Thanksgiving Wine

[HippyD]

So with no equipment for measurements/readings I'm going for a Red wine hoping I don't have to resort to bakers yeast. So should I shoot for a wine yeast (I know, dumb question), turbo yeast ehh.. Also if all else fails how does Brewers stack up with bakers? Already have both, but I'm looking for a balance of speed, decent abv, & something that I can clear easy and quickly as I'm likely not going to have bentonite. I know great wine takes time and patience, but I want to have something decent to show my sister on thanksgiving. Any and all recommendations are welcome and much appreciated. Just don't crucify me, I'm only a beginner. Cheers Much Love❤️🍻
-HippyD

 

[Yooper]

So with no equipment for measurements/readings I'm going for a Red wine hoping I don't have to resort to bakers yeast. So should I shoot for a wine yeast (I know, dumb question), turbo yeast ehh.. Also if all else fails how does Brewers stack up with bakers? Already have both, but I'm looking for a balance of speed, decent abv, & something that I can clear easy and quickly as I'm likely not going to have bentonite. I know great wine takes time and patience, but I want to have something decent to show my sister on thanksgiving. Any and all recommendations are welcome and much appreciated. Just don't crucify me, I'm only a beginner. Cheers Much Love❤️🍻
-HippyD

No way you'll have wine in 23 days that will be drinkable (probably not even finished fermenting), so I'd buy wine for this year and start a batch for next year.

 

[HippyD]

Thanks yooper, I bet your a pro at this so you know good quality. I made kilju that for me was drinkable. Warm weather I guess, but fermentation stopped after 10 days then racking for another week. It was good by my standards, not great, like I said I promised I'd bring something decent. Impossible maybe but I'm going to try. Ty for the reply ��

 

[buMbLeB]

Kilju as in fermented sugar water? Even if that's your standard for drinkability, I agree with Yooper that it's unlikely your wine will even finish fermenting in that time. Have you considered Thanksgiving cider? That could totally work if you start now, and keep your end goal to a modest ABV (6-7%). Even if it's still fermenting, you can cold crash and serve chilled, I do this and it's pretty good.

 

[HippyD]

Yeah I was actually planning on the apple and red wine for TG, any recipes/ideas are appreciated. Yeah Finnish tradition they make sima in 24-48 hrs all be it 1% abv. I made this and fermented 5 days to I'm guessing 5-7% abv. But I'm mainly looking for advice from people who know these things, btw my equipment atm (gallon jugs, bakers yeast, table sugar ,water & siphon hose) going to upgrade soon of course. Gummy or adult multivitamin for Y nutrient? Lmao. Not much to work with right now I'm a noob ��

 

[HippyD]

Maybe the warm temps are quickening the fermentation idk

 

[madscientist451]

t I want to have something decent to show my sister on thanksgiving.
-HippyD

If you want to have something "decent" aim for Thanksgiving 2017.
Buy a bucket of white wine grape juice like Reisling, get a carboy, an airlock and some white wine yeast and you'll have something decent to drink.

 

[Coolcanuck]

I just lost a batch of strawberry wine to poor quality equipment and also my time line was rushed just take your time or you'll end up like me wasting a gallon of hard work. Lol ;(

 

[buMbLeB]

Yeah I was actually planning on the apple and red wine for TG, any recipes/ideas are appreciated. Yeah Finnish tradition they make sima in 24-48 hrs all be it 1% abv. I made this and fermented 5 days to I'm guessing 5-7% abv. But I'm mainly looking for advice from people who know these things, btw my equipment atm (gallon jugs, bakers yeast, table sugar ,water & siphon hose) going to upgrade soon of course. Gummy or adult multivitamin for Y nutrient? Lmao. Not much to work with right now I'm a noob ��

I'm not sure what you meant by "apple and red wine", but if you're following my suggestion there's a whole bunch of cider recipes here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=81. With the limited equipment you have to work with, I'd suggest you buy some pure apple juice (no preservatives other than vitamin c/ascorbic acid), and dissolve into that 1 cup of sugar for every 3 litres of juice* - you can warm up some of the juice on the stove to make it dissolve. Then add your yeast - I don't know exactly how much you're making and I've never used baker's yeast, so maybe google around. Then get it all in the jugs, give them a good shake, cover the top with a towel and rubber band. After 3-4 days fermentation will slow down and you're going to need an airlock, so if you can't get a real one I've seen people use a balloon with a pinhole in it stretched over the neck of the jug. After 7-9 days it should be ready to go in the fridge ("cold crash"), which will dramatically slow down the yeast. Keep it in there until it's time to drink, it'll start up again once it gets warm. Siphon it off the dead yeast ("lees") into plastic soda bottles or whatever (not glass), and off you go.

