# Blueberry Recipe - Submitted for Your Approval.



## UglyBhamGuy (Sep 4, 2011)

Submitting this for opinions.
I got a recipe for Blueberry Wine from my LHBS.
I will be scaling to 5 gallons using 24+lbs of fruit.



*Blueberry Wine:

Here is your opportunity to make a gallon of wonderful, robust wine from Blueberries. The process is simple. And the resulting creation is quite remarkable. 
For best results, follow the directions as closely as possible.

Ingredients:
4-6 lbs of Blueberries
2 & 1/2 cups Table Sugar
1 tsp Acid Blend
1/2 tsp Dry Pectic Enzyme
1 tsp Yeast Energizer
1 Campden Tablet, crushed
1 pkg Wine Yeast - Pasteur Red (preferred) or Montrachet

If making more than 1 gallon, multiply all ingredients (except yeast) by the number of gallons you are making.

DIRECTIONS:

Sanitize your equipment with B-Brite or double strength Campden solution. Do not use soap.

1. Crush the fruit put it in a sanitized food grade bucket (a crock is not recommended because of cracks in the lining harboring bacteria). Freezing and thawing the fruit helps make crushing easier. Putting the fruit into a straining bag will help later in getting it out of the wine and for you to squeeze all the juice out. Add enough water to make a soupy solution. Crush the Campden Tablet and mix it into the fruit along with the Yeast Nutrient and Pectic Enzyme. Allow for mixture to sit for 24 hours while loosely covered with the lid.


2. After 24 hours, sprinkle the yeast over the must and ferment for 5 days. No need to snap down the lid since once or twice a day, you will need to stir and punch the fruit back down into the must. Be sure the mixture is kept between 72 and 78 degrees F. for proper fermentation.


3. After 5 days squeeze out the fruit. Dissolve the sugar in warm tap water and, once cooled, add it to the fermenting bucket. Add additional water as needed to top up to a gallon. Now seal down the lid and fit with an airlock. Fill the airlock 1/2 full with water. An airlock allows gasses to escape without allowing air back into the wine. Allow wine to ferment for another week. Siphon the wine into a 1-gallon carboy, leaving the sediment behind. Let it sit for 3-4 weeks or until clear. It is normal for the wine to ferment slower now as the yeast finishes eating the sugar. Siphon into another clean container and let sit for 2-4 months to further clear. If you only have one carboy, clean and sanitize the bucket, siphon the wine into the bucket. Clean out the carboy and re-sanitize. Siphon the wine back into the carboy. Adding Super-Kleer will aid in clearing after the 2 months aging.


4. Once the wine has cleared, siphon it into the bottles for aging. Be sure not to disturb the sediment. Bottling too soon may result in broken bottles.



If you like you wine sweeter, you can sweeten it to taste just before bottling time, but you must add a stabilizer such as Potassium Sorbate at this time or fermentation may occur again in the bottles.



While you can drink your wine at bottling time, please realize that wine noticeably improves with age.*




Well, that's it.
Like i said, i do plan to scale to 5 gallons with 24+lbs of blueberries.
i will probably f-pack with frozen blueberries from the grocery as they usually taste sweeter than fresh, but that is a while down the road. We'll burn that bridge when we come to it. LOL.


Anything i should do different?
What SG should i shoot for?
For real, constructively, tear this thing apart. That's a lot of PICKED blueberries.


----------



## Calvus (Sep 4, 2011)

What is the reason not to add the bulk of the sugar to the must at the get-go and just bring it up to the proper SG? Is there something about blueberries where it is better to ferment the sugar from the fruit only, remove the pulp, and then finish fermenting with the added sugar. I would imagine this makes it hard to calculate the ABV but I dont know.


----------



## UglyBhamGuy (Sep 4, 2011)

i believe it is to see how much sugar you are going to garner from the blueberries as the Pectic Enzyme works on breaking them down. If i'm wrong, someone let me know.

Finally a reply, if nothing else it helps spread the knowledge. 
i was beginning to worry with all the views and not one response.
Thanks.


----------



## Calvus (Sep 4, 2011)

Hmm, interesting. If thats the case then I would probably just add all ingredients at the start and bring the SG up to your desired level. I would do this just because of simplicity. Is the energizer used instead of nutrient because the blueberries are hard to start? I wonder if the pasteur red is a common choice for blueberry too. Im asking a lot of questions too because I think I am going to try a blueberry port next month and have no experience with this.


----------



## UglyBhamGuy (Sep 4, 2011)

Hey, ask away, it might be something i didn't even think to ask.
And, yes, i believe it is because blueberries are hard to get going.


----------



## docanddeb (Sep 5, 2011)

Thank you for starting this.

I have 5 gal of pure blueberry juice from Walker's Fruit Basket in NY. I'm scared to death to start it. I'm going to save some back for adding at the end. I have had some AMAZING blueberry wines and some that are so pale I wouldn't have wasted the berries on it!! I know that there is benzoate? I think, that hinders fermentation. I'm hesitant, for that reason, so make a pure juice wine. I think I will at least cut it in half with water.

