2nd mixed berry wine - need suggestions.

[Chilkat]

16 lbs mixed berries frozen
9lbs sugar
Kvl-1116
Fermaid-k 1.5 t
Yeast Energizer dont know dosage right now
5 gal spring water
2 nylon bags
Star San
Hydrometer for SG

How's this look? Keep in mind I dont have a fully stocked brew store here.

I have wine tanning and acid blend.
Potassium sorbet
Potassium metabisulfite
Camden tablets

Suggestions and tweaks?

 

[Julie]

I would up the fruit to 5# per gallon and only add enough sugar to bring your sg to around 1.080 - 1.090

 

[dralarms]

The more fruit per gallon and the less water=more flavorful wine.

 

[meadmaker1]

I agree about the fruit but?
Dragon blood only uses 6 lbs. In a six gallon batch.
Is this for quick clearing.
And as popular as it is I would expect 16 to do fairly well.

I would consider adding an acid fruit or the lemon juice to the above recipe.

 

[BernardSmith]

I tend to agree that the more fruit and less water in a wine the more flavor-rich the wine but (and I say this having never made Dragon's Blood) I think that this is not meant to be a flavor -rich wine - more like a wine cooler, and the original recipe seems to have used very little fruit including not much lemon juice either. But here's the thing: when you go for broke - that is to say, when you make a recipe for the first time and aim for 30 bottles of a trial batch then you need to commit and make the leap. You cannot shilly shally. Me? I would experiment with a single gallon and see if there is enough flavor etc.. and if I thought that the recipe was just right then I can go for broke with the subsequent batch...But for a batch where I am unsure about the amounts of fruit... sipping down 30 bottles might end up being quite a challenge. But hey! to each their own.

 

[Chilkat]

So they are 4 pound bags of frozen fruit. I have enough to make four pounds per gallon. I dont have any lemons to put huh not this.

Do I need lemons?
Should I use the tannin?
The sugar enough?

Also, I'm making 3gal of mead with 6lbs of raw honey.
Any tips for that?

 

[Julie]

No you don't need lemons. Dragon's Blood is good but it is not a fruit wine. A fruit wine has a stronger fruit flavor. Yes add some tannins and again, add enough sugar to bring your sg to 1-080 - 1.090.

 

[Chilkat]

So an sg of 1.080 is already obviously not thereto you guys by my ingredients list. How much sugar would create an SG 1.090?

 

[BernardSmith]

My rule of thumb is that juice expressed from berries*(not diluted with any water) probably provides about one pound of sugar per gallon of juice or a gravity of about 1.040 (possibly a hair or two more). And one pound of sugar dissolved in water to make one gallon will raise the gravity of the water by 40 points (1.040). So, absent all fruit you need about 2.25 lbs of sugar dissolved in water to result in a starting gravity of 1.090

* I think you need about 10 lbs of berries to express about 1 gallon of juice

The rest is just arithmetic

 

[Zintrigue]

Maybe it doesn't really need to be mentioned, but you do have a racking cane and hose, right? (Hey, you listed the hydrometer and bags, thought I'd ask!) And a carboy for aging and airlocks and a really big stir spoon...

Anyway, I know you're not trying to make dragon blood, but the recipe is really similar and pretty fool-proof, and you learn a lot about the process. So I'm going to throw my two cents out there and suggest that you make a batch of that first and see if that's what you're going for. In the very least, you'll learn quite a bit. Oh, and whatever you make, take notes on your process so you can repeat masterpieces and avoid catastrophe in the future.

Also I really agree with Bernard, you should start with a one gallon batch of this and see what you think of that. You know, like testing hair dye on a piece of hair instead of your whole head. Whichever you decide to do, I'm sure you'll do great.

 

[Chilkat]

Maybe it doesn't really need to be mentioned, but you do have a racking cane and hose, right? (Hey, you listed the hydrometer and bags, thought I'd ask!) And a carboy for aging and airlocks and a really big stir spoon...

Anyway, I know you're not trying to make dragon blood, but the recipe is really similar and pretty fool-proof, and you learn a lot about the process. So I'm going to throw my two cents out there and suggest that you make a batch of that first and see if that's what you're going for. In the very least, you'll learn quite a bit. Oh, and whatever you make, take notes on your process so you can repeat masterpieces and avoid catastrophe in the future.

Also I really agree with Bernard, you should start with a one gallon batch of this and see what you think of that. You know, like testing hair dye on a piece of hair instead of your whole head. Whichever you decide to do, I'm sure you'll do great.

I started this on the 5th. It's nearly ready for second carboy. I do have the equipment for racking.

This was my second batch. I was very happy with the first one so I made another. I used a lot more berries for the second.

 

[Zintrigue]

Oh, see what happens when I don't pay attention to dates?

Sounds like you made a winner. What recipe did you end up using?

 

[Chilkat]

Airlock stopped bubbling a few days ago. So do I add Camden tablets to the current must? I am going to check the SG tonight and rack it to my glass carboy.

I have bentonite on order to help with clearing later. I've seen different bentonite times for use. I use it on a third racking or second?

 

[meadmaker1]

Add dampen when you rack, crush and resolve in some wine then and to carboy before filling.
I add bentonite to just before yeast. Adding later advice will come from someone else, my guess is the sooner the better.

 

[Chilkat]

Sg is .999 for two days. Going to do second rack today