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Thread: easy wine

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
    leadeye's Avatar
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    easy wine

    Through the winter there isn't much fruit to gather so I started making wine from frozen fruit juice I bought at the store. I used a receipe off of Jack Keller's web site but increased the amount of frozen juice and sugar as both my wife and I like wine on the sweet strong side. Good stuff that is quick and cheap to get going and tastes great. I took some ribbing from neighbors about my "Walmart Wine" as they called it but they keep coming back for more.
    Where's the Kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth shattering Kaboom.

    Marvin the Martian

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy acemedic13's Avatar
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    Would be really cool if you could post that recipe and process.......Thanks.

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    Old Ironsights's Avatar
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    Heh....

    One year I made a batch of cranberry juice from concentrate and put it in cupbord... and promptly forgot about it.

    About 6 weeks later I was digging for some pans and found a badly swelling plastic container of juice.

    On a whim I decided to bleed off the gas and leave it alone... bleeding off the gas every now and again.

    By Fall, I had a pretty decent sparkling cranberry wine that would probably hydro out to 8% or so.

    Jucky batch of airborne yeast that year I guess...
    A Democrat that owns Guns is like a Vegan that owns Cats...
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  4. #4
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    I use four cans of the frozen fruit juice and two pounds of sugar mixed together in a 1 gallon plastic paint bucket with enough hot water to make a gallon and dissolve the sugar. To this I add 1 tsp pectic enzyme, 1 tsp yeast nutrient, and a crushed Campden tablet. Stir it up and put a lid on it. Wait 24 hours and then add LV71B yeast. I put the bucket in the furnace room where it stays about 65-70 and after a few days it starts fizzing. I then put it into a glass gallon and stopper it with an airlock. Wait a month then rack it, wait another month and it is usually ready. All this can sound confusing but if you go to Jack Keller's website it is explained in more detail.

    Made so far:

    Concord grape
    White grape
    Peach grape
    Rasberry grape
    Pomgranate cranberry
    Where's the Kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth shattering Kaboom.

    Marvin the Martian

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy acemedic13's Avatar
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    Thanks for the info. I am going to start looking for the ingiedents. It will be fun to put up a few jugs and see what happens!

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by leadeye View Post
    I use four cans of the frozen fruit juice and two pounds of sugar mixed together in a 1 gallon plastic paint bucket with enough hot water to make a gallon and dissolve the sugar. To this I add 1 tsp pectic enzyme, 1 tsp yeast nutrient, and a crushed Campden tablet. Stir it up and put a lid on it. Wait 24 hours and then add LV71B yeast. I put the bucket in the furnace room where it stays about 65-70 and after a few days it starts fizzing. I then put it into a glass gallon and stopper it with an airlock. Wait a month then rack it, wait another month and it is usually ready. All this can sound confusing but if you go to Jack Keller's website it is explained in more detail.

    Made so far:

    Concord grape
    White grape
    Peach grape
    Rasberry grape
    Pomgranate cranberry
    If you have an apiary handy:

    Take 35# of raw honey instead of the juice/sugar mix and use Champagne Yeast. Make sure the Carbouy is wrapped in Foil, but otherwise work it about the same...

    Makes 5gal of about 16% semi-dry sparkling Meade...
    A Democrat that owns Guns is like a Vegan that owns Cats...
    C2N14... because life is not energetic enough.
    Gott und Gewehr mit uns!...
    Death is only The End if you assume the Story is about You.
    1.618034 Fnord
    מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין - Daniel 5:25-28 - Got 7.62?


  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Old Ironsights View Post
    If you have an apiary handy:

    Take 35# of raw honey instead of the juice/sugar mix and use Champagne Yeast. Make sure the Carbouy is wrapped in Foil, but otherwise work it about the same...

    Makes 5gal of about 16% semi-dry sparkling Meade...
    I will have to try that. I don't have an apiary nearby, I guess you can't use the storebought stuff then? How long do you let it age?
    Where's the Kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth shattering Kaboom.

    Marvin the Martian

  8. #8
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    Store-bought will cost you two arms and a leg. Plus, it's been processed and is usually a too-light-flavor clover or somthing. A Strong Flavor works best. My roommate made this back in '91 using Raw Blackberry Honey from a Hippie Foods Store that had it in bulk...

    As for ageing... IIRC once it stopped working, we racked it off into Grolsch bottles and gave it abother 3 weeks...
    A Democrat that owns Guns is like a Vegan that owns Cats...
    C2N14... because life is not energetic enough.
    Gott und Gewehr mit uns!...
    Death is only The End if you assume the Story is about You.
    1.618034 Fnord
    מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין - Daniel 5:25-28 - Got 7.62?


