Dragon Blood in 15 days!!!

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Ya you might be right but Flavor is what I'm worried about most. The abv might be off a little but shouldn't be far, all water will do to that is dilute it like if you added water to any other liquor, but the flavor I have no idea about. Good luck and let us know!
 
Ya you might be right but Flavor is what I'm worried about most. The abv might be off a little but shouldn't be far, all water will do to that is dilute it like if you added water to any other liquor, but the flavor I have no idea about. Good luck and let us know!

very true, ABV is easily fixed just drink more :dg :p
 
First batch of Dragon Blood

Started mt batch yesterday morning using Welch's 4 berry mix (3 lbs). I used the abbreviated receipt and added sugar to a SP of 1.900, got carried away with the sugar. Pitched the yeast this morning and in 4 hours see the photo! House sure smells good!

image.jpg
 
added sugar to a SP of 1.900, got carried away with the sugar.

1.900!?!?!?

do you mean 1.090? i think 1.900 = pure sugar lol and got carried away would then be an understatement :)

looks awesome though
 
Looks delicious tucson!!! I thought the same thing when I first saw 1.9!! LOL What would the ABV be with that high of a specific gravity?
 
According to the grapestompers.com website starting at 1.09 and if it finishes at 1.005 @ 77 degrees it would be 11.55%.
 
Well, make it your own, tucson! I have made quite a few batches (got two fermenting right now), and make it the way I like it. I always use 20 cups of sugar in a six gallon batch. The starting SG is always the same, 1.075---shooting for a ABV around 10%. I know it comes out a wee bit higher with the added sugars from the fruit, but it's just how I like it.

Yours looks good, good luck!
 
This was a 3 1/2 gallon batch, I started with 10 cups and kept adding a cup of sugar and the last cup pushed it to 1.090. I did the extra 1/2 gallon for spillage and to top off the carboy. 24 hrs after pitching yeast and its at 1.080 - sure smells good!

Question- I do not plan on putting any chemicals in it when I carboy it - just let it clear on its on - comments?
 
Should be fine. Just let her sit until she's clear. Lots of folks make wine that way.
 
I just started my Lemon/Lime/Cherry version of a Dragon's Blood wine...if it turns out the way I'm hoping it will I'll put up the recipe. Just have to wait and see how it goes :D
 
I realized one thing this time after following the original directions again. It calls for filling to five gallons and then setting SG to where you want with sugar. Then adding fruit etc...and topping up with water. You should check SG again after topping up with water and boost it to the original SG you want as the water will cause it to drop. I never thought to do that the first time around.
 
:u:u:u:u:u:u:u

Good point, Derek. I guess I shouldn't figure everyone would realize that. I changed the recipe to better instruct when to test SG. I fill only up to five gallons to start with to allow room for all that sugar, then top up to six gallons when the sugar is all desolved.

I further modified the order of ingredients in the primary to adding the fruit bag last, after testing the SG. Here's the newest version (which I also modified in the Recipes section of this forum): Please read recipe completely before beginning!

"DRAGON BLOOD"

FROM DANGERDAVE'S EASY PEESY (SKEETER PEE) RECIPE

Ingredients: For a six gallon batch:

Step 1: To a cleaned and sanitized seven gallon primary, add---in this order:
2 bottles (48 oz each) 100% Lemon Juice (ReaLemon in the green bottle): if you want to recude the acid level use one bottle.
Water to about five gallons
20 cups of white granulated sugar (you will be looking for a SG of around 1.075 after filling to 6 gallons below*): use more/less sugar for high/lower desired final ABV. Stir sugar until completely desolved.
1 tsp. tannin (stir)
4 tsp. yeast nutrient (stir)
2 tsp. yeast energizer (stir)
3 tsp. pectic enzyme (stir)
Top water to six (6) gallons* and stir well
Test SG (looking for a SG around 1.075) Note: The natural sugars from the fruit will slightly increase the final ABV, so be careful how high you drive up the SG at this point!
6 lbs. of Triple Berry Blend (raspberry/blackberry/blueberry--available in most grocery store freezer sections), frozen then thawed, in a nylon fine mesh bag (tied shut), placed in primary (add any extra juice from the fruit as well): Give the bag a couple of squeezes to work in pectic enzyme. May also toss fruit directly into primary, but this makes for a "messier" fermentation and subsequently will require more clearing time and racking.
Cover primary
Place brew belt: Keep temp in 70F-80F range.
Let sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours...

Step 2: To the primary fermenter, add:
1 packet of EC-1118 Yeast (starter, per yeast directions): Sprinkle yeast into one cup of warm water (100F), let sit for 15 minutes (no longer), stir and add to primary. Other yeast strains may also work well.
Stir Primary Vigorously!

Step 3: Each day, do the following, in this order:
Check temp
Check specific gravity
Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter---remove friut pack: Temporarily place in sanitized bucket.
Stir primary vigorously: To introduce oxygen into must.
Replace fruit pack
Cover primary

Step 4: When specific gravity (SG) reaches <1.000, do the following:
Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter---remove friut pack: Discard fruit.
Rack to cleaned and sanitized six gallon carboy
Add 1/4 tsp. Potassium Metabisulfite (stir)
Add 3 tsp. Potassium Sorbate (stir)
Degas very thoroughly: I cannot emphasize this enough!
Add Sparkolloid* (or other cleaing agent): *1 tbs in one cup of water simmered for about 30 minutes. Add hot mixture to carboy.
Allow to clear undistrubed for no less than 1 week

Step 4: When wine is clear:
Carefully rack off of lees into cleaned & sanitized six gallon carboy
Add 4-5 cups of white granulated sugar (stir until sugar is completely disolved): Add more or less sugar to taste. Remember! The sugars will blend with the berry flavors over time, and the sweetness will come forward. Do not over-sweeten!
Allow wine to clear free of all sediment: This may or may not require more racking over the next few weeks.

Step 5: When wine is completely clear:
Bottle in clear bottles
Note: Never bottle cloudy wine! NEVER!
 
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Good point, Derek. I guess I shouldn't figure everyone would realize that. I changed the recipe to better instruct when to test SG. I fill only up to five gallons to start with to allow room for all that sugar, then top up to six gallons when the sugar is all desolved.

I bumped my first batch up to 1.085 SG before I topped up the water. I had a bit too much :dgwhile I was making it to realize exactly what I was doing when I added the water. The second time around I was stone cold sober :( and it hit me that I had just dropped the SG. So I tested it and it came in at 1.075 SG. So I figure my first batch was probably right around there. I bumped this one up again to 1.085 SG with the fruit in it so it should be pretty good.
 
Walmart in my area doesn't carry the Triple Berry blend you use.

The ones here have the addition of Strawberry as a fourth berry....
Any reason this wouldn't work?

Getting ready to try my first batch.
 
That would work, or you can buy the berries individually. Either one works just fine bud. It's really your call, you could even do just raspberries and black berries if you wanted, I'm thinking about trying that next!
 
I make a blueberry version also. I'm bottling a batch of that today, as a matter of fact. I call it "Jet Blue", after my big black Lab named Jet. You can trade the fruit out for just about any combination you like. That's the beauty of this recipe!
 
I was thinking about adding a can of VH Apricot purée to a future batch. Would that work?
 
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