider. Home brew is safe. I don't understand people who try stupid things like meths and rubbing alcohol. NCP yeast and a 2L liquifruit will give you passable cider in 4 days if you desperate.

[@kevinhendrickse6118]

As soon as the guy read your comment I knew you were South African lol.

[@johndeeregreen4592]

Homebrewing is extremely common in the United States. One thing that makes our homebrewing processes safer, we have access to proper equipment. Not to mention, it's been a part of our culture for a very long time. Fact is, many of our homebrewing methods have been passed down from our European heritage dating back many centuries. When using sterile equipment, juices, fermentables, and yeast, homebrewing is extremely safe. I've been doing it for over 30 years and the worst thing that's ever happened to me was after drinking 750ml of green (fresh) wine; there was too much yeast left in the bottle and I ended up with mild diarrhea the next day. At the end of the day, if standards are followed, sanitation is done, homebrewing has less potential of making you sick than some of the foods we eat daily.

[@davidwalter2002]

Good vid. Very entertaining. As someone who has brewed his own beer for over ten years, I've had an infected batch or three, and you're right; you can't even drink that stuff. And those who would tell you homebrewing is dangerous should also be pointing out that you can set your house on fire just from cooking a pork chop in your kitchen, statistically speaking. Bottom line, as you pointed out, is that good ingredients make good beer, and safe practices make safe beer.

[@Tallnerdyguy]

If you had to drink 10 bottles of wine in an hour, alcohol wouldn't be the issue. It's the 2 gallons of water that would be the biggest issue. Hyponatremia will happen in about 5 bottles of wine in 2 hours.

[@ahdnoh]

I tried brewing some Tepache as my first fermenting adventure. I bottled to early and had a bottle bomb in my kitchen. Everything was covered in broken glass and sticky pineapple juice, it was a great learning experience.

[@kinbolluck476]

I think fusils are in tactics ogre

[@Stavrose85]

HAHAHAH, you reminded me of my oxidized wine that has less than 5% alcohol, turned brown, smell completely changed and the taste as well. Guess what? so many people liked it and they thought it's a new brand. I shared the 5 gallon with friends and nobody had complained about anything and that's why I like the homebrew mades.

[@RidgeRunner5-]

Hey man, I made some blackberry wine, practiced all the sanitation and fresh fruit guidelines you taught me and got sicker than hell 😋. It might have something to do with the 2 gallons I drank. Just kidding, thanks for your channel and keep up the good work.

[@nelsensalling4486]

Important note, he snuck a “that’s what she said” joke in here.

[@AdamSwaine]

Firstly. I want to thank you guys for your SUPER informative vids. During South Africa's first alcohol ban I found your channel more helpful than any other out there for home brewing. I actually no longer purchase commercial alcohol, except for Whiskey. We are now in our second alcohol ban and this time it hasn't really had an effect as I always have a bunch of experiments going. Secondly. From what I read, That couple (and a BUNCH more) that passed, mixed methylated spirits in some sort of juice or soda. Fear mongering news outlets use "home brew" VERY loosely. Lastly. Brewing yeast has become quite scarce here. Could you guys please do a video on washing and reusing yeast. There is obviously bread yeast, but I cant get any that are available here to ferment above 6%. Thanks!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We've tried some of those techniques, and never found them consistent enough to really 'teach' a method, but I can work on it. I know you guys are working through some tough times.

[@facepalmdaily4404]

A lot of the places we call "homebrew shops" here in my town are really just liquor stores that happen to sell homebrew supplies. They aren't experts by any stretch of the imagination. I've made my own beer for years, and I'm just about to get into mead making. Even with beer, the advice from my local brew shop was dubious at best. If you get your brew supplies from a liquor store, take the clerks advice with a big, BIG grain of salt.

[@Wonster00]

The most dangerous thing by far is explosion during fermentation if ferment under pressure, more dangerous than being poisoned from home brew...so make sure the fermenting vessel has pressure relieve valve; and for bottle conditioning, make sure fermentation is completed and add the correct amount of priming sugar, and store the bottles in a safe place (such as inside an insulating cooler). In other words, if you survive the brewing activity, the brew you made will most likely won't poison you.

[@jacoburger3456]

Second ban on the sale of alcohol going on in South Africa currently. Luckily I stocked up pretty well when it was initially lifted, but despite not having to resort to homebrew, I'm still continuing with it since it's such a fun hobby, mostly thanks to you guys! :) I think the people who died over here, added surgical alcohol, or something similar.

