# Strawberry wine and starting SG 1.1? is this okay?



## winemakerrookie (Jun 25, 2010)

Well I am back and just started my next batch-strawberry wine. I hope I did okay with the ingredients here is what i did. This is based off a recipe I found online.

12#strawberry
8 # sugar
2 tablespoons citric acid
added water to 3 gallons total

Well I am a goof ball and didnt add sugar according to the hydrometer reading but just added a straight 8#s. (hence my name) and when it was all said and done the SG was 1.2 which is high? So I added more water to get the SG down and am about 3.3 gallons with a SG of 1.1. I know this is a bit high but am I still in okay shape? would it be better to add more water to it and see if I cant get it down more? or just let it go? Please let me know if you have an opinion on this. And yes i do blame aldis for that cheap strawberry sale


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## arcticsid (Jun 25, 2010)

Wine. 8# IS ALOT FOR ANYTHING DONT PANICK YET. Why didnt you poip in and ask?

Strawberry likes nutrients. Have you pitched the yeast? What is youre SG? are you going to keep messing with it or wait for an answer?

What kind of yeast?

So you took it upon yourself to add more water.

Check in next time!!!!!!!!!

It'll be a little high on the ABV but you will be okay. You can alwys augment it later when you sweeten it.

Most fruit wines, especially strawberry, rhubarb, and melons dont like to be ferneted over 1.090.

But thats not the end of the world.

Post the entire recipe, than we can offer to give you qualified sheets.

I think you are fine though. have you already pitched the yeast? What kind? What temnp?

You should already know better than to come here and ask without giving us detaILS.!! lol

If you dont think you need a hydrometer than sell the thing. I only hope you arent reloading your own too!!!!

LOL


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## Wade E (Jun 25, 2010)

That is a pretty high gravoty for Strawberry especially with a low amount of strawberry. Strawberries consist of a lot of water so 6 lbs per gallon is really recommended to have a decent flavor and a starting sg of 1.085 is really desired with weaker fruit wines like this. Id add more strawberries and adjust a few things like nutrient, pectic enzyme, acid and a little moer water to get this up to a 5 gallon batch. Do you have a 5 gallon carboy?


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## Tom (Jun 25, 2010)

OUCH ! rocket fuel. You shoulda chwecked here 1st. Like above said there is alot that needs fixing. Maybe to much to save.


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## Goodfella (Jun 25, 2010)

I agree with Tom...

I would fix this. It will taste like rocket fuel. IMO


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## Goodfella (Jun 25, 2010)

P.S. I think this can be fixed with some creativity.


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## Tom (Jun 25, 2010)

*Do tell..* U may be ... never mind..LOL


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## djrockinsteve (Jun 25, 2010)

Make a 5 gallon batch instead and adjust.


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## winemaker_3352 (Jun 25, 2010)

Yeah - i would adjust to a 5 gallon batch if you want to salvage this.

Add around 18# more - that would be sufficient for a 5 gallon batch - add water to the 5 gallon mark as well. Also adjust your other additives as well to match.

Take an SG reading - and see what it is.


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## mmadmikes1 (Jun 26, 2010)

add more strawberries is my best fix, without sugar being added it will work better than just upsizing. If you go to 5 gasllons I would add another 15 pounds of berries. If you stay at 3 gallons add about 5 pounds and get 5 more pounds to make an F-Pac. The F-Pac with reduce the alcohal content % at end. This wine is far from messed up, fixed wine have been some of my best.


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## winemakerrookie (Jun 26, 2010)

By the number of responses I am quite concerned

Yes I should have checked here first..who the hell is posting all these crappy wine recipes on the internet anyway. That was the complete recipe

12#strawberry
8 # sugar
2 tablespoons citric acid
added water to 3 gallons total

In detail I put 12#s of strawberries (squished) in a primary fermentor added 8# sugar and 2 tablespoon citric acid and added hot water to a quantity of 3.4 gallons. The specific gravity is 1.1. I used champagne yeast and its going absolutely crazy right now. ( I mean am I dumb or what) Its smells like I am making strawberry bread or something

SO i can fix this by adding more strawberries until I get a specific gravitiy of around 1.085 and if i don't do that I will have a light tasting strawberry flavored 20% "wine"? (rocket fuel?) looks like I am going back to aldies tomorrow morning


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## winemakerrookie (Jun 26, 2010)

Just sitting here stewing about this.....


