Who else here on this forum is interested in "non-traditional wines"??

by non traditional wines I am talking about things that would fall under the categories of winecoolers, hard soda, hard lemonade & ?????? I know what I have listed by strict definition is wine, but most people do not picture any of the things listed win someone says "would you like a glass of wine" When I personally picture a "non-traditional wine" I am thinking of something with a lower ABV, probably sweet, probably carbonated. I know tw0fish is interested in similar creation and I was just wonder if any one else is interested. If so I would love to here what you have made or would like to make along these lines.

For me almost everything I am currently brewing is either cider or what I am calling "non-traditional wines" I currently have a skeeterpee that would meet my criteria, and an apricot, but soon I hope to start three more batch that will be low ABV sweet and carbonated, maple, strawberry, and hard root beer.





#tag#winecoolers, hard soda, hard lemonade & more

Definitely, although I havent made many yet.

If you said non-traditional, most people would probably think anything that isn't grape

i've got a batch of skeeter pee, candy cane, and tonight.... skittles wine rolling, haven't tried any yet tho.

Wow, Candy Cane and Skittles sound interesting. I have been working on some recipes for a series of light flavored hydromels that I would like to come across more like wine coolers that get their sweetness from honeys. I live in Idaho so a nice light apricot (prolific here) "non-traditional/cider" would be a great asset as well if anyone has any ideas there.

Machalel said:

If you said non-traditional, most people would probably think anything that isn't grape

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I just can't win I tried labeling what I am working on as "winecoolers" and that was met with concerns as to the name due to the bad connotation associated with a winecooler. There is just no good way to label this.... "uniquely creative alcoholic beverage"?????

Do you mean, for example, making a 1.050 raspberry must and fermenting it?

JonM said:

Do you mean, for example, making a 1.050 raspberry must and fermenting it?

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depends do you plan on back-sweetening and carbonating?? Sounds tasty either way

LoneTreeFarms said:

i've got a batch of skeeter pee, candy cane, and tonight.... skittles wine rolling, haven't tried any yet tho.

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Do you make it with all the skittles or just certain colors?? I thinking if you dumped in all the colors you would end up with brown.

Daze said:

Do you make it with all the skittles or just certain colors?? I thinking if you dumped in all the colors you would end up with brown.

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It goes brown if you try to make skittles vodka with all the colours

yep thats what im doing skeeter pee hard cider 10 gal traditional wine then just placed 5 gal strawberry pie at 1070 to make slurry for skeeter pee and wine like cooler for wife seems like i started making wine again because i ran on to this site with different recipes

Machalel said:

If you said non-traditional, most people would probably think anything that isn't grape

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This.

Daze said:

I just can't win I tried labeling what I am working on as "winecoolers" and that was met with concerns as to the name due to the bad connotation associated with a winecooler. There is just no good way to label this.... "uniquely creative alcoholic beverage"?????

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Maybe you need to come up with creative names like "Daze's Hard Lemon Coolers" or such.

great idea, problem is hard lemon already has two names: hard lemonade and skeeterpee. And then what do we call everything thing else?? hard skittles? refreshingly apricot??? alcoholic raspberry soda?? Some of these names don't even work for the individual brews, I mean hard skittle, well duh of corse they are hard, alcohol or not.

Maybe you are on to something however. What if I simply drop the wine in wincooler and just call it a cooler???..... skittles cooler, apricot cooler or raspberry cooler.....hmmm

Even though they are all basically the same family the biggest difference I see between winecoolers, hard soda, hard lemonade & even cider compared to wine, is would you drink it on a hot day while taking a brake from working in the yard? If it is "wine" the answer is probably no, wine is for sipping in the evening on the back porch after you have cleaned up or with dinner but if the beverage is a "cooler" or cider than the answer to would you drink it on a hot day while working would be yes.

Machalel said:

If you said non-traditional, most people would probably think anything that isn't grape

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Exactly. Almost by definition non-traditional wines have the freedom to be whatever you make of them without limit as to low alcohol, yeast type or specific fruits? How would the the time of day or temperature it's served at make it any less non-traditional? It hardly pays to get hung up on definitions when there are so many definitions for cider, coolers, etc.

I've made lots of fruit wines, some even with vegetables, roots, spices and oak, but they're still wines (even if someone from bordeaux might not agree). And hey, what is barleywine anyway?

i dumped all of the skittles in there, i'm aware that it'll turn to a brown/grey color after it's finished but i'll add some food coloring to it to change that. i could have seperated but what a PITA that woulda been, plus i think i read somewhere that it still changes color

Daze said:

great idea, problem is hard lemon already has two names: hard lemonade and skeeterpee. And then what do we call everything thing else?? hard skittles? refreshingly apricot??? alcoholic raspberry soda?? Some of these names don't even work for the individual brews, I mean hard skittle, well duh of corse they are hard, alcohol or not.

Maybe you are on to something however. What if I simply drop the wine in wincooler and just call it a cooler???..... skittles cooler, apricot cooler or raspberry cooler.....hmmm

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How about "refresher"

So Skittles Refresher, Apricot Refresher, Raspberry Refresher?

Does this one I just whipped up tonight count as non-traditional?


Recipe: Dark Mint Wine
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 l
Estimated OG: 1.072 SG
Estimated Color: 10.9 EBC
Estimated ABV: 11.0%
Boil Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name
0.25 kg Red Gum Honey (2.0 EBC)
0.75 kg Caramelised Sugar (10.0 EBC)
5.00 g Mint Leaves (infused in Smirnoff Vodka)
2.00 Cup Peppermint Tea
2.00 Cup Spearmint & Chamomile Tea (*inlucdes)
- *Blackberry Leaves
- *Linden
- *Lemongrass
0.50 g Citric Acid
2 g DAP
0.5 pkg W-Yeast 2046

Atek said:

I have been working on some recipes for a series of light flavored hydromels that I would like to come across more like wine coolers that get their sweetness from honeys. I live in Idaho so a nice light apricot (prolific here) "non-traditional/cider" would be a great asset as well if anyone has any ideas there.

