# Banana wine



## DiscoStu (Mar 3, 2017)

Made a gallon of banana wine a year ago now it taste great. And was thinking of making a 5 gallon batch. Questions. Has anyone made wine with the smaller red bananas? I think there called reeds. They cost more but they taste amazing. Any yeast suggestions? I used ec-1118 for the first batch.


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## hounddawg (Mar 3, 2017)

Question if you don't mind my brother wants me to make him a six of banana wine, on your ferment vessel did you have to scrape banana residue off during fermenting, the reading I've done says so, so I am wondering about fermenting in my plastic barrels or do I need a stainless steel fermentation vessel,
Thank you
Dawg










QUOTE=DiscoStu;640147]Made a gallon of banana wine a year ago now it taste great. And was thinking of making a 5 gallon batch. Questions. Has anyone made wine with the smaller red bananas? I think there called reeds. They cost more but they taste amazing. Any yeast suggestions? I used ec-1118 for the first batch.[/QUOTE]


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## dralarms (Mar 3, 2017)

I do banana wine all the time, I've never had to "scrape" junk off my practice fermenter. I don't use peels, just the fruit and I freeze it until I get enough to start a batch. I get my bananas because my wife buys them and then when they start turning black she peels them, vacuum seals them and freezes them. One thing, use plenty of pectic enzyme.


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## DiscoStu (Mar 4, 2017)

Dralarms so glad you commented. I did use peels and boiled mine for 30 mins per a jack keller recipe. I added golden raisins but will never do that again it was just to much of a pain when racking. Clogged hoses. I was planning on a can of three of welch white grape. My question for you is does you wine taste like bananas? Mine does and I think yours does based on Brown bananas. I'm guessing most people buy them yellow and make there wine from that. Thinking that there ripe.

Story time. I went into a whole foods with my toddler. Was looking for a Banana for him. They were all yellow. Asked the produce guy if they had any ripe bananas. Reply. (You mean a green one)


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## dralarms (Mar 4, 2017)

Yes mine taste like bananas. The riper the fruit the better. I don't boil them, freeze them and thaw in a bucket with plenty of pectic enzyme (and buy plenty, I mean in 60 lbs of bananas I used about 12 tablespoons). 

I heard boiling makes it hard to clear because it sets in the pectin. 

Also I don't put raisins in mine, why put oxidized fruit in your wine when oxidation is bad for it?


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## bkisel (Mar 4, 2017)

dralarms said:


> Yes mine taste like bananas. The riper the fruit the better. I don't boil them, freeze them and thaw in a bucket with plenty of pectic enzyme (and buy plenty, I mean in 60 lbs of bananas I used about 12 tablespoons).
> 
> I heard boiling makes it hard to clear because it sets in the pectin.
> 
> Also I don't put raisins in mine, why put oxidized fruit in your wine when oxidation is bad for it?



Are the bananas sliced either before or after freezing? About how many pounds of banana do you use per gallon? Thanx...


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## DiscoStu (Mar 4, 2017)

So what yeast strain do you use? Do you use anything for body? If you freeze the over ripe bananas can probable just put them in whole. They should fall apart on there own.


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## Stressbaby (Mar 4, 2017)

DiscoStu said:


> Made a gallon of banana wine a year ago now it taste great. And was thinking of making a 5 gallon batch. Questions. Has anyone made wine with the smaller red bananas? I think there called reeds. They cost more but they taste amazing. Any yeast suggestions? I used ec-1118 for the first batch.



I have used both 'Dwarf Red' and 'Dwarf Namwah' bananas in wine, I grow them in my greenhouse. I don't think they are any different from Cavendish when it comes to the resulting wine. For the money (and in my case, the time and effort in growing them) you are better off just enjoying them as food.


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## TemperanceOwl (Mar 4, 2017)

dralarms said:


> Yes mine taste like bananas. The riper the fruit the better. I don't boil them, freeze them and thaw in a bucket with plenty of pectic enzyme (and buy plenty, I mean in 60 lbs of bananas I used about 12 tablespoons).
> 
> I heard boiling makes it hard to clear because it sets in the pectin.
> 
> Also I don't put raisins in mine, why put oxidized fruit in your wine when oxidation is bad for it?



