Morning Gathering
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Chuck52
Veteran Member
I started a five gallon batch Sunday. However, I cheated because I had 2.5 gallons of frozen berries from last year. I say "gallons", but I should say "gallon baggies" because the baggies, even when stuffed full, don't seem to really hold a gallon. I ended up using 8+ gallon baggies, 10 lbs sugar and 1 gallon of boiling water and the final volume after the frozen berries melted and all were mashed up into a slurry, was about 5.5 gallons.
Before they thawed, the 8+ gallons of frozen berries were at about the 6.5 gallon mark on my bucket.
I still have berries on the vines, so from now until they are gone I'll be picking for desserts and such.
Lose much blood?
Chuck
Before they thawed, the 8+ gallons of frozen berries were at about the 6.5 gallon mark on my bucket.
I still have berries on the vines, so from now until they are gone I'll be picking for desserts and such.
Lose much blood?
Chuck
OP
LD1
Epic Contributor
6.5 gallos is still a lot of berries:confused2:
I'd guess this is mybe 3 gallons?? Each of the larger bowls are about 3.5-4lbs. and the two smaller ones make up about one of the larger ones. So somewhere between 10-12 lbs. Which will do me about 3 batches in my 1 gallon wine making setup.
It took me about 3-4 hours to pick this many. Boy I am glad I didn't get the 5 gallon wine making kit.
I'd guess this is mybe 3 gallons?? Each of the larger bowls are about 3.5-4lbs. and the two smaller ones make up about one of the larger ones. So somewhere between 10-12 lbs. Which will do me about 3 batches in my 1 gallon wine making setup.
It took me about 3-4 hours to pick this many. Boy I am glad I didn't get the 5 gallon wine making kit.
Chuck52
Veteran Member
Yep, it takes time to get enough berries for a 5 gallon batch. I usually only manage to get a gallon or two at a time during the heaviest times, and I freeze any we aren't going to use fresh for something. It took all this month to accumulate enough for this batch of wine, even adding in the 2.5 gallons left over from last year. Your berries look nice and ripe....I always get a lot which are less than fully ripe. Doesn't bother me much as I like the acid.
All my kids and some friends like the wine, so we go through the five gallons pretty quickly. Last time I made some, I finished it in the semi-sweet range and bottled half of it like that. I figure it was probably in the 12-14% alcohol range because I let it ferment out as far as it would go. Then I sweetened the other half of the batch and added enough blackberry brandy to get the alcohol into the port wine range of about 20%. That was real popular for cold evenings, and probably would also have tasted good on ice cream!
Do you shoot for a sweet wine, semi, or dry? With the acid, I find I can't go all the way dry or it is pretty harsh.
Chuck
All my kids and some friends like the wine, so we go through the five gallons pretty quickly. Last time I made some, I finished it in the semi-sweet range and bottled half of it like that. I figure it was probably in the 12-14% alcohol range because I let it ferment out as far as it would go. Then I sweetened the other half of the batch and added enough blackberry brandy to get the alcohol into the port wine range of about 20%. That was real popular for cold evenings, and probably would also have tasted good on ice cream!
Do you shoot for a sweet wine, semi, or dry? With the acid, I find I can't go all the way dry or it is pretty harsh.
Chuck
OP
LD1
Epic Contributor
Last year I did one batch that was dry. About 16-17% AC and it was very good. I did another batch that was semi-dry using store bought berries. It wasn't quite as good but it was still ok.
I have a batch of strawberry going now and then I will do blackberry again. The strawberry should be a sweet wine. I may also try some elderberry wine this year too. If I can gather enough.
I have a batch of strawberry going now and then I will do blackberry again. The strawberry should be a sweet wine. I may also try some elderberry wine this year too. If I can gather enough.
Chuck52
Veteran Member
Sounds good. I was (probably will be again sometime) a brewer, but making wine is easier than brewing for me. I have the blackberries, and so many of them that for us wine is a good use. I've planted quite a few apple trees, and I hope to eventually get enough apples to start making cider. That will be interesting, because I like my cider slightly sweet and carbonated, and that combination can be hard to achieve since I also like the idea of "natural" ingredients. By that I mean I don't want to add non-fermentable sweeteners. When the time comes, I may end up filtering the cider to stop fermentation and then carbonating in kegs. We'll see. I'll be trying to grow strawberries again next year, but I don't know if I'll have enough for wine....I think of five gallon batches as a minimum. When I get enough cider apples I might try various fruits with that. I just had a strawberry cider from a place called Crown Breweries, which is in a small town southwest of St. Louis. That was very good; slightly sweet sparkling apple cider with a nice strawberry nose and flavor. I'm thinking that idea would work with blackberries, too.
