What about bananas

How do you use bananas? I have read to use really ripe bananas but have also to use green bananas. I have read to freeze them and also to just cut them up and throw them in. I have read peel and not peel also cook first and then use the liquid. What have you found works best?

Mary Lou

I peel all mine. Freeze them until I get enough. I use about 75 lbs for a batch, no water, plenty of pectic enzyne. Cutting up is not necessary because once pectic enzyme starts working you will just mash them up in the bucket. The riper the better but no rotten spots and try and pull all strings.

I make it to blend with other stuff.

Are you making banana wine or just adding some for body?

When used to add body, I freeze mine, then slice them up into some water, boil making a "banana water," then strain into the must.

Stressbaby said:

Are you making banana wine or just adding some for body?

When used to add body, I freeze mine, then slice them up into some water, boil making a "banana water," then strain into the must.

Click to expand...

Yes I want to add them for body. How many per gallon and do you peel them?

Mary Lou

I must be doing it wrong. I make banana wine and then I add it to taste.

I just buy them when the store has them for cheap "banana bread bananas" then let them ripen a bit more until they are mostly black and throw them in the steam juice and collect the juice/water to use for future wines.
I do peel them, and the amounts depends on what kind of wine i want the end to be. heavier goal i might add juice from 1 lb of banana, light maybe only juice from one banana or so per gallon.

I don't peel them


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Here's a banana recipe I borrowed from HomeBrewTalk.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=33636&highlight=banana

My first 1-gallon batch turned out great. I upped the ingredients to 5 gallons, which is currently bulk-aging.

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: wine yeast
Yeast Starter: no
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: no
Batch Size (Gallons): 1
Original Gravity: 1.095
Final Gravity: .990
Boiling Time (Minutes): 2
Color: WHITE
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 1 week
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): Until finished

BANANA WINE (2) [Heavy Bodied]

3-1/2 lb. bananas
1 lb. chopped golden raisins
2 lb. granulated sugar
1-1/4 tsp. acid blend
1 tsp. pectic enzyme
1/4 tsp. grape tannin
1 gallon water
wine yeast and nutrient

Slice bananas into thin discs, leaving skins on fruit. Put into grain-bag, tie top, and place in 6 pints water. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove grain-bag to bowl to catch drippings while pouring liquor over sugar in primary fermentation vessel and stirring well to dissolve sugar. Add acid blend, pectic enzyme and tannin, stirring again. When grain-bag cools, squeeze to extract as much liquid as possible and add liquid and drippings to liquor, discarding pulp. When liquor cools to 70 degrees fahrenheit, add yeast and nutrient. Cover and set in warm place for seven days, stirring daily. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel, fit airlock, and move to cooler place, leaving undisturbed for two months. Siphon off sediment, add chopped raisins, and add water to bring to one gallon. Ferment another four months. Rack and allow to clear. Rack again and bottle. May taste after six months, but matures at two years. [Adapted from passed-on recipe, source unknown, taken from Jack Keller's site]

I feeze the over ripe bananas slice peel and all. Usually 3 per gallon. Place in a mesh bag boil for about 30 min then use the water and add other fruits into mesh bag and ferment them all together.

Just for body?
And you had me all excited!!

I made this monster Banana Bochet Port..
It's black-peel, peeled bananas; caramelized honey; E&J Brandy soaked in more bananas...
It's, for lack of a better term, Bananas!

But I did a lot of research on bananas, and it's all in there.
Feel free to PM me if you so wish, as well

Never tried just bannans those both sound good may have to put on my to do list i always seem to have good luck with my wines when include bannans. Maybe add a cinnamon stick