Do you back sweeten yours, or does the banana flavor come through without having to back sweeten? I have 3 separate gallons of 3 different recipes going right now (started Jan 13). One is Jack Keller's heavy body recipe and the other two are from the purple book. All of them say to leave them alone for 4 months before racking the second time, so that's where they are now. I'll be checking SG and racking in April and then leaving them for another 4 months after that.


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## TemperanceOwl (Mar 4, 2017)

By the way, it was impossible for me to get an accurate starting SG...there was so much pulp from the fruit and boiled down skins that the hydrometer just floated on top. So I'll have no idea what my final alcohol turns out to be.


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## dralarms (Mar 4, 2017)

bkisel said:


> Are the bananas sliced either before or after freezing? About how many pounds of banana do you use per gallon? Thanx...



With bananas I just get what I get, with 72 lbs I ended up with 6 gallons on my last batch. This batch will be smaller. This time I did add 1 gallon of white grape, just to add to the liquid so the pectic enzyme has more to work with. I never add water it weakens the flavor. I have used a sprayer to "wet" the bananas but did not do that this time. 



TemperanceOwl said:


> Do you back sweeten yours, or does the banana flavor come through without having to back sweeten? I have 3 separate gallons of 3 different recipes going right now (started Jan 13). One is Jack Keller's heavy body recipe and the other two are from the purple book. All of them say to leave them alone for 4 months before racking the second time, so that's where they are now. I'll be checking SG and racking in April and then leaving them for another 4 months after that.




Yes I backsweeten. Banana has a light flavor so imho it needs some sugar to bring the flavor around.


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## BernardSmith (Mar 4, 2017)

I think the skins add tannin. The secret is not to pitch the yeast onto the fruit but to pour the banana "paste" through a nylon filter (paint filter, for example). So it is more like a tea that you are fermenting.


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## dralarms (Mar 4, 2017)

BernardSmith said:


> I think the skins add tannin. The secret is not to pitch the yeast onto the fruit but to pour the banana "paste" through a nylon filter (paint filter, for example). So it is more like a tea that you are fermenting.



Don't know about that but I let mine reach room temp, remove the bowl of kmeta in had sitting on top and open the yeast packet and sprinkle on top. It's going wide open now.


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## bkisel (Mar 5, 2017)

Thanks to this thread finally getting me motivated I bought 33 pounds of banana the other day. Will ripen, slice and freeze in prep for making a 6 gallon batch. _*For me*_ I've found with my fruit wines that I get best results using 5-6 pounds of fruit per gallon. I'll shoot for 10-12% ABV to get a subtle fruit flavored wine.


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## DiscoStu (Mar 6, 2017)

I was thinking about 30#s for 5 gallons. After hearing 12#s per gallon from dralarms I feel like I need more. Do bananas actually have enough liquid in them that you don't have to add water though?


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## jayp (Mar 25, 2017)

dralarms could I have your recipe for banana wine please


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## dralarms (Mar 25, 2017)

jayp said:


> dralarms could I have your recipe for banana wine please



Sure,

Get as many bananas as you can (my wife buys them every week and I get what's left when they start turning).

Peel them and freeze them,

Dump in bucket, add about 3 tablespoons of pectic enzyme for every layer of bananas.

Place a bowl of kmeta on top of fruit and cover bucket.

While thawing you can remove the bowl, push the fruit below the juice level and replace the bowl of kmeta. 

Once thawed take bowl of kmeta out and throw away. Add sugar ( I added 5 lbs to 5 gallons) 

Make yeast starter, get it rolling good and dump on your must.

I do not add any water, if you must add liquid the add white grape juice, the fruit will break down and you get what you get. I had 67 lbs on my last batch and ended up with 6 gallons. It's still in the clearing stage but if it's anything like the batch I made 2 times ago it's strong and very good after backsweetening.


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## jayp (Mar 25, 2017)

Cheers so I take it just breaks down over time and the juices rise to the top


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## jayp (Mar 25, 2017)

O yea and how long is the process


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## dralarms (Mar 26, 2017)

jayp said:


> Cheers so I take it just breaks down over time and the juices rise to the top


Yes, the pectic enzyme breaks down the fruit. Out of 67 lbs I had less than 5 lbs of solids left after 1 week 




jayp said:


> O yea and how long is the process


 I leave mine in primary for about a week, then remove the leftover pulp and press any juice out of it the put in carboy and airlock.


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