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.
We made a page all about what GEAR you need for Brewing, have a look: www.city-steading.com/gear
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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!?

[@glennware1815]

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

[@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.😀

[@solve5267]

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.

[@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😂

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@justinwagoner5213]

I absolutely love that I found your channel. I've been wanting to start dabbling in mead making myself. And by far y'all have given me the most honest, truthful, accurate, and genuine information I've ever seen on anyones videos I've ever watched. Thank you soo much

[@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.

[@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!

[@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.

[@PrepperSmurf]

I’m really digging the small ad snips from y’all in these vids. There great plugs, and pretty smart thinking on Y’all’s part. When my Test Subjects ask if HomeBrewing is safe, I just tell them it gives Super Powers to those that are Worthy. This was a great topic to cover, I’ll be linking this to those that are “Concerned”

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Awesome!! Thank you.

[@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!

[@bryanmoore7229]

Thank you for making this video. It’s probably one of your best. Lots of people should see this. 🤘👍❤️

[@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.

[@dennisshoemaker2789]

I have to say I enjoyed the answers as much as the questions. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@geekUGH2]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@mrkbwyr6079]

This had me cracking up ! I Really enjoyed the humor and educational content ! Much love !

[@devinhall1631]

im from Canada, I've stumbled across your channel in the incredible algorithmic bottomless pit that is KZbin, and a few others have popped up, thanks for the info and safety info. one thing i see keep coming up is home brews are more savory or dry than commercial products, which i kind of hope for. me and the GF find a lot of stuff sold at the store. wine and ciders to be far too sweet. i'm in the process of looking for some decent yeast before we try. thanks for all the info from canada!

[@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!

[@micahtutor659]

thanks for another great video and info, very informative. thanks Brian and Derica be safe and well. Micah

[@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.

[@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.

[@craigbryant9925]

Even people who aren't homebrewers are buying non alcoholic versions of commercial brews and adding hand sanitizer and other nasty "alcohols" to try and get buzzed. It's horrific.

[@kevinhendrickse6118]

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

[@nickgarnero9843]

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

[@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!

[@iannicely1]

Thanks for the video regarding a post I made in one of the groups on Facebook.

[@thelatelatestreamwithsmile8698]

I've been homebrewing for more than 6 months now and this channel inspired me to get started. My first batch of mead I experimented with backsweetening with boche honey (which I made) but I didn't have a scale so I WAAAY oversweetened for secondary and it was just.... awful. I had to dilute it with black tea to make something enjoyable which took the whole first gallon to find the right balance for. My second batch though, I used raw honey 7 - 8 pounds in a 3 gallon carboy. Perfect, I love a dry mead my guys, and turns out so do most of my friends and coworkers. I don't drink much myself so it's been a nice way for me to give back to my community of friends. This series of videos and a good old friend of mine inspired me to make some mijiu which I intened to share with him when we can get together again. I joined the FB group, I'm not very active (if at all) but I was pleased to find some of the people I know from my hometown were on there too. Haven't hit them up yet to see if they have any projects going but I've been meaning to shoot the shit with them for a bit.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

FB group? We closed that years ago. We do have a VIP group though... www.city-steading.com/vip-club There is also a fan club group that we do not run.

[@thelatelatestreamwithsmile8698]

@@CitySteadingBrews Ah, that makes sense, I didn't even check to see who was managing the group I just saw the name and assumed it was you guys. Thanks for the reply though! I'll be happy to check out the VIP Club then :)

[@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

[@craigbeaty8924]

Great video! Clear and concise information. Thanks for doing what you do!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kevinmugford8373]

Thanks for the video I will be starting my first batch in August and from what I've already researched I knew that mead was safe but you video definitely hit all the points I've heard mentioned before.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@barrytdrake]

Welcome! You have a long, enjoyable hobby ahead of you. Never give up!

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@brewed544]

Loving this channel and both Derica and Brian. As a thoroughly brewed home brewer brewing the brews that these 2 brewers bring to us is AWESOME!! ha

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Lol, thank you!

[@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.

[@tyronecrossmanphotography2713]

I'm really so glad I came across your channel! You guys are amazing and it's good to be following you with the times

[@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.

[@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.

[@rollingchairs4742]

I’ve just started my journey into learning how to make mead and I plan on attempting it in the near future. Thanks for teaching so much information!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You're welcome!

