DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine

[ckvchestnut]

How much pectic enzyme?

Is that a 5 or 6 gallon batch? Did you use only 2 tsp total or on top of the original amount called for?

 

[JDesCotes]

Sorry I used 3 tsp in total all at the very beginning. It is 6 gallons.

 

[ckvchestnut]

It won't hurt to add more like Julie said. I would start with 2 tsps and work from there. Sometimes that type of fruit seems to take longer to clear.

 

[dangerdave]

I agree with Juile. Try the enzyme first. Pectin haze is the number one reason for cloudy wine.

I use three tsp for a six gallon batch. It will not hurt the wine, so no worries.

 

[hawk022499]

I am running low on the DB. Have a few btls left of the Original DB, some Lemon SP, and tropical DB versions. All went over very well with the friends and family.

Have a 6gal batch of DB ready to bottle and a Tropical clearing.

Just started 5gal each of Blueberry/POM and Apple/Cherry variations today! The blueberry smells out of this world. Can't wait for it to be done.

Once again, great recipe!

 

[ckvchestnut]

Wow those sound really good hawk! Let us know how the taste turns out!

 

[ckvchestnut]

I made a blueberry peach port style using the DB recipe... I may try it again as a normal lower abv wine it's spectacular the blueberry!

 

[JDesCotes]

I agree with Juile. Try the enzyme first. Pectin haze is the number one reason for cloudy wine.

I use three tsp for a six gallon batch. It will not hurt the wine, so no worries.

Should I just sprinkle it in and stir?

 

[Lornahdune]

I have speculated on this before. While I am certainly more of an artist than a scientist when it comes to wine making, the science of it all still fascinated me.

Ask yourself what the differnce is between DB and other fruit wines. Most fruit wine recipes call for fruit, perhaps some water and/or sugar, nutrient, energizer, tannin maybe, and yeast...and some form of acid, if required for balance. And I think that is the kicker here. I think it has to do with the citric acid as opposed to tartaric or malic acid. Of course, the powerhouse yeast (EC-1118) can't hurt.

Yes, I was thinking the lemon/lime juice is the common denominator here. Skeeter-pee is also lemon/lime based. Perhaps that aids a quick ferment. Who knows. I plan to do some experimentation. Yes the art of it. It is like cooking, but with a very different palette. I wonder has anyone tried grapes and the lemon juice base for a grapey DB?

 

[Julie]

Should I just sprinkle it in and stir?

Sorry DesCotes for not getting back with you and thanks to Carolyn and Dave to responding. I would do like Dave says and use 3 tsp and normally I would stir it in.

 

[Rosa321]

Should I just sprinkle it in and stir?

I had all kinds of chunky stuff in my blueberry batch. I used the 3 tsp's of pectic enzyme and stirred it in. Then I warmed it up some. I used my brew belt, but others have used blankets. It was recommended to me in another thread that warming the wine would help the pectic enzyme/clearing.

Then I just waited and waited and waited! It seems to have done the trick!!
My blueberry is now clear and stabilized. Sunday I am planning to rack, sweeten, and bottle so it can age.

I am also quite happy with the Dragonette I am making. I added stabilizers and racked that to secondary this week. It smells and looks fabulous! I don't know if it's the doubled fruit up front, lack of lemon juice, or the fact that I was careful/smarter and made sure to measure the starting SG after the fruit was added so I would have a lower blood alcohol level in the end. But something has given it excellent color, smell, and flavor (yup....had some already! Who could wait? ) I'm excited for this one....

 

[ckvchestnut]

Nice Rosa!

 

[bkisel]

Started a RJS WS Australia Cabernet Sauvigon yesterday but up next is another 6 gallons of DB. Costco had 4 pound bags of mixed "organic" berries with, I think it was, 6 varieties of berries. I seem also remember seeing bags of mixed tropical/passion fruit chunks. Do you think that combining the two and otherwise following the DB recipe is a good idea? Again, my wife and I are very pleased with how our first batch of DB turned out... so stick with the original or throw caution to the wind and go for a Passion Berry wine?

Thanx...

Peach Berry DB?....

So wife and I are sitting on the sofa enjoying - no really, really enjoying - our second taste of DB (I've called it Lemon Berry wine). I run by my wife the idea for our next DB made with mixed berries and tropical/passion fruit chunks. Janet insisted she would not like it but asked... What about with peaches?

So, how would I go about making DB with a bit of peach flavor to the wine. Would I use the same recipe and simply add peaches? Would I subtract say three pounds of the berries from the recipe to be replaced by the peaches? I don't think you can get fresh peaches this time of the year so I guess it'd have to be frozen peaches or canned peaches, right?

By the end of this weekend I'll have given away away 6 bottles of my Lemon Berry wine (and probably another 5-6 when we visit family in PA next month) so my gut keeps telling me, because it came out so good, to make another batch of DB just like the first and leave the experimentation for a later time.

 

[dangerdave]

It certainly goes fast, don't it? I've spent several years trying to gauge production vs consumption. Between drinking and sharing, of I don't make a batch a month, I start to run low. I shift between a calm sense of contentment to a feeling of impending--ain't got no DB--blues.

Hey, that sounds like a good blue song in the works! Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[bkisel]

It certainly goes fast, don't it? I've spent several years trying to gauge production vs consumption. Between drinking and sharing, of I don't make a batch a month, I start to run low. I shift between a calm sense of contentment to a feeling of impending--ain't got no DB--blues.

