Just add water to take the gravity down to 1.090 or so, You will lose some in the racking any ways so start with extra. The batch I did at 1.140 is way to hot, tastes like it has lighter fluid in it at the moment. added camden and sorbate to it yesterday after racking to new carboy. hope it tames down with time. Gravity is 1.000
Welch's Grape Juice Wine
- Thread starter Yooper
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
I'm a beer/apfelwein guy and this is my first attempt at wine. I can tell you that if you don't you acid blend or pectic blend and you do not rack it, you can wait 10 months and it'll come out great!
Rookie mistake, i wrote down everything in my brew log...except the initial gravity--it's on a random piece of scrap paper (if i find it, i'll edit the post). Ended up at 0.996 and tastes pretty good! Wife says she can taste a little burn, but for a very cheap table wine, I sure can't complain! I have 4 gallons of this stuff and can't wait to distribute for results from others.
(I used K1-V1116 for the yeast ~$1.00, 4 gallons of juice @ $5.00/gal, 5 lbs of sugar @ $2.75/5lb)
$1.20/bottle!!!!!! I will be making 5-15 more gallons of this, maybe alter it with EC-1118 or D47 or 71B
Please give any advice for better flavor/results. I'm all about easy recipes, especially ones i can make and forget since i travel frequently and don't have to stare at my fermenters everyday.
Thanks again Yooper!--TPS
Rookie mistake, i wrote down everything in my brew log...except the initial gravity--it's on a random piece of scrap paper (if i find it, i'll edit the post). Ended up at 0.996 and tastes pretty good! Wife says she can taste a little burn, but for a very cheap table wine, I sure can't complain! I have 4 gallons of this stuff and can't wait to distribute for results from others.
(I used K1-V1116 for the yeast ~$1.00, 4 gallons of juice @ $5.00/gal, 5 lbs of sugar @ $2.75/5lb)
$1.20/bottle!!!!!! I will be making 5-15 more gallons of this, maybe alter it with EC-1118 or D47 or 71B
Please give any advice for better flavor/results. I'm all about easy recipes, especially ones i can make and forget since i travel frequently and don't have to stare at my fermenters everyday.
Thanks again Yooper!--TPS
OP
OP
I stopped drinking juice last summer, when I went low-carb. So, I have two cans of juice to make this with. I'll make it up tomorrow!
Just finished the recipe variation I posted two threads back..
Started at 1.105
Stabilized and bottled 5 weeks later, as it cleared very well, at .993
Leaving an ABV at around 14-15%
--
Surprisingly, after only 5 weeks, it tastes smooth, but strong from the high alcohol content. You can definitely taste the tart from the Welch's typical taste, but it's not too heavy and I expect it will mellow out over time (if I keep it around that long). I must say that is really does have a nice, dry taste to it - reminds me of a inexpensive Chardonnay, sort of. I'm sure after another month it will be even that much better. I may try to sweeten with some splenda or sugar as a test, even though I prefer dry wine.
Definitely give it a try..
Started at 1.105
Stabilized and bottled 5 weeks later, as it cleared very well, at .993
Leaving an ABV at around 14-15%
--
Surprisingly, after only 5 weeks, it tastes smooth, but strong from the high alcohol content. You can definitely taste the tart from the Welch's typical taste, but it's not too heavy and I expect it will mellow out over time (if I keep it around that long). I must say that is really does have a nice, dry taste to it - reminds me of a inexpensive Chardonnay, sort of. I'm sure after another month it will be even that much better. I may try to sweeten with some splenda or sugar as a test, even though I prefer dry wine.
Definitely give it a try..
Killer_Robot
Well-Known Member
I just started this, using mstef's variant as a starting point though with purple grape juice and a bit less sugar, plus Pasteur Red yeast. OG came out to almost 1.115, so this is gonna be strong stuff.
With the strength, and that the volume came to be more 5.5 gallons, think it should be double-pitched? Is that even a thing for wine?
With the strength, and that the volume came to be more 5.5 gallons, think it should be double-pitched? Is that even a thing for wine?
OP
OP
You can do that. I don't know if it's necessary, but it can't hurt!
Alright, I may have jumped the gun with such a positive review. After getting a little more used to it, the high-tart, and high-alcohol are a little overwhelming; more emphasis on the tart. Maybe it's not exactly tart that's bothering me, I think it may just have to age a little bit longer. At this point, it's a little over two months from the time it was started.