Obviously this is not the best way to make cider, and I make absolutely no guarantees that this will result in anything delicious. In fact, I'm probably being quietly(?) mocked for even suggesting it. But it will most likely be drinkable, and a better bet than trying to make wine. Also, you're going to need to clean and sanitize your jugs and utensils, and in your situation the best bet is probably to use a bit of bleach followed by a lot of rinsing. Even so, between that and not having a proper airlock, don't be surprised if you get some sort of contamination.

*Note - I usually use 1 cup per 2 litres which yields approx 9% alcohol, but I use a champagne yeast, I'm not sure how much alcohol your yeast can make before it dies. On the other hand, you don't want yours to be too dry, a little sweetness will help cover up any defects in this process.

 

[lukebuz]

You can finish it by TG! Don't listen to naysayers

Start in a bucket, keep in open, covered bucket until 1.000. Maybe 4 days? Rack into CB, let it finish to 0.990. Maybe 7 more days. Rack it, add SuperKleer, wait 3 days, and bottle it/sweeten. Total time? 14 days. You can even procrastinate another week!

Will this be top notch? Not really. Will it be drinkable wine? Sure.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I'd buy the wine this year.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

So with no equipment for measurements/readings I'm going for a Red wine hoping I don't have to resort to bakers yeast. So should I shoot for a wine yeast (I know, dumb question), turbo yeast ehh.. Also if all else fails how does Brewers stack up with bakers? Already have both, but I'm looking for a balance of speed, decent abv, & something that I can clear easy and quickly as I'm likely not going to have bentonite. I know great wine takes time and patience, but I want to have something decent to show my sister on thanksgiving. Any and all recommendations are welcome and much appreciated. Just don't crucify me, I'm only a beginner. Cheers Much Love❤️🍻
-HippyD

Maybe this would be ready... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=361095

 

[Cyclman]

Make a Zin for next year...

 

[HippyD]

Man the support you guys offer is amazing to me, and very much appreciated. Thanks for the links and suggestions, I'm definitely going to get the appropriate supplies.

Update: Current batch - water, sugar, yeast, lime wedges. Racked off to CB, two weeks still fermenting but boy does it have a kick and the lime seems to have eliminated previous kilju off flavor. I'm just beginning but happy with my test batches. I know it takes time, patience,& care for perfection but I'm sure I'm a lifetimer here at HBT much love -HippyD

 

[bernardsmith]

While I really do agree with all who say that making a good enough wine that you could proudly share in time for Thanksgiving might take close to a miracle, you could aim for a cider and while it would not be great or even "good" it could be very drinkable. What I would look for is fresh pressed apple juice from an orchard if you are near one. Or failing that preservative free juice. You could add pectic enzyme to help clear the cider (pectins are what cause haze) or not. You could add tannin (black tea, for example) or not. You pitch the yeast - could be ale yeast or wine yeast (I prefer 71B but others here - likely brewers go for Nottingham). Let the cider ferment dry. Now you have a choice: you can prime it and the CO2 will help with the flavor or you can stabilize it (with K-meta an K-sorbate ) and add sugar - and that would help with the flavor. For 1 gallon 4 oz of sugar will raise the gravity 10 points - That is quite sweet though how sweet will depend on the acidity of the cider. If it isn't sharp enough you could add some acid blend - ie a mix of malic , tantaric and citric (or simply add lemon juice - citric), Realize that the main acid in an apple is malic. In 3 weeks you could be drinking this although it would taste better after 3 months and better still after a year... Could you share this? I think so. But you may want to bottle this cider in beer bottles as after 3 weeks there will be a great deal of CO2 still bound up with the liquid and bottling in wine bottles with corks may result in corks flying up towards the ceiling and cider gushing up through the neck.. Of course you might stir the bejesus out of the cider to try to expel the CO2.

 

[HippyD]

Oh ok thanks, I was thinking about the tea for tannin, just plain black tea? Or would southern (orange and black) suffice?
Even if not by TG I'm really interested in some apple wine with cinnamon. For now any thoughts on frozen concentrate vs %100 juice? Without preservatives?
Like I mentioned I'm new to fermenting so I don't have the tools to measure ph, Gravity ect.. Just looking for any and all advice I can get for a novice.

 

[bernardsmith]

I imagine the tea you suggest would be fine.. The idea is simply to find a source of tannin (you can buy tannin powder (from chestnuts, I think) at your local homebrew store (LHBS) ).
Using concentrate would "work" - but the better the juice the better the cider, and juice expressed for "apple juice" and not cider is generally less acidic and less tannic (and has less sugar) than juice pressed for hard cider.
You can calculate the starting gravity even without an hydrometer if you can calculate the amount of sugar in a gallon of your juice and you can do that by checking the ingredient list in any commercially sold concentrate or juice "product". It will tell you the nutritional value of a serving and the number of servings. If you can determine the total number of grams of sugar in the concentrate and if you know that very approximately 450 grams = 1 lb and you know that 1 lb of sugar dissolved in water to make 1 gallon will raise that water by 40 points (1.040 when written as specific gravity) then you can determine the starting gravity of the juice (aka must) - If you know the starting gravity (likely to be around 1.050) then you can determine the potential alcohol by volume (ABV) -which would be (if 1.050) about 6.5% ABV.

