Strawberry Port?

**paulthenurse** · 08-04-2009, 12:38 PM

Never make wine while you've been drinking wine.

I should back up. There is an open air market in downtown Boston called The Haymarket that is open on Friday and Saturday. By the time Saturday lunchtime comes around they are just looking to get rid of whatever is left and there are some unbelievable bargains. Like the bargains on straberrys a month ago when Alice and I brought home 16 flats of strawberrys, 8 quarts to the flat, for $25.

Well, we were going diving early Sunday morning and had a BBQ at a friends house in the afternoon so we had to get all those strawberrys done that afternoon. I started around 5 and made pretty good time of it and finished up cutting the last of the berrys around 8. I've got a 35 gallon trash barrel 3/4 full of cleaned and chopped strawberrys. Unfortunatley I've been sampling the goods as I sat there and cut up strawberrys and I'm half in the wrapper. So I go out in the kitchen and grab the sugar and decide that I need 50 lbs of it. Maybe I was a bit more than half in the wrapper.

Dump in the sugar, stir it up sprinkle on the yeast and walk away secure in the knowlege that all is right with the world. In the morning I take a reading and it's around 34 brix. YIKES!!!! Fortunately (?) I had used 1118 for my yeast so there was a good chance I might finish out.

Today it sits at 3.5 brix and has stalled. I'm sipping a glass of it this morning as I rack it into a sanke. It tastes nice. It is definately an alcohol bomb but with the residual sugar and the very solid strawberry flavor it seems to be carrying it off. The color is a little lighter than usual for a strawberry but still nice.

Anyone ever had a high alcohol strawberry that worked?

PTN

babalu87 · 08-04-2009, 01:31 PM

This makes Blueberry Lambic look like a Lumberjack drink

**paulthenurse** · 08-04-2009, 02:06 PM

If there is a God in heaven you will get run over by an International Havester Threshing machine and be a burden on your family and society.

**Cape Brewing** · 08-04-2009, 02:25 PM

What the hell were you doing? Trying to make really strong wine coolers???

You got a "Blueberry Blast" and a "Mango Madness" coming up next?

**paulthenurse** · 08-04-2009, 02:40 PM

And if there is a Devil in hell you will be the one driving the thresher and will get thrown into jail for murder, and you'll end up with a 300 lb shaved-headed cellmate with an attitude who will sell your arse to the Crips and the Bloods for a cigarette an hour.

Not that it's worth that much.

**Cape Brewing** · 08-04-2009, 03:13 PM

Hey Paul... I have a big thing of Walmart fruit punch at the house. I'm thinking about spiking it with some Absolut and making some "fruit punch port".

How much vodka should I use? You know... since you've been brewing for 25 years and all. I figured you would know.

OOOoooo should I use grain/everclear instead??

babalu87 · 08-04-2009, 04:15 PM

Go with a bottle of Smirnoff and a gallon of Carlo Rossi Sangria

Maybe throw a piece of dog collar or belt in there so you can get some leather in the background.

**Cape Brewing** · 08-04-2009, 06:32 PM

I'm just waiting for Paul to start his Zima thread.

He's been brewing for like 25 years so he MUST know how to make Zima. He won a gold medal for a lambic once.

babalu87 · 08-04-2009, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cape Brewing

I'm just waiting for Paul to start his Zima thread.

He's been brewing for like 25 years so he MUST know how to make Zima. He won a gold medal for a lambic once.

Zima?
Zima doesnt even make Zima anymore.
A friends wife loved the stuff.....................Paul, give up the recipe man

**paulthenurse** · 08-04-2009, 11:53 PM

I'd start with your baltic porter recipie as a base and go from there.