So, to avoid the heavy taste, I made some sangria with it, and it actually came out really well. If anyone of you are interested in trying:
(In a standard sized pitcher)
Half red apple, diced, squeezed into container
Half green apple, diced, squeezed into container
Lemon, diced, squeezed into container
Lime, diced, squeezed into container
Half orange, diced, squeezed into container
Handful of ice cubes
Fill with wine, to about 3/4 full
3-4 shots of brandy
2-3 cups of cherry seltzer
1/2 cup of ginger ale
6 packets splenda or sugar
--
Give it a good mix, and let sit in refrigerator for about 3-4 hours (at least).
Measurements should be worked in for your taste (we all like it different).
So, to avoid the heavy taste, I made some sangria with it, and it actually came out really well. If anyone of you are interested in trying:
(In a standard sized pitcher)
Half red apple, diced, squeezed into container
Half green apple, diced, squeezed into container
Lemon, diced, squeezed into container
Lime, diced, squeezed into container
Half orange, diced, squeezed into container
Handful of ice cubes
Fill with wine, to about 3/4 full
3-4 shots of brandy
2-3 cups of cherry seltzer
1/2 cup of ginger ale
6 packets splenda or sugar
--
Give it a good mix, and let sit in refrigerator for about 3-4 hours (at least).
Measurements should be worked in for your taste (we all like it different).
I use half the amount of acid blend, about 2.5 teaspoons per 5 gallon batch
LoneTreeFarms
Well-Known Member
Try skipping the acid blend all together, plus i've been doing 5 gallon batches and letting them sit for 6 months. the first batch of this i made was super tart that's when i quit using the acid blend. might be worth a 1 gallon try.
So does the acid blend add to the tart taste or is it something else? I am looking to do this with raspberry / grape concentrate for my wife and am looking for a recipe that makes it more sweet then tart and no more than about 10-12% abv. Any suggestions would be great.
Thanks in advance
Tom
Thanks in advance
Tom
LoneTreeFarms
Well-Known Member
the acid blend adds to the tart flavor, my first batch was an apple cherry and between the acid blend and the cherry this was horrible for months after bottling. check with yooper but one possibility is to add way too much sugar and end up with a sweet batch. i usually just back sweeten this with wine conditioner or a sugar water mixture. wifey likes hers sweet too.
When you say wine conditioner what is that? Sorry for the stupid question.lol. I would think if I did a water sugar mixture I could get it more to her taste then just adding too much sugar in the beginning. Thanks for the help
OP
OP
Wine conditioner is a product sold in winemaking shops. It stabilizes the wine (to keep it from re-fermenting) and also adds sweetness.
You can sweeten with a water/sugar mixture, but you must stabilize the wine first with campden (sulfite) and sorbate once fermentation is over.
LoneTreeFarms
Well-Known Member
should be i'd just skip the acid blend to avoid the tartness.
Funny, I put together last night the following:
2 cans Welch's 100% Grape Juice
1lbs Dextrose
1/2tsp PE
1/2tsp YN
Water bringing everything up to 1 gal
1 packet Montrachet Red Star
I also did the same but with Pineapple juice, figured at worst I'd be out about 5 dollars. Anyhow, plugged and CO2 locked both jugs then put them in the brew closet. Then this morning, I read how vigorous and messy this fermentation should get. Here is the email I just fired to my wife at HIGH PRIORITY:
Fingers crossed! I put each jug into a large mixing bowl just in case but that's not going to help matters much if it blows the airlock off the jug and juices the carpet and everything else in the closet!
2 cans Welch's 100% Grape Juice
1lbs Dextrose
1/2tsp PE
1/2tsp YN
Water bringing everything up to 1 gal
1 packet Montrachet Red Star
I also did the same but with Pineapple juice, figured at worst I'd be out about 5 dollars. Anyhow, plugged and CO2 locked both jugs then put them in the brew closet. Then this morning, I read how vigorous and messy this fermentation should get. Here is the email I just fired to my wife at HIGH PRIORITY:
Jsmith's panic email said:
Fingers crossed! I put each jug into a large mixing bowl just in case but that's not going to help matters much if it blows the airlock off the jug and juices the carpet and everything else in the closet!
OP
OP
Email her back, and tell her to open it slowly!!!!!!!
Just crack it open at first. Trust me.
And put the fermenters in a bin or something. I did it with purple welches. I have hardwood. Good thing I like purple!
Just crack it open at first. Trust me.
And put the fermenters in a bin or something. I did it with purple welches. I have hardwood. Good thing I like purple!
Operation unplug and cover has been completed, worthy of a dancing banana
. The jugs are sitting in the big bowls right now (each could easily handle a gallon of overflow) but as soon as I get home, into a rubbermaid bin they go!I have hardwood but these are in our second bedroom, off-white carpet. Thank GOODNESS I read into your topic. Grape Juice is a nightmare. I put this together assuming it would not ferment hard at all after making Apfelwein.
I wanted to post back my interesting fermentation results which are still rolling in.
