# Spiced/Crab Apple Wine



## hownowbrowncow

Every year I harvest, as much as my arms can handle, the ten trees of crab apples at my disposal. This year I was able to grab roughly 100-120lbs of fresh, bright red, crab apples without using a ladder. I have two old recipes I found in an extremely old wine recipe book from my grand parents for making two types of crab apple wine and I thought I'd share them.

The first one is Crab Apple Wine, cut to a 1 gallon recipe:

6-8 lbs of Crab Apples, washed, sliced in two or crush (NO CUT SEEDS)
1 Gallon of Hot, Boiling water
2 campden tablets, crushed
Petic Enzyme as per directed
1 package of wine yeast, I suggest Champaign Yeast.
3lbs of corn sugar/(or granulated sugar)
1/2 cup honey

Put crab apples in a cheese cloth bag or any straining bag, tie tight and place in fermenter. Pour boiling hot water over the apples, let sit and add campden tablets and petic enzyme when cool, stir well. Leave for 24-48 hours, the apples should be broken down and turned to a fine pulp.

Add yeast and yeast nutrient, stir well, leave for 5-7 days. Stir each day.

On the 6th-8th day (I personally let it sit for the 7 days regardless) strain and discard the apples. Measure the amount of missing water and boil that with 1/2 cup of honey and then add it and the sugar, the SG should be 1.100-1.120. Transfer into secondary with airlock and let sit for three weeks then rack. If you want a sweeter crab apple wine add more honey/honey water every time you rack. Rack every 3 months after the first rack.

When the wine is 6-9 months old, bottle or when fermentation stops if you're adding in honey each rack. I'd give it a 6-12 month wait, open and enjoy.

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Spiced Crab Apple Wine

6-8 lbs of Crab Apples, washed, sliced in two or crush (NO CUT SEEDS)
1 Gallon of Hot, Boiling water
2 campden tablets, crushed
Petic Enzyme as per directed
1 package of wine yeast, I suggest Champaign Yeast.
3lbs of corn sugar/(or granulated sugar)
1/2 cup honey
*1 table spoon of nutmeg
*1 table spoon of cinnamon/1 cinnamon stick
*1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Same directions as above, just add spices when you add in your sugar.


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## hownowbrowncow

Here I am doing a large batch so the steps to the recipe above need to be altered a bit, mainly because of cheese cloth prices and convenience. But here is a quick summary of the steps and ingredients that I am currently doing:

50-56lbs of Crap Apples, Washed and Crushed
10-15 Campden Tablets
7 Grams of Petic Enzyme
Enough Water to Cover Apples in Primary
Leave 12-24 hours (depending on how it breaks down)
Extract 2-3 Litres of Liquid, Heat in Saucepan with desired amount of sugar for 1.100+
(we're looking for 1.100+ SG, natural sugars in the apples should give you about 27.6g/L (1.020) so for 1.105 SG - just over 14% - we'll need add 217.4g or .9 cups per Litre - crazy amount of sugar, I know.. but! Crab Apples are tart)
Once cool, add the sugar mixture back into the fermenter
Pitch yeast and nutrients, Stir Well!
Stir every day.
Strain out apple pulp, discard
Level your water, add 1/2 cup of Honey
Check SG, then transfer to secondary with airlock
Rack again in three weeks, taste - add honey mixture if tart
Rack every 3 months after
At 6-9 months, bottle.

Tonight I brought my apples down to the bathroom and tossed them in the tub, I wasn't quite sure the exact weight of what I had but my estimates were spot on. 



The ferementer weighs 3lbs so I have 53 lbs of Crab Apples sitting in my primary fermenter right now. Now because I am far too lazy to worry about de-stemming them I only worried about taking out the leaves and any debris. I took another picture of what was left in my bath tub, which ended up weighing in at 65lbs left over. 