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## arcticsid (Jun 26, 2010)

get some frozen or fresh strawberries. OR!

OR, add some orange juice concentrate, (frozen) or some other frozen concentrate This IS NOT lost!

If you add more Strawberries, or anything else, you are still going to increase the ABV if you dont add water to increae the total volume of your primary must.

Personally, and thats my opinion only, if you have it fermenting, let it do its thing.

If you are in a postion to start another batch do that.

Remember the old phrase about letting the water flow under the bridge?

Nothing wrong with rocket fuel. I say....back sweeten it later by reducing some frozen strawberries and add it before you bottle it.

Good luck, keep us posted on what you do.

But what ever you decide dont dump it. Wade and the gang impose huge fines for that kind of talk!!!!!!!!!


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## winemakerrookie (Jun 26, 2010)

Okay so can anyone makeshift a 5-6 gallon recipe that would fit in with what i have currently added.(mentioned above) I mean I dunno with pectic enzymes or any of that stuff what do you guys and gals think?


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## arcticsid (Jun 26, 2010)

Personally I wouldnt FKC with it. Live and learn. Its not going to be bad!!!

If its fermenting like crazy leave it alone.

After its done fermenting, we'll fix it and turn it into a Boones Farm thing.

Ever coked something and kept FC with it and really messed it up?
I say(only my opinion) let it go.

Lets start another batch Whas next?

I would however go back to Aldis and pick up like another 8#, even 6. You can use that to backsweeten it when it is all done.

Batch is NOT ruined.

Quit talking like that!! Just not what you wanted. Life is like that.

but get some more berries, especially if theyre cheap.

In 6 months or a year you will be surprised how good it turns out.

Again, this is MY OPINION, and I dont have the qualifications of others who may tell you different.

Best luck to you.

Do you have a name WROOK. No strangers in here.
?


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## winemakerrookie (Jun 26, 2010)

alright unless someone can come up with a solution and i decide to backsweeten how does that go. I can buy 8#s now for about 8 bucks but how do I store them until I need them?

My name is Tim. If you want to know a little about me I am in my last year of pharmacy school and apparently I like to take my repressed aggression out on my wine batches. 

Thanks,

Tim


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## arcticsid (Jun 26, 2010)

TIM, calm down bro!!!

Get what you can. Pluck the green leaves off the top, slice them in half and freeze them. No need to add sugar, blanch them or anything lse. Just freeze them!!!!!

You wont need to be backsweetening for several weeks.

Look through this entire forum. Be glad you have something fermenting that agressively, some of these people are freaking out becausethey have slow, stuck, or no fermentation at all.

You'll be fine buddy. Take it easy.

Nothing is lost here, you're money is not wasted.


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## arcticsid (Jun 26, 2010)

No need to yell in here either. We will and want to help.


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## mmadmikes1 (Jun 26, 2010)

Tim, Freeze them. I dont agree with Artic, adding fruit now will make it better, being said, "Knock the Panies Off" strawberry has been a hit and it is strawberry rocket fuel with taste. Personaly I would get 25 pounds of berries and make take 15 pounds, freeze and thaw. In a bucket add boiling water up to 2 gallons and 2teaspoon of pectic enzymes. let sit over night. Check sg. take it to 1.06 by adding disolved sugar. add to working wine 1/2 than 4 hours or so later add other 1/2. Take remander of berries and freeze. You will use them to make an F-Pac. the method of making an f-pac is posted. yep anyone here who thinks this wont work feel free to add in. I have been wrong before, but I think this is what I would do.


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## arcticsid (Jun 26, 2010)

Thats only because you cant spell ARCTIC, but dont feel bad, I cant spell remeber either.

Thanks for jumping in. Tim is about to lose his mind and take up a more precise hobby like pharmeceutical manipulation.

I cant spell that either.


