Dragon Blood: Triple Berry Skeeter Pee

[Tess]

Ok so I have my first batch of DB in my primary .. Started with a SG of about 1.072. My only concern at this point is I didn't relize I was out of airlocks until after making the batch.. So I covered with the lid and put a paper towel over the airlock hole moistened with easy clean.. If there is a better way please let me know. I will be try ping to pick up another airlock tomorrow as long as someone is open. If not will this be ok until Saturday? Also when squeezing the fruit bag how hard should I be squeezing ?

Your good. Dont even worry about the airlock at this point. It will be good for a few days. There is so much gas coming off it at this point nothing is going to get into your wine to harm it. A lot of people just cover with a damp towel. I just set the lid to my fermenter on top. I set a gallon of water on on the lid. Just make sure as the fermentation begins to really slow to a finish you snap the lid down tight and put it in air lock. As far as the fruit bag, Squeeze the twist the crap out of it. You want every bit of juice you can get. By the time mine was done fermenting there was not much left in my FP lol

 

[stevolution]

Awesome thnx for the reply ... I'm still pretty new to this and don't really know what is absolutely necessary and what can be fudged... I will be trying to get an airlock tomorrow if someone is open. If not I will proceed to adding yeast and covering with towel until Saturday when I can get an airlock...

 

[Tess]

Degassing? Im sure this is going to be very controversial and I will get all kinds of crap for it but, Something like dragons blood or any of the light wines you drink pretty quick and dont plan to age a few years. I sheet rack.
No special equipment needed. Not extra equipment to buy. All you do is when you rack to the carboy the first time. Hold the wracking tube to the side of the carboy and let it wash down the side releasing the CO2 as you wrack.
Im not sure Id do this with a long aging wine but I do nothing else with the shorter ready
to drink wines . It has so far worked great for me.
I first heard about it on here. Im still fairy new and you never know I may be back on here in a few months saying what a mistake this sheet racking has been, but not yet!! I think its great. Lots of gas coming off as you do so its works great. I still degas with the drill but its not nearly as much and as worrisome!! Good luck and follow your gut!!

 

[Tess]

Awesome thnx for the reply ... I'm still pretty new to this and don't really know what is absolutely necessary and what can be fudged... I will be trying to get an airlock tomorrow if someone is open. If not I will proceed to adding yeast and covering with towel until Saturday when I can get an airlock...

You will need it so get it and have it ready. You should be good for a few days though.

 

[Tess]

I dont take a reading every day. Its not necessary. I have gotten to the point to where I can put my ear up to the side of my fermenting bucket and can tell whats gong on. When its at full ferment you can hear it loud and clear. its sounds like rice crispies...(Snap, crackle and pop)
I take the first reading and the last before I rack to bottle. The hydrometer is more accurate them my ear in the end!! My ear my say its done but it could just be stuck. Always check with your Hydrometer.

 

[JetJockey]

Ok so I have my first batch of DB in my primary .. Started with a SG of about 1.072. My only concern at this point is I didn't relize I was out of airlocks until after making the batch.. So I covered with the lid and put a paper towel over the airlock hole moistened with easy clean.. If there is a better way please let me know. I will be try ping to pick up another airlock tomorrow as long as someone is open. If not will this be ok until Saturday? Also when squeezing the fruit bag how hard should I be squeezing ?

Some people only put a towel over the primary and no lid/airlock because you have to stir and squeeze every day. They let it that way until they transfer to a carboy (secondary) and then use an airlock. This lets a lot of air in so the yeast colony can grow. Shouldn't be a problem without the airlock!

 

[stevolution]

Either way got my airlocks today and will be introducing yeast In a couple hours..

 

[jamesngalveston]

tess= carboy whisperer...

 

[stevolution]

I wasn't sure sure where to put this in the forum so I apologize ahead of time if its incorrect... I want to make a strawberry banana version of this but I'm not sure what I need to sub out or in? Obviously sub out the berries for strawberry and bananas but I'm not sure if I need to add acid blend or not? Should I take out the lemon juice as well or maybe cut it back ? Has anyone tried this before any info would be great


My original DB Is coming along great though. Still setting in the primary fermenting away.. I do think I'm going to have a lot of racking ahead of me though as there is a lot of fruit particles floating around in the wine..

 

[jamesngalveston]

i made a blackberry strawberry...i cut the lemon in half. that was it.

