Rhubarb Wine

[Yooper]

Thanks Yooper! I meant to ask how long it usually takes to come down but didn't get around to it. I figured 2 weeks was safe given beer takes a week or so to drop 40-50 points, I was surprised it moved so fast.

Usually, I get to 1.010 in about 5 days or so, but sometimes I miss it and it goes completely dry by then.

 

[brewer_in_the_cap]

I still have a ways to go with this batch but was wondering if I could bottle this using beer bottles/caps? Figure I'll ask now so I can start acquiring some wine bottles if needed! Thanks

 

[Yooper]

I still have a ways to go with this batch but was wondering if I could bottle this using beer bottles/caps? Figure I'll ask now so I can start acquiring some wine bottles if needed! Thanks

Yes, that would be fine.

 

[brewer_in_the_cap]

Thanks Yooper!

 

[jsiddall]

Has anyone tried a sparkling rhubarb? I could imagine the acidity making it a bit like champagne.

 

[travis4077]

In the past I have done some beer brewing, and this is my first swing at wine and of course I couldn't go easy with the Welches I had to jump in both feet first.
I started the rhubarb on 2/25/16, following the 1 gallon recipe down to the "t." Here are my numbers before pitching the yeast (Montrachet):
Temp 64
Gravity .95
Alcohol 12
Sugar 22

Yesterday (3/5/16) I noticed activity had dropped off significantly, so I assumed it was ready to from primary to secondary, before doing so I took new readings:
Temp 65
Gravity 1.002
Alcohol 0
Sugar 0

It has a very cloudy appearance, and doesn't smell rancid or "off." The sample from the thief is very bitter. Did I do something wrong, or am I just not being patient enough?? It looks like fermentation has stopped altogether, is this possibly due to the temp being low, and what can I do to restart it?

Btw, I have been stalking this site for quite a while now, and the information on here is outstanding.

 

[rlmiller10]

In the past I have done some beer brewing, and this is my first swing at wine and of course I couldn't go easy with the Welches I had to jump in both feet first.
I started the rhubarb on 2/25/16, following the 1 gallon recipe down to the "t." Here are my numbers before pitching the yeast (Montrachet):
Temp 64
Gravity .95
Alcohol 12
Sugar 22

Yesterday (3/5/16) I noticed activity had dropped off significantly, so I assumed it was ready to from primary to secondary, before doing so I took new readings:
Temp 65
Gravity 1.002
Alcohol 0
Sugar 0

It has a very cloudy appearance, and doesn't smell rancid or "off." The sample from the thief is very bitter. Did I do something wrong, or am I just not being patient enough?? It looks like fermentation has stopped altogether, is this possibly due to the temp being low, and what can I do to restart it?

Btw, I have been stalking this site for quite a while now, and the information on here is outstanding.

Couple of things. Yes the gravity of 1.002 would indicate the yeast have done their part. Not sure what you mean by the Alcohol 0, at as that point you should be about 12% off the top of my head.

And is it bitter or sour? I have made this wine several times and it is sour and acidic. But I don't know where any bitter compounds would come from.

In any case, give it time and it will clear. Make sure the airlock has liquid and then put it in a cool, dark place and check back on April fools day. By then is will probably have cleared and will be ready to rack to secondary.

 

[travis4077]

Couple of things. Yes the gravity of 1.002 would indicate the yeast have done their part. Not sure what you mean by the Alcohol 0, at as that point you should be about 12% off the top of my head.

And is it bitter or sour? I have made this wine several times and it is sour and acidic. But I don't know where any bitter compounds would come from.

In any case, give it time and it will clear. Make sure the airlock has liquid and then put it in a cool, dark place and check back on April fools day. By then is will probably have cleared and will be ready to rack to secondary.

Thanks RL for your reply. You're right, the hydrometer reading was 12 before and 0 after. I just forgot to do the math, sorry for the idiot moment there. And I guess sour is a better description, it's definitely acidic.

 

[LoneTreeFarms]

Thanks RL for your reply. You're right, the hydrometer reading was 12 before and 0 after. I just forgot to do the math, sorry for the idiot moment there. And I guess sour is a better description, it's definitely acidic.

chances are after time to settle out in secondary, you're going to want to stabilize and backsweeten it a bit to take some of that sour/bitter out. but like RL said forget about it for a few months. that's the biggest thing I've realized between beer and wine. wine takes a lot longer to enjoy your fruits of your labor.