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## arcticsid (Jun 26, 2010)

Whos posting these incomplete recipes? Not sure. I hope it isnt a pharmaceutical tech, that would really be scary, next time ask first before you come in here blowing your lid off.

I dont think there is anyone in here who wouldnt help you.

I still would. but take it easy Tim. have a stogie.

Geeze......


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## djrockinsteve (Jun 26, 2010)

arcticsid said:


> Thats only because you cant spell ARCTIC,
> I cant spell that either.



You 2 kill me. You have no idea how many times I'm typing and I can't spell something. It can even be a 4 or 5 letter "english" word and it doesn't look right.

I need to party with you both.


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## myakkagldwngr (Jun 26, 2010)

Regardless what you end up doing to it right now.. I would look at it as something you might use to top off your next batch of strawberry with, made using a recipe from here of course.
Three to four gallons is only going to be 15 to 20 bottles so the world won't come to an end which every way you go.
And don't get discouraged,,, these guys here are really fun once you get past the first few post with them.
HANG IN THERE!


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## pwrose (Jun 26, 2010)

Hey Tim,
Wade, Tom and the bunch can help fix just about anything, and Troy always brings the humor. I don't have too much to tell you about this except read my strawberry thread,
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7333

It too is rocket fuel, however at somewhere around 15% it really isn't that bad. I backsweetened at the end, and now well the last time I tried it before setting it to age this is how it tasted
first fresh cut strawberry with almost no alcohol taste, then a second later came the rocket fuel taste (not that I have ever tried rocket fuel). I am wishing and praying that the two age well together and I end up with more of a strawberry daquire wine.

If you add the f-pak that will help out big time, but don't stress yourself over it, next time you will know. Don't you have to experiment in school, well just consider this one an experiment that you learned alot from.


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## Runningwolf (Jun 26, 2010)

winemakerrookie said:


> My name is Tim. If you want to know a little about me I am in my last year of pharmacy school and apparently I like to take my repressed aggression out on my wine batches.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Tim



Tim what town are you going to school in?


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## winemakerrookie (Jun 26, 2010)

I go so southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It is in Edwardsville Illinois which is about 20 minutes east of st louis.

Thanks for all the information I do appreciate it. Troy you maybe be taking my comments out of context i am not pulling my hair out and i didn't lose any sleep over it. I mean I have some blueberry wine going right now so i want be struggling to bad.

I would like to add more strawberries to it like Mmadmike1 states but I dont have an additional carboy that big and i dont really want to go out and buy one. I will get more strawberries and do an F-Pak thanks for all your help. I will let you know how its going.

Tim


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## ffemt128 (Jun 26, 2010)

Having never made strawberry wine and being on my first batch myself. I think you should be able to salvage this with an fpac as was previously suggested. I would make sure you get enough strawberries for the fpac so that it will be very fruit forward for lack of better term in hopes that the strawberry flavoring from that will indeed make the high alcohol contact less apparent. That and aging I would hope would take care of it.


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## mmadmikes1 (Jun 27, 2010)

Buy a carboy, you will want it later , like next week because all the fruits and berries are now getting ripe, you might get 2. Look on craigslist


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## winemakerrookie (Jun 28, 2010)

your probably right about wanting a carboy but I am already on track to do an F-pak and take my chances I guess. I bought 10#s of strawberries and destemmed and cut and have in the freezer. I think Id take your advice in the future mike. just want prepared for it and bought a 3 gallon carboy specifically for this.


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## winemakerrookie (Jul 6, 2010)

*Strawberry wine update*

Thought I would give an update to those interested about my strawberry wine. The SG finally got down to about 1.01 (from 1.1-1.2) after about 2 weeks and transferred it to the secondary. The yeast is going strong which is encouraging i think not to strong though were its bubbling in the air lock. 

Their is the start to some sediment on the bottom of the carboy. I guess my question is when should I rack it? Should I wait until its clear to rack it or do it several times throughout as I believe is suggested in relates posts on the forum?


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## Tom (Jul 6, 2010)

Leave it in the secondary till it goes dry .990ish. Then I would add meta and sorbate mix well degass and then add clearing agent unless you plan on adding a f-pac. 

Then get back here


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