Beet Wine - My First Attempt

[bernardsmith]

Has anybody ever though of using sugar beets to make this stuff instead of the regular red kind of beet. It would seem to me that it might be a better idea since sugar beets are used for producing table sugar.

Beetroot has a long history as a country wine. You can find a recipe for this in Terry Garey's The Joy of Home Wine Making (pps 150 -152).

 

[buMbLeB]

You gotta be drunk to eat Borscht anyways.

I don't even know what to say to this. I mean, it doesn't hurt, but it's hardly mandatory.

 

[FranklinNewhart]

Has anybody thought of using Sugar Beets instead of red beats. The sugar content would be higher.

 

[Hanna_Brewing]

How is the testing different for say beet wine than grape wine?

Is SO2 more heavily monitored? Is pH still tested as normal?
Would there be higher reducing sugars?

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I have no idea, Hanna - I simply made it about the same as my grandfather did. The only "refinements" that I made were adding a campden tablet and using Montrachet rather than bread yeast. So far, it is making what I consider to be a very nice wine, but I have no "scientific data" on it.

@bernardsmith might be able to provide some insight into the more technical aspects, and I would certainly bow to his knowledge and experience in that regard.

Re: Sugarbeets, that is a goal for this fall, when we will have some available.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

If sugar beets taste anything like they smell when they're extracting the sugar from them, I'll pass. The smell from sugar factories is similar to the smell of a feed lot. Just sayin'. How's that beetroot wine progressing Tasuka?
Regards, GF.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

If sugar beets taste anything like they smell when they're extracting the sugar from them, I'll pass. The smell from sugar factories is similar to the smell of a feed lot. Just sayin'. How's that beetroot wine progressing Tasuka?

Aye, I know - however, considering where I'm from, it's almost required that I at least try it. Sugar beets were big here back in the day; we have a Sugar beet festival every fall....and, our high school team is...the SugarBeeters:

Interesting fact: not only the sugar beet tops but also the pulp from the processing were actually used to fatten up cattle in feedlots the last 30 days of their lives; that's why you would almost always see one right next to a sugar beet processing plant, and such is the case in our town, even though the sugar beet industry itself is long gone.

As far as this red beetroot wine is going, I am assuming at all is well. I'll try to rack it one final time in a couple of weeks - or, depending on the amount of sediment I see, I may bottle it. I suspect that it isn't going to clear any more than it already has, but I could be wrong.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Any updates on this beet wine Tasunka? I saw bottled beet juice in the store yesterday & it got me to thinking about your wine.
Regards, GF.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hey, GF -

My sincere apologies for not following up on this. I've been out of it for a while due to a couple of trips that we took to the eastern half of the state and to North Dakota. Also, with the ridiculous heat that we've been having, I haven't been brewing (or anything else) much. I aim to correct that neglect.

The beet wine has been bulk-aging in a 1-gallon fermenter since my last post. I should be bottling it soon, and will almost certainly have some left over for some sampling. I still have crab apples and flathead cherries (as well as chokecherries) that I have to make wine from, so I need to get back in the saddle, and soon.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Hey, GF -

My sincere apologies for not following up on this. I've been out of it for a while due to a couple of trips that we took to the eastern half of the state and to North Dakota. Also, with the ridiculous heat that we've been having, I haven't been brewing (or anything else) much. I aim to correct that neglect.

The beet wine has been bulk-aging in a 1-gallon fermenter since my last post. I should be bottling it soon, and will almost certainly have some left over for some sampling. I still have crab apples and flathead cherries (as well as chokecherries) that I have to make wine from, so I need to get back in the saddle, and soon.

No worries, been busy trying to keep the lawn alive in this heat, the smoke from the Lolo peak fire doesn't help either. Until I get another freezer, I'm stuck to brewing during autumn & winter, so I know the feeling. I've still got plums & cherries in the freezer from last year That I need to get fermenting; maybe it'll be cool enough come October.
Regards, GF.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Well, a late update on this -

Since my last posting, I put it away to bulk-age. For a month or so, I told myself to forget about it, and after a while, I did! Somewhere in that time, I re-filled the air-lock a couple of times, but that's about it.

Last night, I took a look at this wine. I noticed that the colour wasn't quite the same, but that was to be expected, as the particulates that made up the colour would eventually drop out, I figured. I noticed a lot of those particulates floating around, so I put the fermenter into the refrigerator, hoping that they will fall over the course of the next couple of weeks. If this does not work, then I will attempt to use some fining agent to achieve the same goal.

The wine smelled great; mildy of beets, but with some other quality that I liked -

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I bottled this wine on Monday evening, 2 October 2017.

I was able to get 4 full bottles and just a few tablespoons shy of a fifth bottle; that one will be a "sampler" over the next couple-three weeks, I guess.

The particulates in the wine had settled and it was very clear, very beautiful, and had a nice, hue between ruby red and burgundy. The first four bottles - held up to the light - were so clear that I could read fine print on a newspaper through them. The fifth picked up a tiny bit of lees that settled out afterwards.

