Cherry hop wine!

[UncleWhomper]

Cherryhop wine
12# cherries
2# sugar
3#honey
1 3/4 gal water
1 tea spoon pectic enzyme
1 tea spoon tannin
2 oz cascade hop pellets (15minute boil, 15 minute steep)
1 pkg champagne yeast
1 table spoon nutrient

Begin SG: 1.102

Racked after 8 days and placed back to complete business.

Racked and sorbate at 50 days... Pretty clear already. Hydro reading is pretty spot on where I though the abv would be.

Bottled 4 days after last rack.
1 tea sp ascorbic acid

Ended up at 1.000 final gravity
(Just over 13%)

 

[UncleWhomper]

This thing came out amazing! Nice and dry, crisp and flowery. Slightly bitter. Maybe the best I've made yet! I posted the recipe to get anybodies take on it or maybe somebody can try it and see if the get the same results? Idk... Enjoy!

 

[UncleWhomper]

* I macerated cherries with stems and seeds with the sugar and boiled water and added honey to the hit water after shutting off.

 

[kaboom133]

What kind of cherries did you use?

 

[UncleWhomper]

I used bing cherries.

 

[Yooper]

I think reducing the sugar, and increasing the cherries (and using tart cherries, or a mix of tart and sweet) would make this much nicer and without bitterness.

 

[UncleWhomper]

It's only bitter because of the hops I should think. I was aiming for a fairly bitter finished product. I might even try more hops next time or a longer hop schedule on the boil or maybe even dry hop in the carboy.

 

[kaboom133]

I think I'm going to try something like this with apple juice, frozen cherries and cascade hops. I love bing cherries, but in my experience frozen things make better wine than fresh from the store. Thanks for the idea!

 

[UncleWhomper]

No worries. Sounds like a good idea with the juice!