Blackberries In Freezer

[smokegrub]

After 3 days picking and a lot of shed blood, 65 pounds of wild blackberries are in the freezer. My wife is still "digging" small thorns from my hands! Preliminary plans are to make 2 (6 1/2 gal) batches (5 lb/gal). The first batch will use juice from steam-juicing. If that batch does well, the second will be made identical to the first. Otherwise, the second will be made on whole fruit and the fruit will be removed after 4 days primary fermentation or perhaps even less. Last year's batch made on whole fruit with 4 days in the primary still has a bitter taste. I am going to wait a bit longer to see if that one improves. If not, I plan to do some experimentation with back-sweetening and, perhaps, blending with a banana wine to see if it can be improved. I added some sugar to our most recent taste-test and the sugar brought improvement so there is hope.

 

[Casper]

I have been making blackberry wine and port for many years. Usually I get bitter taste from berries that are not ripe enough and not from the primary fermentation. Sometime I have to remove 5 to 8 Lbs of reddish berries after it is unfreeze. I remove the pulp from the wine when the SG is at 1.010 and rack. The only berries that I remove after a couple days are the raspberry. I always add bananas (5 to 7 for 23 L) to the primary fermentation for body. <?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />


My last port has very good success; I made it with 90 % of blackberry, 10 % Raspberry and 5 Bananas. No water add just pure juice.


Good Luck

 

[smokegrub]

Thanks for the feedback, Casper. It is really difficult to eliminate all partially ripened berries when picking blackberries in quantity. I had not considered the bananas. Will use this time plus back-sweeten with sugar.

 

[Casper]

It is really difficult to eliminate all partially ripened berries when picking blackberries in quantity.

This is why I go trough the berries while it is unfreezing make it easy to see the red one.<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />

 

[fish1onthefly]

65LBS!!!!
Man My hats off to ya brother........ I picked 10 lbs this spring and thought I did something.

I racked my batch this past weekend, I used the 10 lbs to make 2 1/2 gallons of wine. It has a great blackberry flavor but needs some quiet time in the bottle.

 

[Waldo]

Smoke, did you oak your blackberry? As Casper said, the unripened berries will cause the bitterness but if its not too intense an American Oak, Medium toast will help smoothen it out some if you are still bulk aging it. Edited by: Waldo

 

[joeswine]

the blackberries i have used have always been deep in color and a little bitter backsweeting usually is required to round out the flavor,that is the true flavor of blackberries,semi tart,earthy tones,at least thats the ones i use 40lbs.per year fresh//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// shouldn,t have to use any other additives to produce deep blackberry wine.at least in my case however//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Edited by: joeswine

 

[poppysue]

I'm interested in hearing more aboutoaking the blackberry. I have a 6 gallon batch that has been sitting for over a year (prbably close to 2 years now). I bottled a 3 gallon batch and decided it's not my favorite flavor - I've had no desire to bottle another 6 gallons so I've let it just sit inthe carboy. I've even thought about dumping the whole batch. If I could improve on the flavor with oak I'd be willing to give it a try.


Do you just add the oak intothe carboy?


How much would it take for a 6 gallon batch?


How long does the oak need to sit in the wine? If it sits too long will it ruin the wine?

 

[smokegrub]

Waldo:

No, I did not oak the blackberry.

I think I will unbottle last year's effort,place it in a carboy, backsweeten a bit and add some oak.Edited by: Smokegrub

 

[smokegrub]

I opened a bottle of last year's full-bodied, dry blackberry--the one with the bitterness--and it has improved with time. Not bad, actually. Although both wife and I would prefer it slightly sweetened. I am going to give this one more time and see what happens. I had considered several other options but I have decided to simply wait.

 

[Waldo]

I'm interested in hearing more aboutoaking the blackberry. I have a 6 gallon batch that has been sitting for over a year (prbably close to 2 years now). I bottled a 3 gallon batch and decided it's not my favorite flavor - I've had no desire to bottle another 6 gallons so I've let it just sit inthe carboy. I've even thought about dumping the whole batch. If I could improve on the flavor with oak I'd be willing to give it a try.


Do you just add the oak intothe carboy?


How much would it take for a 6 gallon batch?


How long does the oak need to sit in the wine? If it sits too long will it ruin the wine?

I would recommend getting the spirals


http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=82001C


and you just put them in the carboy. I would leave them about 4 weeks and then begin sampling the wine. Once it has reached the intensity you like then take the oak out and either bottle or continue bulk agingEdited by: Waldo