# Mesquite Bean Wine



## snowgirl812001

I am trying to find anyone who has made mesquite wine. I have found a few old threads from people who haven't been on here in years, but they didn't have much info. I am wondering how it tastes, what recipe you used, before i attempt to make it. Any help would be appreciated.


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## txlbbguy

snowgirl, here is the recipe that i am using off of Jack Keller's website.

Native Americans have long used mesquite beans to make numerous delicacies and a few staples. The dried beans were ground into a flour that in turn made bread, cakes and bisquits. The beans also yielded candy, pudding and a wine-like beverage. Today mesquite jelly and mesquite wine are more common by-products.

The green mesquite bean pod, according to Euel Gibbons, contains a high percentage of natural sugars and makes a high energy survival food. This sugar would explain why the bean is known to naturally ferment under appropriate conditions. Once cattle taste fermenting mesquite beans, they will go to any length to get more if they smell the ferment.

Mesquite bean pods are typically 6-12 inches long and turn from green to yellow to brown. Gather the bean pods when starting to turn from green to yellow-brown, but before they start falling. They may be slightly freckled with dark red or may be plain. If the pods have already begun falling, check fallen ones carefully for boring insects.


Mesquite Bean Wine

3 lbs mesquite beans
11 oz can Welch's 100% White Grape Juice Frozen Concentrate
1-1/2 to 2 lbs finely granulated sugar (to s.g. 1.090)
water to make up one gallon
1-1/2 to 2 tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Champagne wine yeast
Wash the bean pods and break them into one-inch pieces. Put them into a large cooking pot and cover them with about 3 quarts water. Simmer slowly for one hour, covered. Strain the beans off and discard. Pour the water into a primary and stir into it half the sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar, then add grape concentrate. Cover with cloth and set aside to cool. When at room temperature, add acid blend, yeast nutrient and pectic enzyme. Stir to dissolve these ingredients and set aside, covered, for 12 hours. Add activated yeast and recover primary. Stir daily for 7 days. Stir in remaining sugar until dissolved, transfer to secondary, top up, and fit airlock. Rack into clean secondary, top up and refit airlock every 30 days for next 4 months. Stabilize, bottle and allow to age one year before drinking. This wine will keep well, getting better as it ages.


That recipe of for a one gallon recipe, but I am making a 5 gallon recipe for my first attempt at this since we have so many mesquite beans in West Texas. I am pretty much following his recipe, just boiling 3 quarts of water in 3 quarts of mesquite beans to get the juice that you add to the grape juice concentrate to make a gallon. In this case I just multiplied the beans and water by 5 and got the must I wanted for the 5 gallon batch. I have not made this before so i do not know how it will taste...but I did make one recipe very similar to his using the Texas Sand burrs instead of mesquite beans. It turned out to be a very nice dry white wine that aged very well. I am hoping this wine will turn out very similar in body and taste. Good luck with yours and I will keep you updated on how mine is going.


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## snowgirl812001

Thanks! That recipe sounds better than the one I have. I already have the hard work done, I have the mesquite juice frozen in the freezer I have always made jelly but wanted to try the wine. We have an unlimited supply of mesquite trees too lol. I think I will be attempting a 5 gallon batch too, and I will definately keep tabs on how yours is going


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## txlbbguy

The only change I made to recipe was since it is a 5 gallon batch and I had room in the fermenter, I added all of the sugar at once. Still stirring daily, but I wanted to make sure my starting SG was 1.850 so I will end up with about an 11% alcohol level. Look forward to seeing how yours is coming along as well.


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## txlbbguy

That should be "1.085", not "1.850"...big difference!


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## snowgirl812001

Ok, well I will do the same then, thanks for the help!


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## txlbbguy

Just racked it from the primary to the secondary fermenter this weekend. It looks good and smells good, but I resisted tasting it yet. Will keep it bulk aging for 4 months, then filter it and bottle so it can age another 6 months at least. Really anxious to try this one after a year. Good luck with yours!


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## snowgirl812001

I can't wait to hear how it tastes  thanks


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## snowgirl812001

I just started my batch today!


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## txlbbguy

That looks almost exactly what mine looked like when I started. It is in the secondary fermenter now and still bubbling very lightly after two weeks. I will rerack it at the end of this month and then let it finish out and bulk age it for probably about 6 months. It is already clearing up alot on its own. I will update my pictures when I rerack at the end of the month.