I bet if I only picked the really ripe blackberries I could take my wine drier. As it is, there's enough acid in mine that semi-dry is about as far as I can go. I like the port style pretty sweet, like a good ruby port. A small glass of that and some strong cheese makes a good dessert.
The story of civilization is figuring out what local ingredients to make alcohol from.
Chuck
I bet if I only picked the really ripe blackberries I could take my wine drier. As it is, there's enough acid in mine that semi-dry is about as far as I can go. I like the port style pretty sweet, like a good ruby port. A small glass of that and some strong cheese makes a good dessert.
The story of civilization is figuring out what local ingredients to make alcohol from.
Chuck
OP
LD1
Epic Contributor
5 gallons for a minium is a lot.
If I were you, I'd consider 1 gallon batches for expirementing with strawberries and cider. That way, if it doesn't turn out, you didnt waste a lit of time harvesting. and if it does turn out well, then do the 5 gallon batches.
I only started the wine about a year ago when I was laid off with nothing to do but pick berries. The only other thing I do with them is make jelly, which I still have about half of the batch I did 3 years ago. I didnt want to keep making jelly that I don't need and I didn't want them to go to waste.
I would also like to try mullberry wine. I have about 3 good sized red mullberry trees. I just havent found an easy way to pick them yet short of getting up in the bucket of the tractor.
If I were you, I'd consider 1 gallon batches for expirementing with strawberries and cider. That way, if it doesn't turn out, you didnt waste a lit of time harvesting. and if it does turn out well, then do the 5 gallon batches.
I only started the wine about a year ago when I was laid off with nothing to do but pick berries. The only other thing I do with them is make jelly, which I still have about half of the batch I did 3 years ago. I didnt want to keep making jelly that I don't need and I didn't want them to go to waste.
I would also like to try mullberry wine. I have about 3 good sized red mullberry trees. I just havent found an easy way to pick them yet short of getting up in the bucket of the tractor.
om21braz
Veteran Member
Along the lines ya'll are on, my wife made her first blackberry wine poundcake yesterday - it won't be the last. Pretty tasty!
Chuck52
Veteran Member
All this talk about home made wine made me want my own fruit press....again. Anyone have one you like? The price seems to be falling a bit on the one a buddy of mine has. It is a 16 quart capacity Weston-style press that uses a ratcheting action on an Acme screw to provide the pressing force. It works OK, but you either need two guys to work it or it must be mounted on some heavy duty surface to hold it in place while you work the ratchet. Seems like an auto style scissor jack would work easier, and I've seen some plans for making a press using one of those. Since cheap is my middle name, I may have to try building one. I don't really need it for the blackberry wine, though I do like to squeeze the floating pulp that is left over after I rack from the primary to the secondary fermenter. There's quite a lot of good stuff in that with a five gallon batch, and I can't get it all just squeezing it in a colander. I usually borrow a small table-top press from another friend for that. He gets a couple bottles of the product so he's happy to oblige. However, since I hope to eventually have my own apples to press, it makes sense to have my own press that I could use for these small jobs, too.
Chuck
Chuck
OP
LD1
Epic Contributor
I don't know much about presses but depending on cost, I'd probabally try to built one too. It shouldn't be that hard. Considering presses can cost close to $1000, I'd consider converting a harbor freight shop press to press the cider.
I don't use a press though, I just use the cheese cloth in the primary that way I dont have to rack as many times to get the sediment out.
Years back, when grandma and grandpa used to make cider, they had a very old, probabally antique, cider press. It looked like a H-frame hydraulic press but had the screw instead. It pressed a large plate down into a wooded barrel that had a slight gap inbetween the boards that let the juices flow into into a trough and then into a bucket.
It was lagged to the concrete floor so only one person was needed.
I don't use a press though, I just use the cheese cloth in the primary that way I dont have to rack as many times to get the sediment out.
