HOME BREWING

[stuhan]

4 hours ago, stuhan said:

Pineapple Mead/Melomel

• 5lbs of  Honey [2 X 1L bottles will do] check sugar content you want at least 75-79%
• 32oz of Pineapple Juice  [2L]
• Lalvin Champagne Yeast
• Yeast Nutrient
• 2tbsp of Lemon Peel
• 2tbsp of Bitter Orange Peel (or fresh orange peel)
• Water to the 2 gallon mark

I missed some info, you need to use 4L of pineapple juice not 2L, and if alc% not enough add sugar to bring it up using your hydrometer.

Sorry it was 2am when i posted,cound'nt sleep arm aching from vaccine shot.

[stuhan]

OK, so i have been researching brewing with alternative sugars and have found that apart from detrose,cane,palm,honey,maple,granulated and many others for use in fermentation of beers and wines, and came across rice syrup made from brown rice.

 

Description

---

This 100% pure brown rice syrup provides proteins and amino acids necessary for yeast nutrition, head retention and body along with color and flavor. Because it is filtered, Clarified Brown Rice Syrup produces a very clear, finished beer without great difficulty or product loss often experienced when trying to filter out insoluble (but colloidal suspended) protein.

This is a gluten free sugar source, and a great way to make gluten free beers! and wines.

As you can see it contains nutrients and that may be an advantage when it comes to making wine. It is cheaper than honey.So i thought why not try a wine alternative using rice syrup as it's sugar base and see how the taste and body of a wine changes [if any] using this syrup, and i will not add any additional nutrients.

I will try this in my spiced apple wine which was originally going to be a mead, i will start it next month.

Macro have the rice syrup at 280B for 3kg, that's cheaper than honey, although it's not going to be a mead it will be interesting to see how it works.

Another i will try later is coconut sugar to experiment with, macro have this to at 39B for 1kg about 18B more than normal sugar and has better qualities than normal sugar.

For me home brewing is all about experimenting and trying new things,i really enjoy trying out different idea's, enjoyable and rewarding.

 

[stuhan]

This maybe the answer to keeping your fermentation at a lower temp, a big problem in Thailand. All you need is a 2nd hand cheap freezer/fridge and this.

 

Edited September 16, 2021 by stuhan
edit

[Marble-eye]

21 minutes ago, stuhan said:

This maybe the answer to keeping your fermentation at a lower temp, a big problem in Thailand. All you need is a 2nd hand cheap freezer/fridge and this.

This was mine, it went faulty but replaced it with something similar, I made some great beers with it but now use it for freezing food. With the wine hoping to make it without the need for a kegerator, but they are very usefull.

[stuhan]

36 minutes ago, Marble-eye said:

This was mine, it went faulty but replaced it with something similar, I made some great beers with it but now use it for freezing food. With the wine hoping to make it without the need for a kegerator, but they are very usefull.

I will try it after i get a 2nd hand freezer next year. It seems to be the answer to the problem.

[stuhan]

Not sure if i posted this before,

 

 

When making wine, here is the basic guideline for sugar content for 1 gallon of wine

Dry Wine 2 lbs.
Medium 2 1/2 lbs.
Sweet 3 lbs.
Understand that you will be fermenting the sugar down to maximize the alcohol content. Sweetening should be done AFTER your wine has finished fermenting.

Keep in mind the sugar content of the fruit or grapes you are using. Some will require little adjustment. Others will need more sugar and an acid adjustment.

Taking hydrometer readings give you a better idea to see what you need to do.

Most recipes will give you a starting SG and acid content to begin making your wine.

Sugar Conversion Chart
2 1/2 ounces = 5 tablespoons
1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
1 pound = 2 cups granulated sugar (2 3/4 corn sugar)
4 pounds = 5 pounds honey
3 pounds = 5 pounds raisins
1 pound = 20 ounces grape concentrate
Tablet to Powder Conversion Chart
1 Acid blend tablet = 3/4 level tsp powder
1 Nutrient tablet = 1 level tsp powder
1 Tannin tablet = 1/4 level tsp powder
1 Energizer tablet = 1/4 level tsp powder
1 Pectic Enzyme tablet = 1/2 level tsp powder
1 Anit-Oxident tablet = 1/2 level tsp powder
1 Stabilizer = 1/2 level tsp powder
1 Sparkelloid tablet = 1 level tsp powder
Weight Equivalents of Powders
these are ALL approximates
Acid Blend ........ 5 1/2 tsp = 1 oz.
Sulfite .......... 3 Tbsp = 1 oz.
Honey ............ 1 1/2 cups = 1 lb.
Nutrient ......... 4 tsp = 1 oz.
Pectic Enzyme Powder ... 6 1/2 tsp = 1 oz.
Tartaric Acid Powder ... 5 1/2 tsp = 1oz

 

 

[JamesE]

1 hour ago, stuhan said:

Sweetening should be done AFTER your wine has finished fermenting.

