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Post by Toby Benoit on May 3, 2006 15:46:27 GMT 12.75
I coulda sworn I seen a thread on here about wine making. Am I nuts or what? I can't find it anywhere.
Did Paws get a visit from the revenuers and close that topic or something? I got a question on blueberry brandy so I'll ask it here.
What would you reccommend as a ration for berries to sugar to speed up the fermentation? How long should I let it work? And then what's the target temperature for it to render out the best brandy?
Okay, that's three questions, but anybody want to field them. I've got thirty pounds of blueberries from a buddy. They're his culls after he sorted them out before taking them to the packing plant.
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Post by brittonfaith on May 3, 2006 15:47:20 GMT 12.75
It's just below the OCC card shop. Mike says with the grapes he uses 25 lb sugar to 15 gal grapes + 7 1/2 gal water + 2 packs yeast. He lets it work for 6-7 weeks. As far as temperature, we've let it work in the cellar and in the middle of the living room floor so I really couldn't give you a clue there. But I'm thinking this might not work for blueberries since they have a different sugar content.
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Post by Paws on May 3, 2006 17:56:15 GMT 12.75
Add in all the sugar it can handle! First bottle it so that you can let nature tell you when it is done working. Put a baloon on the bottle with a rubber band. When the baloon goes down it is done working and needs more sugar. Add it in and let it work. You can not ferment brandy. It must be distilled and then re-added to the fermented wine to "fortify" it so now it is is brandy. Temperature isn't really too critical as long as it isn't so hot that it kills the yeast culture (under about 115) and isn't so cold it goes to sleep (under 45). At least this is what I've heard.
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Post by Two Tales on May 4, 2006 0:52:53 GMT 12.75
Have always made mine in vats or crocks......I generally start the first setting with a 3 to 1 ratio of berries to sugar...I layer the berries and sugar...altinating layer of berries then sugar then berries again with the top layer of sugar...I don't use the packaged yeast method..just allowing natural fermentation gives the wine a better taste...I cover the crock or vat with cheese cloth to keep the critters and dirt out of it and let it set for a few weeks then I test it with a hygrometer..this ratio will yield about a 7.5 to 9.5% (15 to 19 proof) add more sugar (not nearly as much as the first time about 1 cup for every gallon of liquid) and let it set for several more weeks..I use a turkey baster to draw off for testing and tasting (don't get into the fruit or stir it up while testing) after the 2nd setting check weekly..it'll ferment faster...optimum should be 21 proof or above once it has reached that level use cheese cloth to strain out the fruit..you can also get some finer filtering materials to strain the fibers and seeds etc...this is when I put it in bottles..with the rub...er...balloons...when they go down, I'll then cork it...or add sugar by the tsp and let it continue to work...keeping it between 50 and 65 deg.F.... once bottled let it age on it's side slanted slightly down ward..never store your wine were the temps will fluctuate very much and keep it out of direct light..I'll aint gona get into "home distilling"..to many liabilities ;D ;D
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Post by Toby Benoit on May 4, 2006 6:11:57 GMT 12.75
Thanks a lot guys.
I've made strawberry and grape wines before, but I was wondering about the sugar mix. The stuff I made before, turned out too sweet. I want to taste the berry, not the sugar.
I wanted to distill half of it and pour that back into the remaining wine for a nice brandy. That ought to kick the proof up considerably.
Dad's the guru for this kind of stuff, but he's out of town staying with my brother at the hospital and I didn't want to bother him.
I'll start with the 3-1 mix and see how it turns out.
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Post by OLKoot on May 4, 2006 7:17:07 GMT 12.75
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Post by Toby Benoit on May 4, 2006 13:30:05 GMT 12.75
It's a deal! ;D
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