 

[rlmiller10]

I have made three batches of this and all of them tasted very much like rhubarb. I start drinking them at about 3 months age. So if you like to eat fresh stalks of rhubarb, you should not need to back sweeten or anything.

 

[solbes]

We've altered the sweetness of our annual batches. First had a little sweetness, went overboard on year 2, was not quite sweet enough last year. Should be able to dial it in to what we like this year. I'd say a little sweeter than off dry but not quite semi-sweet.

Some like it bone dry, but I agree with some posters above that the sweetness cuts the acidity some which we enjoy.

 

[travis4077]

Thank you everyone on their comments and recommendations. As recommended above, the wine, still in it's primary, has been put away in the basement where it is cool and dark. I'm taking this time to do some research on how to back sweeten. The girlfriend doesn't like dry or bitter wines, so this step is necessary
Guess it comes as no surprise the different techniques to doing this step. I'm thinking the bench test method sounds like it will give the best results. Any opinions on that?

 

[TattooCelt]

Has anyone tried strawberries in the secondary rack? I love strawberry rhubarb preserves, and was trying to figure out if it would be possible to replicate this in wine form.

 

[jsiddall]

Has anyone tried strawberries in the secondary rack? I love strawberry rhubarb preserves, and was trying to figure out if it would be possible to replicate this in wine form.

Not really a direct answer to your question but I recently made a version of Dragon Blood with Rhubarb, instead of lemon juice, and strawberries/blueberries/blackberries/raspberries. Turned out quite nice really, and while the rhubarb is not a dominant flavor I can confirm that using strawberries in the primary resulted in a definite strawberry aroma and flavor in the finished wine.

 

[rlmiller10]

Has anyone tried strawberries in the secondary rack? I love strawberry rhubarb preserves, and was trying to figure out if it would be possible to replicate this in wine form.

No reason it should not work, giving some strawberry flavor as well as more color. But I don't think you will get a strawberry preserve flavor since there will be no sugar.

This wine comes out with a tart flavor for me, much like eating fresh rhubarb. I like that flavor so all is well. Adding strawberries should add the strawberry flavor but would still have the tartness of the rhubarb.

Curious about how it would age. I had a bottle from 2014, so probably 19 months old, just this last week and it has lost some of the fresh rhubarb flavor but was still tart, reminded me very much of a $8 a bottle Pinot Gris.

 

[ss4ivan]

I did a 1 gallon batch with half strawberry half rhubarb back in October ...tasted after the last racking and so far had a dominant strawberry flavor. That was about 2-3 months ago. I need to rack off the Lee's again soon, so I can provide an update then.

 

[BisonHeadBrewery]

I had a comment to make but thought I should speed read through the discussions to be sure I wasn't being redundant. Now, I'm having a serious 'senior moment' and have forgotten the 'important' contribution I wanted to make.

I average 15 gallons of rhubarb wine per year. It is very popular and most of it is given away.

I made more than would fit in my 5 gal carboy last week. Part of the extra was used to make a rhubarb/jalapeno jelly - yum. Another half gallon was used to capture some wild yeast. It is happily bubbling away now and I am anxious to see what kind of wine it makes.

Has anybody else used their native indigenous yeast in their wine making?

 

[Goofynewfie]

Tried a 1g batch and swmbo and her friends told me they dont like fruit wines.
After aging for 18 months i have mone left and was told i need to do a 5g batch next time.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Well, this will be my next batch of wine. A couple of questions, if I may:

I've got 7 pounds of picked and cut rhubarb; would it be alright to use 3.5 pounds of rhubarb per gallon, or would I be better off sticking with the 3 pounds? Also, should I add any additional sugar, if I do end up using 3.5 pounds of rhubarb per gallon?

Other than that, I think I'm good to go. Advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[solbes]

I'd stick to Yooper's recipe regarding rhubarb and sugar content per gallon. It flat out works. Remember that Rhubarb wine is pretty acidic as it is (one of the reasons I like to back sweeten with a little sugar).

My 4th annual batch was made with black raspberries and rhubarb from our back yard is probably ready to bottle. Definitely darker this year but tasting pretty dang good at last racking.