I would disagree with you on this. In my experience you want to use all of the sugar during primary fermentation but select a yeast variety with somewhat less alcohol tolerance than your final product. This means that primary will extend out a bit longer than "normal" but the alcohol will rise only to the point you kill off your yeast. If you add the sugar slowly over several days the ferment won't go crazy (nor overheat) and will keep the temp down a bit. Of course, you have to be careful about exposure to wild yeasts so work clean. When I want a sweet wine I use Pasteur Red with a 16% alcohol tolerance and then oversweeten to maybe 30 Brix for a dessert wine or whatever less number will give you your target sweetness. The only issue is calculating the Brix in advance. Basically, you start with your initial must and calculate how much sugar you would have to add to get it to your target Brix. Then you add that much sugar over the primary ferment. I'm looking at my notes and I was adding sugar for over a week then fermented for an additional ten days (at 20C). Of course, your mileage may vary.

[stuhan]

47 minutes ago, JamesE said:

I would disagree with you on this. In my experience you want to use all of the sugar during primary fermentation but select a yeast variety with somewhat less alcohol tolerance than your final product. This means that primary will extend out a bit longer than "normal" but the alcohol will rise only to the point you kill off your yeast. If you add the sugar slowly over several days the ferment won't go crazy (nor overheat) and will keep the temp down a bit. Of course, you have to be careful about exposure to wild yeasts so work clean. When I want a sweet wine I use Pasteur Red with a 16% alcohol tolerance and then oversweeten to maybe 30 Brix for a dessert wine or whatever less number will give you your target sweetness. The only issue is calculating the Brix in advance. Basically, you start with your initial must and calculate how much sugar you would have to add to get it to your target Brix. Then you add that much sugar over the primary ferment. I'm looking at my notes and I was adding sugar for over a week then fermented for an additional ten days (at 20C). Of course, your mileage may vary.

Yes the way you describe is another good way to sweeten your wine, I have yet to try that method, I must admit I like very dry wines so I don't really have any need to sweeten

[JamesE]

14 minutes ago, stuhan said:

Yes the way you describe is another good way to sweeten your wine, I have yet to try that method, I must admit I like very dry wines so I don't really have any need to sweeten

Same-same. But I live next to a blueberry farm in the States so 15lbs of berries is very cheap. Makes a nice dessert wine. I made a plum-raspberry wine a few years back, used the same method but much less sugar. Very nice, dry rose look.

[Faraday]

I made Lamyai a couple of months ago, think I posted this earlier. Wasn't impressed at first, but now....really lovely colour & tastes very good.

Will probably make some more in the coming weeks, but this time I'll use white sugar.

First batch of Raspberry, has all gone. Lovely drop of vino.

How's your Lime wine, Stu?

[JamesE]

1 hour ago, Faraday said:

I made Lamyai a couple of months ago, think I posted this earlier. Wasn't impressed at first, but now....really lovely colour & tastes very good.

Will probably make some more in the coming weeks, but this time I'll use white sugar.

First batch of Raspberry, has all gone. Lovely drop of vino.

How's your Lime wine, Stu?

Got to let it get over the bottle shock. A week or two in primary, four to five months in secondary, and a couple of months after bottling and things really improve.

[stuhan]

2 hours ago, JamesE said:

Same-same. But I live next to a blueberry farm in the States so 15lbs of berries is very cheap. Makes a nice dessert wine. I made a plum-raspberry wine a few years back, used the same method but much less sugar. Very nice, dry rose look.

You lucky man, i am fortunate to have a large land at my home in thailand and have bananas,passion fruit,dragon fruit,mango's,thai gooseberry and jack fruit, the mango is my favorite it makes an amazing dry wine every time but only once a year.

[Marble-eye]

19 minutes ago, stuhan said:

You lucky man, i am fortunate to have a large land at my home in thailand and have bananas,passion fruit,dragon fruit,mango's,thai gooseberry and jack fruit, the mango is my favorite it makes an amazing dry wine every time but only once a year.

