Dandelion Wine

[HomeBrewersBazaar]

I always wanted to make a batch of dandelion wine. So this year I picked a bunch of dandelions.

I ended up running into an issue. The recipe I follow said to steep the dandelions for 2 days. I did this, but when I lifted the lid off the kettle it smelt like dog crap.

I also seen another recipe said to boil the dandelions.

Has anyone tried making dandelion wine? If so, is the smell normal? Should I have boiled the dandelions or steeped?

 

[RPh_Guy]

A wine/beer/whatever that smells like feces probably won't ever be drinkable.

Maybe this recipe will help guide you:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=21095

My suspicion here is that the boiling water added kills off the bacteria, but preserves flavor compounds since the dandelions themselves aren't boiled.

or check out all related forum posts.

 

[bernardsmith]

Have made dandelion wine only once but I think that the time of picking the flowers affects the aroma. I think you need to pick the flowers in the heat of the day when the petals are dry - not damp with dew or rain-soaked and I think you want to make a tea with the petals and boil them for a few minutes - say 10, discarding the flowers when the tea cools...

 

[HomeBrewersBazaar]

Thanks for the responses! I'll give it another try.