Not sure what we're going to do this year. Might make a black raspberry wine on its own and then go back to peach/rhubarb for this years batch. Maybe something will come to me.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I'd stick to Yooper's recipe regarding rhubarb and sugar content per gallon. It flat out works. Remember that Rhubarb wine is pretty acidic as it is (one of the reasons I like to back sweeten with a little sugar).

Hi, Solbes, and thanks for the quick reply. I got to thinking last night that Yooper hasn't steered me wrong yet, so I came to the same conclusion: stick to her recipe as-written, especially the first time!

Sounds like you've got some nice stuff coming up with your batches; I'll make mine straight this year and see what I end up with. By next year, I should have strawberries and raspberries growing in larger quantities, so I can always be creative then.

Thanks again, and have a good one!

Ron

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I came across this recipe for rhubarb pop; I'm posting it here partially so I don't forget it and partially because I got to thinking that it might be a good project for those who have kids. This might be a way to get them involved with something fun and evidently delicious as you are making your rhubarb wine.

http://andhereweare.net/2014/03/make-rhubarb-soda-lacto-fermentation.html/

 

[TasunkaWitko]

3 lbs. rhubarb (stalk only)
1/4 pt. white grape concentrate or 1/2 lb. of light raisins (chopped)
7 pts. water
2 1/4 lbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. tannin
1 tsp. yeast nutrient
1 campden tablet (crushed)
1 tsp. pectic enzyme
1 pkg. wine yeast (champagne) I used Montrachet

Use stalk only. Freeze fruit and then place in mesh bag and tie up. Place in primary and let thaw. Dissolve sugar in a little boiling water and dissolve campden and pour over fruit. Let sit 2-3 days, stirring daily, and keep pimary covered. Then, strain fruit out and discard. Add all other ingredients (using cold water) except yeast. Cover. 12 hours later, add yeast and stir well. Cover loosely with a towel. Stir daily, breaking up cap. When s.g reaches 1.020-1.040, rack into secondary, top up if needed, and attach airlock. Rack as needed, adding campden every other racking. This throws alot of lees, so you may need to rack as early as two weeks. When there are no lees for at least 60 days, and the wine is clear and done fermenting, it is ready to bottle. Tastes best after at least one year.

Dry, this tastes a bit like pinot grigio. You may prefer it sweetened, but I don't sweeten.

I apologise if the answers to these questions are in the replies, but for some reason, I am having a heck of a lag or "hang time" trying to open any pages after the first page.

Anyway, I'm set to get this started, but need to know:

a) How much is "a little water" for dissolving the sugar? Enough to cover the rhubarb? Is the sugar water part of the 7 pints, or all of it?

b) Pectic enzyme goes in 12 hours after sugar water, with the fruit still in - correct? It doesn't seem to make sense to put it in after the rhubarb is strained and discarded?

c) 12 hours after draining and discarding fruit and adding rest of ingredients and water (up to 1 gallon?), add the yeast, correct?

That should cover it - thank you!

 

[rlmiller10]

I apologise if the answers to these questions are in the replies, but for some reason, I am having a heck of a lag or "hang time" trying to open any pages after the first page.

Anyway, I'm set to get this started, but need to know:

a) How much is "a little water" for dissolving the sugar? Enough to cover the rhubarb? Is the sugar water part of the 7 pints, or all of it? Yes, I subtract that amount of water from the final amount I add (7 pint per 3 lb rhubarb)

b) Pectic enzyme goes in 12 hours after sugar water, with the fruit still in - correct? It doesn't seem to make sense to put it in after the rhubarb is strained and discarded?

c) 12 hours after draining and discarding fruit and adding rest of ingredients and water (up to 1 gallon?), add the yeast, correct?

That should cover it - thank you!

a. For the water I make a heavy syrup, so two parts sugar to one part water by volume. I measure out the sugar by weight then put half that volume of water on it and bring to a boil to dissolve. Let cool and pour over rhubarb. I let cool as I was afraid I might get a different taste if I poured hot and "cooked" the rhubarb.

b. Pectin enzyme goes in at three days after the fruit solids are removed. But you could actually put it in anytime. I would still wait until after the fruit solids are removed. No need having the enzyme work on something that will be removed anyhow.

c. drain/strain to remove the fruit. I put the fruit in a paint strainer bag so when I remove it I squeeze it just like I would grain if doing BIAB. As soon as the fruit if removed, add everything but the yeast. Wait about 12 hours and then add the yeast. The reason for that is to let the campden dissipate so it does not inhibit the yeast you are adding.

