I'll post it, but be warned that if you follow it you do so at your own risk. I will not be held responsible for any failures if you follow my recipe. However if it comes out good I get the credit
Blackberry Wine (take 1) 5-31-08
3 - 1 gallon bags of frozen fresh blackberries (thawed)
I should have weighed them
15#’s sugar
(too damn much sugar, it stopped at 1.01)
Place berries in fermenter and mash to a coarse pulp. Add 2 quarts of warm water (100 degrees) and continue mashing berries.
Fill primary fermenter to 5 gallons of water, and then add the sugar 1 bag at a time while stirring.
Initial specific gravity after 10 #’s of sugar was 1.065
Specific gravity after 15#’s of sugar was 1.120
I did not campden/sterilize the must. I should have but didn't as I was an impatient newbie. Fortunately, it did come out pretty good.
1 packet of starter yeast Lavlin D-47 prepped to packet instructions.
Pitched yeast after 15 minutes per packet instructions and gave the mash a gentle stir.
Placed lid on top of fermenter and airlock placed @ 12:30pm
June 2, 2008
Opened primary to stir. Small amount of foam, pulp of berries were floating to the top. Strong yeast / blackberry smell.
June 3, 2008
Opened again, this time added 2 tsp bentonite dissolved in warm water. Stirred well. SG reading was 1.085 Replaced lid and airlock.
June 7, 2008
SG was 1.050. Stirred well and tasted. Sweet pleasant, blackberry tasting. A + ……..
June 10, 2008
Racked to 6 gallon carboy. Topped off to top of shoulder of bottle. Airlock fitted to bung. Still fermenting like mad. Lots of gross lees drop off to the bottom at this time. Majority of pulp was removed when transferring to carboy.
June 15, 2008
Racked to primary off gross lees. SG 1.02 Returned to carboy and air lock placed. Approx 750 ml of gross lees / wine
June 18, 2008
Added bentonite to carboy.
(probably didn't need it twice)
June 22, 2008
Racked from lees to primary bucket. SG was 1.010 Woo Hoo
Added 6 tablets of crushed campden to must and stirred. Minimal pulp noted.
Re racked into clean and sanitized carboy. Topped off to neck of bottle.
July 8, 2008
Racked off lees. SG was still 1.010 Wine has cleared significantly. Tasted 2 oz, ABV approx. 15% by readings. Returned to carboy after stirring 6 tabs of crushed campden in.
July 13, 2008
Carboy seems very clear, no airlock activity, no lees settling at the bottom.
July 18, 2008
Racked to primary, minimal sediment at bottom of carboy. Returned to carboy, topped off to neck with water and replaced airlock.
Bottled 8/14/08
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