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09-14-2009, 05:55 PM
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#1
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Cranky Old Guy
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Willamina & Oak Grove, Oregon, USA
Posts: 24,799
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Revenge Blackberry wine
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Finally started the harvest, about 4 weeks behind everyone else. Sort of a race between the bees, me, rain and mold that will go on for the next week or two. But I decided to get serious this year and took my hedging shears along. So, much easier and less painful. Just chop away the first year canes that guard the berries. I don't recommend this for people picking on someone else's property, but it's working nicely. I pick, rinse and bag each morning, tossing the bag in the freezer. When I have 6 gallons, I'll thaw them and start the wine.
Doesn't look like there are any Oregon Evergreens though. Much better tasting than the Himalayans, but nada.
__________________
Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"
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09-15-2009, 03:28 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: South Florida
Posts: 1,360
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Got a recipe? I've always been interested in Blackberry wine.
__________________
Primary: Nothing
Secondary: DFH Punkin Ale
Bottled/Conditioning: Cigar City Jai Alai IPA Clone, Apple Jack 1.0, Apple Jack 2.0
Drinking: Yakima Blonde (Imperialized), Banana Wheat, Russian Imperial Stout, and anything i can get my hands on
On Deck: Watermelon Wheat, Red Panda Ale, Gluten Free Brown Ale, Mojito IPA, Smoked Pepper Stout
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09-15-2009, 05:06 PM
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#3
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Cranky Old Guy
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Willamina & Oak Grove, Oregon, USA
Posts: 24,799
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I'll probably use one of Keller's recipes. In the past, I've just made cider with them. Doesn't look like there's much difference, other than added sugar and it taking MUCH longer to be ready to drink.
__________________
Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"
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09-15-2009, 05:09 PM
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#4
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Drink your beer!
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Upper Michigan
Posts: 41,492
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That sounds wonderful. We didn't get many berries this year- just a few for fresh eating. I haven't made a batch of blackberry wine in over 3 years now, and would love to get my hands on some blackberries. It's one of my favorite wines.
__________________
Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006
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09-18-2009, 05:40 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Washington St.
Posts: 164
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We had a bumper crop in Washington. Racked mine this week after a month. First blackberry wine and not as much blackberry taste to it as I thought it would have. Dont know if I'll sweeten a bit or leave dry.....we'll see.
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09-19-2009, 02:03 AM
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#6
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 14
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Ditto on the bumper crop in Washington - I picked 25 pounds! It's all waiting to clear up in secondary now.
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09-30-2009, 06:16 PM
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#7
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Cranky Old Guy
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Willamina & Oak Grove, Oregon, USA
Posts: 24,799
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The last two years were really poor for blackberries, but this year I've picked plenty. Started the wine with 20 lbs and 5 lbs of the sugar. Had to take 2 quarts of mix out of the pail as the ferment started. It was that or watch it foam on the floor. I'll pull the bag Saturday and add the rest of the sugar.
I've got another 12 lbs in the freezer, probably make a cider.
Picked a few this morning. Too cold and wet, but I got enough for 2L of soda:
1L of pulped blackberries, strained
1/2 cup sugar
water to fill
It's chilling now and I'll carbonate once it's cold.
__________________
Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"
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09-30-2009, 07:06 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: South Florida
Posts: 1,360
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Can you elaborate more on the soda? Won't you have gangbuster bottle bombs if you use 1/2 cup of sugar? Are you keg carbing the soda?
__________________
Primary: Nothing
Secondary: DFH Punkin Ale
Bottled/Conditioning: Cigar City Jai Alai IPA Clone, Apple Jack 1.0, Apple Jack 2.0
Drinking: Yakima Blonde (Imperialized), Banana Wheat, Russian Imperial Stout, and anything i can get my hands on
On Deck: Watermelon Wheat, Red Panda Ale, Gluten Free Brown Ale, Mojito IPA, Smoked Pepper Stout
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10-01-2009, 04:11 PM
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#9
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Cranky Old Guy
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Willamina & Oak Grove, Oregon, USA
Posts: 24,799
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I put the soda in a 2L plastic bottle and force carbonated using a Carbonator. It is safely chilling in the fridge.
__________________
Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"
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10-03-2009, 02:03 PM
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#10
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Cranky Old Guy
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Willamina & Oak Grove, Oregon, USA
Posts: 24,799
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The wine is now in stage 2 fermentation. I've move it into the fermentation cabinet as it got cold last night and I don't have the heater for the brewery setup yet. Smells really great. There's about 5.75 gallons, so I'll probably let this ferment out, then keg half and add another hald pound of sugar per gallon to the rest. That should give me a sweet wine as well.
Then the remaining 12 pounds go in and I'll start a light-bodied batch. I'm hoping to get enough Oregon Evergreens for some jelly. They have much better flavor than than Himalayans, but aren't as vigorous.
This may be the end of the Himalayan blackberries, though. Someone released a rust that is killing them off.
__________________
Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"
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