Years back, when grandma and grandpa used to make cider, they had a very old, probabally antique, cider press. It looked like a H-frame hydraulic press but had the screw instead. It pressed a large plate down into a wooded barrel that had a slight gap inbetween the boards that let the juices flow into into a trough and then into a bucket.
It was lagged to the concrete floor so only one person was needed.
Chuck52
Veteran Member
Duff,
Are you using plans from the internet or playing it by ear? There are lots of plans out there. Some folks sell them, others give 'em away. There's a u-tube of a guy who modified a Harbor Freight arbor press to use as a cider press. In fact, he just made some parts that can be set on the press for the cider and removed so the press can still be used for its primary function. He went with the "cheese" method, where he used pressing cloths to make cheeses of the pulp and doesn't then have to make a barrel to hold the pulp....the cloth takes care of the sideways pressure. That looked pretty neat, but he bought the plastic tray and some pressing plates from a place that sells complete presses, and I think those parts might be kind of expensive.
Chuck
Are you using plans from the internet or playing it by ear? There are lots of plans out there. Some folks sell them, others give 'em away. There's a u-tube of a guy who modified a Harbor Freight arbor press to use as a cider press. In fact, he just made some parts that can be set on the press for the cider and removed so the press can still be used for its primary function. He went with the "cheese" method, where he used pressing cloths to make cheeses of the pulp and doesn't then have to make a barrel to hold the pulp....the cloth takes care of the sideways pressure. That looked pretty neat, but he bought the plastic tray and some pressing plates from a place that sells complete presses, and I think those parts might be kind of expensive.
Chuck
Chuck52
Veteran Member
I've seen a few of those antique presses. Some of them had grinders right on the press, so you had a one-stop business going. Dump the apples in the grinder and the pulp fell right into the press barrel. I got some fresh juice from a guy several years ago who had one and still used it. He was squeezing Jonagold apples at that time, and the juice made a pretty nice hard cider. I'd think all the exposed wood in those old presses might harbor some interesting yeast and bacteria, but I didn't have any problems with that cider, and I don't use bisulfite like most instructions say to knock down the bad beasties.
Chuck
beppington
Elite Member
Wow ... mine came & went about a month ago. Season over & done.
OP
LD1
Epic Contributor
Where are you located at??
I still had about 50% red ones still on the vine when I picked these, so they will be ripening here through out the next week or so.
Are you sure you are talking blackberries or black rasberries??? I know I cant tell the difference at first glance. The only way I tell 'em appart is that the black rasberries are ripe about a month ahead of the blackberries.
buckeyefarmer
Epic Contributor
I'd have put them in a pie myself.
beppington
Elite Member
N Cent FL; Blackberries.
Chuck52
Veteran Member
If we were in the pie selling business we might use the 40 pounds of berries I put in the wine. I've picked another quart or so since I started the wine. I'll probably have a gallon or two in the freezer by the time they are finished.
Chuck
No plans but it will be based off of one I saw on the internet. I will post some pics when I build it. I hope to make some serious cider this fall. :licking:
Knotbored
Silver Member
My wife uses a steamer that extracts juice for jellies and doesn't seem to dilute the berry juice much. The seeds and skins left over are almost bleached out and sqeezings from that pulp doesn't give much taste. I realize the juice is then cooked (not good?) but perhaps the time saved would be worth it for wine.
Also-my wife always has old jellies and jams she considers stale and throws out to salvage the jars. I found sites indicating a product anti-pectin that breaks down jelly for use in wine-has anyone tried this? It claims to allow clear wine from juice, jelly or jam.
My blackberries are just starting (NW Washington state)
To tell raspberry from blackberry- Raspberry leave the center pulp on the vine when picked and are a cone of fruit. Blackberry leaves the pulp inside the picked berry.
Also-my wife always has old jellies and jams she considers stale and throws out to salvage the jars. I found sites indicating a product anti-pectin that breaks down jelly for use in wine-has anyone tried this? It claims to allow clear wine from juice, jelly or jam.
My blackberries are just starting (NW Washington state)
To tell raspberry from blackberry- Raspberry leave the center pulp on the vine when picked and are a cone of fruit. Blackberry leaves the pulp inside the picked berry.