[@alexcarter8807]

I was talking at the checkout with a young guy at Wal-Mart (rural-ish location and it was common for young people to work there) and he said he drank isopropyl alcohol at a part and "felt lousy" afterward. I swear, kids are nearly indestructable. Don't do this.

[@jamesnurgle6368]

I know this is an old comment but you may still be interested. when distilling alcohol the methanol comes out first, then the ethanol and finally the fusil alcohol's. expensive spirits will just keep the ethanol, it can be safe if you mix them all back together (they're in the same relative concentration to undistilled brews) but some people will sell the first jar out of the still and that can be 100% methanol.

[@nickgarnero9843]

This was the first thing I looked up when started fermenting cabbage. And recently when I started home brewing!

[@mrhs5220]

Thank you for making this video; I'm going to direct people to it when they ask from now on. I've been homebrewing for over ten years now and I still occasionally get people who ask these kinds of questions. It's still hard not to get a little offended when they ask, but I find it's important to remember their question comes from a place of ignorance; not mistrust.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Bernhardt21]

Such a fascinating and informative video. Obviously I knew not to add rubbing alcohol into my brew but your other information was very interesting. I have a random question about clarity. My Mead which I made using your traditional mead video recipe has been in conditioning for two months and still has not cleared, should I rack it for a second time into another vessel or leave it in the current carboy I racked it in and just be patient? Probably a silly question but I don't want to be ruining it by bottling too early or doing too many racks.

[@Wolvyrine]

Guys, I really want to let you know how MUCH I appreciate you doing this video. There is SO bloody much misinformation, rumor and "Every knows this" that is wrong floating around, it's nice to have some straight forward talk. Too often issues (see the South African couple you mentioned) that get get misreported, improperly reported (ie little to no research into the facts of the story) and just plain BS'd about that it really makes it hard sometimes for the average home brewer to get a solid read on the facts and there wherefor's & whatnot's. I personally do appreciate this and really all of your videos. You never put on airs and are super relatable and will admit if you were mistaken on things. For my $$ that puts you miles ahead of many others.

[@soutie123]

CS Mead and more making South Africa drunk again. Thanks for all your videos have been of great help the past few months during prohibition.

[@Hin_Håle]

Sure, homebrew can kill you. If you fall into a drunken stupor over an open vat of homebrew, you might drown.

[@dalbertyn]

I think most people don't know how to sanitize properly. I did an elective microbiology course at university and the first thing they teach you is how to be a germaphobe. When I did my first home brew and used the idophor sanitizer, it definitely kicked in some muscle memory. My bf thought I'd gone crazy! Also, we're back in a strict no-alcohol lockdown (fellow South African here). Gonna brew a batch of lager soon, my beer stock is running low :D Thanks for all the videos, it's awesome reference material!

[@headfirst6227]

During prohibition in the United States bathtub gin producers would put all kinds of nasty things including formaldehyde in for flavoring. I can’t tell you how glad I am prohibition didn’t last long.

[@HerebutNot]

I wish I had watched this video....months ago. lol. Thanks guys

[@InItForTheParking]

Just because I'm sometimes a smart arse, I had to say that everything is poison...even water. It's all about dosage. Edit: You did quickly touch on this later in the video.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Even smartassery, yes.

[@OverlandOne]

I brew beer at home and it turns out really well. I do not do it all the time but when I do it is great. Great video. Cooking a hamburger improperly or storing the meat incorrectly can cause serious illness or death. With just a little effort and care, you can make home brewing very safe indeed. I think people are at more risk driving to the store to get the ingredients than they are from making homebrew.

[@Night_Owl86]

1.) You get the same amount of methanol in a homebrew as in store bought stuff. 2.) The amount won't harm you in "normal" drinking volumes. 3.) You know what is an antidote for methanol poisoning? Ethanol. The good alcohol you have in there. 4.) If you run it thru a still: take some time and read on it. Methanol boiling point is 64.7 °C. Ethanol boiling point is at 78.37 °C. So the methanol will come out of the still first, along with Acetaldehyde and some other things. It's commonly known as "heads". What do you do with it? Throw it away! 5.) Only idiots that ferment in dirty oil barrels, moldy buckets and drink the heads get hurt. Call it a natural selection. Have fun, read up on stuff you want to do and enjoy your products responsibly. Cheers!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup, pretty much what we said in the video.