Hey, that sounds like a good blue song in the works! Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

Do you have a certain number of family and friends to whom you give? Do you ever have folks hinting that they'd like another bottle or do they come right out and ask?

I'm guessing a good 10-15% of what I've been making gets given to others. With the DB being so good and and the same time relatively inexpensive compared to my kit wines I'll be giving away a lot more bottles. I'm in no way complaining, just the opposite, as I find it a joy and a blessing to be able to share with others.

 

[beggarsu]

Typo in the recipe on page one?

I am about to make a batch and suddenly I think there is something wrong here in the recipe on page one."

I started according to this in the first post in this thread.:

Step 1: To a cleaned and sanitized seven gallon (or larger) primary, add---in this order:

1 bottle (48 oz each)

The PDF I downloaded also says use one bottle = 48 oz lemon juice.

So I used 48 oz lemon calculation but I wondered what was meant by "each" - I figured it meant the 48 oz comes in one bottle wherever the recipe maker bought it - for me it doesn't - it comes in 32 oz bottles in this city - so I have to measure it out using a measuring cup/litre measurement thing ..

Now I see in another post on the bentonite thread:

2 bottles (48 oz each) 100% Lemon Juice (ReaLemon in the green bottle): if you want to reduce the acid level use one bottle.

I had made some calculations to make a 15 litre batch (nearly 4 gallons) and that calculates about to 32 oz lemon juice for my 15 litre batch according to the recipe on page one. Now I see the second version says it is 2 bottles but you can reduce it.
But what is the standard recipe that most everyone on this thread is using - 48 oz or 96 oz? ie what amount is meant by that phrase on page one here?


It is all prepared ready to rock and ferment starting tomorrow as soon as the yeast starter is ready and the fruit thaws.
but now ....oops!
That's a big difference - either twice as much or half as much.

-fortunately I have not added the yeast starter yet

What is the formula for a 6 gallon batch? 48 oz or 96 oz?

Thanks.

 

[Winenoob66]

Just go with the 32 oz. The recipe where it states 2 48oz bottles is an old recipe Dave cut it back to one due to heart burn issues

The fruit you can keep the same a lot of people like double the fruit in it better

 

[ou8amaus]

Someone may correct me, but I believe the original recipe called for 2x 48oz bottles, but that Dave had reduced it to 1x 48oz due to acid reflux issues. Personally I have made both versions and found them a bit acidic for my taste. I just made one with only half, 24oz, and I found that level to be my personal favorite. Mind you, all three versions were very tasty. Maybe in the middle of summer on the back deck the higher acid version will be more refreshing...

 

[ckvchestnut]

Ya I use far less lemon as well. My last one added no lemon (dragonette) I'm going to add lemon agin to this one but probably only 24oz. I'm starting 6 gals of quad berry (9lbs) and 1.5lbs of dark sweet cherries and my usual 3 over ripe bananas. I'm excited!! Lol maybe I should have at with more cherries - like 3lbs oh well! Plenty of time to make more DB!

 

[beggarsu]

Just go with the 32 oz. The recipe where it states 2 48oz bottles is an old recipe Dave cut it back to one due to heart burn issues

The fruit you can keep the same a lot of people like double the fruit in it better

It seems that doubling the fruit would invalidate the recipe. It doesn't make sense - you don't improve the flavour of most everything by doubling the strength of the flavor eg coke, a steak, wine. It would seem to mean the original recipe is flawed if that much more flavour is needed to make it tasty.
Though I'm sure some people have flavour exception palates.
..
It also would mean doubling the cost and taking it from inexpensive to expensive. I might as well buy another kit or make another wine that would cost 1/3 the price from common supermarket ingredients or nothing when summer picking time comes .
...
"oh BTW spend twice as much and make another trip?" No way!
It's a one hour bicycle round trip to the supermarket plazas which is why I'm careful to first research the ingredients and make sure I've got everything beforehand.

...
The normal cost of fruit packs here is twice or three times as much or more than what Dangerdave paid - must be a fruit belt there!!
But I got them on sale about same price as Dangerdave and there may be a continuing supply like that. or even a brand "President's Choice" "Four Berry Mix" (plus some other interesting high quality freezer packs) - standard price - $3.99 per 600 gm = 18.60 pounds unit cost for a 6 gallon batch ) which is ongoing doable even without occasional sales . (Have to check this again.)


I don't have access to big box discount supermarkets - might be better shopping there in the capitol but I go there so seldom and don't know the stores.
.
I'll report in a little while with pics on the fruit packs I bought - basically I bought 6 times 600 gm fruit packs which make s 7.92 pounds.

Therefore according to the recipe I decided to make 2 times 15 liter (3.96 gallons, total = 7.92 Gallons DB) if that first page recipe is valid. I got many one gallon jugs and 3 litre jugs to use as carboys and my other 2 carboys are in use - got a big project going here - 210 + bottles summer wine before July 1st - got a goal!!

Thanks ou8amaus and ckvchestnut - yeah I will play it like that.
...
The lemon being 96 oz instead of 48 oz per 6 gals (22.71) doesn't make sense to me not just for acid but for flavour balance - 96 oz is full strength lemonade even before wine and could be full strength lemon wine it seems you add another strength of flavour you have to subtract some of the other.. I will use the I bottle recipe 48 oz for 22.71 litres - adjusted.