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## snowgirl812001

My recipe doesn't call for Camden tablets, should I be using them every time?


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## snowgirl812001

Haha, forgot we are using the same recipe.


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## txlbbguy

I dont think it ever hurts to use them since they do kill any bacteria. I didnt use them this time since I had just steamed the juice and I knew it was pasteurized well. I would use the camden tablets if I had the juice sitting in the fridge for a few days before I started the must.


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## snowgirl812001

Racked to secondary on Sat. Now the wait..... lol


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## snowgirl812001

Sg hit .990 so racked on campden/sorbate & added clearing agent. Is it better to do that & let age, or do you wait to add clearing agent right before you bottle?


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## snowgirl812001

Racked again today, almost clear


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## Dend78

the clearing agent helps right away after fermentation stops so you did it correctly, its looking good


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## snowgirl812001

Ok, good! Thanks


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## Dend78

hows this coming along?


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## snowgirl812001

It's coming, still have it clearing/aging. Trying to decide how long to let it sit for...


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## Dend78

until its clear  or until the gremlins/evaporation takes over


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## snowgirl812001

Its pretty clear, so prob not much longer now. I should prob go ahead and bottle my first batch of prickly pear, it's been clear for a while now. Maybe this weekend... been busy with my deer hunt, but ends wed. Then I will be able to start another one!


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## Dend78

gotta love it deer hunting and wine making


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## snowgirl812001

Thinking bout bottling this, need carboy. Need sanitizer also... Starsan?


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## Dend78

or k-meta, starsan is a good contact cleaner and works quickly but k-meta is hard to beat


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## snowgirl812001

I didn't see kmeta at the store here, maybe I didnt look hard enough. May have to order online


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## snowgirl812001

Potassium metabisulfite.... Right? I was looking for kmeta lol


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## Dend78

yup thats the stuff!


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## snowgirl812001

Haha, I'm an idiot . Don't know how I missed that one


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## Dend78

its easy to do, everyone shortens it to kmeta pretty soon thats what you look for then your looking at the rack of chems and your like wtf? oh wait


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## snowgirl812001

Haha, well thanks for making me feel better


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## snowgirl812001

FINALLY got my kmeta  now to bottle  it's super clear with no sediment. i am thinking of sweetening it with agave nectar


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## Dend78

good to hear


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## snowgirl812001

i have to wait till my bf can be here to help since the corking process takes more than me lol, but here it is, first one on left. others are prickly pear & chocolate fire


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## keena

Did you sweeten it with nectar? The nectar I use around me is thick and requires a second clearing stage after I add it. If yours got any cloudier after adding it I would let it clear again first. I rushed a batch I made into bottles and now I see sediment in it and I'm kicking myself for rushing it now.

Good luck! It sounds fantastic!


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## Dend78

chocolate fire 

i must know more!


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## snowgirl812001

keena said:


> Did you sweeten it with nectar? The nectar I use around me is thick and requires a second clearing stage after I add it. If yours got any cloudier after adding it I would let it clear again first. I rushed a batch I made into bottles and now I see sediment in it and I'm kicking myself for rushing it now.
> 
> Good luck! It sounds fantastic!



i haven't sweetened it yet, but i may have to do just sugar. the nectar i used on the prickly pear wasn't thick at all. funds are low right now so i may stick to regular sugar


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## snowgirl812001

Dend78 said:


> chocolate fire
> 
> i must know more!



haha! used a jalapeno recipe but with mixed hot peppers and i am adding chocolate to it  pulled some out of the spare gallon to sweeten and add choc to last night..... i love it! def different with the bite to it, but still love it.  

i have a thread on here under jalapeno wine


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## Dend78

hmmm ima have a closer look at this


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## snowgirl812001

well, i sweetened with sugar and bottled last night, got 32 bottles 

also, seemed to have an easier time with soaking corks for few mins prior. although, it's still a rough time... still can't do it by myself :/


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## keena

What are you using to cork these? Some corks are in past the top rim and some are sticking out. Are you doin it by hands? If so they make smaller corks that would be easier to use.


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## snowgirl812001

i have the double lever corker. i bottled a batch today but i put the bottles on the floor this time, worked so much better


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## keena

Lol, yea that makes it a bit easier. If you get into it and start making alot of wine I would recommend a floor corker, these things are sweet


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## Dend78

nice color it looks great!