Can you use the green mangoes or does it have to be the yellow?

[stuhan]

5 hours ago, Faraday said:

I made Lamyai a couple of months ago, think I posted this earlier. Wasn't impressed at first, but now....really lovely colour & tastes very good.

Will probably make some more in the coming weeks, but this time I'll use white sugar.

First batch of Raspberry, has all gone. Lovely drop of vino.

How's your Lime wine, Stu?

Made it,bottled it, drank: it was ok and hit the mark,but won't do it again.

Edited September 18, 2021 by stuhan

[stuhan]

6 hours ago, Marble-eye said:

Can you use the green mangoes or does it have to be the yellow?

They must be yellow and very ripe. Messy preparing them and remember if your recipe calls for 2kg you will need 4kg as half the weight is skin and stone that you don't use. Make sure you get all the flesh and juice when preparing them. Really makes a great wine though, worth the mess.

Edited September 18, 2021 by stuhan
info

[stuhan]

 

Strawberry Mead (Melomel)

Strawberry Mead 2 gallons:

Ingredients:

2.1kg Honey

2 kg frozen and thawed strawberries (remove all green parts and cut into halves)

2 litres apple juice

2 cups strong black tea

Handful of raisins

Lalvin 71b Yeast

Yeast nutrient

2 bananas (chopped)

Method:

In a sterile fermenter add honey, apple juice, tea and enough water to make 2 gallons or just under if limited on space. Temperature to be around 18 Celsius.

Rehydrate yeast according to packet.

Aerate the must (shake or stir with sanitised spoon)

Add strawberries, banana, raisins and yeast.

Stir.

On day 1,2,3 & 7 of fermentation add ½ tsp yeast nutrient and aerate or stir.

Leave until fermentation has stopped using hydrometer. 3 stable readings over a week. Usually around 3 weeks.

Rack to another vessel onto 1 tsp potassium metabisulfite and 1 tsp potassium sorbate.

If too dry for your taste after 48hr on the sorbate and metabisulfite heat 600 grams honey lightly so it pours easy and add to mead with gentle stirring. Check for the next week to make sure fermentation hasn’t restarted!

Either use finings or wait for mead to clear and bottle.

Est o.g. 1.100 Est f.g. 1.000 (1.020 roughly if sweetened)

 

[stuhan]

 

Cherries & blackberries

Wine

2 gallon recipe

 

ingredients

1kg of sultanas.

600g packet of frozen cherries.

600g packet of frozen blackberries.

1.5kg of sugar.

 wine yeast

Water.

 

Method: wash the sultanas with some boiling water then put them in a pan with water and bring to a boil then simmer for 20 min then mash them with a potato masher then add to the fermenting bin then make some sugar syrup with all the sugar then add to the FB with the frozen cherries and blackberries press the soft fruit with the potato masher then leave to cool then add the wine yeast compound stir and cover then leave in a warm place to ferment for a week to 10 days you must stir 2 times a day then strain the fruit pulp with a fine muslin bag then wash the pulp with some cold tap water then strain and press the pulp to get all the fruit sugars out of the pulp then divide all the liquid in to the DJs top up to the neck with cold tap water then fit the airlocks and leave to fully ferment out when fermenting as fully stopped rack and mature for at least 6 to 12 months.

[stuhan]

 

 

Wine Making Ingredients – Suggested dosages

 

Yeast Energizer: ½ tsp – 1 ½ tsp per gallon (do not exceed 1 ½ tsp per gal.)

 

Yeast Nutrient: Use 1 teaspoon per gallon prior to fermentation beginning

 

Pectic Enzyme: Use 1/2 teaspoon per gallon

 

Potassium Metabisulfite: ¼ tsp + 1/8 tsp for 6 GALLONS. TO PURIFY JUICE: ABOUT THIS PRODUCT: (PS150) Potassium Bisulfite is a granulated powder that release sulfur dioxide when dissolved in a liquid. It is added in small doses directly to fresh juices 24 hour before adding yeast. This is to destroy any wild molds and bacteria that may have been on the fruit. Potassium Bisulfite is also used in stronger doses with water as an equipment sanitizer. You can use it to sanitize fermenting vessels, hydrometers, wine bottles, hoses or any other glass, metal, plastic or wood that comes into contact with your wine. Each 1/16 teaspoon of Potassium Bisulfite and will impart approximately 75 parts-per-million (p.p.m.) of sulfur dioxide (SO2) to each gallon of wine. Each gram will impart 238 p.p.m. to each gallon of liquid. Use our Campden Tablet Measurer to measure 1/16 of a teaspoon. Comes with complete directions.

