# Welch's White grape/blueberry/kiwi



## Coaster (Nov 12, 2006)

5 gals Welch's White Grape/blueberry/kiwi 
4 cans of Welch's white grape frozen concentrate
2 ripe frozen banannas
3 tsp yeast energizer
6 tsp nutrient
1/4 tsp liquid pectic
3# sugar
4 tbs acid blend
water to 6 gal
sg 1.090
ph 3.8
ta 7.5
free SO2 50 aftermixing up must - sat 12 hours before pitching yeast
lavin 1116 (x2, one in yeast starter and one pitched on top)*Edited by: Coaster *


----------



## Wade E (Nov 12, 2006)

Just made or just bottled? Sounds very good.


*Edited by: wadewade *


----------



## Coaster (Nov 12, 2006)

It just finished first day of fermenting.


----------



## Coaster (Nov 13, 2006)

My beautiful blueberry colored must is now a whitish yellow and the yeast are doing a number on the bananas. Yesterday it smelled oh so good, like a pie, yummm. Today its got the heavy fermentation smell and it’s so loud it sounds like it’s raining in the primary.*Edited by: Coaster *


----------



## Coaster (Nov 14, 2006)

It looks like the color of peanut butter now. Racked on day 3 at 1.014. Acid may be a bit high as it seems sharp (not much experience in this area tho).*Edited by: Coaster *


----------



## Wade E (Nov 14, 2006)

Looks like the bananas have broken down good and changed the color.


----------



## CajunTim (Nov 14, 2006)

I am always amazed as to how mucky something can be and turn out so clear after just a short bit of time. I would love to try to make this wine in the near future.


----------



## pkcook (Nov 14, 2006)

Coaster,


How dark was this when you started? Doesn't look like much blueberry in the mix, but the taste will tell.


----------



## Coaster (Nov 14, 2006)

It was dark purple grape juice color.


----------



## Waldo (Nov 15, 2006)

Coaster, was that really 5 gallon of juice or was it a typo? I think you will have a very nice wine here when it finishes


----------



## Coaster (Nov 15, 2006)

It was 10, 1/2 gallon bottles. I was going to get 12 but deceided to get 10 and a gallon of spring water soI could add the sugar to the water.


----------



## Waldo (Nov 15, 2006)

OK...I just can't read


----------



## Coaster (Nov 23, 2006)

Here it is 10 days into secondary fermentation. It has justa hint of purple in the color. I think that if you didn't know it was purple to start with you wouldn't pick up on the tint.


----------



## Wade E (Nov 23, 2006)

I like the layers of color. It looks like sand art.


----------



## dizzyswimmer (Nov 27, 2006)

I'm waiting to see what it looks like when it starts to clear.


----------



## Coaster (Nov 28, 2006)

I am going out of town this week but will prolly do the stabilizaton and fining this weekend. Any opinions on if I should rack off the lees first or just stir them up. I didn't use any Benotite (sp) in the primary.


----------



## dizzyswimmer (Nov 28, 2006)

If you did not add Benotite (sp), I would rack it.


----------



## OGrav (Nov 28, 2006)

Starting to look real nice. I wouldn't rush the fining, looks like it's fining itself pretty quick. What is (sp) anyway? Is that a different version of bentonite? If that is what you use eventually, let us know how it goes. I have some strawberry wine as well and it still has a few strawberry seeds held in suspension, I think. I haven't whipped it and wonder if that is part of the problem. Been inlimbo now for over a month. I have already sweetened/sorbated it.


----------



## Wade E (Nov 28, 2006)

I would rack it and stabilize. then clarify later if your rushing it,
but give it a little more time to clear on its own. Are you sweetening
at all, if so you should wait a week or two at least before clarifying
to make sure it doesnt referment.


----------



## Coaster (Nov 29, 2006)

The (sp) indicates I was unsure of the spelling I used (I was in a hurry to pack and didn't look up the correct spelling of bentonite). 


While I may be in a hurry to catch the plane I'm in no hurry with the wine. It's been in secondary fermentation for 16 days now. Just before I left I saw a few tiny bubbles still coming up the sides of the carboy. I'll check SG this weekend and iffinishedI may rack, degass,and stabilize. I will be backsweetening. I haven't deceided yet if I am using wine conditioner or juice.*Edited by: Coaster *


----------



## Wade E (Nov 29, 2006)

Make sure you check the SG a few days in a row to make sure it is stable. Just because its below 1.000 does not mean its done.


----------



## Coaster (Nov 29, 2006)

Yeah, That's my least favorite part. I seceretly hope if I wait long enough (15+ days and no activity in airlock) I can check once and be done with SG until time to sweeten (and even then I tend to do it by taste). Ido not likechecking twice (or more). I do not like checking SG at all actually, but then I am the one who wants a remote monitoring device in the must/wine that will read my temp/ph/sg hourly and report to my computer. Then there would be no checking twice I'd just watch the charts until I knew the SG was stable hehe.


----------



## Wade E (Nov 29, 2006)

That would be very cool. When you design one sell it to me for cheap please.


----------



## Coaster (Nov 30, 2006)

I've sketched the concept. The pH and the temp are cheap and easy. It's the SG monitor that is hard to come by. The wireless technology would be based on Zigbee. The case would most likely be glass with a o-ring seal. Current diameter is about 1" and it's about 14" long. I've got AAA batteries in the plan but a friend of mine says we can get away with smaller ones. The tube would have a magnet in it so I could drag it over to the side of the carboy and hold in place with an external magnet. A near by computer would have a receiver connected to a USB port. The data monitor would wake every 60 mins to send data, and I think there is a wayI can request data right away (although with a 1 hour window I don't know if I need that option). I guess the three hurdles are the SG probe, the glass housing, and the software.