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## mrdillon5

snowgirl812001 said:


> well, i sweetened with sugar and bottled last night, got 32 bottles
> 
> also, seemed to have an easier time with soaking corks for few mins prior. although, it's still a rough time... still can't do it by myself :/



I put a drop of glycerin where the cork travels through the corker. To me it makes it easier to get the cork into the bottle.


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## snowgirl812001

where would i be without this site?? lol, thanks for the help


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## Haretip

I made 6 gallons of mesquite about 4 years ago using Keller's recipe. The stuff was undrinkable when I finished vinting, but I think he recommends aging. I let it bulk age for a year in the carboy and man what a difference a year makes. It was great! Best wine I have ever made. It's all gone now and I am looking forward to making more. I do not have any mesquite trees on my property and I worry about trespassing or finding a friend with beans, so I actually bought South American beans already ground into meal. The meal smells somewhere between carob and chocolate and is available from Casa De Fruta if you want to make some out of season and you have no beans.


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## snowgirl812001

this is def one of my favorites so far. on another note.... all corking problems solved!! i got a floor corker for valentine's day!!


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## Dend78

now ima have to look up these mesquite beans i need to try some


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## txlbbguy

snowgirl812001 said:


> this is def one of my favorites so far. on another note.... all corking problems solved!! i got a floor corker for valentine's day!!



Robin,
I have been out of it for awhile so I havent been able to respond, but I finally got my new wine filter and am bottling the mesquite bean wine tonight. It has bulk aged for almost 6 months now (mostly because I have been out of pocket and needed to replace my wine filter!) but I was wondering how much you sweetened yours? I think I may just leave it as is, but havent decided completely yet. I know after I bottle I want to age it at least another 6 months for a good idea of how it would turn out...but since the new mesquite beans will be ready in about 4 months, I may not can wait that long to decide! Sure plan on trying this again this fall if the mequites have beans like last year! Let me know how yours is coming along after the bottling.


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## snowgirl812001

I added 8 c sugar to mine, but I like all my wines sweet.  I am trying my hardest to save some till its a year lol


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## txlbbguy

I was tempted to sweeten it, but I decided that I wanted to try one that comes out dry and then one that i will sweeten this fall when I do it again. It had such a great flavor when I was ready to bottle already that I thought I would leave well enough alone! It was perfectly clear, but I still filtered it...and the color is a perfect golden. I cant wait for the beans to get red again this year so I can try one that I back sweeten before bottling. I will try and touch base with you back on here again in the fall after I open one that has aged for six months to see how it is coming along.


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## snowgirl812001

Sounds good! I will have to try one of mine here soon


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## MarvinWilliam1

Thanks a lot friends for sharing your useful tips and suggestions it would be very useful for newbies like me..


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## Jericurl

Any updates on the mesquite wine? I admit that I am very intrigued. 

My dad has a little over 120 acres total. I know there are a few mesquite trees that regularly drop a ton of beans. His cattle love them, so I may ask him to put them in another pasture so they don't eat them all.


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## snowgirl812001

Jericurl said:


> Any updates on the mesquite wine? I admit that I am very intrigued.
> 
> My dad has a little over 120 acres total. I know there are a few mesquite trees that regularly drop a ton of beans. His cattle love them, so I may ask him to put them in another pasture so they don't eat them all.



Sorry, mine is all packed away. Moving in two weeks. But I plan to bust some out when I get to the new house


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## Jericurl

Oh good, I can't wait to hear how it tastes after a bit of age.
Manthing is taking me foraging today so I'll be gathering these if I can find them. If not, I'll go out to dad's next weekend.


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## Sacalait

Just completed a batch of blackberry flavored with mesquite chips... A little too young to say yae or nae.


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## snowgirl812001

Oooohh, blackberry mesquite sounds good!