Enough for me to make a second batch of crab apple wine but I think I'll do the spiced one this year. I just need to go and grab another primary in the morning, cannot seem to ever have enough of them. So for now they'll sit, dirty, in two 26 litre old wine kit tubs till then. (Yes, that is crayon on the wall there - my two year old loves her bath crayons just as much as her normal ones that she uses on all of the other walls)

My next step is to go out side, pour a fair sized portion of the apples into a double bagged plastic garbage bag and crush them with my trusty marble rolling pin, zero effort needed. Then repeat until the whole 53lbs are crushed.



I'm pretty sure my neighbors think I'm crazy and are on some sort of meds; sitting at the bottom of the steps of my patio, beating a plastic bag with a marble rolling pin, talking to myself as I grunt and moan like a caveman. Yeah, That's right.


I wasn't too precise with the mashing, oh well - another bag to go and then it is full. My next step is to put water into the primary to cover the apples; it dropped a few inches from where it was when it was full. I'll add 10-15 campden tablets, 7 grams of petic enzyme and call it a night.

Day 2


This morning I sterilized my trusty big spoon and turned the apples, it is important to ensure that the floating on top be turned under. I noticed a 3 inch gap (sorry this next picture was after I stirred it, so everything mixed) between the apples and the sludge on the bottom that was created over night, good sign! 


As you can see they have broken down very nicely, there is a bit of foam that formed which is expected from the pectin breaking down. 


My next step this afternoon is to take a colander, press down in the middle to push away the apples and give me access to 2-3 litres of the juice liquid. Using a measuring cup I'll scoop out some juice and put it into a saucepan, I'll bring the juice up to 75-80 degrees (just below boiling or a nice slow boil - you don't want to rapid boil the juice, it will change the taste) and add in my sugar to dissolve and after the sugar I'll add in honey. Skim the foam. The water that evaporates, along with the removed foam and floating pulp, from this 2-3 hour process will be replaced with sugar; thus keeping my water level equal.
The juice turned a dark red color, it tasted amazing! I pitched my yeast and added my nutrients - gave it a nice long stir and sealed it up. Tomorrow I'll stir it once then check the temperature.

Day 3 
The temperature is sitting at 38 degrees Celsius, huge decrease in the amount of whole apples that are visible from the outside of the tub - they are breaking down nicely. The aroma that came off when I stirred this morning was wonderful, it filled my house with the smell of sweet apples.

Day 4
The temperature is still sitting at 38 degrees - there was a height increase this morning but as soon as I gave it a nice long stir it had went back down. I can start to smell the ethyl alcohol, it's going along quite nicely. The color is beginning to change as well, although I am color blind, I can see a slight tint from the red of the apple skins starting to come out. This will weaken once I strain/add sugar water but I do really like the color it's turning - Maybe I'll look at a way of preserving it.

Day 5
The temperature is sitting at 39 degrees. The height increased so much last night that some liquid spilled out of the fermenter tub, but since then nothing has happened to the levels. The pulp is starting to become very fine, there isn't any chunks left (even from my terrible crush job) and you cannot even smell the yeast/fermenting process as it is masked by the aroma of fresh apples still... but you can sure see it. There is about three and a half inches of floating apple pulp left, by the seventh day I shouldn't have much of any left.

Day 6
The temperature is sitting a little lower today at 37 degrees, it is filling the fermenting room with a strong scent of yeast/fermenting apples. It's nearly ready to rack into my carboy, tomorrow will be the deciding day.

Day 7
The temperature today was 38 degrees and the SG was 1.030. I strained out the pulp, stems and seeds and transferred it to my carboy. I filled my carboy up, put a cloth on the top and waited for it to calm down and put my airlock on. Now this was a day early but my SG level was ready to go so I had to do it today - Now I will leave it for 21 days and rack it again. Sorry for not posting a picture, my wife had taken my tablet with her to a famdamly thing today but I will post a picture of the carboy when she returns.


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## Julie

Hownowbrowncow, it is very rare that we delete a post, and if we do we always contact the poster first to let them. 

Thanks for posting this, I know there will be a lot who will follow this thread.


