Question:
I don’t think that’s true. At least, in 10 years I’ve never had a fermentation start up on me, and I prefer juicy fruits (we’re working on several gallons of pomegranate liqueur right now). What’s the normal maximum proof (or percent if you prefer) that yeasts can produce more alcohol in? If you’re starting with 80 proof vodka and you’re diluting down to 25 proof (2:1), isn’t that still too rich for yeasts to be productive?
I don’t think 25 proof is enough to prevent fermentation. I believe that 25 proof is about 12.5% ABV and wine yeasts can survive at that level of alcohol. I hear that some can be pushed above 18% ABV with proper care and feeding. Andy
Response:
I don’t think 25 proof is enough to prevent fermentation. I believe that 25 proof is about 12.5% ABV and wine yeasts can survive at that level of alcohol. I hear that some can be pushed above 18% ABV with proper care and feeding.
Hm. Of course, we’re not talking about cultivated yeasts given proper care and feeding, but I do accept that it’s possible. Anyone know about wild yeasts, or is there just so much regional variation that there’s no sense in trying to generalize? That is, though it’s possible, how likely is it? have I just been lucky (that I haven’t had unexpected wild fermentations start up)? Gunther Anderson
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Anderson whisper something along the lines of… You might find that liqueurs diluted with something (e.g. sparkling water, ginger ale) still preserve considerable flavor, but can be consumed more like wine. Well, except that they’re a _lot_ sweeter.
Depends on the dilution- I make my wine quite sweet. I don’t think that’s true. At least, in 10 years I’ve never had a fermentation start up on me, and I prefer juicy fruits (we’re working on several gallons of pomegranate liqueur right now
It is indeed true. I’ve had raspberry and mandarin liqueurs start fermenting on me. Silly Dr. George put a small bottle of mandarin liqueur in his mother’s Christmas stocking, and the entire family was amazed at the mess created when she attempted to open it for the first sip. Darren S. A. George The Mad Alchemist http://www.mad-alchemy.com/heraldry
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Hi, Don’t know if you’ve gotten the info on this or not I’ve been making Blueberry for about 7 years. The berries I use are picked wild from Northern Ontario. Not sure about what your berries taste like but I used store bought hydroponic 1 time and the taste was blahhhhhh. You should be able to pick up a small winemaker’s hanbook wherever wine making supplies are sold, with the required recipe for Bluberry wine. The wine is a nice dark rich full bodied wine……you can add a little sweetener if you wish depending on what kind of wine you prefer. You can also add a bit of grape concentrate to boost the taste & body of the finshed product. Good luck, BB
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I’ve never made wine before, but have made liquor for a long time. (Fruit liqour) and they have always been such a big hit. My absolute favorite times are when we have a number of people at our house and I pass around my homemade liqour, usually people are very iffy, but once they try it, they are just stunned and want more… always makes me feel so good about this and that’s why I keep making more year after year. My problem though, even though you can drink it a few months later, I actually prefer to keep it unopened for a few years or so. I think longer it sits and does ‘its thing’, the better the flavour. Anyhow, I’m brand new to wine making. Always have wanted to make wine but was always intimidated. I do not know if blueberry can be used for winemaking. But if it can… (I’ve got lots of it, all organic and in the freezer)… any help? I’m real new to this and will do what I can to see this is successful! Thanks for any help you can provide on this topic. I thoroughly enjoy this NG. It’s highly informative and very inspiring. You are all great motivators for someone like myself. :-) HL
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve never made wine before, but have made liquor for a long time. (Fruit liqour) and they have always been such a big hit. My absolute favorite times are when we have a number of people at our house and I pass around my homemade liqour, usually people are very iffy, but once they try it, they are just stunned and want more… always makes me feel so good about this and that’s why I keep making more year after year. My problem though, even though you can drink it a few months later, I actually prefer to keep it unopened for a few years or so. I think longer it sits and does ‘its thing’, the better the flavour. How are you making this? You got recipes?