TO PURIFY JUICE: Add one 1/16 teaspoon of Potassium Bisulfite per each gallon of juice, or for each 8 pounds of crushed fruit. Pre-dissolve in a small amount of water before adding to the juice. Allow the juice to ventilate in an open container for 24 yours before adding yeast. For over-ripe and potentially moldy fruits, double the dosage.

TO SANITIZE EQUIPMENT: All equipment should be cleaned with soapy water first. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of Potassium Bisulfite per each gallon of water. Also add 1/2 teaspoon of Citric Acid. Sanitize fermentation vessels by putting in 2 to 3 inches of solution in the bottom of the vessel. Seal the vessel air-tight for 20 minutes to allow the fumes from the solution to permeate the inside walls. You can also put in the vessel other equipment such as hoses, hydrometer, air-locks, and rubber stoppers to be sanitized at the same time.

AT BOTTLING TIME: Add 1/16 teaspoon per each gallon of wine to preserve its color and flavor. Pre-dissolve in a small amount of the wine first. Potassium Sorbate is also recommended at this time to eliminate re-fermentation. Bottle immediately after adding.

EACH 8 OUNCE JAR: is enough treat 500 gallons of wine or must one time, or it is enough to make 32 gallons of sanitizing solution.

 

Sodium Metabisulfite: TO PURIFY JUICE: ¼ tsp + 1/8 tsp for 6 GALLONS. ABOUT THIS PRODUCT: (PS110) Sodium Bisulfite is a granulated powder that release sulfur dioxide when dissolved in a liquid. It is added in small doses directly to fresh juices 24 hour before adding yeast. This is to destroy any wild molds and bacteria that may have been on the fruit. Sodium Bisulfite is also used in stronger doses with water as an equipment sanitizer. You can use it to sanitize fermenting vessels, hydrometers, wine bottles, hoses or any other glass, metal, plastic or wood that comes into contact with your wine. Each 1/16 teaspoon of Sodium Bisulfite and will impart approximately 55 parts-per-million (p.p.m.) of sulfur dioxide (SO2) to each gallon of wine. Each gram will impart 175 p.p.m. to each gallon of liquid. Use our Campden Tablet Measurer to measure 1/16 of a teaspoon. Comes with complete directions.

TO PURIFY JUICE: Add one 1/16 teaspoon of Sodium Bisulfite per each gallon of juice, or for each 8 pounds of crushed fruit. Pre-dissolve in a small amount of water before adding to the juice. Allow the juice to ventilate in an open container for 24 yours before adding yeast. For over-ripe and potentially moldy fruits, double the dosage.

TO SANITIZE EQUIPMENT: All equipment should be cleaned with soapy water first. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of Sodium Bisulfite per each gallon of water. Also add 1/2 teaspoon of Citric Acid. Sanitize fermentation vessels by putting in 2 to 3 inches of solution in the bottom of the vessel. Seal the vessel air-tight for 20 minutes to allow the fumes from the solution to permeate the inside walls. You can also put in the vessel other equipment such as hoses, hydrometer, air-locks, rubber stoppers to be sanitized at the same time.

AT BOTTLING TIME: Add 1/16 teaspoon per each gallon of wine to preserve its color and flavor. Pre-dissolve in a small amount of the wine first. Potassium Sorbate is also recommended at this time to eliminate re-fermentation. Bottle immediately after adding.

EACH 8 OUNCE JAR: is enough treat 500 gallons of wine or must one time, or it is enough to make 32 gallons of sanitizing solution.

Potassium Sorbate: This Potassium Sorbate, sometimes called “Wine Stabilizer”, is added to a finished wine before bottling to reduce the possibility of re-fermentation. It is strongly recommended that wine stabilizer be used in any wine you intend to sweeten or any wine that is still sweet after the fermentation is complete. Potassium Sorbate is a yeast growth inhibitor; it will not stop a fermentation that is in progress but it will stop fermentation from re-starting. Re-fermentation is something that can occur even months after the wine has been bottled. Small amounts of yeast can later become active if bottle temperature and other conditions become right. For best results, use a wine stabilizer such as this Potassium Sorbate in combination with either Campden Tablets or Potassium Metabisulfite. Each 3 ounce jar is sufficient for treating between 48 and 96 gallons of wine, depending on the dosage.

