****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
The country where I was assigned during COVID had a very strong response to the outbreak that included, curiously, a total ban on alcohol sales (and you thought you had it bad). I was not amused. But when life gives you Prohibition, make hooch. So bought the cheapest and best reviewed yeast I could find, which happened to be this one, and had it shipped via diplomatic mail. I am writing this review now that I have left said country. I assume the statute of limitations has passed.Despite my complete lack of brewing experience, I can happily report that this yeast performed and produced a tasty, cider/mead-like alcoholic beverage that started as water, sugar, and yeast. For benefit of the complete novice (which was me), I'll summarize my experience/recipe. It's bound to have errors, as I am no brewmaster or distiller, but it worked for my purposes:1) Make the sugar wash/wort. Dissolve 1 kg of sugar per 3 liters of hot water. I used turbinado sugar, which likely gave the finished product more flavor.2) Wait for the sugar solution cool to around 90 degrees F.3) Sprinkle ~1 tsp/11 grams of yeast per 1 gallon/3 liters of sugar wash. This is way more than the instructions on the bag direct (1-2 grams per gallon). The yeast is cheap, so I opted for overkill to make things started off right. I also proofed some yeast in a small glass and dumped that into the mixture.4) Stir.5) Pour into containers. I used a variety of mason jars, sterilized in the microwave, with lids screwed loose enough for the carbon dioxide to escape. Use a real airlock if available.6) Store the containers out of direct sunlight, ideally between 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit, shaking occasionally. The yeast will flocculate up and down, and bubbles will form.7) Wait, according to taste. I tried a glass after 2 days at 85 degrees. It tasted like hard apple cider, still fairly sweet, but with alcohol evident in both the taste and the physiological effects. I left the rest of the batch to continue fermentation. At day 3, it still tasted like apple cider, but with a bit of Riesling mixed in. Eventually either all the sugar will be consumed or the alcohol content will rise to a maximum level. The rate of fermentation depends on temperature, so this will take longer with colder temperatures.8) If desired, stop fermentation and kill/deactivate the yeast by heating or cold crashing in the freezer (but don't let it freeze).9) Enjoy in your own speakeasy as you wait for Prohibition to end and to be allowed outside again.