 

[HippyD]

Thanks Bernard , very useful information, so even if I used champagne yeast & completed ferment ion would apple juice only produce around 6.5 abv? I'm still not sure on the concentrate vs juice deal, pros vs cons, which is better?

 

[DoctorCAD]

You can finish it by TG! Don't listen to naysayers

Start in a bucket, keep in open, covered bucket until 1.000. Maybe 4 days? Rack into CB, let it finish to 0.990. Maybe 7 more days. Rack it, add SuperKleer, wait 3 days, and bottle it/sweeten. Total time? 14 days. You can even procrastinate another week!

Will this be top notch? Not really. Will it be drinkable wine? Sure.

Will it turn your guests off from your home made wine? Yep, sure will.

 

[madscientist451]

Only a few weeks to Thanksgiving, perhaps it would be better to shoot for a cider for Christmas and some wine for next year.
One of the most important things I've learned about wine/cider making over the years is:
low quality ingredients in=low quality finished product.
So unless you live in an area with really good cider apples or wine grapes, finding the raw materials can be the hardest part of wine/cider making.
I can get decent wine grape juice or grapes or and a hard cider blend about 100 miles from my home.
If I rely on ingredients I can get closer to home my wine/cider is OK, but really not all that great.
So find out what is best in your area and work with that.
If you want something that you can share with others with pride, it may take a few years of trying, so you should get started ASAP. Good Luck.

 

[buMbLeB]

Thanks Bernard , very useful information, so even if I used champagne yeast & completed ferment ion would apple juice only produce around 6.5 abv? I'm still not sure on the concentrate vs juice deal, pros vs cons, which is better?

I'm not Bernard, but since I was first to suggest making cider I'm gonna insert myself once more - the amount of alcohol you end up with depends on two main considerations: the yeast's tolerance for alcohol, and how much sugar you feed it. Champagne yeast can tolerate up to about 18% abv, but in Bernard's scenario your total sugars amount to a concentration (here measured as "specific gravity", or SG) of 1.050. Champagne yeast will certainly eat all that sugar, and will run out of sugar right around 6.5% abv.

If you add more sugar, either as AJ concentrate (which has concentrated sugars) or as straight sugar (table sugar, dextrose, honey) then the yeast has more sugar to consume and turn into alcohol. So Bernard's example assumes that regular old apple juice has enough natural sugar to read 1.050 SG, which sounds reasonable. If you had a gallon of that, and you added a pound of pure sugar, you'd raise the SG to 1.090 (40 more points), which I think gets you about 12.5% (don't do this, it'll be pure rocket fuel without aging). If you only added a half pound/ gallon you'd be at 1.070 (20 more points), with potential alcohol of around 9.5%. And so on.

Anyone care to check my math?

 

[bernardsmith]

The lower the level of alcohol the earlier you can crack open a bottle. The more alcohol (because the more sugar for the yeast to ferment) the longer the wine needs to age (all other things being equal).
As buMbled suggests the yeast type is not really relevant - Wine yeasts can easily ferment 12, 13, 15% ABV. For wine makers the specific wine yeast they choose has far more to do with the kinds of fruit being fermented, the kinds of flavors they want to enhance or minimize, the temperatures of their fermentations, and the availability of nutrients from the fruit. Unseasoned wine makers typically look for high alcohol wines and choose champagne yeast. Seasoned wine makers tend to avoid champagne yeast and aim for a potential ABV for their wines of about 12% but know that such wines will need about 12 months to begin to reach their optimum flavors. Cider, IMO, is a little different. It can be considered more a folk drink and while cider improves and reaches its optimum (depending on the yeast you choose) in about 12 months, you can certainly drink it days after the fermentation has ceased.

 

[charles]

I will start off to say that I'm not an expert at making wine. There are many people on here that can give very good advice.

 

[charles]

I have make a few batches of wine some OK and others pretty good. Get a good baseline with cheaper wines and use welches. After that try brewing using fruits. I have made a strawberry wine and it has been in bottles for about 6 months now. It is by far the best wine I have made to date. Be patient and don't be afraid to experiment. Cheers

 

[HippyD]

Advice from very knowledgable people here from beginners to pros.

I think for now the title of this thread should basically lay this one to bed as it was already far too late to begin with and I had ample supplies.
So many more questions to come grime this newbie but as of now my best wine came from simple h20, sugar, yeast and lime wedges. (Which friends and family were shockingly delighted by)

It's still the holidays though so I shall change to a new thread "Holiday Wine", in which I will still be shooting for some applecina recipes and or any other suggestions. Much Love & cheers.
-HippyD