# Blueberry Juice bring advice



## pwrose (May 29, 2010)

I stopped by a local and rather large fruit stand today and low and behold they have juices. They make them thierselves so they are all local or fairly local fruits.

I decided on picking up a half gallon of blueberry juice for $10. Here are the ingredients in order listed

Blueberry juice
Sugar
Citric acid

It is labled as 100% Juice with added ingredients and Pasteurized

Here are my questions

1. How much wine would a half gallon of juice make?
2. Should I heat it since it is already pasteurized?
3. What should the SG be for a good blueberry wine, Think sweet wine.
4. How fast can a company send out a new hydrometer since I just broke mine? ok off the wall frustration question.
5. Should I save some of the juice for a f-pak or wait and use actual berries that I will be getting this comming week?

I think that will do it for now.


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## deboard (May 29, 2010)

I would say 1/2 gallon of juice makes half a gallon of wine, but you could make it go farther with some water, but personally I wouldn't go more than a gallon. The more you water it down, the less flavor in your wine.


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## pwrose (May 29, 2010)

So your saying that if I had the same amount of blueberries that equaled a half gallon of juice you would not add water to them. Just use straight blueberries and no water, is the same as using straight juice and no water. Just trying to clear it up, it confuses me that you wouldn't use any water.


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## Mud (May 29, 2010)

What's the gravity? Does the body seem appropriate for wine, or is it too thin or thick?


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## pwrose (May 29, 2010)

I dont know the SG,,,, read question #4 
It looks as if they pressed the fruit and put it in the bottle. It doesn't list water as one of the ingredients, so I take that to mean its not added.


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## Mud (May 29, 2010)

Oops. Missed that. <backs out of room slowly>


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## Wade E (May 29, 2010)

many people make wine by diluting and that beind said we usually have to add flavor back (f-pack) but doing it without diluting it could leave you in the high acidity domain so doing it this way without an acid test kit could really be pushing the ability of a yeast.


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## St Allie (May 29, 2010)

Mud said:


> Oops. Missed that. <backs out of room slowly>



Hehehhe C,

you know you're safe now..

( pops him in the padded room with the special jackets.)

Allie


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## Runningwolf (May 29, 2010)

St Allie said:


> Hehehhe C,
> 
> you know you're safe now..
> 
> ...



Sunday visiting hours 1:00pm..Nikki pops in too say hi! Happy to be the visiter!


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## Tom (May 29, 2010)

WOW! glad I didn't answer like mud ... LOL  =


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## Runningwolf (May 29, 2010)

Tom said:


> WOW! glad I didn't answer like mud ... LOL  =


Mud got off easy. You see what happened to Wade the last time he messed up


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## pwrose (May 29, 2010)

So should I dilute it or go buy another half gallon in order to make a gallon. I will have some blueberries next week that I could make an f-pak with if I did dilute the juice.

Not sure where to go.


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## deboard (May 29, 2010)

See, this is why Wade runs the forum, I forgot about acid. Without an acid test kit, straight juice might be too acidic. If you're going to express order a hydrometer, you should add an acid test kit as well. titration kit or at least some pH strips.

I'm almost positive that the SG will be way low as is. I bought some Blueberry-pomegranate juice at the store that was great for drinking, but when I tested the SG it was around 1.05 or so. Definitely measure though.


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## Mud (May 30, 2010)

<looks around> I do feel safe here. Hope the gruel comes soon. I'm hungry. Also, it's hard to itch with the jacket on. <smiles wanly as sedatives kick in>


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## Wade E (May 30, 2010)

Mud said:


> <looks around> I do feel safe here. Hope the gruel comes soon. I'm hungry. Also, it's hard to itch with the jacket on. <smiles wanly as sedatives kick in>



Bwaaa Haaa Haaaa! Acidity is the main reason we dilute most fruit wines down. Typically though, most times we dilute too much hence why acid blend is usually needed in most recipes. I would feel pretty safe saying that turning 1/2 gallon of juice could easily make a 1 gallon batch of wine and most likely not need any adjustments up or down much with acid, if it were 1 gallon making 1 gallon I would say it would probably need some cold stabilizing to bring the acid possibly down. I dont have my acid chart that I used to have that stated approx how much each fruit had and what it was dominant in.


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## pwrose (May 30, 2010)

Thanks Wade, I have never used and acid test could you recommend an all around good one to get? Is there a set acid level that all wines should be at or is it different for each one depending on what they are made from?
I wanted to start this one today but since I have to wait on a hydrometer then I might as well wait on the acid test kit as well. I will also make a new post for the blueberry log when I start it.