Fruit liquours are usually made by taking some kind of spirits (vodka, gin, everclear) and steeping it with fruit and sugar for some time. There are a number of recipes for various liquours on the web. I’m sure you can find some if you search on "making liqours" or something like that. —-Greg http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/grcook/wine/
Response:
whisper something along the lines of… Fruit liquours are usually made by taking some kind of spirits (vodka, gin, everclear) and steeping it with fruit and sugar for some time. There are a number of recipes for various liquours on the web. I’m sure you can find some if you search on "making liqours" or something like that.
I take a quart (or litre) mason jar, fill it with quartered crabapples (Dolgoys are my favourite, although others work), add 1 cup of sugar (lots of room between the quarters) and 3/4 cup vodka. Ocassionally I will toss in a stick of cinnamon. Place on its side (make sure you’ve put the lid on -tight-), rotate 90 degrees every day so that the sugar gets mixed and all crabapples get equally soaked. After 2 weeks, filter out the apples. I tend to enjoy the wines more, as they are less potent (both in alcohol and flavour), and can be drunk by the glassful rather than a slowly-sipped shot. They also disappear faster once opened, and so you rarely lose half a bottle of wine to oxidation. Other fruit can certainly be used, but one must be careful with sterility, since raspberries, mandarins, etc, contain enough juice to dilute the alcohol to the point where fermentation will occur. Darren S. A. George The Mad Alchemist http://www.mad-alchemy.com/heraldry
Response:
I’ve never made wine before, but have made liquor for a long time. (Fruit liqour) and they have always been such a big hit. My absolute favorite times are when we have a number of people at our house and I pass around my homemade liqour, usually people are very iffy, but once they try it, they are just stunned and want more… always makes me feel so good about this and that’s why I keep making more year after year. My problem though, even though you can drink it a few months later, I actually prefer to keep it unopened for a few years or so. I think longer it sits and does ‘its thing’, the better the flavour.
I’ve got a web site on home-made liqueurs, and if I could prevail upon you to mail me your recipe, I’d be glad to put it on my site. If not, I certainly understand, but I have only occasionally succeeded in making a good blueberry liqueur, and I’d love another recipe to try. I will of course credit you for the recipe on the site. http://www.guntheranderson.com/liqueurs.htm Thanks either way, Gunther Anderson
Response:
Fruit liquours are usually made by taking some kind of spirits (vodka, gin, everclear) and steeping it with fruit and sugar for some time. There are a number of recipes for various liquours on the web. I’m sure you can find some if you search on "making liqours" or something like that.
I don’t mean to nitpick, but you’ll probably do better if you search on "making liqueurs" rather than "liquors". Liquors is, of course, the generic term for a wide variety of hard alcohols. Liqueurs is the term for steeped, flavored hard alcohol. I’ve got a site on the subject of home-made liqueurs which has some recipes, though my blueberry recipe has been inconsistent at best: http://www.guntheranderson.com/liqueurs.htm And rec.food.drink might have more people knowledgable. I say "might" because there don’t seem to be too many. Gunther Anderson
Response:
I tend to enjoy the wines more, as they are less potent (both in alcohol and flavour), and can be drunk by the glassful rather than a slowly-sipped shot. They also disappear faster once opened, and so you rarely lose half a bottle of wine to oxidation.
I’ve taken to using smaller bottles, but I still lose lots to oxidation. You might find that liqueurs diluted with something (e.g. sparkling water, ginger ale) still preserve considerable flavor, but can be consumed more like wine. Well, except that they’re a _lot_ sweeter. Other fruit can certainly be used, but one must be careful with sterility, since raspberries, mandarins, etc, contain enough juice to dilute the alcohol to the point where fermentation will occur.