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Sorry I missed your question about the apricot. I am currently working on a light apricot "cooler" that was originally made with white sugar. Once it ferment out dry it will be an 8% abv. I will probably make it sparkling and back sweetened with either honey or brown sugar. Should be really tasty!!! The apricots I picked here in MT from apricot bushes. They are small (about the size of a small walnut but they pack a tone of apricot flavor!!!!

Hummer said:

Exactly. Almost by definition non-traditional wines have the freedom to be whatever you make of them without limit as to low alcohol, yeast type or specific fruits? How would the the time of day or temperature it's served at make it any less non-traditional? It hardly pays to get hung up on definitions when there are so many definitions for cider, coolers, etc.

I've made lots of fruit wines, some even with vegetables, roots, spices and oak, but they're still wines (even if someone from bordeaux might not agree). And hey, what is barleywine anyway?

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How about we address the op's question rather than bashing his terminology. We all know exactly what he means and what he's asking for.

To the op just experiment. Hummer does have a point in a way in that you can make anything. So what sounds good? Mix it up, ferment it out and let us know how it is!

Daze - I should add that I may have gone overboard with my fruit punch 'wine' when i buffed it with sugar.. OG 1.112.. this is gonna either be a heavyweight or something you oughta take your insulin before you drink

Tw0fish's misguided fruitpunch concoction
3 cans minute maid fruit punch
1.5 lb white cane sugar
Safale US-04

Concoct according to Fruit Punch directions... pitch yeast... pray that whatever gods exist truly care for the efforts of one among the legion

Est OG 1.112.. cold crash if it hits 1.04

theres a place in the next town over that sometimes sells dirt-cheap pineapples, when they have them i always make a big batch of wine (very good stuff it is, too, if a little acidic). im thinking next time maybe adding some molasses & coconut to get a faux Caribou Lou

thelema420 said:

theres a place in the next town over that sometimes sells dirt-cheap pineapples, when they have them i always make a big batch of wine (very good stuff it is, too, if a little acidic). im thinking next time maybe adding some molasses & coconut to get a faux Caribou Lou

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And there I have MY next project!

I've been making beer for some time, but I just started making wines. I got my inspiration from Craigtube on Youtube and his hobo wines. I've done a Welch's white grape, and a cranberry/black cherry "cooler". I'm going to make some true country wines this summer when the price of fruit gets better. I find 1 gal batches give me 8-10 375ml bottles which makes for a good variety on hand.

Looks like there are a lot of you doing this sort of thing. What are the recipes you are using??

I want to make something that isn't so "winy" if that's a word.
Even Skeeter pee to me taste too much like wine. How do they make things like Smirnoff ice?

I played with a piña colatta wine made from frozen mixer at the grocery store

I believe Smirnoff Ice is technically a malted beverage?

johnnync said:

I want to make something that isn't so "winy" if that's a word.
Even Skeeter pee to me taste too much like wine. How do they make things like Smirnoff ice?

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There are several ways to achieve that. the first is a lower ABV, part of what gives it that "winy" taste is the alcohol. There is a huge flavor difference between 5% ABV and 12% ABV. You also need to start with an amped up fruitiness. To that end I use a lot of juice in place of water and sugar. I am not saying to ferment only juice, but rather to ferment on the fruit and then add juice to increase the liquid and sugars. Also back-sweetening, is a key. Wins are typically dry so making them sweet really alters the flavor. Also do it with a sweetener that blends well with the beverage.

Here is an example where I am using all three of these things. I am working on recreating a desert strawberry wine I had in Austria. To that end I will be make a low a abv wine, 7% or less. Second I am going to not only ferment on strawberries but also juice a bunch of strawberries to fill out the fermenter. Then when I back sweeten I am going to dissolve some sugar in some strawberry juice at a ratio of 1:1 to make a strawberry simple syrup. This will make a well blended strawberry syrup that will add lots of fresh clean, sweet flavor. should make for a fantastic cooler.

So your saying if I drop the ABV to say 5% the "winy" taste may not be as bad?

johnnync said:

So your saying if I drop the ABV to say 5% the "winy" taste may not be as bad?

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that's the way i would take it, most wine coolers or hard lemonades are around 5-6% alcohol.

johnnync said:

So your saying if I drop the ABV to say 5% the "winy" taste may not be as bad?

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That is half the equation. The other half is making it sweet because wine is typically not sweet.

Help me with my math Daze.
If I made the sp 10% ABV and mix a gallon of sp with a gallon of regular lemonade does that make it 5%?

yep

You never know what ya gonna get,,,, it is always a blend of how the sugars, starch, flavours and yeast all work together. you can sample the mix as it ferments to adjust the sugar,water,temp, to get what ya want.

Welches grape juice, ale yeast. Let it ferment a ways, watch gravity, bottle condition, and bam! fizzy, sweet grape juice coolers! all the 14 year olds in the neighborhood will be raving about it!

thelema420 said:

theres a place in the next town over that sometimes sells dirt-cheap pineapples, when they have them i always make a big batch of wine (very good stuff it is, too, if a little acidic). im thinking next time maybe adding some molasses & coconut to get a faux Caribou Lou

Click to expand...

I would love to hear how it turns out and your recipe if you will share

I started out by making non-traditional country bumpkin wines :-D
Apple wine and a red grape Welches.... frankly, they all turned out great and very intense.

I would like to try making (WOW) Wurzeil's Orange wine soon!