This is really good stuff. It is by far my most requested beverage. Makes me a little sad as I think I make some good beer and mead as well. But everyone seems to like the tart flavor of rhubarb wine on a warm day.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hi, rlmiller10, and thanks for the reply. By the sound of it, your rhubarb wine is pretty good, so I appreciate your taking the time to help.

Regarding the sugar water etc., I like your description with the syrup etc. and will make it a point to try that way in the future; however, at the time, it was getting late, so I went ahead and got started with my best interpretation of the instructions in Yooper's original post.

I'll start a separate thread in the next couple of days, so I don't muddy this one up; but basically, I cleaned and sanitized everything, then put the fruit in a strainer bag (it was still frozen but thawed pretty quickly). My dad keeps insisting that more rhubarb is necessary (he is making a batch now too, and is using 4.75 pounds), so I decided to throw caution to the wind, and used 3.5 pounds of rhubarb for this first attempt. I brought the sugar up a little, to 3 pounds, to compensate for the extra rhubarb. It looked to me as though the rhubarb was taking up a lot of room in the primary bucket, so I went ahead and heated the full 7 pints of water hot enough to fully dissolve the sugar - close to, but not quite, boiling.

Once the sugar was dissolved, I let it cool a bit, then poured it onto the strainer bag and a crushed campden tablet. If I would have been thinking, I would have dissolved the campden tablet in a little water, but that slipped my mind. The rhubarb was still partially frozen, so the water cooled very quickly to something close to room temperature.

I stirred the water and rhubarb around in order to dissolve the campden tablet and get everything together. Even with the full 7 pints of water, it seemed like part of the rhubarb was floating on top in the bag, but maybe it just needs to absorb the water.

If I read the instructions correctly, I'll now stir the rhubarb and water for a couple-three days in order to extract the juice, then squeeze, strain and discard the fruit solids from the bag. After that, I will add the pectic enzyme and the rest of the ingredients, except the yeast, which will come 12 hours after that. After adding the yeast, the procedure looks like it will pretty much follow in similar fashion to the wine I've made before.

I'm still a bit confused about the pectic enzyme being added after discarding the rhubarb. I thought that part of the pectic enzyme's job is to help break up the fruit in order to extract the juice? Then again, if the frozen/thawed rhubarb comes apart pretty well on its own, then I guess it really wouldn't be necessary to have the pectic enzyme in there at the time. As I recall, the other part of the pectic enzyme's job is to keep the wine from being hazy, so I think it makes sense now to add it after discarding the rhubarb. Never mind - confusion is gone!

All in all, it looks like I went off the rails a little bit, but not in any significant way that will affect the final outcome.

Speaking of tart rhubarb on a warm summer day, I've got a recipe for a rhubarb-strawberry strong ale that I will be trying for the first time in a couple of weeks. If you're interested, let me know - it's in .pdf format, so shoot me a PM with your email and I'd be more than glad to send it over.

Thanks again!

Ron

 

[rlmiller10]

Hi, rlmiller10, and thanks for the reply. By the sound of it, your rhubarb wine is pretty good, so I appreciate your taking the time to help.

Regarding the sugar water etc., I like your description with the syrup etc. and will make it a point to try that way in the future; however, at the time, it was getting late, so I went ahead and got started with my best interpretation of the instructions in Yooper's original post.

I'll start a separate thread in the next couple of days, so I don't muddy this one up; but basically, I cleaned and sanitized everything, then put the fruit in a strainer bag (it was still frozen but thawed pretty quickly). My dad keeps insisting that more rhubarb is necessary (he is making a batch now too, and is using 4.75 pounds), so I decided to throw caution to the wind, and used 3.5 pounds of rhubarb for this first attempt. I brought the sugar up a little, to 3 pounds, to compensate for the extra rhubarb. It looked to me as though the rhubarb was taking up a lot of room in the primary bucket, so I went ahead and heated the full 7 pints of water hot enough to fully dissolve the sugar - close to, but not quite, boiling.

