Dragon Blood: Triple Berry Skeeter Pee

[stevolution]

Can't wait to try this one! I did a tropical version using strawberry, mango, papaya, & pineapple.

Let me know how this turns out . This may just be my next batch...

 

[stevolution]

So today is day 6 of my DB. SG is right at 1.000 so tonight I removed my fruit bag and I will let it settle out over the next 24 hours.. Tomorrow I will rack off not my newly purchased (today) carboy. You guys weren't kidding about this multiply behind your back.. I just bought my first one a month ago and now have 5!!!! They just grow up so fast..lol now if my bottles would only start multiplying..

I did take a small sip of the DB tonight and I was surely suprised by flavor. After smelling the fermenting fruit for the last week I have been Leary about trying it but I'm glad I did.now I can't wait to get this into bottles and try some finished..

 

[stevolution]

just add banana syrup like you would an fpak. This is just one I found, I'm sure there's other kinds

http://www.davincigourmet.com/products/product_details/?productID=11

This might be the way to go. So could I just do 6lbs of strawberries then add this to taste after fermentation?

 

[beardy]

So I looked at a bottle of ReaLemon and saw it has lemon oil in it... that doesn't hurt the wine at all? I've read oils can do pretty nasty things to wine.

 

[vernsgal]

This might be the way to go. So could I just do 6lbs of strawberries then add this to taste after fermentation?

make sure it's cleared and you stabilized first then add to taste. Remember the longer you plan on aging the wine the flavor will fade.

 

[Dend78]

tried some of my first batch of this, its been almost a year, wow its a totally different wine not even close to the same flavor, very smooth indeed

 

[wineforfun]

So I looked at a bottle of ReaLemon and saw it has lemon oil in it... that doesn't hurt the wine at all? I've read oils can do pretty nasty things to wine.

Nope, if you are using the RealLemon brand(green bottle/yellow writing), that is what most all of us use. I have even used Wal-Mart or Hy-Vee(local grocery store) brand too.

 

[wineforfun]

tried some of my first batch of this, its been almost a year, wow its a totally different wine not even close to the same flavor, very smooth indeed

That is great to hear. I have one bottle from my very first batch(where I used 2 bottles lemon according to recipe) that is 8 months old. Holding onto it for the 1yr. mark.

 

[jamesngalveston]

since my first batch of dragon blood.
I cut my lemon juice in half
I doubled the amount of fruit.
I start with an sg of 1.110
I let it go dry in the primary.
I back sweeten with a simple syrup made from the fruit i used in fermenter.
My variants have been.
strawberry/blackberry
blackberry only
blueberry/blackberry
mango/strawberry
strawberry only
if i use a single fruit, i call it a fast track wine.
i have made 3 batches of the original
consensus....its all good.

 

[JetJockey]

James,
How do you make the simple syrup with the left over fruit? My leftovers are just about all seeds (triple berry) and skins, i.e. not a lot left but pulp with little moisture. Maybe I'm squeezing too hard?

 

[jamesngalveston]

sorry should have clarified are made a better sentence.
I use the same fruit that I started with.
If i used fresh strawberrys and blackberrys in the wine,
i use fresh fruit in the simple syrup...

 

[JetJockey]

I haven't used simple syrup, just added sugar in my batches. Do you boil the fruit down and add sugar? Add any water? I assume that this helps boost the fruit flavor over just adding sugar?

 

[jamesngalveston]

i will use 1 parts fruit 1 part sugar and cook it down are reduce to 1/2

 

[dangerdave]

I made eighteen gallons of DB in my big container last month. Twelve gallons got bottled as original, while the last six was for experimentation. This time, I added three pounds of the triple berries into the carboy along with some French oak. I'm letting the DB soak up the goodness from the fruit and oak for about a month (stirring once a week) before I rack/taste/sweeten. We shall see...

Next, I'm going to do a two batch comparative study on the difference between yeast varieties: Lavin EC-1118 vs Lavin 71B-1122. Stay tuned!

I'm also interested in James' sweet fruit extract. I'll have to try that!

 

[JetJockey]

Dave,
I'm excitedly awaiting your oak test results! Was the 3# of fruit additional after the original 6#/6gallons for a total of 9#? Did the 3# of triple berry and French oak get added after clearing & stabilizing?

 

[dangerdave]

Hey, Bob!

I waited until the wine was stabilized and clear before racking it onto the fruit and oak. Six pounds of fruit in the primary (per the recipe), then the three pounds applied after clearing. I wanted the fruit flavor from the triple berry blend and it's natural sugars to be imparted to the DB without anything else interfering. It's been about two weeks, now. I'm waiting another week (since I will conveniently be out of town next week) before tasting, to see how it's coming along.

James' sweet fruit extract might be a faster way to impart extra fruit flavor to the wine, but getting the oakiness I want takes time. The wife wanted the original, unmodified version. She's got hers. This one is for me.

 

[beardy]

Hey, Bob!

I waited until the wine was stabilized and clear before racking it onto the fruit and oak. Six pounds of fruit in the primary (per the recipe), then the three pounds applied after clearing. I wanted the fruit flavor from the triple berry blend and it's natural sugars to be imparted to the DB without anything else interfering. It's been about two weeks, now. I'm waiting another week (since I will conveniently be out of town next week) before tasting, to see how it's coming along.

James' sweet fruit extract might be a faster way to impart extra fruit flavor to the wine, but getting the oakiness I want takes time. The wife wanted the original, unmodified version. She's got hers. This one is for me.

Are you crushing the fruit or just setting it in whole? How will you clear it again if the former?

 

[dangerdave]

It goes in whole, but some of it falls apart (blackberries/raspberries) in the stirring. It all settles quickly to the bottom if not disturbed, so I just rack the wine off the fruit. I screen the fruit and save the extra in a separate jar, mind you---no wasted wine! If the carboy remains cloudy after another week, I'll hit it with some sparkolloid to clear it up. No problem.

It does take some extra work. Stuffing three pounds of fruit through a large funnel takes a few minutes extra. Getting the fruit back out of the carboy and through a screened funnel takes a bit of lifting. It's no worse, really, than the kits I've tweaked using raisins and oak or other fruit for that matter. The outcome, IMO, has been well worth the effort. I'm hoping the DB is just as rewarding.

Thanks for asking, bready!

 

[JetJockey]

I'm waiting another week (since I will conveniently be out of town next week) before tasting, to see how it's coming along.

Dave,
You're a better man than I, I would have to sneak a taste or three before I left!

Keep us posted!

 

[dangerdave]

Stop tempting me!!!!!!!!