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## Wade E (May 30, 2010)

This is the one I use and like better then all others but a PH meter is the best investment although a litte pricier. 
http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=217-10
As far as an acid level goes almost all wines should fall in the range of .55-.75 and those numbers usually really depend on making the ph of the wine fall into the right range but most unprofessional wine makers usually dont test the ph due to not having the proper equipment and just adjust the acidity. The ph range is really the most important one as this is what makes a wine stable for cellaring so if you have the available funds a ph meter will do a much better job or even using both the test kit above and the ph test lit also.
http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=201-10

Here is the link if you want to buy the complete set that will let you test for all of the above plus Malic acid if you want to do malo lactic fermentation on a red wine and Free S02 test to make sure you are adding enough sulfites or arent over doing the sulfite levels. 
http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=FPL


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## pwrose (May 30, 2010)

Thank you again


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## myakkagldwngr (May 30, 2010)

Sorry to hear about the hydrometer. But I'm beginning to realize that until you break one, you're not "official"!
I had my first one for eight months and was standing in the kitchen putting it back into the plastic tube, thinking how I had used the same one for eight months as it went thru the bottom of the plastic tube and straight to the tile floor.
That seems like a good price for blueberry juice. The best I've found around here is $32.00 for a can of Vinter's Harvest, or $5.50 for three pounds of frozen berries @ Sam's.


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## pwrose (May 30, 2010)

I think the only reason it is that price is because they are abundant right now. It is harvest time around here and thier are a ton of blueberry farms. I would imagine that it would go up come late summer to winter time, and that is if you could find it at all around then.


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## Tom (May 30, 2010)

Well once in season I use 30-36#'s for 6 gallon batch. + F-Pac.


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## pwrose (May 30, 2010)

How much juice do you think you get from 30-36#'s of berries? Better yet how much water do you wind up adding to the berries to make 6 gallons?

btw
Mud you feeling better yet, it takes a little while to come down from those seditives.


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## Mud (May 30, 2010)

I can't feel my face.


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## Tom (May 30, 2010)

If I use my STEAM JUICER and depending on the berry about 3+ gallons.


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## Tom (May 30, 2010)

Now using a steam juicer is different than PRESSING the berries. This seams like what you got.


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## pwrose (May 31, 2010)

Which gets more?


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## Tom (May 31, 2010)

I'd say Steam Juicer. Once used there is nothing left . I also say more color and flavor with it. Pressing will leave more behind.


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## pwrose (Jun 1, 2010)

Well the test kit was purchased today as well as pH test strips. The readings were

pH 3.4
acid level .3 - .4% if I am reading the kit correctly.

The acid kit said that for every ml of solution dropped in would equal .1% acid. I started with the recommended 10ml and stopped with about 6.5ml and the juice had stopped changing colors and was dark enough I could not see through it. I used 15 ml of juice and about 20ml of distilled water as per kit instuctions. Water was used to lighten the color of the juice, turned it a nice light purple color. It turned almost black with the test solution. Hope it was done correctly!

I didn't test the SG yet, I wanted to wait and see if the other levels were correct first. So ol masters of the berry wines please give some direction, are the levels where they need to be, or do I need to change them. Will this half gallon of juice be able to make 1 gallon of wine or will I need another half gallon?

Oh yeah I have 20lbs of blueberries on the way, should get them by Friday. My pops is going to be delivering honey to the blueberry farms that sell it, and he is picking up 40lbs of blueberries tomorrow. I get half of them, but wont see him until friday. I dont want to mix the juice with the fresh berries, they will be used for another batch of wine made from straight berries. Probably a 3 gallon batch.


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## Wade E (Jun 2, 2010)

I would adjust the acid to around .65 which should bring the ph to around 3.2 and that will bring the acid level to where it needs be as acid levels should be between .55-.70 and ph range is 3.0 - 3.5 optimally.


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## pwrose (Jun 2, 2010)

Is there an acid chart to tell me how much to add, or is it add some and test? If that is the case how much should I start with before testing? What happens if I add to much?


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## Wade E (Jun 2, 2010)

I had a chart for how much to add to how much wine and lost in "The Crash" Ill have to re do a lot of stuff that Im missing again as I had it in 3 of 4 of my computers and guess which of the 4 wasnt hooked up to any internet!


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## pwrose (Jun 2, 2010)

Does 4.5 grams of acid blend sound about right to bring a half gallon up to .65 from .4
I used the wine calculator to get that amount.


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