banana wine

[Leblais]

I plan on making banana wine... has anyone done this? I bought 27 lbs of bananas and I bought like 5 white grape juice (with peach and apple juice in it too) frozen concentrates! I cannot find ANY white grape juice, welches or otherwise, that doesnt contain any potasium(or sudium) (meta)bisulfate or some combination of these, so thats why I bought the one I did!

Should I add pectic acid or is that standard for everything? even bananas? I heard that you dont need it with bananas if you simmer them....

[shirlthegirl43]

There is a thread (started by me) in the fruit wine making bit which I think is titled Banana Wine help. Has a full recipe and various comments which may help. Sorry, I don't know how to link to the thread.

[Hippie]

That will make a nice 5 gallon batch of wine. Do use plenty of pectic enzyme and amylase also. Lalvin K1-V1116 or Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast will be good. I would wash the bananas in a sulphite solution and then slice them up into a straining bag and pour the juice concentrate over them. I wouldn't add any more K-Meta or campden tablets or sulphite of any kind until it has fermented to dry. Banana and/or concentrate wines always seem hot no matter what the abv, so if it was me I would err on the conservative side as far as PA or beginning SG, something like 1.080 or 11%. I think it will have lots of tartaric acid, but you should check it anyway. Niagara juice is very acidic. (French-American hybrid)

Anything else?

[Leblais]

I had decided to use the lalvin 1116. I DID NOT heed your advice and I washed the bananas, dipped them in a TBF (professional Iodine solution) and then I DID use potassium metabisulfate to sanitize the must. I used about 1/2 teaspoon for about 7 gallons or so of must!

I have been mixing the must around everytime I get a chance and I get foam ups during the mixes but I really didnt see any real foam on top other than when I mixed becausethe fruit came to the top! ( I didnt use a bag of any kind)

I put an airlock on my bucket to see if it was fermenting (I got a little scared I added to much metabisulfate) and sure enough it is bubbling a little now after about 2 and a half days so I guess its ok...

I will most likely try to transfer to a carboy on Sat....

[Hippie]

why so much K-Meta. and why not use a straining bag? What was the original SG?

[Leblais]

Thats what the bottle of potasium metabisulfate said to use. .67 grams per gallon and thats about 1/4 teaspoon per 5 gallons... I had added a little less than 1/4 teaspoon and probobly have closer to 8 gallons of must, so I assumed it would be reasonable!

I have read a few different recipes for banana wine and a few said to use on and a few said to strain after with a muslin bag. I opted for the later with the urging of my Local Home Brew Store owner to not use one and to strain with it later!

OG was abou 1.087 or so... there were to buckets so Im taking an average... I think one was about 1.091 and the other closer to 1.084. I didnt take it since, but I will either today or tomorrow and I wont transfer unless it has made it to about 1.020....

Thanx for some responses!

[lockwood1956]

I DID use potassium metabisulfate to sanitize the must. I used about 1/2 teaspoon for about 7 gallons or so of must!

Thats what the bottle of potasium metabisulfate said to use. .67 grams per gallon and thats about 1/4 teaspoon per 5 gallons... I had added a little less than 1/4 teaspoon and probobly have closer to 8 gallons of must, so I assumed it would be reasonable!

So was it half or quarter teaspoon you used?

[Hippie]

I wonder why the brewshop guy would say to not use a straining bag? The yeast can get in and out of the bag with no problem making quick work of the fruit and your job later will be much easier.

[lockwood1956]

I agree......the straining bag makes life so much easier.

[Leblais]

it was a 1/4 per bucket... SOrry I was tired when I was typing this morning.
Yeah 1/4 per each 4 (or so) gallons in a bucket, so 1/2 in total of the 8 gallons!

He said I could easily strain it later by pouring it into the bucket lined with the bag! Seemed to make sense. He said otherwise it is like wasting the fruit. I dont get it myself....

[Leblais]

OHhh I just took a gravity reading and it looks unchanged.... darn it!!! So do I chuck it or keep it? does it raise the gravity as the banana works into the must??? I assume that some of the bananas starches and sugars are liquified into the must, which "must" raise the gravity... NO?

[Leblais]

AND I just tasted some and it tastes good... I dont tast any alcohol though, but it tastes almost carbonated...

[Leblais]

Another thought I just had... I added acid blend to it too... I added 15 teaspoons total to the 8 or so gallon batch... Could that be the problem too? The recipe said to add it at the beginning....

Darn it... Some tuff lessons learned here I guess...

[Leblais]

last thing I think it could be is that its about 60-65 in my house. I just checked the temp of the must and it seems to be about 60-62. Is that too cold?? I turned up my heat to 70 so it should take off better if thats the reason why...
Like I said I dont see any real "foam" on top, but its hard to tell due to the banana stuff that came to the top. The top layer is about 3 inches thick! Also, as I stated, I put the airlock on and it seems to be going at about 45 or more bubbles per min... Think its possible that it IS fermenting, but very slowly??

[lockwood1956]

He said I could easily strain it later by pouring it into the bucket lined with the bag! Seemed to make sense. He said otherwise it is like wasting the fruit. I dont get it myself....

I think either he is not explaining himself correctly....or he doesn't know what he's talking about.

I use a straining bag because I was advised to do so by great winemakers like Hippie and Jack Kelller