  9. #9
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    Just a cautionary note: there have been reports of toxicity with fermented honey, hence the saying, "One man's mead is another man's poison."

    Bob K

  10. #10
    Boolit Master BABore's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bobk View Post
    Just a cautionary note: there have been reports of toxicity with fermented honey, hence the saying, "One man's mead is another man's poison."

    Bob K
    Those reports came from people that consumed several quarts at one sitting.

    I have about 30-40 gallons of mead in the basement. It really doesn't even start to get good til it's at least a year or two old. I've got several batches that are approaching 12-15 years. Everything is stored in 5 gallon, stainless soda kegs under CO2 pressure.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by BABore View Post
    Those reports came from people that consumed several quarts at one sitting.

    I have about 30-40 gallons of mead in the basement. It really doesn't even start to get good til it's at least a year or two old. I've got several batches that are approaching 12-15 years. Everything is stored in 5 gallon, stainless soda kegs under CO2 pressure.
    Traditional Recepie (non sparkling) I'm guessing?

    The mead we did with Champagne Yeast was innately sparkling but had a shorter shelf life...
    A Democrat that owns Guns is like a Vegan that owns Cats...
    C2N14... because life is not energetic enough.
    Gott und Gewehr mit uns!...
    Death is only The End if you assume the Story is about You.
    1.618034 Fnord
    מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין - Daniel 5:25-28 - Got 7.62?


  12. #12
    Boolit Master BABore's Avatar
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    Yes, it's all still mead. A couple kegs of traditional mead from orange blossum honey, a couple cyster (honey + cider), and a few fruit meads. One's a pyment (honey + wine grape juice). Have a real nice one made from black cherry juice and clover honey. I haven't tasted any of them in about 5 years. Not really my bag. I make them now in hope that when I'm old I will have accuired the taste. Same thing with wine. I've got a carboy full of merlot/red current blend that been setting in my gun room for about 4 years. I'm a beer maker/drinker by choice.

  13. #13
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    Worst hangover I've ever had was from mead! Good mead is absolutely incredible however.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance Four Fingers of Death's Avatar
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    I gotta check this out My late wife used to make home made ginger beer, etc and we deveolped a sparkling sour soft drink/fizzy wine from oranges, etc. I liked it, it was refreshing, you didn't get too pi$$ed and it tasted a bit tart so the kids left it alone. We used to do it in PET soft drink containers, boy had a few blow under the house!

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  15. #15
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    Had some of the white grape and peach grape with Easter dinner now that Lent is over. Very good, wife now wants large batches made of both so It's back to wally world.
    Where's the Kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth shattering Kaboom.

    Marvin the Martian

  16. #16
    Boolit Buddy jnovotny's Avatar
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    You can use the always save brand of juice in the bottle too, just make sure it's no sugar added. Add your yeast and sugar let it work, it tastes like Mad Dog 20/20.

  17. #17
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    What's the word?
    THUNDERBIRD!
    What the price?
    A dollar twice!

    I don't care what others say, but I like the "cheap" wines- more flavor, and yes, sweet, too.
    My neighbor makes some pretty good homemade wine- I'll send him these posts for extra ideas. His packs more whallop, too!
    USMC 1980-1985

  18. #18
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    Brings back memories.... some of the girls liked Tbird and seven up......

    At Christmas time, I always get some Manischevitz blackberry wine....
    Paul

  19. #19
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance Four Fingers of Death's Avatar
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    Whats a 'carboy?'
    "I'll help you down the trail and proud to!" Rooster Cogburn.

    "Slap some bacon on a biscuit and let's go! We're burnin' daylight! " - Will Anderson (John Wayne) "The Cowboys."

    SASS Life Member No 82047

    http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/4fingermick/

    Psycholigist to Sniper; 'What did you feel when you shot the felon Sargeant?'
    Sniper to Psycholigist; 'Recoil Ma'am.'

    From my Irish Ancestors: "You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was."

  20. #20
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    Big glass jug. Looks a lot like the plastic type you put on the top of water coolers.
    A Democrat that owns Guns is like a Vegan that owns Cats...
    C2N14... because life is not energetic enough.
    Gott und Gewehr mit uns!...
    Death is only The End if you assume the Story is about You.
    1.618034 Fnord
    מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין - Daniel 5:25-28 - Got 7.62?


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