Started my blueberry

[Ken914]

None of my 'in person' friends make wine, but I'm excited to share with someone. I started six gallons of blueberry this weekend and it was bubbling away nicely when I left for work! Here's the recipe that I'm using. The SG starting out was 1.083



Makes six gallons of blueberry in two buckets

1. 24 lbs. blueberries in nylon bags & crush & cover
2. boil 1.75 quarts water w/2.5 pounds sugar (6X)
3. pour mixture over berries to set color (3X per bucket)
4. pour 12 quarts ice water over berries
5. add acid (12 tsp)
6. add tannin (3/4 tsp)
7. add yeast nutrient (6 tsp)
8. Cool to ~75 degrees
9. Add crushed Campden (6 tabs)
10. Cover & fit with airlock (Time Complete ______)
11. Wait 12 hours (Time Complete ______)
12. Add pectic enzyme (3 tsp)
13. Check PA (max 1.085) (SG Value ________)
14. Cover & fit with airlock (Time Complete ______)
15. Wait 12 hours (Time Complete ______)
16. Add yeast starter
17. Stir daily, wait 2 weeks
18. Remove berry bags, do NOT squeeze
19. Let sediment settle
20. Rack into secondary
21. Store in darkness
22. Wait 2 months (Time Complete ______)
23. Rack into clean secondary
24. Wait 2 months
25. Check PA (Time Complete ______)
26. Degas, stabilize, & sweeten (12-36 oz sugar in boiled water)
27. Bottle (Time Complete ______)
28. Age in darkness for 12 months (Time Complete ______)

 

[countrygirl]

i love this formula...it's a recipe and recorder all in one!

 

[Tom]

None of my 'in person' friends make wine, but I'm excited to share with someone. I started six gallons of blueberry this weekend and it was bubbling away nicely when I left for work! Here's the recipe that I'm using. The SG starting out was 1.083



Makes six gallons of blueberry in two buckets

1. 24 lbs. blueberries in nylon bags & crush & cover
2. boil 1.75 quarts water w/2.5 pounds sugar (6X)
3. pour mixture over berries to set color (3X per bucket)
4. pour 12 quarts ice water over berries
5. add acid (12 tsp)
6. add tannin (3/4 tsp)
7. add yeast nutrient (6 tsp)
8. Cool to ~75 degrees
9. Add crushed Campden (6 tabs)
10. Cover & fit with airlock (Time Complete ______)
11. Wait 12 hours (Time Complete ______)
12. Add pectic enzyme (3 tsp)
13. Check PA (max 1.085) (SG Value ________)
14. Cover & fit with airlock (Time Complete ______)
15. Wait 12 hours (Time Complete ______)
16. Add yeast starter
17. Stir daily, wait 2 weeks
18. Remove berry bags, do NOT squeeze
19. Let sediment settle
20. Rack into secondary
21. Store in darkness
22. Wait 2 months (Time Complete ______)
23. Rack into clean secondary
24. Wait 2 months
25. Check PA (Time Complete ______)
26. Degas, stabilize, & sweeten (12-36 oz sugar in boiled water)
27. Bottle (Time Complete ______)
28. Age in darkness for 12 months (Time Complete ______)

Looks ok
You might want to comsider adding a f-pac and back sweeten
Next time try bumping the Blueberries to 6# per gallon.

 

[djrockinsteve]

You may not need 2 weeks to complete fermentation. I check daily and stir twice a day. When it begins to settle down I'll start checking the s.g.

I started 5 gallons of Blackberry and also 5 gallons of Peach and Strawberry. This is better than sex.