I got home to find both gallon jugs fermenting like apfelwein! Very mellow but definitely putting in work. The grape had no krausen but was releasing quite a bit of CO2, like an air pump was buried in the cake forming at the bottom. It was enjoyable to watch as usual.
The Pineapple wine was bubbling the same but had a thin, maybe quarter inch krausen layer that lasted about 24hrs. Now it's bubbling the same as the grape and all that is left is the ring around the top where the layer had once been, the rest fallen and packing down.
I was surprised with these results based off of previous tales of vigorous fermentation with similar recipes, maybe the lack of the acid blend? I've never used or added AB to anything so I don't know if that would make a difference or not?
Anyhow, I'm just glad to see 2 gallons of healthy fermenting Welch Wine and most importantly, no purple carpet!!!
I got home to find both gallon jugs fermenting like apfelwein! Very mellow but definitely putting in work. The grape had no krausen but was releasing quite a bit of CO2, like an air pump was buried in the cake forming at the bottom. It was enjoyable to watch as usual.
The Pineapple wine was bubbling the same but had a thin, maybe quarter inch krausen layer that lasted about 24hrs. Now it's bubbling the same as the grape and all that is left is the ring around the top where the layer had once been, the rest fallen and packing down.
I was surprised with these results based off of previous tales of vigorous fermentation with similar recipes, maybe the lack of the acid blend? I've never used or added AB to anything so I don't know if that would make a difference or not?
Anyhow, I'm just glad to see 2 gallons of healthy fermenting Welch Wine and most importantly, no purple carpet!!!
I have 3 jugs (4L) vigorously fermenting now. Should I give these a stir or two each day like regular fruit must, or just leave them alone until they settle down after 5 days or so? Maybe this was mentioned elsewhere in the thread, but I missed it if it was. So "to stir or not to stir" that is the question.
thx
thx
I followed Yooper's directions, and even used 4L jugs for fermentation. Instead of 1 1/4 lbs of sugar, I used 3 cups based on a conversion table (I'm assuming this is pretty close?). However, I could not get an accurate OG reading because I had to leave air space at the top of the jug to allow for the vigorous fermentation. So actually, the reading I got will be hotter than it will be after I top off. Probably, I'm over thinking this, but is there a way to do this accurately (w/o estimating)?
thx
thx
Can't help you with your question but I'm sure once Yooper sees the topic bounced she'll help you out.
I am curious though, your fermentation could be described as vigorous?
I'm really feeling like the odd one out here, mine was mellow as can be, looked just like dark purple apfelwein, lots of CO2 rising. It's an interesting concoction..
I am curious though, your fermentation could be described as vigorous?
I'm really feeling like the odd one out here, mine was mellow as can be, looked just like dark purple apfelwein, lots of CO2 rising. It's an interesting concoction..
May be the yeast I used, Red Star Premier Cuvee (strong like EC1118). Also, I made a starter that was going nicely before pitching. I also put the jugs in the garage for a few hours (pretty hot yesterday). Anyway, all three got going visibly in about 6 hours and are very vigorous now -- 1/2 of foam and quite bubbly. I wouldn't worry about the appearance of the fermentation though, if the CO2 is rising, it's working.
Incidentally, one of the batches was Welsh's white grape and raspberry. That one just fizzy bubbled for quite a while before showing any foam. The purple Welsh's were much more foamy early on.
Well time was passing, so I started stirring. Since Welsh's is all juice and no pulp, there is no "cap" but a lot of CO2 does foam up when stirring. Also, it probably gets more oxygen to the yeasts to help them, so unless I hear different, I'll continue stirring a couple of times a day.
I'm still wondering about getting an accurate OG reading if one only fills a jug to the shoulder. Wouldn't the OG reading be lower if one added water to the neck of the jug? But then it would surely foam over. What I did to estimate a full jug was take a sample in the hydrometer jar and add 1/2" of extra water, stir it up and then take my reading. This is really just guessing. Is there a better way?
thx
I'm still wondering about getting an accurate OG reading if one only fills a jug to the shoulder. Wouldn't the OG reading be lower if one added water to the neck of the jug? But then it would surely foam over. What I did to estimate a full jug was take a sample in the hydrometer jar and add 1/2" of extra water, stir it up and then take my reading. This is really just guessing. Is there a better way?
thx
OP
OP
You can stir the first day or two if you want to. I don't see a benefit, but I don't see a problem with it either. You do want to stop stirring by the time the wine gets down to 1.020, as you don't want to oxidize it once fermentation slows down.
As far as a correct OG, that's easy. Just measure the water you add, and do some simple math to get a corrected OG. It's done like that all the time.
As far as a correct OG, that's easy. Just measure the water you add, and do some simple math to get a corrected OG. It's done like that all the time.