[@ps3shaun11]

Im just doing my first homebrew ever right now of mead, i popped 0.75lb of honey into a 1.5 litre of water and added mangrove mead yeast. i left it in the original 1.5l water bottle and added the yeast with plans to change the container after 2 weeks (rack), hopefully my friends or myself dont die with the reassurance i have received here. also love the videos CS love from Scotland

[@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.

[@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!!

[@carlstymonds22]

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

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Any time!

[@Skulltap]

Love the brew talks, and this one is a fun one :) On a side note you guys have something coming to a PO box near you ^_^

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Aww thanks!

[@pierremakram7861]

Thanks a lot for answering these questions now I'll enjoy my brews without fear, I really learn a lot of things from this channel you're very helpful guys you made me really love this hobby.. THANK YOU :)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Welcome!

[@RussellSpear]

Good video. After all, long before people even knew what yeast was they made mead and beer and managed to live. :)

[@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

[@azzastube9220]

This was very informative, thank you.

[@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.

[@rova4652]

Good video! Loving brew talk thanks guys

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Our pleasure!

[@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.

[@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.

[@LordHughfusJarted]

Hi guys, im a UK expat now living in Norway. and ive been brewing beer/cider/wine for my own consumption for about 6 months or so. (many thanks, btw Ive learned a great deal from your videos in the time ive been brewing).. Re. someones question of home brew bottles exploding. I personally avoid the issue by using plastic drinks bottles. 1.5 litre coke bottles to be precise. ( thats what? 3 pints, or a week night in old money). bottles. I like them bottles As always, really enjoying the channel guys, a great mix of fun and facts. . Cheers.

[@loringlass419]

The only thing you have to worry about is what chemicals might be leeching into your brew from the plastic, soda bottles were never expected to have alcohol in them. Also you can blow up a plastic bottle but it just splits open and makes a mess, no glass flying around.

[@Tallnerdyguy]

Depends on the plastic, but any temperature not within ideal range can be carcinogenic.

[@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!

[@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.

[@THEOtherWicKedViKing]

So have you been told you give off an Alton Brown vibe. Just found this channel as I want to start mead making and this channel is a great place for info. Thank you.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup! I get that a lot. And Adam Savage.

[@THEOtherWicKedViKing]

Maybe the hair i guess can match Adam. My first impression was "Most people would tell you *throws over shoulder said important thing* im not most people" Instant relation to AB

[@CitySteadingBrews]

lol

[@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.

[@alansmith8435]

Hi, I have just started watching your videos as I am considering trying wine home brewing, haven't started yet however I did make beer homebrew many years ago. I'm an Aussie and a lot of people do not understand Aussie slang like "blind drunk, is very similar to "pissed as a parrot" and many other sayings. So using Australian slang home brew can make you blind (drunk) if you drink enough of it. Thanks for the videos.

[@1978garfield]

First of your videos I have seen. I just have to say, you 2 are totally adorable!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@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.

[@hbg8683]

Thank you for this video Love yall ✌😁✌🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️

[@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.

[@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

[@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!

[@DirtyVineyard]

Glad I found you, just had to sub! Cheers!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Welcome aboard!

[@barrytdrake]

Welcome! Brian and Derica have lots of great advice, even for us long time homebrewers. I like the way they think. Also, check out CS Cooks and Grows! I am in love with the "One Dough to Rule Them All" recipe; I made Focaccia and two loaves of bread the other night.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@@barrytdrake thank you!

[@CptWacko]

You said so many times that adding rubbing alcohol to your brew is very stupid and dangerous that my brain went: "Can you add grain alcohol?!?". I'm never going to add alcohol to anything in that manner but maybe you should answer that question too. Great channel!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Grain alcohol is the kind you drink. You can add that.

[@Tallnerdyguy]

It's just going to be 150+ proof

[@nicksounds]

love the video guys . thank you keep it up

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thank you! Will do!

[@nicksounds]

I just found you guys I'm also from SA. they have lifted the ban but I have fallen in love with the process of fermenting .now binge watching all your vids

[@virgileorigney6505]

Just a heads up Brian the person from South Africa there Handel means crazy tomato 🤣🤣🤣 love your channel have a great day

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I can appreciate a crazy tomato.

[@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!

[@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

[@scottcain8996]

I just started 2 days ago, making own Mead. A blueberry one and a chocolate, strawberry , rose petal one. I love your videos, they are very informative. I hope everything turns out ok for me.

