Fruit solids in a carboy

[Zymomancer]

Recently my wife and I picked a number of sour cherries and serviceberries (aka juneberries, saskatoon berries) through a local nonprofit that picks fruit from trees in peoples' backyards and lets the volunteer pickers keep a share. I'm hoping we can manage to pick some mulberries as well, and I just happen to have some store-bought red currants I'd like to throw in for tartness.

I've been wanting to make a 1-gallon batch out of this mixture of berries, but all of the recipes I see for using real berries use a fermenting bucket and mesh bag to remove the berries after 5 or so days of fermentation (ex: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/saskatoo.asp).

Unfortunately all I've got right now is a glass carboy that I've been making cider in, and I'm wondering what the disadvantage is to just pitching it all in and filtering it all out when racking or bottling. I'm sure the crushed-up pulp would fit, but I assume there's a good reason for not letting the fruit solids sit around the whole time.

 

[Yooper]

Recently my wife and I picked a number of sour cherries and serviceberries (aka juneberries, saskatoon berries) through a local nonprofit that picks fruit from trees in peoples' backyards and lets the volunteer pickers keep a share. I'm hoping we can manage to pick some mulberries as well, and I just happen to have some store-bought red currants I'd like to throw in for tartness.

I've been wanting to make a 1-gallon batch out of this mixture of berries, but all of the recipes I see for using real berries use a fermenting bucket and mesh bag to remove the berries after 5 or so days of fermentation (ex: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/saskatoo.asp).

Unfortunately all I've got right now is a glass carboy that I've been making cider in, and I'm wondering what the disadvantage is to just pitching it all in and filtering it all out when racking or bottling. I'm sure the crushed-up pulp would fit, but I assume there's a good reason for not letting the fruit solids sit around the whole time.

Fruit breaks down relatively quickly (ie 'rots') and you want to take the wine off of the fruits before that happens.

 

[iijakii]

I recently did a beer with whole strawberries in my carboy, and I had to leave behind probably 3/4 of a gallon because any attempt to rack the rest clogged my siphon instantly. I like using my carboys, too, so I'm not really sure what I'll do for future fruit beers.

I think the bag is pretty mandatory if you don't want to have siphon troubles.

 

[aryoung1980]

I make a fair amount of fruit wines and fruit beers because I have a tart cherry tree in my yard. The main reason for using a mesh bag is to save your volume and a bucket just makes it easier to access.

There is no way you could fit enough fruit into a one gallon carboy and net one gallon in the end. My one gallon cherry wine that I started a few days ago used 6.5 lbs of pitted cherries, 2 lbs sugar and 4 pts of water. My volume is over 2 gal but I will only get enough must to fill a one gallon carboy when I rack to secondary.

My suggestion is to freeze the fruit until you can at least get a food grade bucket or container that holds at least two gallons. Snyder's sells their pretzels in a big plastic barrel. I've used those to ferment wine in and it holds about 1.5 gallons. I think I paid $5 for it full of pretzels.

If you don't get a bag to use with it, just adjust your recipe to about 1.5 or 2gallons to start so you'll be able to rack over a full gallon to secondary.

This is the type of pretzel container I've used: View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1436499012.094504.jpg

 

[Zymomancer]

Thanks for all of the advice! I'm freezing the berries anyway since I'm still brewing some cider and won't be able to start for another week or two.

I've actually got a 1-gallon bucket with lid, but no hole + washer for an airlock. I'm assuming it's safe enough to leave the lid just open enough to let out some CO2. From what you say it sounds like this wouldn't be enough volume, but I'm wondering if I could ferment the must with only some of the added water in this bucket, then add the rest after I remove the fruit and rack it into the carboy (bringing along the yeast, of course). It's the same amount of sugar and nutrients in the end, so the yeast doesn't care, right?

It means I can't really know the OG, but I'll roll with it.