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## hownowbrowncow

Thank you for the reply, Julie. I've added some pictures from my Samsung Galaxy Tab2.


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## JoaniB

Augh, the one year (in admittedly the two years I've been living there) that my crab apple tree doesn't produce! Anyway, I'll remember this for next year, thanks! Also, the photos are great, though der Mann would Not Be Happy if I filled a bathtub with apples... ;D


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## hownowbrowncow

The crab apples I picked aren't even 1/16th of what was in the grass let alone what was in the tree. It was an amazing year for crab apples, honestly wish I had more uses for them - I've got canned spiced crab apples on the go as well as crab apple jelly. These crab apples are Zone 4 (Edmonton is zone 4) but I'm in Zone 3A, so they are really good for iced wines but I have to come up with a good recipe for that.


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## hownowbrowncow

Day 7
The temperature today was 38 degrees and the SG was 1.030. I strained out the pulp, stems and seeds and transferred it to my carboy. I filled my carboy up, put a cloth on the top and waited for it to calm down and put my airlock on. Now this was a day early but my SG level was ready to go so I had to do it today - Now I will leave it for 21 days and rack it again. Sorry for not posting a picture, my wife had taken my tablet with her to a famdamly thing today but I will post a picture of the carboy when she returns.


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## Runningwolf

This is such an awesome documentation I am bringing this post back to light. This is very close as to what I do also. I just checked the brix on my crab apples and they are at 13.7 which means I'll be adding another 7.3% residue sugar to get it up to 21 brix.


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## bakervinyard

Looking at making a apple wine with crab apples. I have access to some, I don't believe that they have been sprayed or treated at all. Will they be ok to use. Also can get some Ida Red apples for free. Will mix them for the wine. Any thoughts ? Bakervinyard


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## Runningwolf

bakervinyard said:


> Looking at making a apple wine with crab apples. I have access to some, I don't believe that they have been sprayed or treated at all. Will they be ok to use. Also can get some Ida Red apples for free. Will mix them for the wine. Any thoughts ? Bakervinyard



As long as the crabs are edible and not ornamental crab apples. You will need to identify what kind you have. I am using Dolgo Crab Apples.


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## Runningwolf

Today I crushed my Crab Apples. After shredding they all went into 5 gallon paint strainer bags. Note to remember, the apples crush a heck of a lot easier after they sat out for a while rather then when frozen like marbles. They thaw very quickly. Not knowing what I'll end up with I estimated between 25-30 gallons and added 19 pounds of sugar based off my brix reading. I started in my 32 Brute fermenter and had to switch over to the 44 gallon Brute. The pictures aren't great but here they are. I added Zyme o clear, meta and ascorbic acid. Hopefully it'll get up to 65* by tomorrow and I'll pitch the Go Ferm and yeast.


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## mgmarty

I have made crab apple wine before, but never spiced. So this batch will be spiced. Smells good. My mom always called these Strawberry Crab Apples. Don't know what there true name is. There really sweet, slightly tart, I eat them while I pick them.


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## vernsgal

So I'm totally naive to a lot of fruits posted here and I have to say " I always thought crab apples were green". I wonder what the heck I ate :<


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## Runningwolf

This is day three. The fermentation was started yesterday.


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## vernsgal

It looks good! Is crab apple wine tart?


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## Runningwolf

Yes it is very high in acid.


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## Runningwolf

Day five. Juice has hit 80° and brix is 12. I added super ferment tonight at 1 gram per gallon. Looking at pressing either tomorrow or Saturday. Smells and tastes wonderful.


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## Runningwolf

Today (day 7) I pressed the crab apples. First time using it, sure does make life a whole lot easier. Looks like about 30 gallons. I might have added a bit to much water. Temp of the wine is 82° and brix is down to about 3.2


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## pjd

I bet you enjoyed playing with that toy!


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## Hokapsig

thanks guys for the great thread. I picked two 6 gallon buckets of crab apples, froze them, and now letting them defrost. I hope to crush tomorrow. Hoping for 5 gallons after all is said and done. I will follow this thread and try to follow the recipe. I need to go out and get another paint bag.