[@paulallerston3771]

Great information as always, guys... and I agree; when talking about mead, most brew stores are wrong, wrong, wrongety wrong... lol

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Well said!

[@thesisterfister2984]

I’m making my first brew rn it’s coming along great:)

[@ethanneville1003]

I think one thing that could have been added to this is what I believe to be the root of the myth about homebrew methyl poisoning. Most people group homebrewing and distillation together and assume the dangers are the same. Drinking the head of a run of liquor does have a serious risk of methyl poisoning, people hear their keywords and apply it to all.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Fair enough.

[@Tallnerdyguy]

Absolutely. When i told my boss i was making homemade cider, he asked, are you selling shots? and i had to explain, i'm making 7% alcoholic "beer" made from juice. You could take shots, but kind of not the point. Making "shine" isn't even in the same category as home brew.

[@davidmcdonald4771]

Thank you very much. As a homebrewer i have a lot of whiny knowitalls that are constantly trying to tell me that i'm poisoning myself and friends by my meads. I've done the research much like Brian . These ( people) don't want facts , it's always their believed misconceptions that are facts to them. No i don't try to prove them wrong as they aren't going to listen. What's ironic, they're the ones trying to get to the mead first at our little get togethers.

[@Tallnerdyguy]

Ethanol (alcohol) is poison..... so they aren't particularly wrong

[@TheKekkers]

I think a lot of misconception of this also comes from hearsay left over from the prohibition era, where a lot of people used industrial methanol to fortify their drinks. If you Google "Time The History of Poisoned Alcohol" there is an interesting article from TIME magazine that talks about it.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Oh absolutely.

[@wowkalfas1977]

Im very lucky my local wine making store the gentleman and his wife actually do home brews also and are big fans of mead and have helped me with every step and answer my concerns and questions whenever i have them.

[@paulswift9807]

You do know LONDON loves you RIGHT 🤪🍸🍹🍺🥂🥃🍷

[@JaxMerrick]

And now I have a video to show my father when he comes over to my place and sees me making mead. "Just don't end up poisoning yourself" is his catchphrase when he sees my carboy. I've tried explaining it to him repeatedly, and he just doesn't believe me.

[@wannabe_D7000]

Wow im so clear now ! Thank you!! The way im doing i sanitize everything and brew 5 liters at a time ! And now i have answers for everyone who has these questions... even though they ask me these questions they drink my home brew anyways :)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Glad it helped!

[@louwclaassens4988]

I am also from South Africa. Into winemaking since 1989, improvising at a time with no internet or suppliers. I am still alive. Had one or two really bad wines.... mostly it turns sour or flavourless. But I'm not dead. I am also a chemist by profession, so the fears about poisonous substances being formed purely by fermentation are not to be entertained unless you started with a poisonous plant (or green potato). The couple in Port Nolloth, with respect, may have upped the amps on their homebrew by adding methylated spirits or sanitisers containing Isopropyl alcohol. The fear mongering is real and mostly for one reason; public safety. Because we have a history of homebrewing of grain sorghum beers which are adulterated with anything from batteries, antifreeze to cow dung for whatever reasons to give it kick. So people really do weird sh!t. But follow safe guidelines and brew away. For those distillers out there also, the amount of methanol normally formed is very low, mostly from pectins in the fruits, chuck the first 50 to 200ml distillate and remember to stay legal.

[@damarmar1001]

Staying legal is very difficult since only two countries allow distilling lol. Wine and beer is ok but i love single malt whisky too

[@louwclaassens4988]

In South Africa, you can register a still and apply for a permit for home use only. It does not cost much. The burocracy is a bit tedious. If you know who to call via the existing distilling clubs then the process can get easier. Most expensive part is getting a serial number for your still as it has to be approved by an accredited person.

[@kleinwolf35]

I saw a recipe for sorghum beer which included fermented raw milk and fresh cows blood. The doctors are probably facepalming right out their offices.

[@damarmar1001]

@@kleinwolf35 well cheers. I pass. I make my own blueberry wine if you dont mind lol

[@louwclaassens4988]

Yummy?🤢

[@paulallan1376]

I'm making my 3rd batch of mead and I'm the biggest consumer of said mead. Never had an issue, my friends never had an issue, and I plan on continuing to make mead. CS Brewing videos are what I use for reference.