I took a small taste, and was impressed. You definitely get the flavor of the beets, with only a hint of earthiness - just enough to make it interesting, and not obnoxious in any way at all; at least, to me. Having said that, I could see where some folks would want to add a cinnamon stick, a couple of cloves and a few allspice berries - I think it would be an interesting (and very good) variation.

The only thing I would change the next time I make this would be to add some acid blend, just to liven it up a bit and bring it onto focus. I am not sure exactly how much I would add, but when the time comes I can consult the various recipes posted earlier in this thread and go with a reasonable amount.

All-in-all, I am fairly confident that I can report success! I hope that my efforts reflected well on my grandfather - and on my heritage - and I will make this wine again, with all certainty.

 

[voltron]

I have some beet juice, but work constraints havent given me time to start a batch. but eventually will get one going. You gonna like the beet wine, tasted some others have brewed and they are good. In the mean time im gonna look in the dungeon to see what unsual brew i have from last year to open today.

 

[rtmeyer]

This is the recipe for my father in law's beet wine:

Carl & Aletha Meyer’s Beet Wine

This is how Carl wrote the recipe:
“8 or 9 medium sized beets, wash and cut into cubes, boil in 1 gallon of water (I add just a little more as it boils away some). Then drain and set aside until next day.
Then add 3 pounds of sugar & as much black pepper as will cover a dime. Boil 10 minutes, strain through a cloth & when lukewarm add ½ cake of compressed yeast on a small piece of toast, put in a warm place for 1 week then strain into a jug or bottles. In 6 months it will be as good as port wine.
If it gets 6 months old ha ha.
Use an earthen crock to let stand in, then fill into jug”

My husband said their beet wine was better than the chokecherry wine and the chokecherry wine is AMAZING!

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Here is the label that I created for this wine:

 

[Stealthcruiser]

This is the recipe for my father in law's beet wine:

Carl & Aletha Meyer’s Beet Wine

This is how Carl wrote the recipe:
“8 or 9 medium sized beets, wash and cut into cubes, boil in 1 gallon of water (I add just a little more as it boils away some). Then drain and set aside until next day.
Then add 3 pounds of sugar & as much black pepper as will cover a dime. Boil 10 minutes, strain through a cloth & when lukewarm add ½ cake of compressed yeast on a small piece of toast, put in a warm place for 1 week then strain into a jug or bottles. In 6 months it will be as good as port wine.
If it gets 6 months old ha ha.
Use an earthen crock to let stand in, then fill into jug”

My husband said their beet wine was better than the chokecherry wine and the chokecherry wine is AMAZING!

Just stumbled on the thread seeing "Beet wine".........That recipe "almost" looks like the beets are just for color!......

 

[Vicky66p]

Hi there. Ive just put my beet wibe into secondary fermentation. While it was steeping in the bucket it stsrted fermenting on its own!.
When I strained it through muslin tonight it was almost syrupy! It smelt so good too!
Its now under an airlock and bubbling away quite nicely.
Real simple ingredients and method

4lb beets chopped up roughly into a bucket with 6 pints boiling water. Do not peel.
Add 2oz root ginger, 6-8 cloves and a cinnamon quill. Stir and cover. Leave four days. Strain and add 3lb brown sugar, juice 2 lemons and 1oz bread yeast.
attach airlock and leave in a warm place.
When bubbling ceases, stir and leave 3 days.
Strain through very thick muslin into a cask and cork. leave 8-9 months
Bottle and store in a cool dark place.
My carboy of beet is in the wash house in a bucket as I wasnt sure about the stormy looking fermentation!
This apparently tastes like Port!

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I was able to try some of this on New Year's Day. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is aging quite well, and in many ways it is exceeding my expectations.

The colour is not what I expected, but since I haven't done this before, I wasn't sure what I should be expecting. It could be just a little clearer (more clear?), but that is my fault, not the wine's, as I think I should have racked it one more time before bottling. I'll try to get a photo the next time I have some of this.

The taste, however, was truly unique and in many ways quite good. The earthiness that I was expecting has dialed back quite a bit, but is still there enough to remind you that this is indeed beetroot wine. Aside from that, there is a flavor in the wine that is definitely beet-like, and in a good way. As I said above I'm pretty impressed.

In all, I am calling this a success - I might be able to "refine" it a bit by adding acid blend next time; but to be honest, I am not convinced that is totally necessary. It might help with colour retention and balancing the flavor a bit - but then again, it's pretty darn good, just like this.

 

[Saturn's Earth]

This thread has been a fascinating read. You have convinced me to try making beet wine.

 

[AkTom]

Do you think peeling is necessary? I got some white with a swirl... should be interesting.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Saturn - good luck, and let us know how it goes!

AKTom - I am "reasonably certain" that it is not absolutely necessary to peel the beets. I did it mostly because the beets looked like they needed it, and because that's what my grandfather did. Having said that, as long as they are clean, I would think it would be fine not to peel them.

 

[AkTom]

Here's the beets before chopping.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Those look beautiful!

Keep us updated ~

Ron

 

[AkTom]

Racked today @ 1.024.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Looks like a great start - I'm really loving that colour!

 

[AkTom]

Starting to clear. Patience Grasshopper.