Blackberry Recipe

[solly]

Blackberry & Apple Recipe Anyone?

I was looking at the CJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ Berry's book on Wine recipes and in there he has an Blackberry and Apple recipe, but its using fresh apples that need the juice extracted or by pouring boiling water over the apples.

Just wondered if anyone had a recipe using 100% Apple Juice from the supermarket, I was going to use about 4 pounds of blackberries, 1Lt of Apple Juice and suger to take the SG to about 1.070 (unless someone has a recipe that they have used in the past please)

[ms67]

And it's absolutely fine to add all of the sugar at the beginning, if you're not going above.... let's say 1.090. Anything above that beginning gravity is going to stun the yeast into oblivion and they won't work.
Just my two cents worth!

i don't know if this is the right place to mention this, not sure who the thread is aimed at but here goes anyway

i like to keep my brewing simple and get everything done and added at the start, then just rack (fine if needed) etc etc as and when needed. When i started out experimenting with yeast i found one that starts at high OG's, sauternes, never had a problem with stuck ferments/stunned yeasts etc, even starting from gravities above 1100 (was a mistake but as its a desert wine it'll be ok). The best wine i've made to date has been blackberry with sauternes yeast. sounds odd, but worked very well. This may not be good practice generally speaking (high OG etc) but the results make us happy.

[medpretzel]

In the bramble craze, I have started a new bramble wine.

Martina & Bob’s German Bramble Wine
Yield: 1 Gallon
Yeast used: Lalvin K1-V1116

Ca. 5 pounds of freshly picked brambles = 2 Liters of pure bramble juice (SG 1.024)
1 Liter general red grape juice (SG 1.070)
3.5 Liters of water
Sugar to an SG of 1.070 (about 1.5 pounds)
1 tsp acid blend
1 tsp pectolase
½ tsp Vitamon Ultra (energizer, nutrient in one product)

I steam-juice extracted the brambles using Colin Tweed’s method, and it ended up to be about 2 liters.
I then added all the other ingredients except water and sugar, which I heated up the water and dissolved the sugar in it. Then that was added to the must.
While I was doing this, I had started a yeast starter using Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast to maintain the fruitiness. I added about 20 ml of the must to a pinch of sugar added a bit of very hot water (about 40 degrees C), pinch of vitamon ultra, and let it go. It took off immediately, and the sugar was very soon used up. Added another 10 ml of must.

Starting SG: 1.070
Starting pH: 3.7

I let it cool a bit, then added the yeast starter to the must.

Now, it’s time to wait!

[medpretzel]

Also, remember to take good notes. You sometimes get slack and don't do it, but it certainly is wise to do so.

[medpretzel]

Just a note of warning to all those who are getting into the blackberry craze.

Please keep the original SG down to no more than 1.075.

Why?

You'll have positively rocket-fuel when you're finished.

I have made a wine like this and it seems to have needed 2 years to age, and by that time, it was unfortunately past it's prime.

I would definitely sweeten as Bob said, that takes a bit of the bite off of it as well.

Just a rule of thumb for all newbie winemakers (and those who are revisiting the hobby after a hiatus):

Please remember to use your hydrometer. It is passé to "add a kilo of sugar, then water to a gallon." It's best to use your hydrometer while adding sugar at the beginning. You can do this in steps; i.e. get your gallon of must ready without sugar. Start adding sugar, stir.... take SG reading.... add more sugar.... stir well.... take SG reading... etc, etc. You are far much better off and more accurate when it's being done this way.
And it's absolutely fine to add all of the sugar at the beginning, if you're not going above.... let's say 1.090. Anything above that beginning gravity is going to stun the yeast into oblivion and they won't work.

Just my two cents worth!

