Lychee Wine? Anyone?

Hello all! I recently found a market in my area that sell fresh lychee fruits! I was thinking about brewing some wine with them, as they have a nice floral taste. Has ANYONE ever tried this? I found one recipe online from eHow, but I wanted to ask this community first. Any suggestions?

I think they would be perfect for a drier style. I love lychee, and they're similar enough to grapes.

bobbrews said:

I think they would be perfect for a drier style. I love lychee, and they're similar enough to grapes.

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I agree Bobbrews! It should prove to be nice and floral. Maybe sweeten it with half honey and half sugar? The recipe from eHow says to use a Chablis yeast, but does anyone have any suggestions for a yeast that they think might work better?

I posted only the other day about lychee honey my wife bought me. Being a mead maker, im gonna make some very soon. The honey is lovely with a great after taste! Lychee is one of my favourite fruits and can't wait until I make some

BrewUpAndSup said:

I posted only the other day about lychee honey my wife bought me. Being a mead maker, im gonna make some very soon. The honey is lovely with a great after taste! Lychee is one of my favourite fruits and can't wait until I make some

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Lychee honey, eh? Is that honey with lychee flavoring, or is it honey that was made by bees pollinating lychee flowers? Either way, it sounds interesting. Where'd you get it?

I think it's honey with lychee flavouring but not sure...doesn't say on the jar. I live in the uk and got it from a supermarket called Morrisons. It is very very nice! Im gonna buy some more this weekend and get a gallon on the go!

BrewUpAndSup said:

I think it's honey with lychee flavouring but not sure...doesn't say on the jar. I live in the uk and got it from a supermarket called Morrisons. It is very very nice! Im gonna buy some more this weekend and get a gallon on the go!

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Wow, that sounds really nice! I live in the US, so I guess I'll have to do an internet search for some. I'd really like to know how your mead turns out! You should PM me when its done and let me know!

Any yeast that won't blow most of the flavor and aromatics through the airlock during fermentation should be good to use. D47 and 71B jump to mind right now.

NiteBeest said:

Any yeast that won't blow most of the flavor and aromatics through the airlock during fermentation should be good to use. D47 and 71B jump to mind right now.

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Is that really a characteristic of the yeast? I thought flavor and aromatic loss had a lot to do with temperature... what are D47 and 71B?

Is that really a characteristic of the yeast?

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Yes and no. 1118 is a really strong yeast that tends to ferment so hard you lose some of the more subtle aromatics and flavors. It's the same reason we don't use turbo yeast either. Yeasts that ferment at a normal rate help to keep those around.

what are D47 and 71B?

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They are both yeasts. Both have been fairly well rated for fruit wines/meads.

Check out my post : https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/lychee-wine-more-366505/#post4572662

Tried it and it tastes great!

The mead sounds like a good idea. Will try it soon.

Mrinny said:

Check out my post : https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/lychee-wine-more-366505/#post4572662

Tried it and it tastes great!

The mead sounds like a good idea. Will try it soon.

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Thanks, Mrinny! Sounds good! I am thinking I will try brew it sometime soon!

Just one thing with lychee juice... often when you buy em off the shelf in supermarkets, the flavor is pumped up with too much essence. That makes the wine taste like sugar alcohol with essence.

So try and get your hands on something with no added flavors.

Good Luck! Keep me posted on how it turns out.

Cheers!

homebrewbeliever said:

Thanks, Mrinny! Sounds good! I am thinking I will try brew it sometime soon!

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Just one thing with Lychee Juice, if you buy it off the supermarket shelf... some of them taste like sugar water with way too much lychee essence... it says 100% natural ... with added flavors .

So make sure you get something that is worth brewing or you get alcoholic essences. The natural fruits on the other hand are very very mild in flavor. The mead sounds like an encouraging option though.

Keep me posted on how it turns out.

Cheers!

Mrinny said:

Just one thing with Lychee Juice, if you buy it off the supermarket shelf... some of them taste like sugar water with way too much lychee essence... it says 100% natural ... with added flavors .

So make sure you get something that is worth brewing or you get alcoholic essences. The natural fruits on the other hand are very very mild in flavor. The mead sounds like an encouraging option though.

Keep me posted on how it turns out.

Cheers!

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Yeah, I was actually thinking of buying a bunch of fresh lychees and pressing them in a fruit press or something. I am fortunate enough to have a very nice asian supermarket near my house that sells fresh lychee fruits (they aren't the easiest thing to find here in the US). But the lychee juice would be an easy alternative.

Accompanied hubby on the weekly grocery excursion. He likes to leave me home because I tend to deviate from the list. Case in point...new on WalMart shelf since last Sunday, Roland brand Whole Lychees in Heavy Syrup, 20oz, ingredients: lychees, water, sugar, citric acid, contains 57 grams sugar per can. They were $2.48/can so I bought four, which gives me five pounds, and 228 grams of sugar total. May sneak back and buy a few more, but I only want to make a gallon batch. Do you think I can do it with what I have, or how many more should I go get? Should I supplement by adding 1-2 cans 100% WWGJ per gallon for some sugar and body? Do plan on stopping by ValuMarket and grabbing a few lychee drinks for topping up. Any assistance appreciated.

Also discovered these frozen yogurt shops that are popping up tend to carry lychee fruit...so I am stopping by the Green Apple shop down the road and asking about their lychee (and any other interesting stuff). Bet they will want a lien on my home! So that may be a source for those who cannot find these, assuming you have a fro yo store.