Lets make grapewein!

So I decided to try the same type of receipe as edworts apfelwein, but instead of just apple juice and sugar I'm gonna replace it with just straight welchs grape juice. I wanted to use the same type of yeast and add a little more sugar so that it comes out to around 14% since the grape juice has about double the sugar as the apple.

Anyone try this simple wine? Any suggestions?

I think someone's done something... similar.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f79/welchs-grape-juice-wine-21093/

I've made apfelwein with a half gallon of purple Welch's and 2-3 frozen Welch's concentrate cans in a 6gal batch. That usually turns out pretty well. I've made the above Welch's recipe which is also good. I have a white grape Welch's batch just starting it's time in secondary now too.

Yeah I'm gonna do a white soon too. Now I can look at juice in a whole different way when I go to the store.

ramz7887 said:

Yeah I'm gonna do a white soon too. Now I can look at juice in a whole different way when I go to the store.

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There are lots of 100% juices in the freezer section! Apple/cranberry, apple/raspberry, grape/cran, etc. They all work fine, as long as there is no preservatives in them (except for ascorbic acid). You can use a one gallon (4L) Carlo Rossi jug with a #6 stopper and an airlock and go crazy!

YooperBrew said:

There are lots of 100% juices in the freezer section! Apple/cranberry, apple/raspberry, grape/cran, etc. They all work fine, as long as there is no preservatives in them (except for ascorbic acid). You can use a one gallon (4L) Carlo Rossi jug with a #6 stopper and an airlock and go crazy!

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Not to hijack the thread or nothin..... but do folks repitch wine yeast ever? Using that idea with the one gallon jug, I wonder if you could just throw your next load of juice on the yeast from the last one.

ChshreCat said:

Not to hijack the thread or nothin..... but do folks repitch wine yeast ever? Using that idea with the one gallon jug, I wonder if you could just throw your next load of juice on the yeast from the last one.

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No, I haven't. Wine yeast is from $.49-.79 per pack and wine lees taste pretty bad. I don't know how that would work, but if you did it in primary (after only 5 days), it might be ok.

And, oh, that was such a hijack!

YooperBrew said:

And, oh, that was such a hijack!

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Well, it wasn't really on the OP's topic.

Yooperbrew,

You said I think in the other post that the fermentation is fierce right? I was gonna just use a 5 gal glass carboy and fill it up. I did it with the apfelwein and there was no problem with over flow but I haven't used grape juice.

due to the alcohol levels being more stressful the yeast I've never seen anyone talk about washing it or pitching another batch on top.

a grapewein might need a little acid blend. might. the grape concentrate recipe I used called for a little acid blend in primary.

it hasn't been bottled yet so i cannot comment on the final result.

I heard a dash of lemon juice is good.

You said I think in the other post that the fermentation is fierce right? I was gonna just use a 5 gal glass carboy and fill it up. I did it with the apfelwein and there was no problem with over flow but I haven't used grape juice.

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I'm going to butt in here. The fermentation is fierce in terms of stink and activity, but the wine yeast doesn't krausen like beer yeast. You can easily put 5g of apfelwein in a 5g carboy, but I wouldn't advise putting 5.5 or 6 g in it, you still need some headspace.

ok thats what I was thinking about was how much it would foam up. I know from a similar fruit wine I made that i could fill it up and not have to worry about it in a 5gal carboy. As far as smell I clamp a hose to the top of my air locks and put the hose out the window I had 20gals going one time in a small room and I think the room only had co2 in it instead of air cause I couldn't breath in it.

My grape"wine" from store bought juice from concentrate blew out through my airlock.....

ChshreCat said:

Not to hijack the thread or nothin..... but do folks repitch wine yeast ever? Using that idea with the one gallon jug, I wonder if you could just throw your next load of juice on the yeast from the last one.

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Yes
Poured off half the junk at the bottom of the fermenter and put the apple juice/sugar mix right on top

Tastes just like the batch prior

EoinMag said:

My grape"wine" from store bought juice from concentrate blew out through my airlock.....

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what kind of juice did you use? I'm gonna use premixed welches grape juice. I dont know if that will make a difference vs you adding your own water.

ramz7887 said:

what kind of juice did you use? I'm gonna use premixed welches grape juice. I dont know if that will make a difference vs you adding your own water.

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I'm in Ireland and I don't think you'll get the same stuff over there, in any case what I used was lidl grape juice, not sure of the exact brand.

I made it yesterday after a day it blew the air lock a little but not too bad