I don’t think that’s true. At least, in 10 years I’ve never had a fermentation start up on me, and I prefer juicy fruits (we’re working on several gallons of pomegranate liqueur right now). What’s the normal maximum proof (or percent if you prefer) that yeasts can produce more alcohol in? If you’re starting with 80 proof vodka and you’re diluting down to 25 proof (2:1), isn’t that still too rich for yeasts to be productive? Gunther Anderson
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Fruit liquours are usually made by taking some kind of spirits (vodka, gin, everclear) and steeping it with fruit and sugar for some time. There are a number of recipes for various liquours on the web. I’m sure you can find some if you search on "making liqours" or something like that. I don’t mean to nitpick, but you’ll probably do better if you search on "making liqueurs" rather than "liquors". Liquors is, of course, the generic term for a wide variety of hard alcohols. Liqueurs is the term for steeped, flavored hard alcohol. I’ve got a site on the subject of home-made liqueurs which has some recipes, though my blueberry recipe has been inconsistent at best: http://www.guntheranderson.com/liqueurs.htm And rec.food.drink might have more people knowledgable. I say "might" because there don’t seem to be too many. Gunther Anderson
Thanks again. Probably why I never happened upon your web site before! —-Greg http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/grcook/wine/
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve never made wine before, but have made liquor for a long time. (Fruit liqour) and they have always been such a big hit. My absolute favorite times are when we have a number of people at our house and I pass around my homemade liqour, usually people are very iffy, but once they try it, they are just stunned and want more… always makes me feel so good about this and that’s why I keep making more year after year. My problem though, even though you can drink it a few months later, I actually prefer to keep it unopened for a few years or so. I think longer it sits and does ‘its thing’, the better the flavour. I’ve got a web site on home-made liqueurs, and if I could prevail upon you to mail me your recipe, I’d be glad to put it on my site. If not, I certainly understand, but I have only occasionally succeeded in making a good blueberry liqueur, and I’d love another recipe to try. I will of course credit you for the recipe on the site. http://www.guntheranderson.com/liqueurs.htm Thanks either way, Gunther Anderson
Gunther! Thanks for your web site! I have been looking for a good site, and now I’ve found yours. —-Greg http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/grcook/wine/
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Agreed! I am now just devling into this new and exciting world… Thanks! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – http://www.guntheranderson.com/liqueurs.htm Thanks either way, Gunther Anderson Gunther! Thanks for your web site! I have been looking for a good site, and now I’ve found yours.
Response:
I’ve never made wine before, but have made liquor for a long time. (Fruit liqour) and they have always been such a big hit. My absolute favorite times are when we have a number of people at our house and I pass around my homemade liqour, usually people are very iffy, but once they try it, they are just stunned and want more… always makes me feel so good about this and that’s why I keep making more year after year. My problem though, even though you can drink it a few months later, I actually prefer to keep it unopened for a few years or so. I think longer it sits and does ‘its thing’, the better the flavour.
How are you making this? You got recipes? — | http://www.MADwand.org | Get Best-Selling Educational Software…JumpStart, | Blaster, Disney, and more…Free, or nearly!
Response:
Hello, I’ve never made wine before, but have made liquor for a long time. (Fruit liqour) and they have always been such a big hit. My absolute favorite times are when we have a number of people at our house and I pass around my homemade liqour, usually people are very iffy, but once they try it, they are just stunned and want more… always makes me feel so good about this and that’s why I keep making more year after year. My problem though, even though you can drink it a few months later, I actually prefer to keep it unopened for a few years or so. I think longer it sits and does ‘its thing’, the better the flavour. Anyhow, I’m brand new to wine making. Always have wanted to make wine but was always intimidated. I do not know if blueberry can be used for winemaking. But if it can… (I’ve got lots of it, all organic and in the freezer)… any help? I’m real new to this and will do what I can to see this is successful! Thanks for any help you can provide on this topic. I thoroughly enjoy this NG. It’s highly informative and very inspiring. You are all great motivators for someone like myself. :-) HL
Response:
For sure blueberries can be made into wine; around four pounds of fruit per gallon, plus about two pounds of sugar should see you ok, but check out http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/ for recipes, – he’s got them all. Dave
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I’ve never made wine before, but have made liquor for a long time. (Fruit liqour) and they have always been such a big hit. My absolute favorite times are when we have a number of people at our house and I pass around my homemade liqour, usually people are very iffy, but once they try it, they are just stunned and want more… always makes me feel so good about this and that’s why I keep making more year after year. My problem though, even though you can drink it a few months later, I actually prefer to keep it unopened for a few years or so. I think longer it sits and does ‘its thing’, the better the flavour. Anyhow, I’m brand new to wine making. Always have wanted to make wine but was always intimidated. I do not know if blueberry can be used for winemaking. But if it can… (I’ve got lots of it, all organic and in the freezer)… any help? I’m real new to this and will do what I can to see this is successful! Thanks for any help you can provide on this topic. I thoroughly enjoy this NG. It’s highly informative and very inspiring. You are all great motivators for someone like myself. :-) HL
Response:
does any one know of a good Blueberry wine recipe? curious in canada.
