Dragon Blood: Triple Berry Skeeter Pee

[stevolution]

steve, did you open a bottle...i would open one and pour in another class container and look at it better...maybe stir it, and see if goes away, are just stays the same...
just trying to help..have no idea what it could be, but im new also.

I haven't opened one Ina week or so I will try that though. If I roll the bottle around gently it does clear of the side and mix back in eventually but at first you can see the hazy trail flowing of the side of the bottle. I know this probably makes no sense and I'm trying to explain it the best I can.. I might try to get a picture of it but I'm not sure how well it will come out..

 

[WI_Wino]

It's probably leftovers from the sparkolloid. I have the same stuff in my dragons blood. I have consumed many bottles with no ill side effects.

 

[cedarswamp]

Tess..I hate it when every thing runs out at one time.
For me its an 85 mile trip to the closest supply store...saw i try to buy in bulk. This morning.....I had one packet of yeast left...dang it.
Now i have to make a 4 to 5 hour trip and get supplies.

James have you tried B&S Brewers Guild in Seabrook? Might save you some time on a pack of yeast.

 

[Tess]

I said Im out of sorbate I meant Kmeta

 

[Tess]

Tess..I hate it when every thing runs out at one time.
For me its an 85 mile trip to the closest supply store...saw i try to buy in bulk. This morning.....I had one packet of yeast left...dang it.
Now i have to make a 4 to 5 hour trip and get supplies.

If I just had to go for that alone I think I go mail order and save on gas. lol. Mine is about a 45 min drive

 

[jamesngalveston]

cedarswamp , yes i have been there twice, there more of a beer store, they keep a few things for wine but not much.
was there about 3 weeks ago to buy some super kleer.
i asked for super kleer and the guy said he was suppose to get 5 packets in that day...I bought all 5, and paid for shipping with cash..
Guess what, have never recieved it..lol
Defalcos is the closet for me.
that is 35 miles away, but no traffic.
defalcos is 46 which isnt far, but you may have a 2 hour traffic nightmare.

 

[Billberry]

This is day 2 of my fermentation phase after pitching the yeast. My starting SG was 1.082. Yesterday when I checked the SG it had only dropped to 1.080. I don't know if that was because it went up after adding the fruit bag or because the yeast weren't up to a rolling boil yet.It was sort of a bloom last night. When I checked the bucket this morning it was bubbling along nicely.
My reading tonight was 1.066. Does that sound about right?
This is was what it looked like before I squeezed and stirred this evening.
Most don't probably care what my must looks like but I wanted to see if I could successfully download one to a thread. I promise to download better ones later.
Now if I can just figure out how to insert text below my pics like the rest of you pros do.....

 

[Tess]

It might be that all your sugar was not completely dissolved the first day you took the reading. Looks like a good batch of DB to me. Yes its going down all seems ok. You did good. Just keep squeezing that fruit and following the directions

 

[jamesngalveston]

It looks like a good ferment going there...tops off to you.

 

[beardy]

This is day 2 of my fermentation phase after pitching the yeast. My starting SG was 1.082. Yesterday when I checked the SG it had only dropped to 1.080. I don't know if that was because it went up after adding the fruit bag or because the yeast weren't up to a rolling boil yet.It was sort of a bloom last night. When I checked the bucket this morning it was bubbling along nicely.
My reading tonight was 1.066. Does that sound about right?
This is was what it looked like before I squeezed and stirred this evening.
Most don't probably care what my must looks like but I wanted to see if I could successfully download one to a thread. I promise to download better ones later.
Now if I can just figure out how to insert text below my pics like the rest of you pros do.....

Yay that what mine looks like! Phew I was worried I had a lot of that foamy stuff. I used the 71B1122 based on DD's yeast comparison. The temp got up to 90° inside though and I moved it to the evap cooler. Hope that didn't hurt it. It should be mid 70's in there this morning.

 

[jamesngalveston]

I am not sure that all of the products we use are quality controlled so to speak..Case in point.
I start all my wines the exact same way, I start them at the exact sg of 1.110, I use the same yeast (pasteur red). I use the same nutrient/energizer in the same amounts everytime.
I get different kind of ferments.
I have a strawberry going now...Day 1, agressive ferment,day 2, slower
day 3, you can barely tell its fermenting, but a hydrometer will not lie.
Its fermenting fast,but shows no visible signs other then millions of tiny sparkly bubbles...