 

[PPBart]

...I started six gallons of blueberry this weekend and it was bubbling away nicely when I left for work! Here's the recipe that I'm using. The SG starting out was 1.083

Makes six gallons of blueberry in two buckets

1. 24 lbs. blueberries in nylon bags & crush & cover
2. boil 1.75 quarts water w/2.5 pounds sugar (6X)
3. pour mixture over berries to set color (3X per bucket)
4. pour 12 quarts ice water over berries
5. add acid (12 tsp)
6. add tannin (3/4 tsp)
7. add yeast nutrient (6 tsp)
8. Cool to ~75 degrees
9. Add crushed Campden (6 tabs)
10. Cover & fit with airlock (Time Complete ______)
11. Wait 12 hours (Time Complete ______)
12. Add pectic enzyme (3 tsp)
13. Check PA (max 1.085) (SG Value ________)
14. Cover & fit with airlock (Time Complete ______)
15. Wait 12 hours (Time Complete ______)
16. Add yeast starter
17. Stir daily, wait 2 weeks
18. Remove berry bags, do NOT squeeze
19. Let sediment settle
20. Rack into secondary
21. Store in darkness
22. Wait 2 months (Time Complete ______)
23. Rack into clean secondary
24. Wait 2 months
25. Check PA (Time Complete ______)
26. Degas, stabilize, & sweeten (12-36 oz sugar in boiled water)
27. Bottle (Time Complete ______)
28. Age in darkness for 12 months (Time Complete ______)

Looks like a good recipe, just a few comments/suggestions:

5 - Rather than just add a set quantity of acid, it would be advisable to test the total acid and adjust as needed (target .5 - .6%).

12 - I would add PE at rate of 1 tsp/gallon.

17 - Two weeks might be too long in primary. Suggest you check SG at least every couple of days and move to secondary when it gets down to ~1.02.

Good luck!

 

[Ken914]

Day 8 of must in the primary fermenter. I forgot to stir on Saturday and on Sunday, it fizzed like grape soda! It's bubbling along nicely and I'm very grateful to PPBart for the mentorship in creating a yeast starter.

The must is dark with color and heavy with flavor. I can distinctly smell the alcohol in the bouquet, but it's not a sharp or negative smell. It smells like *wine*!!!!

I'll continue to let it bubble until things settle down.

I got a little too excited the other day and squeezed the fruit bags when I noticed some berries that I missed in the crushing. I think I'll have some debris that will need to settle before I rack into the secondaries.

 

[Wade E]

I would take the fruit out after about 8 days. By then there will be nothing left of the fruit to give anyway. No problem with squeezing te sack when done as there arent much tannins to extract.

 

[Christ]

All the things are ok but what is the point in adding acid to it? Is there any special reason to do that?

 

[seopiper]

None of my 'in person' friends make wine, but I'm excited to share with someone. I started six gallons of blueberry this weekend and it was bubbling away nicely when I left for work! Here's the recipe that I'm using. The SG starting out was 1.083



Makes six gallons of blueberry in two buckets

1. 24 lbs. blueberries in nylon bags & crush & cover
2. boil 1.75 quarts water w/2.5 pounds sugar (6X)
3. pour mixture over berries to set color (3X per bucket)
4. pour 12 quarts ice water over berries
5. add acid (12 tsp)
6. add tannin (3/4 tsp)
7. add yeast nutrient (6 tsp)
8. Cool to ~75 degrees
9. Add crushed Campden (6 tabs)
10. Cover & fit with airlock (Time Complete ______)
11. Wait 12 hours (Time Complete ______)
12. Add pectic enzyme (3 tsp)
13. Check PA (max 1.085) (SG Value ________)
14. Cover & fit with airlock (Time Complete ______)
15. Wait 12 hours (Time Complete ______)
16. Add yeast starter
17. Stir daily, wait 2 weeks
18. Remove berry bags, do NOT squeeze
19. Let sediment settle
20. Rack into secondary
21. Store in darkness
22. Wait 2 months (Time Complete ______)
23. Rack into clean secondary
24. Wait 2 months
25. Check PA (Time Complete ______)
26. Degas, stabilize, & sweeten (12-36 oz sugar in boiled water)
27. Bottle (Time Complete ______)
28. Age in darkness for 12 months (Time Complete ______)

My friend and I are planning to start making blueberry wine sooner and glad I found this list as basis.