Directions: Add the Potassium Sorbate to your wine prior to bottling. First, dissolve it in a small portion of wine, then stir the mixture thoroughly throughout the entire batch.

Dosage: If you do not intend to sweeten your wine, use ¼ teaspoon per each gallon of wine. If you do intend to sweeten your wine or if the wine tastes sweet, use ½ teaspoon per each gallon of wine.

Maximum Dosage: Total dosage should not exceed ½ teaspoon per each gallon of wine.

Potassium Bicarbonate: ABOUT THIS PRODUCT: Acid Reducing Crystals are used to reduce the amount of acid in a finished wine. Wines too high in acid will typically have a unpleasant tart to sour taste. These wines may also create a burning sensation when being swallowed. Acid Reducing Crystals will help to reduce this sharp taste and unpleasant burning by reducing the amount of acid in the wine to a normal level. It does so by neutralizing the acid and causing it to drop out of the wine in the form of tartrate crystals. The wine is then simply racked off the sediment deposits.

DIRECTIONS: Before adding Acid Reducing Crystals to any wine verify with a hydrometer that the fermentation has completed. The wine should be moved off of any sediment into a clean container. Dissolve the Acid Reducing Crystals in a small portion of the wine first. Then stir the mixture thoroughly throughout the rest of the batch. The Acid Reducing Crystals will turn the excess acid into potassium tartrate crystals (cream of tarter) which will settle out over a period of time. To make sure that none of the settling occurs after your wine has been bottled, it is best to chill your wine to or below 50F. for a 30 day period before bottling. This will give an accelerated opportunity for the crystals to occur. Cooler temperatures require less time, however you do not want to freeze the wine.

DOSAGE: For each teaspoon of Acid Reducing Crystals added to 1 gallon of wine, the total acidity (TA) will lower by .18% tartaric. We recommend determining what your wines current TA is with an Acid Testing Kit. Then establish a dosage to add to the wine. If you do not have an Acid Testing Kit then use 1/4 teaspoon of Acid Reducing Crystals for every gallon of wine. More Acid Reducing Crystals can be added later if the wine is still too tart.

MAXIMUM DOSAGE: Total dosage should not exceed 1-1/4 teaspoon per each gallon of wine.

EACH 4 OUNCE JAR: is sufficient for treating between 17 and 82 gallons, depending on the dosage used.

 

Wine Tannins: Wine Tannin (also known as tannic acid) is very light in color and is preferred by most winemakers to be used with white and rose wines, but it can be used in red wines as well. Directions: Add the tannin to the must at the beginning of fermentation. Dissolve in a small portion of warm water first and then stir the water mixture evenly throughout the entire batch. Dosage: Add between 1/8 and ¼ teaspoon of tannin per each gallon of wine. You can also use it as instructed by any recipe you may be using. Each 2-ounce jar will treat between 40 and 80 gallons of must.

 

Grape Tannins: This tannin is reddish-brown and preferred by most winemakers for adding to red wines. Tannins are found naturally in fruits. Elderberries, plums, apples and others have sufficient levels of tannin; however when it comes to making wine, most fruits are lacking in tannins.

Tannins play three distinctive roles in making wine. The first is flavor. Tannins increase the zesty flavors that is often lacking in many home wines. Quite literally tannin is the "zest" or peel of the grape. Tannins aid in the clarification process. Residual proteins and other particles are neutralized and dropped out of suspension by its presence. Tannins also aid in the aging and keeping qualities of the wine. Wines that are deficient in tannin do not take advantage of the aging process very well. Their improvement with time is only marginal. These wines also tend to deteriorate in quality more rapidly in longer storage situations. DIRECTIONS: Add the tannin to the must at the beginning of fermentation. Dissolve in a small portion of warm water first. Then stir the water mixture evenly throughout the entire batch. DOSAGE: Add between 1/8 and 1/4 teaspoon of tannin per each gallon of wine. Or, use as instructed by any recipe you may be using.

 

Sparkaloid: (FIN210) This brand name clarifier is preferred by many winemakers. It has a positive static charge which allows it to drag negatively charged particles to the bottom. Works as a good follow up to our Speedy Bentonite which has a negative static charge. Or, it can be used on its own in white or blush wines to add brilliance and luster to its appearance. Before using this product you should siphon the wine off any sediment into a clean container.