Bottled the pineapple last night, took a taste.. Not bad, acidic slightly, it was definitely different. Thinking I might toss the bottles (except one) in the cellar and save them for next spring 
Leaving the grape alone for a couple more weeks.
Leaving the grape alone for a couple more weeks.
Sirthomas42
Well-Known Member
We made a 5 gal batch of this with the 71B-1122 yeast, and it stalled out at 1.040 ( from OG 1.100). We pitched a starter with EC-1118 and some energizer but could only get it down to 1.020. I think we should have added sone nutrients at the start. I know grape juice is pretty tasty for yeast, but maybe it needed nutrients not to stall out so early.
So the wife and I started another 5 gal batch with the K1V-1116 yeast, much more potent it looks like than the 71B-1122, and this time whipped in some O2 a la Skeeter Pee, as well as staggering some nutrient/energizer additions (50/30/20). I'm paranoid about everything being perfect. Once this is done, we'll blend it with the 1.020 batch of grape, and it should come out arouse 1.010, about where we like it
So the wife and I started another 5 gal batch with the K1V-1116 yeast, much more potent it looks like than the 71B-1122, and this time whipped in some O2 a la Skeeter Pee, as well as staggering some nutrient/energizer additions (50/30/20). I'm paranoid about everything being perfect. Once this is done, we'll blend it with the 1.020 batch of grape, and it should come out arouse 1.010, about where we like it
GNBrews
Well-Known Member
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Whatever you do, do *not* add the acid blend until after fermentation has finished, and you've tasted the result and concluded that it's necessary. I don't know what grape concentrate Welchs was packaging when Yoop first created the recipe, but the juice now has Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) added. Once the sugar has fermented out, the acidity of the ascorbic acid becomes quite apparent.
Edit: I see that the original recipe has been edited to note the acid blend issue.
Edit: I see that the original recipe has been edited to note the acid blend issue.
hippo8046
Member
I've been thinking about making a 5 gallon batch of this. Any suggestions? Or should I go right ahead and just multiply everything applicable by 5?
wilded
Member
I just made 5 gallons with the exception of 3 of the cans I used were cranberry. I just multiplyed everything by five. It turned out wonderful to me. I suppose my wife likes it also as she has had a half bottle three evenings in a row. I need to start some more right now.
I tried a bottle of my Grape the other night, it was pretty good. Great color and clarity.. It felt though like it was missing something, I couldn't put my finger on it, like a decent table wine but.. thin? Maybe the word? It tasted great though, I will brew it again just to keep around. Cheap, easy, and a great conversation piece after somebody says how much they enjoy it then you tell them it was made from Welch's, sugar, water, and yeast haha..
Has anybody every doubled up the concentrate per gallon then added the normal amount of sugar? I'm planning to do an experimental batch doing just that, I want to see if I can get more grape out of it, a little nipper on the ABV never hurts either.. Also thinking about changing the type of sugar..
Has anybody every doubled up the concentrate per gallon then added the normal amount of sugar? I'm planning to do an experimental batch doing just that, I want to see if I can get more grape out of it, a little nipper on the ABV never hurts either.. Also thinking about changing the type of sugar..
wilded
Member
You may want to add some oak chips to get that oak barrel aged taste.
TheLadybugTree
Well-Known Member
Am I only one chocked by how long 30 and 30 days seems?
I misread the recipe the first time and racked to secondary after only a week Silly me.
Plan is to let it sit in 1 gallon carboy for the next two weeks probably. I will probably check S.G. to be sure.... but man.. 60 days?!
I am new to brewing, is this a 'normal' time frame for fermentation?
I misread the recipe the first time and racked to secondary after only a week
Silly me.Plan is to let it sit in 1 gallon carboy for the next two weeks probably. I will probably check S.G. to be sure.... but man.. 60 days?!
I am new to brewing, is this a 'normal' time frame for fermentation?
I let most of mine sit in a carboy for 6 months now. Wine just keeps getting better. it seems long when you first start but if you want to make good wine you will learn to let it sit. I rack after 30 days first racking and the go 60 days between rackings. I rack at least three times normally. I just bottled a apple that I was tempted to toss out at 2 months. Now at 7 months it is one of the best wines I have made.
I made the white grape
been in jug about month and ahalf, racked at 30 days
on the bottom is very little lees but there is a haze about the first inch on the bottom.
what is this?
I plan on sorbating and bottling the next week end and didnt know if this will harm it in anyway.
been in jug about month and ahalf, racked at 30 days
on the bottom is very little lees but there is a haze about the first inch on the bottom.
what is this?
I plan on sorbating and bottling the next week end and didnt know if this will harm it in anyway.