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## Runningwolf

Bill buy 3x the amount you think you'll need, they don't go bad. A 15 mile trip to Lowes in the middle of a crush stinks.


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## WVMountaineerJack

RW, I am curious as to why you guys just dont crush then press these crabs? We froze ours after reading your posts, thawed, crushed and then pressed and the juice just poured out very nicely. I have planted some Dolgos so happy to see they are so good. Are you going to do anything to adjust the acid levels? Like MLF? What kind of yeast are you favoring? Our 100% crab apple juice right now could best be described as having a bracing level of acid, by bracing I mean you have to brace yourself before you taste it WVMJ


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## Runningwolf

Actually this time I used the recipe at the beginning of this thread from many moons ago. I used champagne yeast. You bring up a good point about pressing right away and I don't see a problem with it. I just wonder if you'd get the nice red coloring I got and the flavor. Maybe you'll get more flavor, you see I did as the original poster and added water to the top of the apples after the crush (adjusted to 21 brix). So my acid is not anything like two years ago. Today I plan on racking to carboys and letting it finish up and see what I got.

Use that high acid to your advantage. If you make some wine with cider the crabapple is a wonderful addition. Also blended with Chardonnay was phenomenal. Try small amounts and larger amounts in your blends with lower acid wines. As you know you can add large quantities of sugar to this to balance it out, without seeming too sweet.


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## Runningwolf

Actually today is day 7. I have been getting ahead of myself. Today I racked over to (5) 6 gallon carboys leaving room for any more fermentation and stirring. I have 5 flasks with a bentonite preparation waiting to be stirred into each carboy. I am predicting after several rackings I'll be down to about 25 gallons.


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## WVMountaineerJack

RW, Very nice color extraction, we have one dessert apple that the skin bleeds into the flesh when you cut it and the flesh is very white, might have to try that one those next year. No we didnt get any color extraction but our wild crabs are just stripped red and green not like your red Dolgos. Brisk levels of tannins in there to. Looking forward to our Dolgos fruiting in a couple of years. WVMJ


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## Hokapsig

I am about a week behind Dan. I sanitized a baseball bat and smashed the frozen-then-thawed Dolgos. Went over to FFemt to press them and got a very nice magenta color and about 4 gallons. We tasted the juice and got a great pucker factor. I added sugar to about 1.070 and let sit for a day. I added the yeast tonight and the yeasties went wild, producing some airlock burps within minutes. I saw my friend with the crab apple trees tonight and he said there are many more which have yet to fall from the top. Going after those might be a Friday event.


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## mgmarty

Ok, time to bring this thread back again. I followed the recipe for the spiced wine. It is tart. (to say the least!) I racked the six gallon carbouy into a five gallon carbouy. What is left over I sweetend and plan to bottle it for thanksgiving. Its at 1.002 right now. I may sweeten it more, got to get the wife to try it first. I lost all the pink coloring. It looks like apple cider. Im really pleased with this wine so far. I have a thought to blend in some of my cherry wine, just for color. Anyone tried this?


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## hownowbrowncow

My wine is still bulk aging in the carboy since the start of this post, October last year. I haven't lost any color, mine is a nice clear reddish tint (color blind, don't ask me). The color could depend on the type of crab apples, as there is 37 different crab apple species.


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## Hokapsig

My crab apple ended up with a tart earthy flavor. Mabe I left it on the skins too long? Anyway to re-boost this thread, I went out and picked 20# worth of crabs, and the trees are still polluted with dolgos. FFemt will be over on Sunday and we will strip the trees as much as possible. I still have about 40pounds left over from last year to add to the poundage for this year. Dolgos are frozen in the winery and will be out to thaw and crush soon.


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## Runningwolf

Bill, are you serious your crabapples are ready this soon? It just seems a month too early to be picking. I planted a new Dolgo Crab last year I bought at Lowes and that tree was loaded this year. I removed about 2/3 of the fruit so the tree didn't stress out. In addition to this tree I add a Chestnut Crabapple this year.


