Candy Cane Wine

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LoneTreeFarms

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For a 3gallon batch:
54 candy canes
1/8 pectic enzyme
6 cans Welch's white grape concentrate
1 tsp nutrient
1 tsp energizer
1 banana with skin, I sliced the banana

I started with an sg of 1.084, acid .60%, after it ferments to dry, stabilize and taste,there really wasn't much in the way of taste so I use about a tablespoon of McCormicks peppermint but I have found Watkins peppermint at Walmart, this is a natural extract so use this if you can find it. Start with a tsp of peppermint, taste and add more to your liking, then backsweeten, I used 24 candy canes (this will also bring out a nice pick color) and one bottle of corn syrup (corn syrup gives it a real nice mouth feel), final gravity was 1.032 BUT I added Ghirardelli 70% chococate, 2 pkgs, should be 7 oz. for 2 months., rack, let it clear and bottle.


this is a great recipe for those who were lucky enough to snag a bunch of candy canes after christmas this year!!
 
Sounds good. I don't think I can find any candy canes, but I think I'll try it with the peppermint candies. I'll let you know
 
just racked mine onto the chocolate, we shall see how this turns out. the friend that gave me this recipe loves it!
 
Just wanted to update: started my wine last weekend, and fermenting like crazy. I added some chocolate into it also. Smells great, looks like pepto bismol, tastes like peppermint. I'll upload pics later
 
great to hear, mine is finally starting to clear. i need to check and see if it's finished fermenting and if i need to backsweeten
 
LoneTreeFarms said:
For a 3gallon batch:
54 candy canes
1/8 pectic enzyme
6 cans Welch's white grape concentrate
1 tsp nutrient
1 tsp energizer
1 banana with skin, I sliced the banana

I started with an sg of 1.084, acid .60%, after it ferments to dry, stabilize and taste,there really wasn't much in the way of taste so I use about a tablespoon of McCormicks peppermint but I have found Watkins peppermint at Walmart, this is a natural extract so use this if you can find it. Start with a tsp of peppermint, taste and add more to your liking, then backsweeten, I used 24 candy canes (this will also bring out a nice pick color) and one bottle of corn syrup (corn syrup gives it a real nice mouth feel), final gravity was 1.032 BUT I added Ghirardelli 70% chococate, 2 pkgs, should be 7 oz. for 2 months., rack, let it clear and bottle.

this is a great recipe for those who were lucky enough to snag a bunch of candy canes after christmas this year!!

what is up with the banana and chocolate? what does the banana do for the wine and when do you add the chocolate?
 
it's to add more flavor and mouth feel, but i skipped the banana in my current batch, once you've stabilized the wine you add the chocolate, leave it in for 2 months, i'll be racking mine off the chocolate at the end of the month.
 
So the time is coming up to make this (when you can get candy canes real cheap after Christmas) How did it turn out?
 
great to hear, mine is finally starting to clear. i need to check and see if it's finished fermenting and if i need to backsweeten

So the time is coming up to make this (when you can get candy canes real cheap after Christmas) How did it turn out?
 
Just wanted to update: started my wine last weekend, and fermenting like crazy. I added some chocolate into it also. Smells great, looks like pepto bismol, tastes like peppermint. I'll upload pics later

So the time is coming up to make this (when you can get candy canes real cheap after Christmas) How did it turn out?
 
honestly i've bottled and forgotten about this one, so it's been bottle aging for a little while, i've given a few away as gifts this past week and seeing your email made me throw a bottle in the fridge last night. i'll post back when i've had a chance to taste it, when i bottled it, the taste was strong peppermint with a hint of chocolate. i'll post again tonight or tomorrow with my tastes.. has anyone else made this?

so i've attached a copy of the original recipe i followed.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f6/candy-cane-wine-recipes-julies-35780/
 
honestly i've bottled and forgotten about this one, so it's been bottle aging for a little while, i've given a few away as gifts this past week and seeing your email made me throw a bottle in the fridge last night. i'll post back when i've had a chance to taste it, when i bottled it, the taste was strong peppermint with a hint of chocolate. i'll post again tonight or tomorrow with my tastes.. has anyone else made this?

so i've attached a copy of the original recipe i followed.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f6/candy-cane-wine-recipes-julies-35780/

? any news
 
Honestly it's not my favorite. I've tried tweaking this a few different ways. My father in law really likes it. So it's probably one of those to each their own. The taste now has a calmer mint with a more pronounced chocolate flavor which chocolate is tough to get right. Sorry if I can't help more
 
upon second tasting of this I think my problem with this one is the chocolate, the peppermint is refreshing both on the nose and the palate, but the aftertaste is one of bitter chocolate, In my recipe I used ghirardeli chocolates left on the wine for 6-9 months. If I were to do it again, I'd probably go with a different sweeter chocolate left for a shorter period of time so that the chocolate was only a hint or afterthought, instead of being so overpowering.

I hope this helps
Ben
 
A few questions:
1) so i take it the candy canes make up most of your sugar?
2) did you let them sit and desolve in the concentrate or melt them with a double broiler?
3) was any water added to bring it up to the 3gallon mark or is that what 54 melted candy canes does? 4)would adding more canes make the taste stronger or just add to alcohol content?
 
