Hedley

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Hi brewers,

I'm making dandelion wine for the first time and a couple of things about the recipe confuse me.

The recipe says to pour a gallon of hot water over the dandelions and to only leave for 2 days - stressing NOT to exceed this time.

However, after the two day the flowers/water are boiled with orange and lemon rind…then the orange and lemon juice and pulp is added. This is then left to cool and once cool the yeast is added. The whole thing is left for a further 3 days before transferring to the demijohn. Am I right in thinking that all this time the flowers are still in the mix - and are only removed when I transfer to the demijohn?

Also - the recipe seems to indicate that raisins are actually added to the demijohn - and only at that stage. Does this sound right?

Any help much appreciated,

Ross

wozzer

Recipes 

I made this 5 months ago - it reads the same as the recipe I got out of C.J.J.Berry's book.

I did exactly as you say - boiling water over the heads, leave 2 days covered, boil for an hour with citrus rinds, then add citrus juice, pulp and raisins. When cooled, add yeast and the rest, leave 3 days covered.

I left the flowers along with everything else for the full duration, pouring it all through a sieve immediately before transferring to demi-john.

The must went a rather evil gray colour during the 3 days after the yeast was added - I suspect it came out of the flowers, as there were black stains all over the jug I collected them into when picking them. It cleared slowly while in the demi-john, going a golden amber colour over the months. It's an absolutely stunning tasting wine - very smooth. Much better than I had expected.

Hedley

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Thanks Wozzer - I'm encouraged by that. Maybe I'll add the raisins when I add the yeast, and remove when I transfer to the demijohn then...

Noe

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I'm doing this same recipe right now. I'm transferring it into a carboy tonight and that's when I'm going to add my raisins. Hopefully it will turn out good for the both of us.

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Secondary:
Dandelion Wine
Apricot Wine
Peach Wine
Strawberry Wine
Cinn-Apfelwein
Hibiscus Wine

Yooper

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Here's my recipe: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f79/dandelion-wine-21095/

I love dandelion wine! It tastes like liquid sunshine, if there could be such a thing.

I strain after the third day in primary, and strain out the petals then.

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brothermoo

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Aw man i've just been working on my lawn this past week and have weeded and thrown out so many dandelions! Sounds nice

Hedley

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I put a fair bit of yeast into this. After the 3 day fermentation in primary I added to demijohn with airlock (adding the raisins to the demijohn too) and the airlock was bubbling a lot. However, after just one week the bubbling has stopped and there is about half an inch plus (!) of sediment in the bottom already. The recipe I'm following said to rack after 60 days or when there is quarter of an inch of sediment. So it appears I have to rack (and will remove the raisins in the process) already. Does this sound like the right thing to do?

Also, after the boiling down stage I seem to only have about 2 thirds (if that) of a gallon of water/wine left, so will it be okay to top up with water to an inch from the top, or will that water it down too much?

Trencher

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My wife found her grandfather's dandelion wine recipe a few years ago while we were clearing out her grandmother's house. She told me about her memories of gathering dandelions for him when she was very young. I've been wondering about making some but never knew what to expect exactly. What flavor do the dandelions add? Do they add any sugar?

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Captive

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I've made it a few times, and it isn't a wine that I'd promote. I've also tried to find someone who is proud of their dandelion wine and would share with me so that I know what a "great" dandelion wine tastes like; I haven't found anyone who has a good dandelion to share. I'm not saying they're not out there, but what I am saying, is that there are obviously some tricks to making it taste good that I'm not aware of. Either that, or it just appeals to some people.

You can usually "get an idea" of how a wine tastes by making a sample. Take your dandelion petals, add them to a pot of water, boil them like tea, add a little sugar to sweeten slightly and a teaspoon of squeezed orange juice, and maybe a shot of vodka, Drink chilled. Obviously, fermenting will alter the flavors some, and the alcohol won't be just right, but it should give you an idea if this wine is for you before you go to all the work.

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captianoats

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I've made it, and although I've been out for awhile, I remember it having a very earthy flavor and a beautiful yellow color. The citrus adds a nice fruitiness. It's an acquired taste, but I recommend everyone to at least try it. you can make a gallon for only a few bucks, it's worth a shot.

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