Triple Berry Blend

[jsmahoney]

Has anyone tried using frozen berries, like Triple Berry Blend, mixed fruit that has red raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries for wine? If so, what recipe did you use? Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Wade E]

NOT YET, but I've been thinking about it very seriously.

 

[Waldo]

What size batch are you looking to make js?

 

[Wade E]

I think I'm going to try a 1 gallon batch next week. Anyone have any idea how much fruit to use for this.

 

[pkcook]

I would shoot for 3-4 lbs per gallon. Not sure how much sugar the frozen medley has, but you should get enough flavor from this ratio.

 

[Waldo]

I think I would shoot for more like a4-5 lbs per gallon or a minimum of 4 lbs. The biggest challenge I see in making this one would be getting the acid balanced as each of the different types of Berries have different acid levels. I think my recipe would go as follows:
5lbs mixed fruit
3 lbs Sugar
1/4 tsp liquid pectic enzyme
1 Campden Tablet
1 Tsp Acid Blend
1 Tsp Yeast Nutrient
1/2 TSp Yeast Energizer
1 Pack Red Star Pasteur Red yeast


Place frozen fruit in a fine mesh strainer bag and place in primary fermenter. Dissolve sugar in 3 qts boiling water and pour over frozen berries, Stir well andthen add crushed & dissolvedcampden tablet, Yeast Nutrient, Energizer and Acid Blend. Let it set for 8-12 hrs. then taste Must and add more Acid Blend if deemed necessary to achieve tartness desired.AddPectic enzyme, let must sit another 12 hrs then pitch yeast.

 

[jsmahoney]

Thanks for the receipe Waldo, I would really like to try this one. I think it would really be an awsome wine. I would probablystart out with one gallon batch, just to see what would come of it. Being a newbie, I plenty of ideas, and have already made my first gallon of gasoline wine for our new generation. Everyone wants to use corn, well I've discovered using a juicer with raspberries seem to bring out the fuel from the seeds. Never again!

Thanks!Edited by: jsmahoney

 

[paubin]

JS, I use almost exclusively frozen berries in my wines and have had a lot of luck with them. I use 3 - 4 lbs of fruit per gallon batch. 3 lbs with darker more flavorful fruit and 4 lbs with lighter. Add sugar a little at a time and bring the sg up slowly to what you want. The recipes in garey's book are a great starting point. I've found that most recipes are heavy on the sugar and you end up with rocket fuel if your not careful. Also, if you don't have an acid test kit, get one. The acid levels vary so much with fruits from month to month and fruit to fruit you can never tell where it will be at.


Pete

 

[kutya]

I just bought some, and was hoping to add them to a mead I have planned. Keep us posted...

 

[redderthebetter]

triple berrys bought at SAMS club was my first fruit wine. I thought it went well. Seeing that it was my first, it didn't get to age as long as others. I thought it was good, and cheap. I'm always looking for froxen fruit on sale to wine up. I think I just used the 3- 4 lb bag.

 

[smurfe]

I never thought about frozen berries at Sam's. Would those work better than a can of Vintners Harvest? Course I guessI ought to see what 25-30 pounds cost though. Might be steep. I know the pints at the local grocery are pricey.
Smurfe

 

[sangwitch]

smurfe, I bought some of the triple berry blend the other day at Sam's. It's around $7.50 for a 3 lb bag.

 

[summersolstice]

I use the same berries bought at Wal Mart for my mead, or as an adjunct to my Alexander's red concentrates.Four lbs per gallonfor the mead works great!

 

[ms.spain]

Aldi also carries a Triple Berry blend in the frozen section- I believe they areone and a half pound bags.


i started this wine back in July.It smells yummy and is VERY DARK in color. Can't wait until it's ready.


I also did a second run on the pulp with Welch's Raspberry white grape.Gotta get all the good out of those berries!

 

[jsmahoney]

Waldo, I'm going to start the triple berry wine this weekend. I am using your recipe you gave here on the forum. Thank you! I may be back for more information. I have purchased an acid tester, but have never used one before. Should this be something I should do and would you know what it should read? Thanks! I just don't want to make any mistakes with this one.

 

[Waldo]

I have not conquered the acid testing using a kit. I merely taste and adjust until it tastes right to me. Not very scientific but it works for me. I t5hink Masta will be your go to guy for acid testing and what the readings should be.