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## pjd

Hokapsig said:


> My crab apple ended up with a tart earthy flavor. Mabe I left it on the skins too long? Anyway to re-boost this thread, I went out and picked 20# worth of crabs, and the trees are still polluted with dolgos. FFemt will be over on Sunday and we will strip the trees as much as possible. I still have about 40pounds left over from last year to add to the poundage for this year. Dolgos are frozen in the winery and will be out to thaw and crush soon.



Wow, I would think the crab apples would be ripening in September not in July. I bet these ones will be tart!


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## Hokapsig

Dan, I tried to upload photos from my phone, but the trees are absolutely full of dolgos, though I am going back for more on Sunday. One more week will turn the pink apples into the bright magenta apples. The owner has 3 trees worth and wants them stripped of apples. He also has July apples and pears for harvesting.


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## Hokapsig

phil, it seems early, but the dolgos are just starting to drop off the trees. Last year, even the pears, which you are supposed to wait until after the first frost, were gone way before that.


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## jayada

OK Browncow and Runningwolf --- It's been a while since you posted this crab apple recipe. How did it turn out? On your scale of 1-10? You seem to know your stuff... I have access to some nice crabs and wanted to make a 5 gallon batch. Can you post your specif recipe and timing processes for your favorite crab wine? You want your must to be at 21-23 brix before primary, right? And if I'm only wanting a 5 glalon batch do I want to fill the primary with crushed crabs to near the top and then level off with water, or should I compact the crushed crabs a bit then add water? I do have access to a nice press, so I assume pressing would be best but when?...I've seen others who only drip strain and do not press. Any wisdom on this from you guys would be great for a complete newbie like me.


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## Runningwolf

I posted to this thread because I'm bad at keeping notes. So everything you read on this thread is all of my notes. Crabapple is very high in acid. It is one of the very few wines I ever add water to. I still keep the acid fairly high. I make this wine to enhance my low acid Apple and Pear wine. The wine is excellent. I shred the apples then press them.


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## TheMadCanadian

Greetings!

I am trying out this Spiced recipe!

2 Days after letting the apples stew with the pectic enzyme, I check the gravity. 

natural sugars in the apples should give you about 27.6g/L (1.020)

Thats according to the experience in this thread. My gravity is at 1.20. Hope that means I got some good apples!


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## Hokapsig

Time to boost this thread as my wife is complaining that 2 years of frozen dolgos have to be removed from the freezers downstairs.


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## hownowbrowncow

Woot! Good luck and Enjoy!

I still have bottles of my original batch, it's very tasty.


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## hownowbrowncow

jayada said:


> OK Browncow and Runningwolf --- It's been a while since you posted this crab apple recipe. How did it turn out? On your scale of 1-10? You seem to know your stuff... I have access to some nice crabs and wanted to make a 5 gallon batch. Can you post your specif recipe and timing processes for your favorite crab wine? You want your must to be at 21-23 brix before primary, right? And if I'm only wanting a 5 glalon batch do I want to fill the primary with crushed crabs to near the top and then level off with water, or should I compact the crushed crabs a bit then add water? I do have access to a nice press, so I assume pressing would be best but when?...I've seen others who only drip strain and do not press. Any wisdom on this from you guys would be great for a complete newbie like me.



4 years later. I'd give this one an 8. I made the recipe up as I went (and I've made hundreds of different wine batches since with various fruits... I should post my recipes), and it turned out to be a wonderful wine, especially with age. 

The more apples you ferment, the better. You can even cut down some of the acidic after-taste of crab apples in general by using pear juice (not from concentrate) instead of water as it won't mask the taste of apple. It will sweeten the wine, greatly, beware.

Yes press before mixing anything.