[@jennabronson4704]

"Wrong, wrong, wrongety wrong wrong... wrong." XD

[@MrOzzmac920]

As a long time homebrewer, both beer and mead, I'm not sure why I watched all 20+ minutes of this. Though there are specific real world events used as examples here that I wouldn't have had any knowledge of, but general knowledge of the dangers of homebrew, nothing I didn't already know. If I were ever told, by a homebrew store, that mead is dangerous because it might turn into a bottle-bomb, someone is getting a lecture! Like, who put something actively fermenting in a sealed bottle to make this happen and get this rumor started???

[@0TheFather0]

5:15 my best guess is that they want to scare you into buying their stuff instead of making your own because they don't make money if you do it yourself.

[@walterhbez]

7:51 - hahahaha = Tatie Tamatie roughly translates to "Crazy Tomato". First pronunciation was correct!

[@richardburtonsaudiofreaksh179]

So I should not brew in a old oil drum? 🤔 🤣🤣🤣🤣 if the brew didn't kill the SOMETHING ELES WOULD HAVE!🤣🤣

[@poboy942]

It seems to me, New beer and wine makers should learn all the different smells of the process, as well as which are good and which are bad..If you can get those down through experience, you should be well on your way to learning the craft of your choosing safely.

[@JamesSmith-dn8lb]

100 year old propaganda still working to this day.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yeah, people are terrified to brew at home, thinking they will die from it.

[@azzastube9220]

This was very informative, thank you.

[@allan010101]

Book? When? I want a signed copy!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Still working on it.

[@astocrabman2099]

In Australia the home brew outlets are considered an essential industry. The main issue we have is the home brew outlets have run out of stock of many items.

[@youtubkeeper]

I think it was a combination of people scared the bottle shops would be closed and boredom. If you're resourceful though, a food-safe plastic container from the hardware store (Bunnings), some sugar and some bakers yeast, and you'll have some kind of trash wine. :)

[@Tallnerdyguy]

@@youtubkeeper Eh in going to australia, Most bars brew their own beer. Part of it is distribution. Part is not having the kind of beer mass producing like EU or US

[@oldbearhoney]

Just want to confirm that getting licensed, insured, starting a winery for business sucks. I’m stubborn enough to have done this the first year of Covid. All my renewals are popping up. As a small tiny micro winery, not sure if we will break even or not yet. But!! As an extra to our shop selling honey for us and multiple beeks, and tourist trap gift shop, it’s a great draw. We also make and sell wine and mead vinegar. Also a science project to meet federal guidelines but a desired product. Thanks for your videos!!

[@SPACE_CHUCK_NORRIS]

The human body is really an amazing thing. If you start throwing up because you drank to much, stop!. That's your body trying to get rid of the poison and saying "we need to back it down here bud..." I just started my first 5 gallon mead with pineapple like 13 days ago. Hope it goes well, still bubbling. Great videos and very informative! My best to you and your wife!

[@hithere4719]

Yes! One of several lessons I learned from my first batch was that drinking too much homebrew wine makes me just as sick as drinking too much store-bought wine 😂

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@hithere4719 it's still alcohol.

[@CynCopeland-TheAnswerIsMeat]

13:25 - The South African couple that died did so due to alcohol poisoning which was the result of them adding a clear spirit to spike the ABV to ridiculous levels and then drinking it like a 5% or so alcohol beer. If you down a fifth of Scotch in under 5 minutes, you'll likely experience a similar outcome.

[@leroylewis6797]

If home brewing was so dangerous they wouldn't be selling the equipment in home brew shops.....

[@CitySteadingBrews]

They also sell chainsaws, knives, hammers and guns, but... they're not necessarily safe either.

[@peglamphier4745]

I'm a more experienced cheese maker than mead maker and we get these sorts of questions with cheese all the time. People worry that the mold will make them sick or that the cheese will have Clostridium botulinum from adding herbs, etc. It's SUPER hard to poison people with food PERIOD (said a lady with a microbiology degree). Cheese, like wine/beer, has natural deterants to the bad stuff.... which is why ancient people made cheese and alcohol out of food as a way to preserve food.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Exactly!

[@russellthorburn9297]

Yes, just like in cooking, if you use moldy and/or rotten ingredients and/or dirty implements to prepare the food/drink then you might get sick from ingesting the food/drink.