[lockwood1956]

So I would suggest the following



INGREDIENTS

3 lbs (1.5kg) of Blackberries
Sugar to 1.080
1 tsp Citric Acid
1 tsp Pectolase
½ tsp Tannin
245g Red Grape Juice Concentrate
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 tsp GP yeast (I would use Lalvin K1V-1116 or 71B-1122)



Method

Prpare a yeast starter 24 hours in advance..

Put the fruit into a fermenting bin and mash with a potato masher, (or put it in a staraining bag) add the Citric acid, Pectolase, Tannin,Yeast Nutrient, add the red grape concentrate and 8 pints of water.
Add sugar to 1.080, this will likely take your volume to 1.25 gallons (this is fine, we lose volume after the fruit is removed and racking)

ferment
The wine, stirring once or twice a day (or dunking the straining bag in and out a few times...dont squeeze though), till the S.G reaches 1.010 then rack off the fruit pulp (or if you used a straining bag remove it now).

The wine is then placed into a Demijohn (then either topping up, or if there is more than a gallon put this in a smaller airlocked container for topping up later) and fermented to dry.

(Personally..I would then stabilise and sweeten to around 1.004...yummy)

Then rack and bottle as you normally would.

hope this helps
regards
bob

[lockwood1956]

The only thing I would say is dont add the amount of sugar quoted in recipes always amend the recipe to "sugar to 1.080" and I would add the red grape concentrate at the beginning too, there is no need to stage your sugar additions if you go for a 12% wine (which is enough for this type of wine)

that way you are taking no risk of stuck fermentations, the most common cause of which is too much sugar in the must, or too much added at a 2nd addition

regards
Bob

[solly]

Got this one from our local home brew shop and using it on 3lbs of blackberries right now

INGREDIENTS

3 lbs (1.5kg) of Blackberries
1 kilo of sugar
1 tsp Citric Acid
1 tsp Pectolase
½ tsp Tannin
245g Red Grape Juice Concentrate
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 tsp GP yeast (or you could use your favourite yeast)
2 Campden tablets


Method

Put the crushed fruit into a fermenting bin, dissolve the Citric acid, Pectolase, Tannin,
Yeast Nutrient and GP yeast in a pint of water and pour this over the fruit.

Add 750gms of sugar and 3 pints of water and mix well, then secure the lid – ferment
The wine for one week stirring once or twice a day.

Then separate the wine from the fruit reside, the wine is then placed into a Demijohn then
Add the remaining 250gms of sugar and also the red grape juice concentrate and top up the
DJ to the gallon mark with water and fit airlock.

When the wine has finished fermenting, rack and bottle as you normally would.

[Mamgiowl]

Ooops, sorry - that'll teach me to read posts properly!

[fatbloke]

Darren, I think JtFB meant a tin of red grape juice not blackberry

No, I meant one of the tins of blackberry stuff that they keep in the local HBS.

I've got red grape concentrate, but I'd prefer to use the BB stuff as I don't want to dilute the black berry flavour - it's one of my "fav's"

It may be a kit though Jan, that I'll have to get and stick the extra 2 lb of BB's that I've got frozen at the moment.

I'll have to check.

don't see why red grape concentrate/juice couldn't be used though.......

I just figured that it's the same stuff that Bob mentions in the recipe, and I'd just make it up to 2 or 3 gallons (might have to get some more blackberries though)

regards

JtFB

[Mamgiowl]

Darren, I think JtFB meant a tin of red grape juice not blackberry

[Darren]

I don't have any blackbury concentrate can i use some red grape juice or is there anything else that i could use and how much would you put in for 1 dj i only have 1/2 alitre of that would that be enough or shall i just use more blackberries

[fatbloke]

Excellent, now I know what to do with the couple of bags of Blackberries that I "picked" from my aunts freezer.

I'll just get one of those tins of the concentrate and "do" a gallon

regards

JtFB

[Duffbeer]

3 to 4 lb should be enough.

[Darren]

Right here we go just of to pick some blackberries tomorrow how much would i need to just do one dj not sure how much i can get yet