Lingonberry from IKEA syrup

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sgx2

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Yup, I did it. I saw them there. I wondered. I bought 3 500ml bottles of them. I started a batch.

Interesting experience so far - I tried to float my hydrometer in the syrup as-is, and it was so high it was an inch+ past the bottom of the scale! :) I cut with with an equal volume of water and the SG was 1.110, so assuming that it started at 1.220 I used the online fermcalc tool to calculate how much water would be needed to take the syrup to 1.085 ... . .. . . ..

It turns out that putting 1.5 L (all three bottles) into a 160 oz jug and filling to the maximum height I was comfortable with (allowing room for foam/expansion) was perfect. I validated it after diluting to that level and it was spot-on. I also added a tsp of pectic enzyme, 3 tsp of yeast nutrient and 1/2 tsp of tannin, mixed well and used EC-1118 yeast.

I just put it on, so I'll add to this thread with any progress.

I woke up in the middle of the night and had to make a label for it:

Grögg (lingonberry).jpg
 
Sounds fun! I've done some good wines from jam, so why not? Let us know how it comes out. I'd wonder if a good amount of fruit is there, but you never know. Love the label by the way.
 
Thanks! Sometimes I think I make wines just as an excuse to do a fun label! :h
What caught my eye were the (simple) ingredients:
Wild lingonberry juice, sugar, grape juice concentrate, citric acid

It was surprisingly dark, even when fully prepared:
image-2389336860.jpg
 
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I bought some lingonberry jam from them thinking of wine but never got around to it. May have to pick up some syrup on my next trip! keep us posted!
 
Just wanted to add this because I had no idea what a Lingonberry was (this is just from a google search,no idea on the facts)

One of new berries on the block that science is seriously looking into is the lingonberry; it appears to have higher concentrations of plant polyphenols and may confer even greater health benefits. Well known in Scandinavia, the lingonberry’s Latin name is vaccinium vitis-idaea, and is also known as the cowberry. As a member of the vaccinium species, it is related to the cranberry, bilberry and blueberry. Today, scientists are showing its value in both human and animal studies that are proving to have positive results.
Lingonberry Animal Studies

Animal studies have shown how the lingonberry can lower inflammatory molecules, block oxidants from destroying tissue, and also help the body replace important antioxidants, like glutathione, which is a master antioxidant in our body. Lingonberry has also been shown to increase red blood cell and liver enzymes needed for antioxidant protection. We need antioxidants to protect vessels and nerve tissue, and also to help decrease the damage from inflammation. Proanthocyanidin extracts from lingonberries were also found to be effective against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause a wide variety of infections.
 
I've also seen them referred to as Partridgeberries, but that name is sometimes applied to other berries too.

If you do find them fresh I believe you can treat them, as far as winemaking is concerned, as you would cranberries -- although I'd really want to test the acid levels of the fresh product.

I was also reading about them and ran across this caution if you do find them "in the wild", as it were:
Also in the genus Vaccinium, partridgeberries (or lingonberries, or foxberries, or quailberries, or red berries) are like mini cranberries, and they ripen in mid-September. They grow on squat evergreen shrubs in dry, peaty soils and rocky, barren, and coastal areas. You should wait until after the first frost to pick them, as there’s a little worm, the lingonberry fruitworm, that burrows into the fruit and lives there until it dies in the cold.
 
I was also reading about them and ran across this caution if you do find them "in the wild", as it were:
You should wait until after the first frost to pick them, as there’s a little worm, the lingonberry fruitworm, that burrows into the fruit and lives there until it dies in the cold.[/I]

That's a total ewww!
 
saramc said:
A faux lingonberry wine is equal amounts concord and cranberry.

That makes sense - I saw a reference to blueberry/cranberry, but I recently blended those wines together and didn't get the same vibe from the lingonberry when I was working with it. Hmmm. I'll have to experiment...
 
This batch is proceeding well - very active fermentation, for sure. SG down 35 points already...
 
So, I just bought some of the lingonberry concentrate from IKEA today. Just two bottles with the idea of making lingonberry wine. I want to make a gollon. I only bought two bottles at 17 oz a piece. To reconstitute it into a drink it is a ratio of 1 part concentrate 4 parts water. So, I guess I may do 2 bottles and 1 can of white grape juice concentrate and water to get to a gallon. Try to get the sg up to 1.085 then use ec 1118. Go from there... wish me luck..
 
Good luck indeed!

You'll find that the lingonberry syrup starts at a very high specific gravity reading - when I tested my bottles they were at 1.220, so I imagine yours will be the same… You probably won't have to add very much grape juice concentrate at all!

:h
 
My batch is the next thing to dry now at 1.004, just a few more points to go.

One good thing about using a clear glass jug as a primary is that you can really see whether there really are CO² bubbles making their way up.
 
I just racked this -- nice colour! The SG is down to 1.000, so there's a little way to go. I hope the small amount of O₂ it was exposed to during racking helps the yeasties finish the job. If I'm not seeing much action by Tuesday I think I'll add ⅓ tsp each of yeast nutrient and yeast energizer and see what happens by the following Tuesday, at which point I'll go ahead regardless and stabilize it. I think I'll also clarify it at that time with an ampule each of Siligel and Liquigel I didn't use with a kit wine I did a while back...
 

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