Vinegar, that titan of international commerce…. (only $500 million traded per year globally) True or not, vinegar has found its way into the crosshairs of the growing trade war between the US and China. In the most recent round of tariff proposals, which were originally set at 10% but are now 25%, the US added HTS code 2209 – which … Read More
My vinegar smells like acetone (nail polish remover)!
If you make vinegar long enough you have to tackle almost every problem. I sometimes get emails and questions about an “acetone” smell from vinegar, very similar to nail polish remover. What does this mean? First, you must understand the process by which acetic acid bacteria turn alcohol into vinegar. The short chemical pathway is: Alcohol (Ethanol) + Oxygen -> … Read More
4th of July: The Quartering Act and vinegar
The Quartering Act of 1765 was made to make the American colonists pay for local British garrisons after the debt incurred by Great Britain from the French and Indian (Seven Years’) War. As one of the intolerable acts that led to the Revolution, it imposed direct costs on colonists without their consent. In Clause VI (and some others) vinegar is … Read More
The deal on light and vinegar (and kombucha) fermentation
Many vinegar makers have asked me about the question of the effect of light on vinegar production. The temperature effects on vinegar production are well known but the effects of light are more subtle. First things first: the typical ambient light in your house does not seriously impair vinegar production. Therefore, there is no need to religiously keep vinegar production … Read More
Will 2018 or 2019 see a sherry vinegar shortage?
Sherry vinegar (Vinagre de Jerez) has increasingly become well-known and a hot commodity. The trade industry association of sherry vinegar vinagreros (vinegar makers) in Andalusia, Asevijerez, has indicated a widespread concern in the industry due to a shortage of sherry wine used as raw material to make sherry vinegar. As is well-known, the traditional sherry vinegar process can take time … Read More
Making apricot vinegar
Photo courtesy: Miguel Alan Córdova Silva Most of my blog posts have been about making vinegar or its history. I am going to start adding some special recipes as well. Today’s special is apricot vinegar and all you need are dried apricots, sugar, brewery’s yeast, and raw vinegar with mother. It produces a good vinegar, particularly sweet if you do … Read More
More information on making malt vinegar
Many people read and commented on our post regarding beer and malt vinegar. In order to help aspiring malt vinegar makers, we are linking this article about malt vinegar manufacturing from Roderick N. Greenshields from the University of Aston in Birmingham. No one does malt vinegar better than the British and Greenshields was one of the best experts. Birmingham was … Read More
Make your own vinegar poster!
In order to help the legions of those trying to make their own vinegar, we have developed a poster for making your own vinegar! Please see the JPEG image below. Let us know what you think! Click the image for full size. A professional poster version can be ordered for a homebrew shop from LD Carlson. Please do not print … Read More
Quickly Make Vinegar: The Semi-Quick Process for Making Vinegar (The Boerhaave Process)
Read the full book on the history of vinegar, Vinegar, The Eternal Condiment available on Amazon! Vinegar making is many things: fun, educational, delicious, healthy, and an ancient tradition. I have made many posts about making vinegar at home and the traditional process, often called the “slow process” makes the most flavorful and well-rounded vinegar. The downside is the time: … Read More
Rose petal vinegar – a Supreme new product!
Introducing our new rose petal vinegar! Our in-house manufactured white wine (5% acidity) infused with food grade red rose petals. A delicious and soothing taste great for salads, marinades, or even as a soothing skin ointment! Buy here now! 250mL, 5% acidity