----------



## Wade E (Nov 30, 2006)

Sounds cool Hows about getting a spcial bung attachment so that you
wouldnt need the magnets like a rubber bung with two holes one for the
airlock and one for the probe or build an airlock into it.


----------



## Coaster (Dec 2, 2006)

Pic before racking, sg .994. Racked added K-meta, sorbate, and topped up.


----------



## Wade E (Dec 2, 2006)

Looks good.


----------



## Waldo (Dec 3, 2006)

Looks good coaster.....How did it tatste? Was there very much SO2 in it?


----------



## Coaster (Dec 3, 2006)

I could tell there was a medley of tastes in there, grape for sure and hint of "other" my wife said (I assume it's the blueberry/kiwi). The ABV is 13% and did not taste hot at all, but I could tell this was sharper (due to the acid blend) than I've made in the past. The SO2 was below 40 (I have two types of test - above and below 40 - I used the above cuz I was worried but it indicated I should have used the below 40). I didn't re-test after the first test because it was "low enough" for me to add more. I'll test again in 2-3 weeks when I back sweeten and rack for some aging.


----------



## Coaster (Dec 11, 2006)

Here it is after clearing. I'll taste and sweeten next week I think.


----------



## OGrav (Dec 11, 2006)

Looks great!, love the color. Did you ever use your bentonite?


----------



## dizzyswimmer (Dec 12, 2006)

It does look VERY good !


----------



## Coaster (Dec 12, 2006)

OGrav said:


> Looks great!, love the color. Did you ever use your bentonite?




No, but I did end up using Super Kleer on it. I know, I know lack of patience but this was suppose to bea quick kit to beef up the cellar while I get more kits going. She's (the wife) has already drank most of what I have



. I'm happy she's enjying the wine and it's fun for me but I doubt we'll ever have aged homemade wine. AAAStinkie used this fining method in his Welch's wine and that is what this is based on.


----------



## OGrav (Dec 13, 2006)

Did the Super Kleer compact well. I haven't used any type of fining yet, trying to figure out which one might be my first foray. I have some bentonite already, but the information I have read is that it is really light and fluffy. You better find a good hiding spot in the cellar somewhere. You must be doing something right if it's all gone.


----------



## Coaster (Dec 13, 2006)

OGrav said:


> Did the Super Kleer compact well.




Oh yes. And fast too. Since this was juice only I think there may have been less lees than normal but if you look at the pic carfully you can see them on the bottom there, a very thin layer. It was amazingly fast too, less than 2 days I would estimate and I saw it working within 12 hours.


----------



## dizzyswimmer (Dec 13, 2006)

I wouldn't use bentonite, if I were going to use Super Kleer. 




OGrav said:


> Did the Super Kleer compact well. I haven't used any type of fining yet, trying to figure out which one might be my first foray. I have some bentonite already, but the information I have read is that it is really light and fluffy. You better find a good hiding spot in the cellar somewhere. You must be doing something right if it's all gone.


 *Edited by: dizzy *


----------



## Wade E (Dec 13, 2006)

SuperKleer is always super fast and does an awesome job everytime.


----------



## OGrav (Dec 15, 2006)

I think I will have to pick some of that up. I think I will let my strawberry wine drop on it's own, but next time to speed things up a couple months, to fine.


----------



## Coaster (Dec 19, 2006)

Here it is bottled, no label yet. Think I am going to call it Hillcountry Blush.


----------



## CajunTim (Dec 19, 2006)

That looks great!


----------



## R.E.T. (Dec 26, 2006)

COASTER ????? 
GOING TO TRY YOUR RECIPE
JUST PICKED UP 5 GAL. WHITE GRAPE 100% JUICE 
GOING TO ADD BLUEBERRY I PICK LAST FALL
QUESTION IS : I GET HOME READ LABLE 
IT HAS K- META ADDED WILL THIS HURT?


R.E.T.
COWICHE WA.


----------



## Wade E (Dec 26, 2006)

HillCounty Blush huh, I like it and it looks Beautiful!


----------



## jojo (Dec 26, 2006)

awesome thread. great job!


----------



## Wade E (Dec 26, 2006)

I have used them many times. All the Welches have K-meta in them and
everyone uses them. Go for it! It is a miniscule amount just to keep it
from frmenting in the can.


*Edited by: wade *


----------



## R.E.T. (Dec 26, 2006)

thanks wade just wanted to be cautious.
will get berry out tonight 
will let everbody know how it doing.

r.e.t.


----------



## Coaster (Dec 26, 2006)

I was worried about the preservatives also so I used two packets of yeast. I mixed up the must (juice, blend, bananas, sugar, water, etc) and let it sit 12 hours. During that 12 hours I made a starter (1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup must, pinch of energizer, yeast) and every 2 hours I added another 1/2 cup of must. After 12 hours I had a vigorous starter. I dumped the starter and pitched the second packet on top (Why? Well I dunno for sure but it made me feel good). Worked like a charm.


----------



## Wade E (Dec 26, 2006)

Just dont use anything that has sorbate in it, this will give you a problem for sure!


----------

