suggestions

[outbackmac]

We have made many wines from the juice buckets. what i would like to do is try and flavor one with fresh fruit. Maybe after ferminting take 3 gallons into a glass carboy and adding fresh fruit, if so how much fruit do you think i would need. or the other thought was just adding during the ferminting process, again how much fruit?

 

[cintipam]

I have found putting the fruit in for primary ferment is both the easiest and gives best results. Since I don't care to use the yeast that is already in the bucket when I get the bucket I have to stun the yeast way back with a 1/2 tsp of Kmeta. Since fresh fruit has to be sterilized also I clean, rinse, cut up & discard as many seeds as possible from the fruit then throw it (in a mesh bag) into the bucket to take advantage of that first huge dose of kmeta. Then wait at least a day with stirring before adding pectic enzyme, another day with stirring then toss the yeast.

Adding fruit later in the process requires separate kmeta sterilization. If you choose to cook down fruit to make an fpak you run the risk of setting the pectin and never being able to kick that pectic haze. High pectin fruits especially are a problem with fpaks, such as strawberries and gooseberries. I use a lot of gooseberries but always in the primary.

HTH

Pam in cinti

 

[Brian]

I have found putting the fruit in for primary ferment is both the easiest and gives best results. Since I don't care to use the yeast that is already in the bucket when I get the bucket I have to stun the yeast way back with a 1/2 tsp of Kmeta. Since fresh fruit has to be sterilized also I clean, rinse, cut up & discard as many seeds as possible from the fruit then throw it (in a mesh bag) into the bucket to take advantage of that first huge dose of kmeta. Then wait at least a day with stirring before adding pectic enzyme, another day with stirring then toss the yeast.

Adding fruit later in the process requires separate kmeta sterilization. If you choose to cook down fruit to make an fpak you run the risk of setting the pectin and never being able to kick that pectic haze. High pectin fruits especially are a problem with fpaks, such as strawberries and gooseberries. I use a lot of gooseberries but always in the primary.

HTH

Pam in cinti

I totally agree with this, I would always do it this way.

 

[JohnT]

Also consider what you are trying to do here.

(I assume that you are talking about adding fresh grapes to you pail juice)

My guess is that you want to bolster the color and complexity of the resulting wine by doing an extended maceration (having wine sit on the skins).

If this is the case, then I would definitely add the fresh fruit during primary ferment.

 

[outbackmac]

wine

Just want to add some flavor in say a moscato, with maybe strawberry,s

 

[cintipam]

Hi outbackmac

Strawberries in a Moscato juicebucket is one I've already tried. I used 8 lbs of strawberries (plus about 1 lb total gooseberries and tart cherries) in the primary and while I'm sure it helped I could not notice any strawberry flavor. Remember, most folks just get a bucket and ferment it and that is it. Any flavor you add is a bonus, and since I've heard more about weak thin buckets I'm really glad I've been adding extra fruit.

Don't forget to use mega pectic enzyme, maybe 4x label amount in order to clear that strawberry up. I suppose you could use bentonite to help, but it did not work for mine.

Before I bottled I backsweetened, plus added Natural Coconut and Natural Strawberry flavors that I got from Label Peelers. I was afraid to use Brewers Best strawberry since it was not natural and using any large amount made an off chemical taste in the wine. But the natural flavor was great. This wine is too sweet for my taste, but my friends that like sweet enjoy it a lot.


Pam in cinti