[@kevincleveland763]

Methanol Alcohol (“wood alcohol”) is called that because it is fermented wood. And isopropyl alcohol is made for advanced chemistry that was too complex for me to explain or understand. I don’t think you getting through these from fermentation using grain or fruit or honey. I stand corrected I didn’t know that there were even trace amounts of methanol in a regular brew. Wowsers!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You're definitely getting methanol but not isopropyl due to how that is made.

[@rodneyberry7413]

I have a wine with a fg of .982 which is lowest ive ever had and reaches 16.5 abv! Sg was 1.104 with QA23. What's has been your lowet reading ever? Ive checked and rechecked 2 weeks later so final is correct. What are your thoughts?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I think 0.982 was ours too.

[@mtnbkr5478]

Just wanted to toss you guys a thank you when I saw your video in my feed. I got started about a year ago after watching several of your videos, you answered a couple questions for me and provided the basis of several of my favorite recipes. I just opened up a half-gallon jar of "cheap concord with bread yeast" that's been chillin' in the cupboard for the last nine months because I wasn't a fan of it young, so I kind of forgot I had it, and the girlfriend and I both agreed it was fantastic with a little age. I guess it's time to get some more started.

[@kookwater456]

Point of this video: every homebrewer is required to have an RBOS (Red Bucket of Sanitazation)

[@DroneHDTV]

subbed after checking at least 10 vids lol. My motorhome is not in use right now perfect to moonshine it lol. No really just wine

[@timhoward7597]

It’s not true. I’ve drank home made wine for YEARS, and haven’t gone blind. I’m just now needing glasses!

[@MrTatoPaz]

Once, a small batch of beer got contaminated, but even on this it was drinkable... just became a Sour Ale instead of Cream Ale...

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup, most of the time, it's not dangerous, but might be unexpected, could be good or taste vile, but still not dangerous.

[@kyrkbymannen]

My colleague often says "It's dangerous to live, you could die!". People today worry too much! :-) But with that said, it's of course good to be a bit careful in life!

[@terrycuyler5659]

Home brew does affect your vision haven't you ever heard of beer goggles? LOL

[@flamephlegm]

Good to clarify this stuff! I’ve been wondering about homebrewing Sugarwash (or its close cousin the Finnish drink called “Kilju” [pronounced “Kill you” lol]). I was thinking it might easier to just brew the alcohol portion and then kill the fermentation and add flavors etc. after the fact for a simpler process. Have you ever done something like that?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We are doing it soon actually, lol.

[@lancehobbs8012]

That's basically what hard seltzer is!

[@gusingha291]

Hi Can we use vodka for sanitizing fermenting equipment and bottles?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can but sanitizer is better.

[@gusingha291]

Thanks for your quick reply I was using vodka for quite some time to sanitize bottles and other things. I got worried when you talked about alcohol rubbing. Though I always ensured no vodka residue is left, I always dried the bottles. Love from Jaipur,India.

[@OrKkTeKk]

Carrots have a high sugar content, carrots wine sounds interesting to me, any chance it's interesting to you... Also, related strange question. If it's grains it's beer, if it's fruit it's wine, if it's honey it's mead. What if it's a veggie?

[@samljer]

No. roll credits.

[@Dave_en]

The best thing about homebrew stuff is that I don't have hangovers after the effects of alcohol subsides. I don't suffer from headache later. Slowly we start feeling high and at the same rate the intoxication goes down.

[@ap0c4lyptyc]

Perfect way to start off the day! Thanks for this! I always look forward to the content here, keep it up you all!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@RocRizzo]

Been brewing mead, beer, and cider for more than 20 years, and my vision has improved! No, you cannot go blind from brewing. Distilling, is a bit different. Make Cyser. It's liquid gold!

[@geekUGH2]

Thanks for your talk about this news about ppl poisoning themselves.. It was really time that somebody talked about this ..

[@johanpretorius3759]

Excellent Video.. Also hailing from South Africa, I started making my own wines based on a lot of your information. I like doing 10L ( +/- 3Gal) batches, and always end up giving it to friends and family. I enjoy the process more than the product, having sort off stopped drinking about a year ago. Your Video is now my "go-to" link when friends and family question the safety of safely brewed homebrews. :-) thank you!