A few questions:
1) so i take it the candy canes make up most of your sugar?
2) did you let them sit and desolve in the concentrate or melt them with a double broiler?
3) was any water added to bring it up to the 3gallon mark or is that what 54 melted candy canes does? 4)would adding more canes make the taste stronger or just add to alcohol content?

if I remember right on this one I started with a gallon or so of water, brought it to a nice rolling boil then started adding canes to it, most of your sugar comes from the canes, but you can add sugar before the yeast to raise the SG. the canes dissolved in the boiling water. house smelled amazing. I did add water to bring this to the 3 gallon mark. more canes would probably do both raise the %alc, and stronger taste. if I try this again this winter i'll try it without chocolate, and just do a peppermint wine.

good luck!
 
Thanks I appreciate the detail, I'm actually looking to make a cotton candy wine in the future and thought altering your recipe with cotton candy candy canes might do the trick
 
let me know how the cotton candy works out!!

newsman, the first time I did this recipe it was before I started brewing beer. I think If I did it again that would be the way to go. the baker's chocolate was a bit messy and bitter
in my opinion
 
Unfortunately I won't be able to start til December but will do!
 
To update on cotton candy (I know it’s been awhile) it was bottled this may, initial tastings of 2 different types was absolutely amazing, although maybe a little over sweet. I did one batch using cotton candy rocks and one with cotton candy extract. I used white grape concentrate and hit about a 9% (none of which you can taste) it’s currently aging. While I dont have specific notes because certain things did not go as planned in the future when I’m able to brew more I will be continuing this experiment and if anyone else tries this I’d love to hear how it comes out
 
To update on cotton candy (I know it’s been awhile) it was bottled this may, initial tastings of 2 different types was absolutely amazing, although maybe a little over sweet. I did one batch using cotton candy rocks and one with cotton candy extract. I used white grape concentrate and hit about a 9% (none of which you can taste) it’s currently aging. While I dont have specific notes because certain things did not go as planned in the future when I’m able to brew more I will be continuing this experiment and if anyone else tries this I’d love to hear how it comes out

what was the recipe you used for this weaves? the wife loves cotton candy
 
I mad a 1 gallon batch, both had (I believe) 2 cans of white peach grape frozen concentrate. One batch I bought a bag of cotton candy crystals and used half before ferment and half before bottling, the other I bought a bottle of cotton candy extract and used half in primary half before bottling, then topping up the gallon jug with water and adding sugar to bring it up to about 9% abv
 
Old recipe, I know.
Were 54 candy canes used or 24? Been thinking about making this with the 30 canes I hid from the kids after taking the Christmas tree down. That or throw a couple in each 12oz bottle of apple cider and see how that tastes.
 
Old recipe, I know.
Were 54 candy canes used or 24? Been thinking about making this with the 30 canes I hid from the kids after taking the Christmas tree down. That or throw a couple in each 12oz bottle of apple cider and see how that tastes.

Looking back it looks like 18/gallon. Can’t say I’ve cracked a bottle of this in a long time. Have to go find a bottle and taste it to see how it is. Good luck if you decide to brew it.
 
Good to know and thanks for the reply.
I suppose using 28/gal won't hurt then. Worst case scenario, I can dilute it down and make more.
Caught my daughter with scraps of 2 she snuck out of a top cupboard yesterday.
 
Good to know and thanks for the reply.
I suppose using 28/gal won't hurt then. Worst case scenario, I can dilute it down and make more.
Caught my daughter with scraps of 2 she snuck out of a top cupboard yesterday.

Shouldn’t hurt. Just adding a bit more sugar and flavor to it. Maybe save back 8 to melt and backsweeten with after it finishes to get the flavor you want.
 
Shouldn’t hurt. Just adding a bit more sugar and flavor to it. Maybe save back 8 to melt and backsweeten with after it finishes to get the flavor you want.

Any luck digging a bottle out?
I simmered down the 28 canes I had. Been sitting untouched in the closet since (I think) the day before that last post. I like the set it and forget it school of thought.
Still pretty opaque, but figure it's probably time to rack it and see if 2ndary will help the haze. Smelled good coming out of the airlock though. A couple bags of peppermint sticks waiting to backsweeten if needed.
 
From June 17th.
This stuff is still pretty murky. Gonna rack onto some more cooked down candy canes one of these weekends. I think its only at ~7%. Plenty of room (ABV) left with champagne yeast.
 

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while I think this just sounds disgusting, I made a stout several years ago where I added chocolate mint leaves to it. ended up real good, nothing overpowering at all.
 
This stuff is still sitting in the 1gal carboy. Slightly clearing and still off gassing. I give the poly cap a twist every couple weekends and still hissing at me.
 
Just coming back to this thread after a long time away.
I have some sort of mint growing like crazy. I wonder how adding some of that to the candy can syrup would go?
Probably wouldn't hurt to include them in the carboy when fermenting. I mean there probably won't be any nasties living after the leaves have been boiled. Plus it would probably strengthen the mint flavor
 
I simmer mint leaves from the mint patch in my yard in water to make a mint tea for minty wines. It adds a very minty flavor, but almost no sugar.
 

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