DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine

[mat_ski]

Step 5 yesterday. Looking good, I think.

 

[Jovimaple]

I made a triple berry DB last year from Costco's Kirkland triple berry fruit. I bottled it in March of 2021. We opened a bottle yesterday at Thanksgiving dinner and it was delicious! The aging definitely smoothed it out.

I used 12 lbs of fruit for 6 gallons, which is about 1.5 times the amount of fruit in the original recipe, if I recall correctly. I made my first batch according to the recipe (tweaked to make 3 gallons instead of 5) and it was a bit light on fruit for my taste.

 

[Shurt1073]

My Dragon Blood is close ..... real close. I can feel the Dragons breath when I get near. The batch was started on Oct 26th and plan to bottle the first week of December.

 

[Jovimaple]

Don't forget to post how many gallons (DB is counted as a variant of Skeeter Pee):

How many gallons of Lon D's Skeeter Pee have been made?

 

[mat_ski]

Pretty tasty, can’t wait to try it in few months.

 

[David Violante]

So I recently made a triple berry very similar to @Jovimaple, had let is sit post fermentation (no move in SG >3 days) , moved some things around (time got away from me) and just went to check it. Maybe it has been a few weeks (month and a half) and it looks like it's undergoing MLF... has anyone experienced that with their DB? Very active tiny tiny bubbles...

 

[wbhutchins]

@dangerdave, I want to thank you for the outstanding recipe. Yours is the second batch of any kind of wine I have ever made and the first I have ready for drinking. It is fantastic and your directions are easy to follow. I have definitely got the "bug" and have a new one (tropical - Blackberries, Peach, Mango, Pineapple and Strawberries) in the carboy clearing. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

 

[Ericphotoart]

I've made 4 batches of berry DB, 1 of them was triple berry and 3 of them were quad berry. I love quad berry version and it's my wife's favorite. My last batch was 10 lbs of Berry Medley from Aldi, plus 4 lbs of wild blueberry and 3 lbs of raspberry. It is the best DB so far. Amazing! Wild blueberries made a huge difference.

 

[wineview]

I've been toying with the idea of making some Dragons Blood. The only ingredient I don't have is "yeast energizer". Can I give it a shot without it?

 

[wbhutchins]

I would order it from Amazon or get from your local vendor. Yeast Energizer - 1 lb.

 

[G259]

I have never used yeast energizer, never had a problem.

 

[wineview]

I have never used yeast energizer, never had a problem.

Truth be told, I never heard of yeast energizer.

 

[Shurt1073]

I used some LD Carlson yeast nutrient from Label Peelers when I made my Dragons Blood .... not sure its necessary but I used a little.

 

[winemaker81]

I've been toying with the idea of making some Dragons Blood. The only ingredient I don't have is "yeast energizer". Can I give it a shot without it?

Yes. The energizer is not necessary. Here is a comparison of nutrient vs energizer

Yeast Energizer vs Yeast Nutrient

It is important to remember that Yeast Energizer and Yeast Nutrient are not the same thing. Although Yeast Energizers are types of nutrient blends, they also contain components such as vitamin B, diammonium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, magnesium sulphate, and yeast hulls. Yeast energizers...

www.midwestsupplies.com

 

[wineview]

Yes. The energizer is not necessary. Here is a comparison of nutrient vs energizer

Yeast Energizer vs Yeast Nutrient

It is important to remember that Yeast Energizer and Yeast Nutrient are not the same thing. Although Yeast Energizers are types of nutrient blends, they also contain components such as vitamin B, diammonium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, magnesium sulphate, and yeast hulls. Yeast energizers...

www.midwestsupplies.com

The article says you don’t need yeast energizer unless a lot of sugar is used. Dragons Blood uses an awful lot of sugar.

 

[winemaker81]

The article says you don’t need yeast energizer unless a lot of sugar is used. Dragons Blood uses an awful lot of sugar.

It's not required. I suspect most of our membership doesn't use it.

 

[wineview]

It's not required. I suspect most of our membership doesn't use it.

Got it

 

[wineview]

I've been going through the Dragons Blood recipe and would like to ask a few questions.

After pitching the starter, Dave specifically instructs to stir vigorously. That is the opposite of gently pouring the yeast colony along one side of the bucket. Is there a specific reason for the vigorous stir instructions in this recipe?

It's mentioned that higher fermenting temperatures will yield a sharper tasting, more colorful wine. Is he saying it will be more acidic? I suppose those temperatures hold true for any red.

I don't have Sparkoloid. Can I substitute bentonite during primary?

I typically don't use Potassium Sorbate for fear of off flavors. Is K-sorbate specifically used because of the additional sugar (2-6 cups) added directly into the carboy? Will these sugars ferment out or is he referring to back sweetening.

As this discussion moves forward, I may think of a few more questions.

Thanks

 

[wineview]

Hmm, that’s not promising. If you use a drill mounted whip, you’re done in 10 minutes.

Yeah...boy am I glad I found your post. Ive never heard of degassing for two days. I use a drill and am done in 6-10 minutes for kit wines or juice buckets. Is there something different about Dragons Blood that requires more degassing time?

 

[winemaker81]

Yeah...boy am I glad I found your post. Ive never heard of degassing for two days. I use a drill and am done in 6-10 minutes for kit wines or juice buckets. Is there something different about Dragons Blood that requires more degassing time?

If you are going over 3 minutes with a drill, it's too much. Degassing is not an instant process. I stir for 1 minute, which expels a lot of CO2 and jump starts the process. The wine finishes degassing over the next few weeks.

Not stirring the must after inoculation is based upon newer research. You'll get a quicker start.

You can use any fining agent you want.

I haven't read the recipe in a long time and don't recall the details. However, if you add sugar before the sorbate, it will ferment.

If you backsweeten, you will use sorbate. It's a quick drinking wine, so letting it age 9 months before back sweetening isn't recommended.