DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine

[dangerdave]

Me, too, Bill. Well, except for that Welch's incident.

Even thought the very first batch of DB came out great, I tried many different methods and varieties over the years. They've all been "good", but some I have liked better. That gave me the "Current Perfected Version" which I make for me and my wife. I also have half a dozen kits I make on a regular basis, for which I have my own list of tweaks, to get them just the way we like them. When you know what to do right, it's just not as scary any more. When you become confident---as you are---in your wine making, the world is your fermenter (so to speak).

They say you learn by making mistakes. I learned by not making the mistakes others have made. That's where a forum like this comes in very handy. So many wonderful folks telling us what not to do. Saves us a lot of time and money, and I appreciate that very much. We can make good wine because so many have gone before us.

 

[cdevrard]

Hey All, I SUCK at graphic design but I wanted to use labels for the first time on my first batch of DB. I have a friend who is awesome at graphic design. I sent her a picture of a dragon I liked (found it on google) along with a basic idea and this is what she sent back. So cool! Which do you all like the best?

Thanks,

CE

 

[calvin]

Those are really cool labels. They all look great. Personally I would count out the 2 with the white background. The others are all really similar and you could go with any of them.

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

I like the background in the very first picture (the one that looks "cracked") but the fonts and placement of the date and ABV from the picture just underneath it....just my 2 cents.

 

[rslayback]

I may have just screwed up my first batch of DB, I had no yeast nutrient on hand and it 45 miles one way to the brew store! So I went ahead and proceeded without it, will this be a problem? Can I replace it with something else, or be added at a later date? You help would be much appreciated, as this is my first fruit wine.

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

I need some help with my Concord Grape DB! I have had trouble getting it to clear since the beginning, so have added additional tannins and pectic enzyme. When it still didn't clear, I re-dosed with SuperKleer. After that, I could finally see the beam of a flashlight through it, but there was still a kind of haze that I could detect in the neck of the carboy (it's so dark that it is hard to see what exactly is going on though). So last night, I kind of gave it a swirl, thinking that maybe stuff was just clinging to the sides. Now this morning, I have a bit of foam at the top and if I touch the carboy, you can actually see stuff falling from the foam, per the picture here. I can still see the flash light beam but not as well as yesterday, especially towards the bottom. There are some "bubbles" or particles rising to the top...could I be seeing a malolactic fermentation?

A little bit more information, when I racked it off the primary ferment, I degassed, sorbated and added potassium metabisulfite. I then backsweetened before adding any clearing agent...the first time that I didn't clear first and then backsweeten. This was back on the 7th of the month.

Thanks for any information, ideas and suggestions you can offer!

 

[Ctmaro]

Yes, I have made a raspberry version before. I make one batch each years around Halloween. There's a vampire on the label. I make it exactly like the standard DB, with all raspberries. I also add some raspberry extract at the end for extra flavor. My wife loves it!

Thank you sooooo much! I love your versions of wine, and make them between other types needing much more time to age. I currently have a batch going with Festival Mix (papaya, mango, pineapple, & strawberry) that I found at Costco.

I found a source for 10# frozen raspberries (Cash & Carry) here in Portland, OR. area, and I wanted to try straight raspberry next time.

Mark

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

I may have just screwed up my first batch of DB, I had no yeast nutrient on hand and it 45 miles one way to the brew store! So I went ahead and proceeded without it, will this be a problem? Can I replace it with something else, or be added at a later date? You help would be much appreciated, as this is my first fruit wine.

I noticed a huge difference in how fast the ferment went when I inadvertently added yeast energizer as opposed to yeast nutrient, so I don't know that you necessarily screwed it up, but I think you will see an effect. You could added it later, but I wouldn't wait too long. Some people use raisins for yeast "food" so that's an option. I'm fairly new at all of this too though, so it's just my opinion!

 

[bkisel]

With regards to the labels... I'd pick number one for background and number 2 for bleeding script. Don't at all care for the white
background labels.

If I could only pick one as is it would be number.

 

[CheerfulHeart]

The "crackled" background appeals to me most, as does the black and red lettering on the label in the upper right quadrant in the second group of labels. Would you consider combining the two? My 2 cents, FWIW.

 

[gaboy]

Has anyone added food coloring to the final product? Will it create a problem? ( New to this!) GaBoy

 

[cintipam]

rslayback, about yeast nutrient. I have never tried this, but had saved this post from quite a while back. OP was talking about a substitute for yeast nutrient if in a situation like yours.

1/2 cup grape nuts..1 cup water..cook in nuker for 2 minutes, let cool...
works like a charm.
Also helpful addition is two whole bananas cut up, riper the better.
add the above in a muslin bag are etc.

If you try this please let us all know if you had any problems and if it seemed to help.

Pam in cinti

 

[gaboy]

Another question, Can 5 Gal. water cooler bottles be used as carboys? GaBoy

 

[Ctmaro]

I use plastic all the time when doing quick ones like Skeeter P and dragons blood, but I wouldn't be using it for aging.

Mark


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[bkisel]

Another question, Can 5 Gal. water cooler bottles be used as carboys? GaBoy

I do aging up to 3 months in my Better Bottle and Bubbler carboys with no ill affects. Question I would have is whether or not water cooler bottles have a food grade rating.

 

[Jocelyn]

WHY DID THIS HAPPEN!
My beautiful delicious dragons blood was crystal clear for about a month before I bottled. 1 week in there and there is sediment forming? What did I do wrong? Could it be the corks? Ugh I am so upset that was supposed to be my christmas gift wine. And now it looks gross.

 

[MrsJones]

WHY DID THIS HAPPEN!

My beautiful delicious dragons blood was crystal clear for about a month before I bottled. 1 week in there and there is sediment forming? What did I do wrong? Could it be the corks? Ugh I am so upset that was supposed to be my christmas gift wine. And now it looks gross.

We'll need some more information. Can you tell us if you followed the recipe exactly or made any modifications? Had you fully degassed?

 

[Medic8106]

Nathan, Are those regular corks, they look so white, very striking look!! GaBoy

Yes they are regular corks. Must just be the lighting!

 

[Jocelyn]

We'll need some more information. Can you tell us if you followed the recipe exactly or made any modifications? Had you fully degassed?

It was the degassing I followed the recipe and last night I opened a bottle and it tickles the tongue a bit. Still tastes good though just can't be gifted like I had intended

 

[barryjo]

I do aging up to 3 months in my Better Bottle and Bubbler carboys with no ill affects. Question I would have is whether or not water cooler bottles have a food grade rating.

I Googled the term "food grade plastic". It appears either grade 1 or grade 2 is OK. The grade number is embossed on the bottom usually. Do NOT use the flimsy clear bottles except under extreme conditions. They usually have lots of indentations for strength and are real nasty to clean. IMHO.
Most of my secondaries are "repurposed" Culligan bottles.