This recipe is for 1 imperial gallon. I normally multiply the ingredients by 6 so that I’ll have 6 gallons in my primary fermentor. With blueberry wine, you will lose a lot during the rackings because of pulp and seeds, so I make a little extra to cover it off. 2 lbs of blueberries 4 cups of sugar 2 tsp tartaric acid (for a different taste, use acid blend, I have had good success with both) 1 can frozen concentrated apple juice 1/4 tsp grape tannin 1/2 tsp pectin enzyme 1 tsp yeast nutient 1/2 tsp yeast energizer campden tablets Lavlin 1116 or equivalent yeast Water Instructions. Crush Berries in a plastic pail (I prefer using a Braun Hand Blender) and add 1/2 gallon of water. Stir in Pectin Enzyme and 1 crushed campden tablet. Let sit for a couple of days in a cool place. Strain out the juice from the pulp and discard the pulp. I have found that a cheese cloth lined colander works OK with a potato masher to press the pulp into the cheese cloth. However, I have not found a method that is perfect. The pulp removal us usually time consuming and messy. If you come up with a better method, let me know. Note that you will not be able to remove any of the seeds at this point… they are like purple sand and will fall out to the bottom of you fermentor after a few rackings. Now add sugar, acid, nutient, energizer, tannin, and apple juice to the blueberry must and top up to one gallon. Stir vigorously. Check the initial gravity at this point… it should be in the range from 1.080 to 1.100. If the gravity is higher than this, well bonus! I think that the last time I did a 23 litre batch, I added the sugar last, and just added enough sugar to bring the gravity up to 1.090. Blueberry tends to be a flavourful wine so it can tolerate high alcohol levels. Add the yeast as per the instructions and let sit while primary fermentation starts… cover and add the usual airlock, as you would with any primary ferment. When the gravity has fallen below 1.010, rack to a carboy and let sit for 3-4 weeks. Check the gravity… if it is below 1.000, you can rack again and add another crushed campten tablet (one per gallon of wine). Let age for a couple of months (or more), and rack, suphite/sorbate, sweeten, bottle, etc as you normally would. I prefer a dry blueberry, so I don’t add any sugar. This wine will take well to aging; my first batch was barely drinkable in 3 months but smoothed out rather nicely in 9 months. I got this recipe several years ago from Ken Reddy at Brewery Lane and have made several successful batches. Des Power PS: I believe that Don Buchan also has a recipe on his archive that uses raisins. I haven’t tried that one yet. Look in ftp://ftp.cam.org/users/malak/wine/
Response:
does any one know of a good Blueberry wine recipe?
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does any one know of a good Blueberry wine recipe? curious in canada.
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Hi, I have a blueberry wine on the go right now. My recipe calls for the following, Ingredients/Gallon 2 lbs Blueberries 1 lbs Pumpkin 1 Gal Water 3 lbs sugar or enough to get the S.G. to 1.085 2 Campden Tablets 1/2 tsp Super Yeast Nutrient 2 tsp Acid Blend 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme 1Pkg Yeast/5 gal of must I find Pumpkin to be a good "filler" to any wine. You can use it to supplement a shortage of another kinf of fruit, or to add a slightly different flavour to any wine. Another fruit you could use in Rhubarb and it will add a wonderful flavour. Either of these, are also good on their own. Hope you find this helpful, Regards, Dewayne
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