Once the sugar was dissolved, I let it cool a bit, then poured it onto the strainer bag and a crushed campden tablet. If I would have been thinking, I would have dissolved the campden tablet in a little water, but that slipped my mind. The rhubarb was still partially frozen, so the water cooled very quickly to something close to room temperature.

I stirred the water and rhubarb around in order to dissolve the campden tablet and get everything together. Even with the full 7 pints of water, it seemed like part of the rhubarb was floating on top in the bag, but maybe it just needs to absorb the water.

If I read the instructions correctly, I'll now stir the rhubarb and water for a couple-three days in order to extract the juice, then squeeze, strain and discard the fruit solids from the bag. After that, I will add the pectic enzyme and the rest of the ingredients, except the yeast, which will come 12 hours after that. After adding the yeast, the procedure looks like it will pretty much follow in similar fashion to the wine I've made before.

I'm still a bit confused about the pectic enzyme being added after discarding the rhubarb. I thought that part of the pectic enzyme's job is to help break up the fruit in order to extract the juice? Then again, if the frozen/thawed rhubarb comes apart pretty well on its own, then I guess it really wouldn't be necessary to have the pectic enzyme in there at the time. As I recall, the other part of the pectic enzyme's job is to keep the wine from being hazy, so I think it makes sense now to add it after discarding the rhubarb. Never mind - confusion is gone!

All in all, it looks like I went off the rails a little bit, but not in any significant way that will affect the final outcome.

Speaking of tart rhubarb on a warm summer day, I've got a recipe for a rhubarb-strawberry strong ale that I will be trying for the first time in a couple of weeks. If you're interested, let me know - it's in .pdf format, so shoot me a PM with your email and I'd be more than glad to send it over.

Thanks again!

Ron

Don't worry, rhubarb floats in water so even if you had extra water it would still have a little rhubarb above the water. I have put a plate on it to push it down, but forget last time and didn't see a difference. You are punching/stirring it a couple or more times a day so what is on top today will be below tomorrow.

The sugar all ferments out so adding more will only increase the alcohol.

There is probably more variation between varieties and batches of rhubarb then the difference going from 3.0 to 3.5 lb per gallon would make. So I doubt you will ever be able to see if that made a difference. It will be interesting to see how the 4.75 lb per gallon does though, if you can really taste a difference compared to yours.

As for putting all the water, I doubt that makes a difference either. The reason I hold some back is I make three gallon batches in a 3 gal carboy. So if I only end up with 2.5 gal to start I have a little head space. At my first racking to another 3 gal carboy I will top up with water and will not have diluted it below my original target.

Let us know how your strong ale turns out. I have never done fruit beers, sort of a purist that way, fruit is for wine,...hops, malt, and yeast and occasionally a little sugar for beer... Now my mead..there we can add fruit and or spices.

Regards,

Ron

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hi, Ron, and thanks for the reply. Some very good information there, and a lot of it is reinforcing what I am learning as I make this wine.

I started a thread for this project, so that I don't clutter up Yooper's thread. If you (or anyone else!) is interested, you can follow along here:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=583990

I'm an absolute newbie here, so I am always appreciative for any suggestions and feedback.

 

[Goofynewfie]

Thinking about making a strawberry rhubarb. Do you think the best way would be to do this recipe and after wine is finished add fresh strawberries and let sit for a week or so?

 

[solbes]

I added 5 lbs of strawberries (frozen/thawed 3x) directly to start of primary for a 6 gallon batch. Whatever I add in for alternative fruit, I remove an equal amount of rhubarb. The strawberry flavor came through just behind the dominant rhubarb flavor.

 

[jsiddall]

There is probably more variation between varieties and batches of rhubarb then the difference going from 3.0 to 3.5 lb per gallon would make. So I doubt you will ever be able to see if that made a difference. It will be interesting to see how the 4.75 lb per gallon does though, if you can really taste a difference compared to yours.

On the topic of pushing the quantity of fruit, I needed to clear out some freezer space so I just made a batch with 5.5 lb per gal. It was really hard to get started, likely due to the high acidity. I pitched another yeast after about 4 days of no activity and a few days after that (more than a week since starting) it finally started fermenting. Today is day 16 and it is now down to 0.996. Time will tell how it turns out.