DIRECTIONS:
1. For every gallon of wine to be clarified use one level teaspoon of Hot Mix Sparkolloid and 3 ounces of water.

2. In a pan bring the appropriate amount of water and Sparkaloid to a simmer for 30 minutes. Stir often. Do not allow the mixture to burn. Add more water if necessary.

3. Add the mixture to the wine while it is still hot. Add very slowly and stir until the mixture is evenly blended throughout the wine.

4. Let the wine set for 2 to 4 weeks, or until it has cleared. Siphon the wine off of the sediment.

 

Bentonite Clay: Bentonite makes the wine clearer, more stable, and more drinkable sooner. Also reduces off-flavors, oxidation and post-bottling sediment. Bentonite is a clay that has the unique ability to remove fine, undesirable particles from a finished wine in a very short period of time. It does so by collecting and dragging these problem particles to the bottom with electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding.

MAKING THE SLURRY: Mix 2 tablespoons of Speedy Bentonite with 1 pint of boiling water in a blender. Run blender on high for 3 minutes. Then let the mixture stand for 20 minutes. The slurry is now ready.

IF NO BLENDER IS AVAILABLE: Mix 3 tablespoons of Speedy Bentonite with 1 pint of boiling water in a sauce pan. Allow the mixture to cool, then put it in a wine bottle or similar. Shake for 10 minutes and let stand over-night. Shake again before using.

USING THE SLURRY: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the slurry mixture for each gallon of wine. Stir vigorously while adding the slurry. Continue stirring periodically for 30 minutes. Your wine will usually clear in 6 to 12 hours, however it is best to wait several days before bottling the wine to make sure all suspended particles have settled. Once the wine has cleared, siphon it off the sediment into a clean container and it will then be ready to bottle.

MAXIMUM DOSAGE: More slurry may be necessary to clear some wines. Additional doses can be added not to exceed 4 tablespoons of slurry mix per gallon of wine.

[stuhan]

 

Bananas & passion fruit juice

WINE

Recipe makes 2 gallons

 

ingredients.

2kg of peeled ripe bananas.

2lt of passion fruit juice.

1.5kg of white sugar.

1 cup of strong black tea.

1tsp of wine yeast.

Water.

 

Method: put the bananas in the fermenting bin then use a potato masher on the bananas then make some sugar syrup with the 1.5kg of sugar when it as cooled add to the fermenting bin and empty the passion fruit juice with 6 pints of water into the fermenting bin then add the strong black tea stir then add the wine yeast then cover. Note stir the must two times a day for 1 week then strain and press the fruit pulp using a fine strain muslin bag then divide into two demijohns top the DJs to the neck with cold tap water fit the airlocks then leave to finish fermenting.

Then fermenting as stopped rack add kwik clear then after about a week rack again then leave to mature for 6 months.

[stuhan]

 

2 Gallon Tea wine Recipe

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 packs of Tesco’s Red Berry Infusion Tea Bags

• 2kg White sugar (or enough to reach your target SG)

• 250g Sultanas

• 2 Gallons of water (tap water is sufficient

• 1  teaspoon of Pectolase

• 2g of Yeast nutrient

•  Red wine yeast (or whichever yeast you prefer)

 

Method:

1. Chop up your sultanas and place them into the fermentation vessel.

2. Add your teabags.

3. Fill up your stainless steel pot ¾ full with cold water and gently heat on a med-high flame.

4. Once small bubbles start appearing on the bottom of the pot, add 2kg of sugar and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.

5. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the sugar water to your fermentation vessel and stir.

6. Now top up your fermentation vessel with cold water until the desired level. Bear in mind that you will need to leave headspace for the fermentation.

7. Keep stir the must until the temperature has reached 32 degrees then add the Pectolase. (This stage is optional; some brewers will wait 12 hours before adding the Pectolase after the Campden. I will leave this up to your discretion.)

8. Keep stirring the must until the temperature has reached 25 degrees.

9. Sterilise your hands and arms up to the elbow and then reach into the must and start grabbing a few teabags at a time and squeezing them until dry, then discard the spent teabags.