[@DR3WTUBE]

Something tells me we both started brewing after seeing a particular gentleman on tik tok? I have so many in the process right now

[@Tallnerdyguy]

Chocolate might be very difficult to balance. Just because its on tiktrack, doesn't mean it wasn't edited

[@puddlywuddlenob2654]

loved the middle part after a commercial when the face spun in and out. This is very blissful to learn from.

[@DirtDigglerDetecting]

Thanks for asking Zak :)

[@folkmarcmetal]

Nice video as always leonard hofstadter and mrs hofstadter

[@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.

[@stanimirandrei6919]

Hi guys, been watching your videos for a long time now and I love them to bits. A month ago I made my first mead and it tasted good after first fermentation but I added 3lbs of orange to my 1 gallon and after a week it tastes like gone bad fruit. Is there anything I can do or is it ruined? Skol

[@CitySteadingBrews]

First… if it was good, why add anything? Just something to keep in mind. Orange is difficult for fermentation. It gives that flavor. Sometimes aging help. But it may take a year of aging to fix it.

[@TheAverageEuropean]

I am aware this video is already two years old, and it is also possible this has been adressed elsewhere. Methanol aka "bad alcohol", as you guys said, is present in tiny small quantities in home brews and consuming those products is perfectly safe, because the amount of "bad alcohol" is well balanced by much higher quantity of ethanol aka "good alcohol", consumption of which actually counter the effects of the "bad guy". As a matter of fact, in case of methanol poisoning, the FIRST AID anyone should go for is ethanol. In other words: Where I come from, if by any chance you end up in the hospital with symptoms of methanol poisoning, they will pump you up full vodka. If you arrive in time, before you get blind or with your liver completely gone, all you end up with is terrible hangover. Simple as that. Guys, thanks for great vids, I love your channel, we do home brews for years at home, but I have never tried mead. Thanks again.

[@nelsensalling4486]

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

[@O2CP]

Thanks for the video. Safety is always a concern and a serious topic, glad you talk about it in details. From what was said in the video, one could conclude that the tale-tells of a dangerous batch would be rancid smells, gag reflexes and colored moss of all kind floating about in the liquid. How exhaustive are these signs? I don't exactly WANT to believe that there must be invisible/undetectable threats to our health, but it's not unheard of that something that was looking and smelling safe would end up being dangerous. For sure, it is a solid reasoning to first and foremost assess the obvious threats by just smelling and looking at the batch to identify blatant risks, but are there ways to identify more discreet threats? Are there such discreet threats at all? I do know about some "invisible" threats ("overlooked" threats could be a more accurate way to say it), the big one being ethanol, and you named some expected byproducts of the fermentation process, but I'm curious about any unwanted other ones. Thanks!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

99.999% of the invisible threats are soooooo rare and sadly undetectable. Botulism for instance is nearly impossible to identify, but, there've been less than 100 cases in the US in the past couple decades. Ethanol is the alcohol we drink on purpose by the way.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Fermentation is natural. If you didn't add things to it that aren't edible or drinkable, you should be fine so long as you didn't leave your fruits in a sock for three weeks.

[@O2CP]

@@CitySteadingBrews Thanks for the quick answer, as always :) You guys rock! I do know Ethanol is the "food alcohol" and that its presence is hardly a surprise (hell, I even wear a "ethanol" tshirt right now, with its simple molecule printed on it), but so few people actually acknowledge how dangerous alcohol can be (is what I meant to say). I do have a slight problem with just saying "it's natural" as if it could be enough to reassure that it's not dangerous or risky. Many natural processes are dangerous, many natural things are deadly. But I believe you pretty much answered my question in your other post, botulism being unfortunately very hard to detect. I guess it really emphasis the absolute need for careful and thorough sanitisation. Thanks!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@@O2CP death is a natural process too if that puts it in perspective :) --(that sounded like a threat! OMG, no it's not, just a play on the concept)

[@O2CP]

​@@CitySteadingBrews :D :D

[@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

[@teperikaetr]

I have been making. Vinegar, cider wine mead, wild fermentation way. I don't use yeast because I don't know the process. But so far I have been doing great. I love making them. In the early process I leave a bottle or two as cider and the rest goes to the carboy for longer time. I love it.

