banana wine sucks

[wood1954]

After reading many posts on banana wine i decided to try some. I just tasted it after it's been sitting on the fine lees for a month. i started it on 7/6/13.
here's the recipe. maybe someone can point out what i may have done wrong or else i just have to wait for a year, i thought it might be half way reasonable now so i tasted it just to see where it was headed.
15# bananas with peels
2.5 gal water
1 tsp acid blend
1.5 tsp tannin
1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
1 can welch's frozen white grape concentrate
1 tsp bentonite
7 lbs sugar
3 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp amalyze enzyme
23 grams tartaric acid
71b-1122 yeast
I mashed it all up and let everything sit with a dose of SO2 for 24 hours. After 24 hours of fermenting i skimmed off all the solids that floated to the top. after 36 hours i strained the juice. Once it hit SG 1020 i put it under airlock and let it sit until 7/18/13 and then i racked/degassed it under CO2 back and forth four times using the vacuum pump. At that time i added SO2 and 1/2 tsp gelatin. The PH was 3.6 and the SG was .994
It smells like bananas and is crystal clear now but tastes bad. hopefully it's just young. I'm waiting for it to turn into a Chardonnay style wine!! it only cost me $22 to make 3 gallons.

 

[jamesngalveston]

well, you just talked me out of making some...
you could add just a little banana liquer.

 

[Rivenin]

i have some going right now, and supposedly it takes 6ish months to be drinkable but gets better after a year or more

 

[wineforfun]

Are you going to backsweeten it? Maybe it needs a little sugar.

 

[andy123]

I made one with bananas and peels and it was absolutely awful and a year later it was awful. I eventually dumped it in my garden.

 

[robie]

Can't say for sure, since I have never made a banana wine, but letting it set on the fine lees (a process called surlee) for a month is going to give the wine a yeastie taste. I'm not sure that would be good for a banana wine or if that's what you wanted. If not, you should rack it off and give it some time before you decide its worth.

 

[Deezil]

I believe the secret to a successful Banana wine, is using over-ripe bananas.

I didnt use the peels myself, as at that stage there isn't much left in them (physically, or nutritionally).

At any given time (pre-, during & post-ferment) this wine has both smelled and tasted of bananas, intensely.

 

[dralarms]

1. No peels
2. More bananas
3. NO water ( or very little)
4 if you follow the above, let it age 6 months min. or it is stout.

 

[wood1954]

no water? Do you just mash them up and add pectic enzyme and yeast?

 

[jamesngalveston]

mashed up bananas with no water...you would need 100 lbs per gallon.
they do not have much juice in them....
i agree with deezil...over ripe would be best.
banana pie,pudding,foster,bread is always better with over ripe, why not wine./

 

[comeauch]

I currently have one in secondary fermentation (didn't taste it yet, ha!), but most recipes I found involved boiling the bananas for 20-30 minutes and then using the water they boiled in. I guess boiling or not would make quite a difference...

 

[sjo]

I have had a batch in a carboy for over 4 years. Tastes like bananas and never cleared. I try some kind if clearifier every 6 months or so and still it is cloudy. It has turned into more of an experiment as I do not think it will ever taste good by itself.
I did blend some into a gooseberry wine I made and was pretty good however it clouded up the gooseberry. That said it's time is probably coming to an end very soon. I need the carboy as the vineyard we took over is doing pretty good and I will need all available carboys. Just bottled 6 batches and that is the only one left.
Scott

 

[Deezil]

I have had a batch in a carboy for over 4 years. Tastes like bananas and never cleared. I try some kind if clearifier every 6 months or so and still it is cloudy. It has turned into more of an experiment as I do not think it will ever taste good by itself.
I did blend some into a gooseberry wine I made and was pretty good however it clouded up the gooseberry. That said it's time is probably coming to an end very soon. I need the carboy as the vineyard we took over is doing pretty good and I will need all available carboys. Just bottled 6 batches and that is the only one left.
Scott

Have you tried Amylase?
Bananas are notorious for starch, if not over-ripe
Amylase is about the only thing that'll knock out a starch haze.

 

[Downwards]

Have you tried Amylase?
Bananas are notorious for starch, if not over-ripe
Amylase is about the only thing that'll knock out a starch haze.

And if it is starch and you want to test it before you buy amylase, just spit in a glass a whole bunch. Spit has amylase in it, first part of your digestion, lol.

 

[dralarms]

Well, I said no water, but looking at my receipe it turns out I used just enough to cover the banana mash. Course there was36 lbs of bananas (weight after peeling) inthge bucket. Didn't have a problem clearing.

 

[sjo]

Have you tried Amylase?
Bananas are notorious for starch, if not over-ripe
Amylase is about the only thing that'll knock out a starch haze.

Yes I did try Amylase. I did not test for starch but did try Amylase.
Scott

 

[BernardSmith]

I started a gallon of banana wine on June 30 and it cleared completely. Very ripe bananas - 4 lbs, but no peel. Added pectic enzyme and about 24 hours later heated the mashed fruit for 45 minutes with enough water to produce 1 gallon of must with SG of 1.100. Added acid blend to result in a pH of about 3.0. The wine has been at a gravity of .090 since July 14 when I racked it and added K meta. Just tasted it and it has a subtle banana flavor with good mouth-feel but certainly not overpoweringly banana flavored. Even without any back sweetening it is quite drinkable.

 

[vernsgal]

I made mine- 20 lbs bananas sliced, added to water,brought to boil and simmered 30 minutes. Added lemon juice and raisons. when it was done it was perfectly clear. added an f-pak of apple concentrate and also a vanilla bean.It's aged 6 months now and is starting to taste like a chardonnay.I'll give it another 6 months and taste again.I think it'll be a keeper "Patience and time is everything in wine"

 

[midnightsolace]

Funny timing. We are just about to start a batch of banana wine, ourselves. The recipe I have though does not use banana peels, and like others have also said, it calls for boiling before mashing. This recipe also says it needs to age for at least 6 months to a year.

 

[BernardSmith]

Midnightsolace, I wonder whether boiling as opposed to simply gently heating might create problems with residual pectins and the difficulty others in the forum say they have had with clearing their wine.