I substituted 2 cans of Pineapple Juice for the Lemon Juice, I used a mix of sugar and honey since I was just about out of honey.
Here is my variation based on Dave's recipe:
Tropical Daze
Ingredients
• 1 bottles (48 oz each) 100% Lemon Juice (Rea Lemon in the green bottle)
• Water to about six gallons
• 20 cups of white granulated sugar (looking for a SG btw 1.085-1.090)
• 8 cups Honey use to bring SG up to desired amount
• 2 – 48 oz Cans Dole Pineapple Juice
• 1 tsp. tannin
• 4 tsp. yeast nutrient
• 2 tsp. yeast energizer
• 3 Tsp Acid Blend
• 3 tsp. pectin enzyme
• 12 lbs. of Mixed Fruit Blend (Pineapple/ Peach/Mango/Strawberry/Grape) I put the fruit in a nylon drawstring bag or two if necessary, this will make for a much cleaner brew. I take a spring clamp and hold the drawstring in place so I don’t have to fish for them later.
• Yeast, 1 gram of yeast per gallon of Must. Lalvin 71B-1122 & ICV D47 blend,( you can use any of the following as well. DV10, QA23 - (Saccharomyces cerevisiae bayanus
• Go Ferm – 1.25 Gram per each gram of yeast used
• ½ -1 Oak Infusion spiral stick
• 2 oz untoasted oak.
• 20 oz. Raisins, chopped & re-hydrated
• Add 1/4 tsp. Potassium Metabisulfite
• Add 3 tsp. Potassium Sorbate
• Sparkolloid
• Sugar or honey for Back sweetening - 4 cups
Preparation: Add to Fermenting bucket
• 20 Cups of Sugar
• 2 gallons of hot water, stir until completely dissolved
• Add Honey, take SG reading, add until you reach 1.090
• 2 - 48oz Cans of Dole Pineapple Juice
• 3 Tbl acid blend
• 1 tsp. tannin ( I prefer Tannin riche, it imparts a nice sweetness to wine)
• 4 tsp. yeast nutrient
• 2 tsp. yeast energizer
• 3 tsp. pectin enzyme
• Stir well to incorporate all of the dry ingredients.
• 12 lbs of Mixed Fruit Blend (Pineapple/ Peach/Mango/Strawberry/Grape), thawed. I put the fruit in a nylon drawstring bag or two if necessary; this will make for a much cleaner brew. I take a spring clamp and hold the drawstring in place so I don’t have to fish for them later.
• ½ - 1 Oak Infusion Stick
• 2 oz untoasted Oak – helps reduce any vegetal flavors – I add in nylon drawstring bag or grain steeping bag.
• 20 oz chopped and re-hydrated raisins placed in Nylon drawstring bag
• Add the remaining water up to the 6 -6.5 gallon mark, taking into consideration the volume of the mesh bags.
• Take an SG reading, you want the must to be between 1.075 – 1.090
I let this sit overnight, with a heat mat wrapped around the fermenter, a brew belt would do too, just until it reaches 85°.
This yeast can handle 80-85° with no problems.
The following Day:
I take my selected yeast, 1 gram per gallon of must and rehydrate as follows:
I heat a half cup of water to 120° and add 7.5 grams of Goferm (1.25 g per gram of yeast used), add to the water and mix it in. When the water cools to 110-115° add the yeast, just sprinkle on top and let it rehydrate, let sit for 15 minutes or until you see it starting to foam (reproduce), then add ¼ cup of the must. This will give it a source of food to continue to reproduce and multiply, and it will get the yeast acclimated to the temp of the must.
Let sit for 5 mins and add to the primary.
Stir Primary Vigorously!
Every Day:
Check temp
Check specific gravity
Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter---remove fruit pack: Temporarily place in sanitized bowl bucket.
Stir primary to introduce a little oxygen into must, the yeast will need it.
Replace fruit pack
Cover primary
When specific gravity (SG) reaches <1.000, do the following:
Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter---remove fruit 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* as per package. Add hot mixture to carboy.
Allow to clear undisturbed for about 1 week
When wine is clear:
Carefully rack off of lees into cleaned & sanitized six gallon carboy
Back sweeten, if you are going to use sugar, I would make a simple syrup, 2 cups sugar to 1 cup water, heated just shy of a boil, you will see it turn to a syrup, make sure you stir constantly, you will probably need double that amount.
Back sweeten to your own taste
Remember! The sugars will blend with the fruit 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.
