Beet Wine

[MedPretzel]

I've been toying around with the idea of making a beet wine. Yes, with red-beets. I would, of course, love to do this with fresh beets, but it's a little expensive.

So I was thinking of doing something with tinned beets. Does anyone perchance, have any experience with beet wine? I know, I've been on Jack Keller's site, and it's not giving the info that I want. Particularly if tinned ones are okay or not.


Thanks!

Martina

 

[Hippie]

I say try it and see for yourself. Read the can to see if there are any additives. Look at several brands, if possible. Mash the beets and use just the juice. You will only get bitterness out of the dry pulp.I say it is worth a try.

 

[MedPretzel]

Okay, you've convinced me to try.

My next question is, however: Does anyone know if Beets ever go on sale?

 

[Hippie]

Be careful of added salt also.

 

[MedPretzel]

Oh my, I never thought of that..... I guess it's a lot more difficult than I had imagined.





I wonder what else I could make?

 

[AAASTINKIE]

I'd like to try a beet wine, I buy all my cucumbers, tomatoes, beets and green beans from a little TOUGH old lady down the road, well 6 miles but nothing is close around here

I make dill, and bread and butter pickles, hot dilly beans (pickled green beans with dill, garlic, cayanne peper) canned tomatoes and of course pickled beets, I love to eat bowls of cooked beets during the season, I am sure the deep red color is like a health tonic, so beet wine would have to be good for you, I just wonder what it would taste like. I can see making a gallon to try I just don't know where I can put all this stuff, I don't have a basement, just a tall crawl space, I guess I could build a short room down there somehow, it would stay cool in the summer, but have to be super insulated and heated in the winter, or just have the wine out by december.

 

[MedPretzel]

I'd say insulate the crawl space (they're usually useless spaces anyway) and make some wineracks for it.





But if it doesn't get below 60 in the winter, you'd probably still be fine. My basement averages 62 in the winter (an old coal cellar - no heat, no insulated windows, no nuthin'), and my wines seem to do fine.





Just my 2 cents,








martina

 

[Hippie]

I would not give up on the idea of a beet wine, Martina. Surely you can find some somewhere without additives. I read it makes a thin wine and must be supplemented with grape concentrate. Welch's or generic white will work just fine. I also think some banana powder and dried elderberries would be good, in a 5 or 6 gallon batch, but not so much of anything else to mask out the beets. Maybe one can of concentrate, 4 oz. banana powder, and 4 oz. dried elderberries, and lots of mashed beets with juice. (3-4 pounds per gallon)

 

[MedPretzel]

Thank you Glenvall! You have just rekindled that spark inside of me!





I think I'll do the beet wine!

Thanks! I will let everyone know when I start, and then post the recipe here. That is, of course, if anyone wants it.

 

[Hippie]

Oh, we all want it, that's for sure. I am glad I rekindled that spark.

 

[MedPretzel]

hahhahaha!!!!!!!





Well, I'm trying to get the world to love mum wine, but it just doesn't seem to be flying.

Maybe the answer is in BEET wine!

 

[Hippie]

Was it Jack Keller or someone else who was bragging on their beet wine a few days ago? Maybe it was last year.

 

[MedPretzel]

Well, I think I've read that beet wine tastes "earthy"....





But I have no clue what theheck that means.

 

[Hippie]

I also have no clue as to what is earthy wine, but have seen the description noted a few times.I might like earthy.

 

[MedPretzel]

It's practically a done deal. I'm going to make 3 gallons. I even dreamed about the end result last night (isn't that just terribly sad?). I will probably go to the store today and look for the beets. Don't worry, I will make sure there are no sulphites in it before I get them.





I think I will make 3 gallons of it, so if it turns out great, there's enough to give away, etc... If it turns out, I haven't wasted 35 bottles on it.

 

[AAASTINKIE]

medpretzel, why use canned beets? you have to work so long for your
wines, wait till August or whenever fresh beets are ready, go find a
farm or farm market to buy them at, they are allover here in Maine, the
farm is best cause they are freshest there, once they are canned they
are cooked if fresh would you cook them of use them raw

 

[MedPretzel]

I don't know why. Impatience? That's probably it.





Perhaps I'll make one with tinned beets and one with fresh and let everyone know the difference.

 

[Hippie]

For beets and other root crops, they must be cooked until soft to get the flavor and make some actual juice from them by mashing. You just pour eveything into a straining bag after cooked just until soft, then mash and squish with hands, or put through a juicer. I would discard all the pulp after 24 hours with the pectic enzyme. Squeeze the bag pretty good though.


The canned beets will have alot of the work already done for you.

 

[MedPretzel]

Thanks once again, Glenvall, for your invaluable advice. I think I'm going to have a "beet run" tomorrow...

 

[Hippie]

You said you were doing it today! Remember, no additives! If the can only lists sulphites, that's ok, but no salt or sorbate. If they have sulphites listed, save your K-Meta.