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## benbeard

*mesquite bean 2013*

I wanted a go at the mesquite bean wine. I collected in august before prickly pear season, roasted the beans in the oven, and kept them until November when I got bored. Two five gallon buckets of dried beans for a 6 gallon batch, racked down to 5 gallons.
I mashed the roasted beans down to smaller size using empty bottles in a bucket, then I split up the ground beans into water that I kept at about 150 degrees for about an hour. I filtered the mixture into the primary and let sit for a day to cool. It needed about 8 cups of sugar to get to 1.09. Added in the usual suspects and EC-1118 and it fermented well. Racked down to a 5 gallon carboy from 6 gallon carboy after about 1.5 months. Wine looks a clear yellow/brown at this point, very clear but still dark. My wife thinks it tastes and smells like beer.  Still has wine taste to it, but with hints of beer because of the flavors from the roasting of the beans. Not sure if I am going to leave it be or maybe carbonate it.


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## blackspanish777

I picked 5+ gallons of beans yesterday. Going to boil the. Tonight hopefully and start the wine this week. 


Making wine in South Texas since March 2014

Cibolo Creek Cellars

Follow us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/sekulafamilyfarms

www.sekulafamilyfarms.com


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## Jericurl

Hm....I don't have any mesquite trees close by, guess I'll be taking a drive this weekend to see if I can get my hands on any.

I thought mesquite beans were a late summer thing. I didn't realize they would come in this early.


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## blackspanish777

Jeri I am south of San Antonio. Aren't u in west texas? I just traveled thru there on I 10 and saw tons past Ozona. Not sure if they were still green though.


Making wine in South Texas since March 2014

Cibolo Creek Cellars

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## blackspanish777

Man I misread the directions and added all the sugar in the beginning. What will happen if my SG is too high? 


Making wine in South Texas since March 2014

Cibolo Creek Cellars

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## Jericurl

I'm much further north than that, closer to I-20/ central west Texas.

I think there is a pretty large mesquite tree a few blocks over. I'll detour on my way to work today and see if it's got anything on it.


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## blackspanish777

Best of luck! They smell pretty awesome when you boil them.


Making wine in South Texas since March 2014

Cibolo Creek Cellars

Follow us on Facebook:
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www.sekulafamilyfarms.com


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## snowgirl812001

blackspanish777 said:


> Man I misread the directions and added all the sugar in the beginning. What will happen if my SG is too high?
> 
> 
> Making wine in South Texas since March 2014
> 
> Cibolo Creek Cellars
> 
> Follow us on Facebook:
> www.facebook.com/sekulafamilyfarms
> 
> www.sekulafamilyfarms.com




What was SG at? The higher it is, the higher your ABV will be. I've made a few very potent ones before, it happens I think my first mesquite was 16% haha


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## blackspanish777

I followed the directions exactly, however I added all of the sugar at the beginning instead of half up front and half a week in...


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## snowgirl812001

You should be fine, I have always done all sugar up front. Never had a recipe that added a week in. But I'm also not an expert haha


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## keithww

I've never made wine with mesquite beans, but I have used them in beer. Never boil the beans, you will extract to much tannin. Break up the husks and soak for about an hour at 150 to 158 degrees, the seeds are bitter while the husk/shell has a fair amount of sugar so you don't want to crack or grind the seeds. 

Roasting is optional, but for beer really adds to the flavor.


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## blackspanish777

OK so I did my second racking today and the color change could not be more drastic since I first put the wine into the carboy from the bucket... The taste though still has a strong alcohol flavor with a slight woodiness to it. I have no other way to describe other than "interesting" at this point LOL.


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## blackspanish777

Ok so tried it today again... Still has a strong burn and not sure about the after flavor... Hopefully it will die down. Will try again in a month or two.


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## Jericurl

blackspanish777 said:


> Ok so tried it today again... Still has a strong burn and not sure about the after flavor... Hopefully it will die down. Will try again in a month or two.



Any updates on these from anyone?

We have green beans hanging everywhere, so I will be able to pick some in a few weeks hopefully.

I haven't decided yet if I want to boil them or attempt to figure out a way to run them through the steam juicer.


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## Jericurl

Ok, I've picked several pounds of mesquite beans so far. I want to try to at least get again as much before I try to make something out of them. So far I'm thinking of mesquite mead, and some mesquite molasses that I can use for flavoring other things later on.


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## Too you

snowgirl812001 said:


> I am trying to find anyone who has made mesquite wine. I have found a few old threads from people who haven't been on here in years, but they didn't have much info. I am wondering how it tastes, what recipe you used, before i attempt to make it. Any help would be appreciated.


Hello, I’ve tasted it. I can tell you how it tastes. Would you be willing to share your recipe?


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