Acorn Advice

[fish1onthefly]

I am 5 months into this wine and need some advice. When I started it I should have "schucked" the acorns..but I did not! I ground up everything but the caps and fermented. Today I racked for the third time. The wine is clearing very nice but tastes somewhere between moonshine and kerosene

. I checked the gravity and its way past the normal scale on my hydrometer. My guess is about .980 or below! That explains the moonshine taste. It is much smoother than the gasoline flavor it had a month ago! I know I Will need to back sweeten
Should I continue to bulk age or bottle?
Is this alcohol possible?
Am I headed for an early grave if I keep drinking this stuff?

 

[NorthernWinos]

That sounds like something some adventurous squirrels might enjoy...

 

[fish1onthefly]

This Acorn Projectis fromthe spoils of Hurricane Ike... I lost a huge white oak tree in the back yard. The squirrels have taken over my bird feeder so they are not hurting!

 

[mjdtexan]

I would have not in a million years thought one could do an acorn wine. I too lost oak trees as well as pecan trees to Hurricane Ike. Would love to see that recipe.

 

[fish1onthefly]

MJD,
I am just up the road in New Caney.......
The Acorn Recipie is from a book called Home Wines of North America by Dorothy Alatorre San Antonio Texas published 1977
It also has some other interesting recipies like Jalapeno, Sweet Potatoe, Prickly Pear, Milo Maize, and one I did last fall Mesquite Bean wine
For 1 gallon
1 cup chopped acorns ( I chopped the whole acorn, minus the cap. I was told later I should have shucked off the green shell and just used the nut inside...who knew?)
2 1/2 lbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp Acid Blend
1/2 tsp peptic Enzime
Water to 1 gallon
Yeast Starter


Chop acorns in blender. Bring 1 qt of water to a boil and add chopped acorns. simmer 30 minutes. This will make a golden brown tea. add sugar to primary and pour in hot liquid, stir to dissolve all the sugar. Cool to room temp. and add acid blend and peptic enzime. add Yeast starter and firment 5-7 days. Transfer to jug/carboy and airlock until fermentation is complete.


I made 5 gallons and have it bulk aging for now.

 

[dale]

This Acorn Projectis fromthe spoils of Hurricane Ike... I lost a huge white oak tree in the back yard. The squirrels have taken over my bird feeder so they are not hurting!

The green shells probably had a ton of tannin in them, and will take a while to mellow out . Did you keep some oak to make cubes and chips? good luck. dale

 

[mjdtexan]

This Acorn Projectis fromthe spoils of Hurricane Ike... I lost a huge white oak tree in the back yard. The squirrels have taken over my bird feeder so they are not hurting!

The green shells probably had a ton of tannin in them, and will take a while to mellow out . Did you keep some oak to make cubes and chips? good luck. dale

Thank You, I am right there with you. I am on 59 just a stones throw North of Humble.