Have I messed up with not enough fruit???

[firejohn03]

Maybe the wrong forum for this question, so I apologize. I am looking at a lot of the recipes on the forum and see for fruit wines 6-10 fruit/gal is optimal. I do not know how much fruit I have used. I just started a five gallon batch of blackberry. Been in my primary for 4 days now. I hand picked wild blackberries and had a five gallon bucket about 2/3 full. Does anyone know if that is even close to the 30-50 lbs. of fruit needed? I didn't weigh it out and I don't think it felt that heavy. Did I mess this up. Primary tastes great, and it seems to have a lot of fruit flavor.

 

[Stressbaby]

Well, 2/3 of 5 gallons of water is around 26#. So yes, you might be a little short by the 6-10#/gallon standard. But people make wine at 5#/gallon. Jack Keller, who, granted, around ere is known for being light on fruit, has won awards with blackberry wine using as little as 3-4#/gallon.

I would stay the course if I were you.

 

[Thig]

I did something Googleing this morning and came up with this. Blackberries weigh about 4.5 to 5 pounds per gallon. Not as heavy as water because you have a lot of air in between those berries. Two thirds of five is 3.33, so you have 3.33 times 5 equals 16.65 pounds let's say. That comes to about 3 and a third pounds per gallon. I think you are going to be light on the fruit but you could add some blackberry concentrate at the end to get more flavor.

 

[djrockinsteve]

FIRST Toss in a can or two of blackberry concentrate. It Will increase you sugar a bit but will help unthin it.

SECOND If you plan to back sweeten you can do so with a can of concentrate or two. Wine will be thin but better tasting. You would need to put concentrate in a beaker and test the gravity, then use the "Pearson Square" calculate how many cans you would need.

THIRD You could even do both.

 

[jamesngalveston]

blackberries range from 38 to 41 gallons in a 5 gallon bucket filled level with the top. depending on the ripeness......and if you do not mash them.
i would go pick are buy another gallon, add 8 cups sugar, cook down on stove until its reduced by 1/2, i would use that to back sweeten and flavor.

 

[Thig]

James, not doubting you but that is about 8 pounds per gallon which sounds high.

 

[firejohn03]

Thanks guys. Blackberries are disappearing off the vines around here , so picking more is out of the question. I didn't think of the concentrate. I want this to go dry. If I add now will it ferment out ? Should I add more yeast booster?

 

[Thig]

Thanks guys. Blackberries are disappearing off the vines around here , so picking more is out of the question. I didn't think of the concentrate. I want this to go dry. If I add now will it ferment out ? Should I add more yeast booster?

What was your beginning SG and where is it now?

 

[firejohn03]

I started with a SG of 1.092 and this morning I was 1.040.

 

[jamesngalveston]

hey, weigh em...i weight out 80 gallons this year, gallon by gallon on a hanging scale, so we good mark the weight on the bags.

 

[Arne]

If you get them in there shortly, it should have no trouble fermenting out. I would get some bought, let them get to room temp. and pitch em in. Good luck with it, Arne.

 

[firejohn03]

Thanks guys/gals. I have my wife picking up 6 more pounds of frozen blackberries. I'm going to pitch them this evening , and still have four of five days fermentation to go. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger lol....