 

[stevolution]

That's sounds delicious too... Also what's the difference in using fresh fruit compared to frozen.. I'm not sure ill e able to find frozen bananas:/

 

[kryptonitewine]

Just save some bananas until they turn brown and ten freeze them. Slice them peels and all when adding to your wine. Fresh vs frozen is a personal choice. Don't use store bought fresh fruit IMO as a lot of it is picked too early and ripens after it's picked (strawberries are a prime example).

 

[Hunt]

So i opened my first bottle of the DB on the 4th of july and thought that maybe this wine is not for me but I kept drinking it anyway. Last night I opened a bottle, then another and another. My memory is a little fuzzy but I do believe I drank them all down lol.

By the way does anyone know what the standard ABV is? When I took measurements I thought it was 12% or so but it does not seem to pack much of a punch to me

 

[stevolution]

Just save some bananas until they turn brown and ten freeze them. Slice them peels and all when adding to your wine. Fresh vs frozen is a personal choice. Don't use store bought fresh fruit IMO as a lot of it is picked too early and ripens after it's picked (strawberries are a prime example).

I always thought there were different ingredients needed when using fresh fruit. Which is why I have been hesitant. Is there a reason why you should wait for them to turn brown? Also which weight should I use the fresh wait or the frozen weight?

 

[wineforfun]

I always thought there were different ingredients needed when using fresh fruit. Which is why I have been hesitant. Is there a reason why you should wait for them to turn brown? Also which weight should I use the fresh wait or the frozen weight?

Fresh fruit is fine but I believe it is much easier to work with frozen. I don't know that your banana flavor is going to come through with the strawberry. Dave may chime in on this.
I used bananas in the fruit bag, with all the mixed berries, for body(Dave's Especiale recipe). Didn't care for that recipe and didn't notice any banana taste.

 

[wineforfun]

So i opened my first bottle of the DB on the 4th of july and thought that maybe this wine is not for me but I kept drinking it anyway. Last night I opened a bottle, then another and another. My memory is a little fuzzy but I do believe I drank them all down lol.

By the way does anyone know what the standard ABV is? When I took measurements I thought it was 12% or so but it does not seem to pack much of a punch to me

If you started your SG around 1.075-1.080 you will end up with around 12%ABV, depending on how dry you run it.
It does not have an overpowering alcohol flavor to it, it is a very easy drinker. However, if you are saying you drank 3 bottles and didn't get very "happy", we may have to get you help.

 

[dangerdave]

Great conversation, folks. I'm glad the recipe is still making converts. Tess, you are a wonder! Thank you for fielding questions. You too, DJ. You guys are great.

Several notes: Even if you use fresh fruit, freeze it first, then thaw it prior to use. Freezing causes the cells to rupture, releasing all the fruity goodness within. I ferment to dry in the primary, always. Lay the lid on loose for easy squeezing, and cover with a towel to keep out the fruit flies. I never snap down the lid, and don't transfer to a carboy until it is totally dry, and ready to stabilize and sparkolloid.

Tess, it's like I tell everyone. DB improves a great deal in the first few weeks to months in the bottle. In a year---if you can stash a few bottles that long---it gets sooooo smooth! I have a few bottles left from last year including DB and some Jet Blue that I've been drinking. They are indeed remarkable!

Welcome to the DB family, Steve! It's a very happy family!

 

[stevolution]

Great conversation, folks. I'm glad the recipe is still making converts. Tess, you are a wonder! Thank you for fielding questions. You too, DJ. You guys are great.

Several notes: Even if you use fresh fruit, freeze it first, then thaw it prior to use. Freezing causes the cells to rupture, releasing all the fruity goodness within. I ferment to dry in the primary, always. Lay the lid on loose for easy squeezing, and cover with a towel to keep out the fruit flies. I never snap down the lid, and don't transfer to a carboy until it is totally dry, and ready to stabilize and sparkolloid.

Tess, it's like I tell everyone. DB improves a great deal in the first few weeks to months in the bottle. In a year---if you can stash a few bottles that long---it gets sooooo smooth! I have a few bottles left from last year including DB and some Jet Blue that I've been drinking. They are indeed remarkable!

Welcome to the DB family, Steve! It's a very happy family!

I am super excited to try this after its huge following and I have to say there is a much better satisfaction making something from scratch than from a kit. Ill be putting up a few pictures tonight of my very first DB.. Ill post more info then and probably more questions lol..

 

[kryptonitewine]

In my limited experience the bananas do not add flavor. They are used to add "body".

 

[stevolution]

In my limited experience the bananas do not add flavor. They are used to add "body".

Oh really so is there no way to get a banana flavored wine ? :/