Vinegar?

[Ohnidog]

Anyone else make their own vinegar? I've made a few to date...intentionally, I'm not talking about infected brews!
I started off using the "mother" that delveloped as a pellicle in an old bottle of white wine vinegar. I took a sample of it of it and used it to make a elderflower vinegar from an elderflower champagne. I've since used the same culture to make a stout vinegar, from bottling bucket dregs and have used the dregs of that to start a palm/toddy vinegar from fermented palm sugar.
It usually takes a few months of waiting but the result is great and it's a great use of dregs that are either going to be dumped or drunk in shame!

[Simon_]

I'm really keen to get some vinegars going but I'm unsure how to get the mother going.
I've got plenty of different store bought vinegars hanging around indefinitely but without pellicle. Are these vinegars likely to have been pasturised or do I just need to expose them to the air?

Can I chuck some vinegar into my target alcohol and leave it exposed for a couple of months? Is there any brand of vinegar that is definitely suitable for getting a starter going?

[LordEoin]

a healthfood shop might have unpasteurized apple cider vinegar.

[LordEoin]

http://www.thehealthstore.ie/index.php/food-superfood/superfood/bragg-organic-apple-cider-vinegar-with-the-mother.html

[Bubbles]

http://www.thehealthstore.ie/index.php/food-superfood/superfood/bragg-organic-apple-cider-vinegar-with-the-mother.html

I've seen that one for sale in a few shops.

This one is also widely available, I believe it's made by Con Traas, supplier of the group buy apple juice. It comes with the vinegar mother and I'm tempted to make a batch myself. Something cool about the idea of using a vinegar starter which comes from the same apple trees as my cider.

Was doing a bit of reading about it recently, and apparently you need a fairly high level of alcohol (~7%) in the cider to make good vinegar.. though I can't remember exactly why...   

http://www.irishfooddirect.ie/p/126/karmine

[LordEoin]

I  might take a trip over to holland and barrett at lunch and pick one up.
I have a few spare bottles of wine that I can play with

[Ohnidog]

Yeah that unpasturised cider vinegar should do the trick. If you have any vinegars at home, check if theres any lumpy, jelly like stuff in the bottom of the bottle, if there is that vinegar will work too.

Here's a pretty straight forward method http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Vinegar

If you are making a beer vinegar don't bother with anything hoppy, its just going to turn out cheesy

[magnethead]

This looks interesting, I'd like to do this with a 5 Gallon Carboy



The reason you want a high Alcohol Cider is because all the "healthy" aspects come from the Alcohol conversion. The alcohol in the hard cider is what transforms via fermentation into acetic acid, which is the beneficial organic compound that gives apple cider vinegar its sour taste.

Just picked a bottle up here http://www.ancientpurity.com/applecidervinegar500ml

I hope to be back later with that pic ;p just need the Irish sun to appear. and another group buy of apple juice 

Apparently a load of health benefits to it 

[imark]

I've a demijohn of malt vinegar here too much oxygen on a sour for too long 😢