[@darksideofearth1]

Will be buying your book 👍

[@WILDWILLXD]

I love this channel

[@nashuer2810]

Now maybe I misinformed but I would wager that most people who think that homebrew can kill you are either like me very new to the hobby or don't brew at all because my first gallon of Mead turned out horrible just because I didn't know how to seal my bucket until a friend of mine showed me that there's a little plastic ring you have to tear off silly I know but I got ahead of myself ruined that first batch I was still able to drink it though so it's really good you guys decided to put this video out to dispel that

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup. That describes most people!

[@carolyntracytalbott5865]

Thanks for the video!!!!

[@thesisterfister2984]

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

[@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.

[@thebonecone]

Hi again, was wondering if it’s normal to find a small amount of dark bits in the yeast sediment after fermentation. I use home brewers wine yeast in store bought apple and orange juice to make wine. It kinda looked like coffee grounds and was right at the very bottom underneath all the other yellowy grey sediment. Most was dark grey/black and one in apple juice had a greenish colour. It smells fine just a bit yeasty.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

The sediment can be a variety of colors, sure.

[@natalienicolaou1]

ok, complete newbie question, I can handle constructive criticism, but please don't be mean. I received some mead-making supplies for Christmas and was very excited to get started so I washed everything then used rubbing alcohol to attempt to sterilize the carboy then I rinsed it out about 4 times with water. That was the only pseudo sterilizing I did. I made a blueberry pomegranate fruit mead ..... melomel ?......and it looks like it's going well. I was only going to ferment for a month or I guess when the yeast dies off. I have a lot to learn and am watching tons of videos. I bought sterisan and another carboy for my next batch. but the question is, can I safely drink my mead in a month?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Time is not absolute in brewing. Can you? Possibly. Will it be done and great to drink? Nearly impossible to say given the info I have from you. The only real issue I see is the rubbing alcohol. If you rinsed well it’s “ok”, but that stuff is toxic so I wouldn’t clean with it where food is involved.

[@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.

[@davegunning637]

I really enjoy the channel. I have a question you may of mentioned and I missed it maybe. I am making 6 gallons of Traditional mead in a brewing bucket with 6 teaspoons of nutrient 6 teaspoon of energizer and 10g (2 Packets) of Lalvin EC-1118 and 12 pounds of Raw Texas honey. Yes I star san everything. Ok now the batch has started burping aka releasing its gases. Are those gases harmful to breathed in? I can smell it lightly the brew processing from the burps, kinda smells like yeast bread. Are those burping gases harmful? They are near by because of the temp in my house is perfect anywhere else may kill or slow the process. It is cooooold out!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

While I wouldn’t breathe them exclusively no, sniffing or being in the room is not harmful.

[@TheGreatPyroWolf]

Question, in the process of making meed W/guava my airlock broke and it was about a week before I could get a new one, how likely is it that some type of bacteria or fungi infected the brew? Also a few drops of diluted sanitizer may or may not have fallen in, is that a problem?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Fairly unlikely. Should be CO2 produced too so you're likely fine.

[@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.

[@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.

[@robertsmith9836]

Well impressed with your t-shirt, living in Yorkshire I love to believe I have some viking ancestors due to raping and pillaging. Is fermentation a greater discovery than fire?

[@robertjeffery3237]

Brian, Derica, I’ve seen a “turbo” yeast to make an claimed ABV in excess of 25%. It is intended for a sugar wash that is to be distilled. What is your opinion of using that system for home brew, skipping the distillation step of course?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Fast, Overly strong, and flavorful generally don't coexist.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

That stuff is made for distilling... that means the flavors produced during fermentation are unimportant. I tried it once in a kilju, it was horrible. Absolutelyl horrible.

[@Alwis-Haph-Rytte]

Brian is right, it s for distilling and it has an off taste. But their is a turbo for fruits that has to have simple sugars like honey or invert sugar and "not" granulated sugar it doesn't like it. It gives the same bad taste if used as the primary yeast. Now here is the side step to this. My Beer not wine, went Dry 2x, stuck ginger beer and gruit beer that wasn't bottled on time. Since I had some because of the curiosity, I used it for bottling to carbonate. It still had a little of off flavor but was better than me dumping 2 gallons of flat beer, LOL. After a week of cold crashing in the fridge and pouring a good head, it was drinkable. I made gruit with it as primary yeast before. I called it pineapple farts. It contained no pineapple. If you want high ABV, just add liquor to your glass, not turbo to your brew. I like gin or vodka in my ginger beer.