 

[Billberry]

Yay that what mine looks like! Phew I was worried I had a lot of that foamy stuff. I used the 71B1122 based on DD's yeast comparison. The temp got up to 90° inside though and I moved it to the evap cooler. Hope that didn't hurt it. It should be mid 70's in there this morning.

I need to buy an in- bucket thermometer but my room temp is staying between 74-78 degrees. I wouldn't think air temp would equal liquid temp but IDK. I doubt 90 F did any harm since you caught it and it is still fermenting nicely.
I was going to use 1122 based on it's profile for fruit but I forgot I bought some and used the recipe's recommended 1118. My 1122 will get a test run once this one leaves the fermenter.
Thanks for the words of encouragement James and Tess. This is only my 3rd batch of wine and only my 2nd type so I'm pretty stoked about this one turning out right.

 

[jamesngalveston]

Billberry, buy yourself a digital thermometer like you would use in cooking, has a probe with a wire about 3 foot long on it...about 19 dollars, but very accurate.
I check my must temp daliy when fermenting..
example: ambient temp in house where wine primary is...78 degrees
internal temp of must...84 degrees. and have had one go to 92 degrees.

 

[dangerdave]

I was going to field a few questions, but sounds like the DB crew has it covered. You guys rule!

Bill, yours looks great! Nice ferment going.

Steve, a little sediment will not hurt a thing. DB is a quick wine, so having a bit of sediment is inevitable. I got tried of it myself, so I now filter mine before bottling. Filtered DB sparkles like a ruby!

The batches from the yeast comparison are getting nice and clear. I'll be tasting them and comparing color and aroma again soon. Then I'll back sweeten and wait for the final tally.

 

[dangerdave]

My most recent variation on the DB was an attempt to infuse more berry flavor into the DB. As some of you might remember, I did this by first making a batch of DB per recipe, then, after it was clear, I racked it into a carboy containing 3 lbs of the same triple berry blend as in the primary. I thawed the frozen fruit first, then added it and all the assocoated juices to the carboy along with one cup of toasted French oak. I left the fruit and oak in there for about 3 weeks.

Needless to say, it came out with an astounding amount of rich berry flavor, and a slightly deeper red color. The process seems to have pushed the lemon far to the rear, giving the berries free and total reign. I recommend giving this a try. It might be your new favorate.

My wife has taken to calling it "Flaming Dragon"...because it's fruitier!

 

[jamesngalveston]

Dave, after adding your fruit blend back to the carboy, did it clear well.

 

[dangerdave]

I stirred the fruit up in the wine several times a week. After racking the wine off the fruit and oak, it cleared back up quickly, as I recall. I don't have my notes with me, but I don't think I added anything else except sugar.

I gave the wife several gallon jugs to drink off of, and bottled the rest with instructions not to touch. I want to see how it ages.

 

[JetJockey]

Dave,
Thanks for the update! I've been awaiting your report before starting a new batch. I was looking for more berry flavor. A local judge had commented about lack of berry flavor!

Does the oak come through very strong or just a hint? Tried any with just the extra berry kick without oak?

Thanks again for sharing your wealth of DB knowledge!

 

[cedarswamp]

I stirred the fruit up in the wine several times a week. After racking the wine off the fruit and oak, it cleared back up quickly, as I recall. I don't have my notes with me, but I don't think I added anything else except sugar.

I gave the wife several gallon jugs to drink off of, and bottled the rest with instructions not to touch. I want to see how it ages.

Dave I just bottled a skeeter pee from Lon's original recipe( 'cept for kicking up the SG to 1.100) that I've been aging since November. While very drinkable young it does improve a lot with age.

 

[Billberry]

I should have been checking my must temp with the digital cooking thermometer that I use for checking water temp to rehydrate my yeast packs.
It's not as nice as the one you have James but it gives the temp in tenths of a degree even though it only has a 6" stainless probe. It'll do for now. Day 3:
Room temp: 77 degrees
Must temp: 80.7 degrees
SG: 1.044