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Dried Elderflowers

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  • Dried Elderflowers

    How long should I leave the flowers in the must ?

    Ian.

  • #2
    It sort of depends on how many you use, whether they are fresh or dried and when you add them. If you add them at the start of the ferment you need more, weight for weight dried are far more potent than fresh (though aroma is slightly different). Quite popular is adding them toward the end of primary fermentation when SG is around 1.010. A teaspoon (dried) or a small handful of fresh per gallon added at that time and left in until you rack (max 5-7 days) would give you a nice but not overpowering bouquet.

    Some of the recipes indicate a pint or 3/4 pint loosely packed flowers added at the start. I have tried both methods and can honestly say that doing it this way will give you a really strong, over powering aroma, so I prefer the first method to add at the end of fermentation.

    Hope this helps.
    Simon
    "I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." - Basil Fawlty

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    • #3
      I do mine a little differently and put them in at the start but this is for dried only. Fresh I put in late as above. Use Lalvin E1118 as I was advised some time ago that the rapid fermentation can blow off any cat pee smell that you can sometimes get. It’s worked for me every time not sure if it’s true but you never know. I use ½ a packet of Young’s so that’s 25g in 5 gallons of must. Then discard the dried elderflowers at 1st racking after primary fermentation SG1020 or there about. I’ve had some nasty results with the late addition method using dried elderflowers.
      In a nut shell what I do is white wine number one using Lalvin E1118 yeast. 5g per gallon of dried elderflowers chucked in at the start an extra racking at SG1020 and back sweetened a little (SG1005) after it’s all finished and filtered.
      PS give it 6 months in the bottle before drinking to let the fruit come forward a little. It will be way too flowery earlier than this. And it may still be too flowery for some but this is what our household has settled on as being their preferred balance.
      Life would be better if I could brew it as fast as we drink it!

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