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## TheMadCanadian

Well thought I would post an update. Aslong as I can post links, The Crabapple wine is fermenting nicely.... and a little peak at the Watermelon wine I started a while back.

http://tinypic.com/r/n9d9j/9

or

http://sendvid.com/f9j7pwdx

Cheers


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## TheMadCanadian

Hello All!

6 months in! I used the Spiced Crabapple recipe. Looks great..... Tastes great!

I will be tripling up this recipe next season!!

Highly Recommended!!!

Cheers!


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## hownowbrowncow

Cheers! Hope you enjoy! I have a few dozen more recipes to post


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## hounddawg

i haveforquyitesomespell been looking for crab apple recipes, untill lastyearwhen i gotcedarrust i had never usedgrape tannins in my country wines, most of my old recipesare by word of mouth going back mamy,m many years, from old timers, whom used what the land provided, this last year i wasforced to usegrapwe taannings, not as tasty, the old timers instead of calling for tannings called for bitters, hence crab apples, i cut all my crab apples baacj after spraying with an anti fungal for cedar rust, so i hope i'm back iunto this year, i use yellow sargents, they are crrab apple bushes, but when i get more then what i need for my bitters, i am going to try your folks recuipes, and please post all you are willing to this thread, i and subcribeing to this thread, i for one am deeply honored to get my hands on your recipes, every label will carry your handle oor yourfamilt name to show my respect, just PM me with what you want on my labels in honor of your kin, i make 8 or 10 types of wines a year, ans no more the 18 gallons of each, for myself, my brothers and my brothers , brothers in arms, hehe, his brother in arms tell him the love me more,m,, lol, ofcoursewhen they show up at hgis home, i supply allthe wine my off set stick smoker and around 40 lbsof farm fresh meat, but at his house 1/4 mile fr om my home, that way he gets to clean up the house and any dishes,, hhehe, after all what are big brothers for,,, and yep i'm the oldest,,, this year i plan on 3 new wines persimmio n, sasafrass, and crab apple, i've made sasafrass tea for years, thank you so very much for posting your familys old crab apple recipes, thank you, 
Richard AKA DAWG








QUOTE=hownowbrowncow;635471]Cheers! Hope you enjoy! I have a few dozen more recipes to post [/QUOTE]


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## hownowbrowncow

hownowbrowncow is completely fine! enjoy


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## Skunk

Just wanna thank you for this post and and book mark it for further use this year; Will be putting our CrabApple trees to good use.


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## Playerprophet

Hi! I'm in the middle of making this wine and every time I stir it, it makes me cough. Very odd, I cannot breathe it in at all. Wondering if anyone else had a similar issue, if it's a campden tablet after effect, or if I just have a brand new allergy. 

Thanks for the recipe either way! I hope I can drink it!


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## Rice_Guy

Playerprophet said:


> Hi! I'm in the middle of making this wine and every time I stir it, it makes me cough. Very odd, I cannot breathe it in at all. Wondering if anyone else had a similar issue, if it's a campden tablet after effect, or if I just have a brand new allergy.


post #1 uses two campden (1.0 gm) in a gallon which seems high, in fruit wines I put the primary at 0.2 gm meta powder per gallon.
SO2 causes a chemical burn in the lungs, avoid breathing it in. The good news is racking can pull it out, and in time it is consumed in the wine, and if you lived in Australia it could be reduced (legally) with peroxide. Gravity racking sanitized carboys is why I bought a vacuum pump, nasty stuff.'
Folks vary on their sensitivity to SO2


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## Playerprophet

Rice_Guy said:


> post #1 uses two campden (1.0 gm) in a gallon which seems high, in fruit wines I put the primary at 0.2 gm meta powder per gallon.
> SO2 causes a chemical burn in the lungs, avoid breathing it in. The good news is racking can pull it out, and in time it is consumed in the wine, and if you lived in Australia it could be reduced (legally) with peroxide. Gravity racking sanitized carboys is why I bought a vacuum pump, nasty stuff.'
> Folks vary on their sensitivity to SO2



aah thank you very much for your insight! I feel much better.


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## mikejapan

Port style from frontenac recipes


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