Diodgriafel (rowan wine)

[andyn11]

The other day i started to look out for edible berries in the large resivoir behind my house seen alot of bramble / blackberry bushes ( lost count at about 60 and that was on the path at only 1 side of the place ) but i seen all these trees with bright red berries all over and i mean there is thousands of these things

So i wondered what are they and more importantly can they be brewed

So if iam correct they are rowan trees and yes you can make "diodgrafel" from then a welsh wine that i think i read is kind of ale like

Just wondering if anyone has done this yet and if anyone has any pointers

 

[brazedowl]

make sure you know for sure. I thought I had oregon grapes growing on my fence and almost made wine before I realized it was some sort of invasive vine and poisonous.

 

[bottlebomber]

It's definitely what he thinks it is... However:
"Rowan fruit contains sorbic acid, an acid that takes its name from the Latin name of the genus Sorbus. The raw fruit also contain parasorbic acid (about 0.4%-0.7% in the European rowan[7]), which causes indigestion and can lead to kidney damage, but heat treatment (cooking, heat-drying etc.) and, to a lesser extent, freezing, neutralises it, by changing it to the benign sorbic acid. Luckily, they are also usually too astringent to be palatable when raw. Collecting them after first frost (or putting in the freezer) cuts down on the bitter taste as well."

Doesn't sound too premium. Evidently it is typically bird food, although there are a few varietals that are fit for human consumption.

 

[bottlebomber]

Upon doing a little research, I found a recipe for Diodgriafel circa 1789. It is described as being a "not altogether unpleasant tasting liquor" lol... Let us know if you make some.

 

[andyn11]

I know rowan wine can be quite um ... Not to nice but gets better after a while ... I plan to use the local free sources to make some wine and hope to find a recipe that i can use and make use of either the rowan berries , blackberries or elderberries that are in my area

Hoping to get about 9 diff batches of 1 gal recipes on the go and then see wut i like best

Will be using local wild berries and fruit juices from tesco or somewhere (dont wanna buy any kits) but dont have a good choice of yeasts from local shops ( wilko and tesco are the only places local to me that do homebrew in my area )

Would love to know any recipes if anyone has any to share

 

[andyn11]

I will report back if i do make rowan wine ... Gave a berry a little squeeze today an they are still quite firm so not ready just yet

Also have somr chamomile plants in the garden that am thinkin on giving a go for a brew ... Got a few recipes and 2 one gal buckets i could use

 

[JKaranka]

Interested in making some of this as an ale. Did you go ahead and make it?