 

[masta]

This tutorial from this month's newletter should help:



<A name=Feature></A>FEATURED ARTICLE - HOW TO USE AN ACID TEST KIT

When making a fresh ingredients wine, it is extremely important that you adjust the sugar and acids into the proper ranges. Too much or too little of either can create problems in your fermentation, including failure to ferment, and problems in your finished wine.
Acids are the components that give a wine structure and complexity. Excessive acidity is considered a fault in wine and will result in an unbalanced wine that will taste green or tart. On the other hand, not enough acid will result in flabby wine that lacks structure and will not last long. As a general rule of thumb, country wines should have a TA (Titratable Acid) of .60%, while red grapes are .65% and white grapes are .75%. Titratable acidity relates to the amount of acid in solution as a percentage of volume or as grams per liter. In other words a TA of .60% equals 6 g/l (grams per liter).
With the aid of the trusty hydrometer, adjusting sugar is fairly straightforward; however, testing and adjusting the acid is not quite as easy. An inexpensive acid test kit is available, but its use is not as intuitive as the hydrometer. As a result, I hope the following will make using the acid test kit easier and will produce meaningful calculations.
The Acid Test Kit (also known as an acid testing by titration kit.) that we sell contains the following items:
<UL>
<LI>One plastic calibrated syringe
<LI>Plastic testing cup
<LI>5 fluid ounces of 1/5th normal Sodium Hydroxide Solution
<LI>1/2 fluid ounce of Phenolphthalein Color Solution in a drop dispenser bottle </LI>[/list]


Before we start, please note that any samples used in this test MUST not be returned to the wine. Sodium Hydroxide is poisonous. As a result, please dispose of all samples! Also please be very careful when handling Sodium Hydroxide, as it is corrosive and can cause burns and permanent eye damage.

1. 
   <LI>Start the titration test by withdrawing 15cc of wine and placing it in the plastic testing cup.
   <LI>Next, add 3 drops of the Phenolphthalein Color Solution to the sample.
   <LI>Wash out the syringe and draw in 10cc of the Sodium Hydroxide Solution. At this point in the test you are looking for a noticeable color change. For white wines, you are looking for a change to a pinkish color. For red wines, you are looking for a blue/gray/green color. When you reach this point and adding additional Sodium Hydroxide does not change the color, the end-point has been reached. To find the color change, add the Sodium Hydroxide Solution to the test sample .5cc at a time and agitate the sample after each addition. Repeat this process until you note the color change.
   <LI>Each cc of Sodium Hydroxide required to attain the color change represents .1 of acid expressed as TA If 6 cc's of Sodium Hydroxide are used, the wine has a TA of .60%. If you are making a country wine, your acid is at the correct level and no further adjustments are required. If you are making a red or white grape wine, you will need to add enough acid to bring the TA up to .65% or .75%, respectively.
   <LI>To raise the acid, 1 tsp. of Acid Blend per gallon of must, will raise the acid level by .15%. For example, if you are making 1 gallon of country wine and the initial TA was .30%, you will need to add 2 tsp. of acid blend to raise the TA to .60%. For 5 gallons, you will need 10 tsp. to accomplish the same. </LI>

Most fruits used in country wines are low in acid which require the addition of acids; however, some wines, as well as most native American grapes are high in acid and the TA needs to be reduced. We will discuss these options in next month's newsletter.


It should also be noted that both of the chemicals used for the acid titration will deteriorate when exposed to air. Be sure to keep the lids on tight when not using these chemicals and keep them away from children. In addition, not all Acid Test Kits use the same strength of Sodium Hydroxide. As a result, be sure to follow the instructions included with your kit.

 

[jsmahoney]

Oh! Yes, I saw the featured article this month and did read it, I will use it as my guide. As I attempt this, now being a groupie, WOW! I'm hoping for the best! Thank you! I will keep you posted on my progress!

 

[sangwitch]

My wife used this triple berry blend to make "Triple Berry Pepper" jelly last night. Very nice blend of heat and fruit! Yum.


1 cup of the berries
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped jalapeno pepper
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup liquid pectin

rapid boil for one minute, stand for five, strain, etc, etc.


She's going to make wine jelly tonight.