Here's my OK State Fair Dessert Wine entry: Sherry Style Banana!

[mayberry]

Simplified recipe that I've shared previously:

• 63 bananas (about 25 lbs)
  
• 10 peels
• pectic enzyme
• 1 Tbsp yeast nutrient
• 16 lbs brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp acid blend
• water to top off to 6 gallons

Cook bananas in water like mashed potatoes (minus stems and butts) for an hour. Peel, dump into 6 gallon fermenter with 10 peels, pectic enzyme, nutrient, sugar, acid blend. Add 6 campden tablets. Let sit 24 hours. Pitch yeast. Stirred daily and racked off sediment in 5 days. Stirred daily and racked again just above dry. Rack every 3 months until clear. Backsweetened with 2 lbs honey and and fortified with 750 mL of banana-infused brandy (soak a bunch worth of coined ripe bananas in brandy, strain). We never topped it up and allowed plenty of oxygen exposure to sort of "sherry" the wine. Bottled it when we liked the flavor.



My wife and I are proud to send our babies off! This was one of our first wines. : )

 

[Boatboy24]

Sounds delicious. I love that caramel color.

 

[magpiemini]

Wow impressive color

 

[cedarswamp]

I like those labels, are they stickers?

 

[mayberry]

Sounds delicious. I love that caramel color.

Wow impressive color

Thanks! The bananas+oxidation+brandy+honey are to credit for that. The flavor is even more appreciable -- a mouth-coating ambrosia. Floral, banana, sugar, no alcohol sting. The only change I would make is a tannin addition -- were I to do it all over. But I am damn proud!

I like those labels, are they stickers?

Custom cut vinyl, actually. Same concept, though. It applies like you would a bumper sticker. Luckily, I work with a vinyl plotter in my day-to-day job, so I can reap the benefits come competition time.

 

[mayberry]

No medals this year, but we did win a 1st place ribbon in the amateur label competition!

 

[roadwarriorsvt]

Congrats! Its always nice to walk away with something.

 

[saramc]

Looks and sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing with us. What yeast did you use?

 

[jswordy]

You ribboned! GOOD DEAL!

LOOOOVE the labels!

 

[joeswine]

Yes we have know bananas



NEVER TRIED A BANANA WINE BUT I THINK I'M READY TO.congrats on the wine.........................

 

[mayberry]

Thanks everyone!

What yeast did you use?

Red Star pasteur champagne yeast

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Looking good!

 

[Wade E]

Please enter that recipe in the "Recipe" section of this site. It looks like a great 1!

 

[saramc]

Cooking the bananas as I type.

 

[Dend78]

got mine going in high gear, im following pretty close to what you have here, just slight deviations. one thing you say you would have added tannin if you were to do it all over again, doesn't the skins have tannin in them?

 

[mayberry]

got mine going in high gear, im following pretty close to what you have here, just slight deviations. one thing you say you would have added tannin if you were to do it all over again, doesn't the skins have tannin in them?

The skins didn't add the tannin I was hoping. Maybe if done differently I'd at least throw in a dozen more stems. But powdered tannin would give a predictable result.

 

[saramc]

Amazed at how this started out as dark muddy brown (from boiled banana soup, dark brown sugar) and since fermentation has kicked in it is cloudy light tannish w/ definite ripe banana color tones seen!!

 

[Dend78]

Amazed at how this started out as dark muddy brown (from boiled banana soup, dark brown sugar) and since fermentation has kicked in it is cloudy light tannish w/ definite ripe banana color tones seen!!

im still looking at dark muddy soup although it has thinned out more its still pretty thick