Dragon Blood in 15 days!!!

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I've done it before. Compared to real DB there's a lot of kinda odd esters and off flavors going on. It's drinkable, but pretty much hooch. Cheap alcohol worth less than the container it's in.

Dragons blood made the right way is drinkable basically as soon as its degassed and cleared. The flavor just improves over time up to a year and some say gets even better afterwards. My entire DB batch typically goes bottoms up somewhere before 6 months. A few bottles get held over for a year or so because they taste better for it.

I got into this hobby to make good wine. And I've made some that lives up to that goal. I certainly wouldn't call myself a vintner yet, especially compared to a lot of the people on here. Ive learned so much over the past year just watching how these experienced guys and gals respond to problems other people had. I've learned and experienced enough to throw out a little advice of my own every now and then. So here's mine:

Anybody can make a quick cheap hooch, and there are tons of shortcuts those of us outside of prison can take to speed up the process. But every time you shortcut, you lose something in your wine.

How is it even worth it to spend money on winemaking equipment if your end product consistently comes out inferior to a cheap gas station flavored malt beverage because you shortcutted it all to death?

I challenge you to make a "control" batch of real DB, no shortcuts, and compare the two of them in 6 months.

Start on a "big" batch every 3 months or so and build up an inventory of wine. Then waiting a year is like WHATEVER. My first kit wine took a year to come around, but I was drinking skeeter pee and dragon blood 3 months into the wait because I started it at the same time. And I kept it going.

Patience, not shortcuts, makes good wine.

Okay. I will climb down off of my soap box. That felt weird.
 
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Dragon Blood Stuff...

Hi, Guys...I started a batch of D.D. five days ago, and everything is looking good; working away, just like I knew what I was doing.
SG is now at 1.028
After I sobered up, I realized I forgot to add the yeast nutrient, in the beginning.
Should I forget about it, or should I add it now?
Thanks
 
I've done it before. Compared to real DB there's a lot of kinda odd esters and off flavors going on. It's drinkable, but pretty much hooch.

What is the real dragon blood.
The triple berry.....
If I substitute one berry from the other,but follow the same exact likeness of the rest, is that called hooch.
And I thought the dragon blood was an off shoot of skeeter pee.
I am confused.
So if I use the triple berry its dragon blood which is wine.
But if i substitute berries its hooch..
Correct me if I am wrong.
What is a controlled batch of dragon blood.
Is it not the same exact recipe found here.
I am making the exact same recipe but using blackberry/strawberry.
Instead of triple berry.
I live on an Island, we have a small Wallmart, and even smaller grocery stores, Triple Berry is something they do not sell.
 
jamesngalveston said:
I've done it before. Compared to real DB there's a lot of kinda odd esters and off flavors going on. It's drinkable, but pretty much hooch.

What is the real dragon blood.
The triple berry.....
If I substitute one berry from the other,but follow the same exact likeness of the rest, is that called hooch.
And I thought the dragon blood was an off shoot of skeeter pee.
I am confused.
So if I use the triple berry its dragon blood which is wine.
But if i substitute berries its hooch..
Correct me if I am wrong.
What is a controlled batch of dragon blood.
Is it not the same exact recipe found here.
I am making the exact same recipe but using blackberry/strawberry.
Instead of triple berry.
I live on an Island, we have a small Wallmart, and even smaller grocery stores, Triple Berry is something they do not sell.

Somebody up the line did a post edit. Fruit punch instead of water to make the end product drinkable faster was what that response was to. Confusion's my fault for not quoting them. Sorry buddy. Fruit on! Dragon blood and skeeter pee are my faves. Neither one beats a force carbed cranberry lemonade skeeter pee though.
 
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Hi, Guys...I started a batch of D.D. five days ago, and everything is looking good; working away, just like I knew what I was doing.
SG is now at 1.028
After I sobered up, I realized I forgot to add the yeast nutrient, in the beginning.
Should I forget about it, or should I add it now?
Thanks

If it's already going good, Jim, I'd just leave it out. Let 'er cook!
 
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Dave I could not help my self....It was so hot today, the pool so blue...I made a margarita with my first bottle of dragon blood....was it good.
after this 6 gallons are gone tomorrow ill tell you..
Excellent.
 
Glad you like the recipe, James. DB is a virual staple at our house. I'm just finishing up 18 gallons and folks are already trying to lay claims. So, I'm making more. :h
 
Think I'm gonna try this with 3 lbs frozen peaches..raspberries and 4 lbs frozen local blackberries. Anyone else tried this combo
 
danger dave is the master here, so run this by him.
you get tons of lees with peaches, i would increase water to about 6 1/2 gallons....that way when you rack, you will have app 6 gallons, if you can .just my opinion....
 
I've thought of that. Tried frozen peaches b4....they don't like to play nice lol
 
I agree, peaches do not play nice at all...but, if you can manage to get some that has the peachy taste, and survive long enough to drink it, its really good.
 
Ended up doing 4# frozen peaches 2# raspberries and 3# blackberries. And 2 bottles of real lemon juice. My first try at any skeeter pee. Got some premier curvee yeast. And rc212. Make much difference which to pitch tomorrow?
 
The rc212 is primarily for big reds. For that one, the "redder the better" is what they say. So not the rd212.

I have used the Premier Curvee before with good results. It starts fast and is very tolerant of both temp and acid content. It's also low-foaming, so I'd go with this one.

Good luck with this one, frosti, and let us know how it turns out.
 
Well Dave, I added sugar today, without degassing all the way...
Now i know why you make it clear to degass thouroghly.....volcano
 
Well Dave, been making kits for 15 years but tonight I took the plunge and pitched the yeast on my first DB. Based on the unanimously positive feedback I have been seeing I am really excited. Thank you for the recipe!
 

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