10. Top up the fermentation vessel to make up for the (small) loss of volume due to the removal of the teabags.

11. Stir until temperature is 20 degrees and take your SG reading.

12. Optional: Adjust sugar until desired gravity is reached.

13. Cover and leave must for 24 hours.

14. Sprinkle yeast on to the surface of the must and leave 15 minutes and then stir with the sterilised ladle.

15. Ferment until target gravity is achieved, or until all sugar has been fermented (dry)

16.  rack off to a new sterile maturation vessel whenever a good layer of lees is seen at the bottom of the vessel.

17. Optional: if you can’t wait, you can use finings to clear your wine and drink it sooner. However, your wine will taste better with age.

[stuhan]

 

 

COFFEE WINE RECIPE

MAKES 1 GALLON

 

ingredients

500g of raisins or sultanas.

1kg of sugar (note half should be brown sugar)

1 strong cup of black tea ( note no leaves or milk)

6tsp of instant coffee.

2- oranges (note only use the juice,do not use any pith)

1tsp of GP yeast.

 

Method: wash the raisins with warm water add to a pan with water and simmer for 30 min then strain in to a muslin bag and press the bag to get all the hot liquid out of the raisins, then use the hot liquid to dissolve half of the sugar then leave to cool then strain the juice from the oranges and make 1 cup of black tea (note no tea leaves) then make 1 mug of instant coffee using 6tsp of coffee with warm water (note no milk or sugar) when the liquids are cool add to the DJ with the juice of the oranges add the yeast then fit the airlock and ferment for 1 week then make some sugar syrup with the rest of the sugar when cool add to the DJ then top up to the neck with cold water fit the airlock and leave to fully ferment out.

Note: when fermenting as stopped rack add wine finings then rack again when clear.

You can drink now or leave to mature for 6 to 12 months.

[stuhan]

Thinking about a recipe for a Pomelo wine which is close to a grapefruit in Thailand, could'nt find a decent recipe,so i have altered this grapefruit recipe for Pomelo.

 

How To Make Grapefruit/Pomelo Wine

INGREDIENTS: GRAPEFRUIT/POMELO 

6 grapefruits  or 4 pomelo's
2 1/2 lb / 1,100 grams sugar
Pectin enzyme
Water up to 1 gallon
Yeast nutrient
Wine yeast
 

METHOD - WHAT TO DO

Place the  peal from two of the grapefruits/pomelo's into a fermentation bucket and add the juice of all the fruit and seven pints of water, together with the pectin enzyme and yeast nutrient. Cover and leave for 24 hours, then add the sugar, stirring vigorously to dissolve all the sugar. Add the wine yeast and leave covered for two days, stirring daily. Strain into a demijohn and fit an airlock to seal the jar.

Store in a warm place and allow the fermentation to work. When fermentation has ceased, rack the wine into a clean jar and place in a cooler environment and leave. When the wine is clear and stable siphon into bottles.

 

 

[Marble-eye]

Just started my red grape juice wine, the 12 carton pack of Malee from Lazada also ordered two 10 litre fermenting buckets with taps. Sterilised all the equipment. Put 8 litres of the juice in one of the buckets and took a reading, it read 12 brix (1.048) added one kilo of sugar which gave me a reading of 21.5 brix (1.090), added the Lalvin 1116 so will keep my fingers crossed.

Question: I fancy getting some pomegranite juice for the next batch, what colour will it end up and does it give you a sort of mellow wine? Any more info will be gratefully accepted.

[Convert54]

3 hours ago, Marble-eye said:

Just started my red grape juice wine, the 12 carton pack of Malee from Lazada also ordered two 10 litre fermenting buckets with taps. Sterilised all the equipment. Put 8 litres of the juice in one of the buckets and took a reading, it read 12 brix (1.048) added one kilo of sugar which gave me a reading of 21.5 brix (1.090), added the Lalvin 1116 so will keep my fingers crossed.

Question: I fancy getting some pomegranite juice for the next batch, what colour will it end up and does it give you a sort of mellow wine? Any more info will be gratefully accepted.

A friend a few years back tried with pomegranite.  He gave me a bottle which was not very flavorsome and was a very pale red. I have no idea if that is usual outcome or if he did it wrong.

But this thread and you guys have got me interested in having a go. I have  several kilos of  frozen blackberries I would like to try with.

[JamesE]

4 hours ago, Marble-eye said:

which gave me a reading of 21.5 brix (1.090),

Good night! That will be some powerful wine. That yeast will ferment dry up to 18%!