[@locoxti88]

Maybe it's Turbo Cider because they add caffeine to it lmfao... like the old school 4locos.

[@terrycuyler5659]

Short answer clean your brewing area and equipment before you even try to make wine or beer and dont drink till you falling down drunk

[@gterplaasboer]

Another shout-out from the Southern Land of Prohibition (South Africa)! I found you guys before the whole lockdown drama started, but now I am glad I did. The twist in all the politics is that finding the equipment (and yeast) is extremely difficult. So bread yeast it is ;-) But it's fun experimenting in the meantime. But guess what?! When this is over, I'll probably keep brewing, anyway! Question, though: by lack of glass carboy, I am using 5 liter (just over a gallon, for you guys!) PET food jars. Reckon they are food safe, so they should be brew safe, too?

[@gterplaasboer]

@@ethanbooysen7092 Of course! And methinks we must club together to keep Brian supplied with enough Rooibos Tea for the next 50 years! Can't wait for the book!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I can get behind that!

[@TumiMatheba]

Ethan Booysen true 😭🤣

[@tyronecrossmanphotography2713]

@@ethanbooysen7092 O ja!

[@tyronecrossmanphotography2713]

@@gterplaasboer Good idea!

[@Sirrahlala]

Using food-safe ingredients, equipment and processes protects people in general from poisoning-- whether cooking, canning or brewing.

[@worddunlap]

The antidote to methanol is ethanol....finish your home brew, problem solved.

[@keithwilson9378]

i think whats going on too are many people are home brewing these days times are hard so they going to come up with some hyped up news against home brewing and stilling has some dangers but even with that u got to know what u are doing with everything dont put pop rocks in your mouth and drink coke your stomach will blow up what you think happened to mikey the boy that would eat any thing from the 80s lol well he ate pop rocks and drinking coke his stomach blow up . lol just clowning i think i just drinked to much home brew

[@galvaaman1hw865]

Homebrewing Dangerous..?? who blew up these? big brewing companies?? they 're affraid if more n more people knows that its not that complex to make drinkable alcohol... all government also do not like these trend... why..?? Tax Income... just like big cigarette companies vs vape smokes..

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup. Part of the ethos of our channel is to explain a lot of the mystery of homebrewing.

[@allensmall3937]

It is believed both couples died after adding almost pure 97% alcohol in the form of ethanol into their home brew to make it stronger, but in so doing poisoned themselves.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Well, there you go, but... in one bottle, even drinking 97% alcohol would just make you really drunk and sick before killing you. There's more to that story.

[@rasolomonjr]

What is your favorite, just add yeast and wait store bought juice? So many varieties to try with no *ate or *ite at store.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Grape.

[@carlstymonds22]

Haha, i love you guys. 🤗 And thanks for the clarity.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Any time!

[@SA12String]

People are easily confused. They get confused between the higher methyl alcohol levels separated in distilling and the tiny levels developed during brewing. If you're not distilling, don't worry about it. If you ARE distilling, learn before you dive into it...er...blindly. Also, regarding the levels of methanol in wine or cider: along with the methanol, there is also ethyl alcohol which is a method of treating methanol poisoning. It binds to the methanol molecules and stops their conversion to formate, the toxic metabolite produced when methanol is processed by the body. So, while drinking the microscopic amounts of methanol you might find in beer, wine and ciders, you're also drinking the antidote.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup

[@keikei79]

I'd say home brews are safer than commercial brews because you know exactly what you put in them. You should be careful though if you give your brews to someone else who might be allergic to ingredients you used.

[@Quintinohthree]

Which is another benefit, you know exactly what went into your brew so you can inform your friends whether there are any allergens in the ingredients.

[@jacobhargiss3839]

Yeah, I learned that lesson the hard way with some penut wine.

[@vipervidsgamingplus5723]

Sure it can be dangerous, thats why you pay attention to what you're doing. If you start throwing poisonous into it, then sure it can. It's not hard as long as you can read.

[@tygrahof9268]

Remember, the Romans made beer and other alcoholic brews on the march across continents. No special anything.

[@terischannel]

Idk how or why KZbin decided to recommend your channel to me (I've never watched any videos on brewing but I do brew). I am very glad to have found your channel. Great information in every video I have seen. This is by far my favorite video so far. I would really like to see some videos on your different diluting and flavoring methods. I am sure there are some I haven't seen yet. Great content, thanks.