Keep up the questions and comments people!! I'm going to mix some with the elderberry- just picked yesterday- that I'm going to make too. THAT is a great combo!

I'll send a bottle to the person with the best advice!!

Debbie


----------



## jtstar (Sep 5, 2011)

docanddeb said:


> Thank you for starting this.
> 
> I have 5 gal of pure blueberry juice from Walker's Fruit Basket in NY. I'm scared to death to start it. I'm going to save some back for adding at the end. I have had some AMAZING blueberry wines and some that are so pale I wouldn't have wasted the berries on it!! I know that there is benzoate? I think, that hinders fermentation. I'm hesitant, for that reason, so make a pure juice wine. I think I will at least cut it in half with water.
> 
> ...


I have to agree with Debbie blueberry/Elderberry is an excellant combination


----------



## Deezil (Sep 5, 2011)

I plan on tackling blueberry wine in the future myself. I use nutrient & energizer on all my batches and dont see a reason why i wouldnt use both of them here - they're adding different elements.

Step 1 wants you to add the Campden Tablet & Pectic Enzyme at the same time - i'd wait 12 hours after adding the Campden tablet before adding the Pectic enzyme. The Pectic Enzyme will work better if the tablet has had some time to work.

I would probably add all the sugar up front like Calvus suggested. I would watch the SG to determine when to take the straining bag of fruit out as well, not how many days its been. I leave my straining bags in until i rack to secondary & i dont rack to secondary until 1.010-1.015 usually. I know its generally a pretty safe practice once you're under about 1.030.

If i was debbie, i'd be hesitant too but i'd probably still try the all-juice blueberry wine  I think the secret is in the yeast starter, personally. I make my starters in sanitized 2-liter bottles. 

Usually, i fill it with water a little bit above where all the different "feet" come together, then sprinkle the yeast in and let it sit for 15 minutes & stir them in. 

Then i'll add some juice i removed and strained, from before i added sugar to the must - usually take out a quart of this - and i'll take out some of the must from after i added sugar - usually 1/2 - 3/4 of another quart. 

I'll add, in small additions, the pre-sugar juice first, every couple hours. Then when thats all in, and the yeast are rolling good, ill start adding the post-sugar additions of juice. 

Eventually the 2-liter is practically full & the yeast are going crazy. When you pour the 2-liter into the primary, if you swirl it, it drains out quicker and you'll leave less yeast on the inside of the 2-liter.

Doing my starters that way, most of my wines so far have fermented in 3-5 days. I imagine blueberry will take a little longer, but im sure it'll finish when i get to it. The birds ate all my blueberries this year


----------



## docanddeb (Sep 5, 2011)

That is basically my plan too. Maybe next weekend I'll start both the blueberry and elderberry. I plan to blend them once finished for a few bottles. I'm going to Port the elderberry... and maybe a blue/elder combo port too. I've had them together and it was fantastic!

Debbie


----------



## UglyBhamGuy (Sep 8, 2011)

docanddeb said:


> Thank you for starting this.
> 
> I have 5 gal of pure blueberry juice from Walker's Fruit Basket in NY. I'm scared to death to start it. I'm going to save some back for adding at the end. I have had some AMAZING blueberry wines and some that are so pale I wouldn't have wasted the berries on it!! I know that there is benzoate? I think, that hinders fermentation. I'm hesitant, for that reason, so make a pure juice wine. I think I will at least cut it in half with water.
> 
> ...



Do not water it down too much. (if any)
Maybe take out a gallon for the f-pack later and replace with water.
Use a yeast starter and add a little of the juice at a time to it, until it gets going strong, then add that to the must.
PM me for where to send my bottle.


----------



## Wade E (Sep 8, 2011)

I also use both energizer and nutrient on all my wines. 1 tsp per gallon of nutrient and 1/2 tsp per gallon of energizer. Blueberry and Cranberry both contain natural benzoate so the substitution of energizer is a better decision but if you have both use both. I always add all fruit and wait around 12 hours before adjusting the sg up so as to extract all or most of the sugars out of the fruit so as to not exceed my typical starting sg of 1.085 or there abouts.


----------



## docanddeb (Sep 8, 2011)

I have both and will use them... along with making a roaring starter!

Debbie


----------



## Wade E (Sep 8, 2011)

Another great idea there deb with the starter!!


----------



## docanddeb (Sep 8, 2011)

I think I'm ready to pull the trigger this weekend. Wish me luck!!

Debbie


----------



## GrandpasFootsteps (Sep 22, 2011)

So, is this going to make a blue wine?


----------



## Old Philosopher (Sep 22, 2011)

UglyBhamGuy said:


> Hey, ask away, it might be something i didn't even think to ask.
> And, yes, i believe it is because blueberries are hard to get going.



UBG, I think I have a disaster on my hands with my first blueberry attempt.
My 2 gal batch went dormant on 8/22. It stuck at SG 1.046. I've tried several things to get it going again.
So here's where I'm at: After 60 days, I have 2 gallons of stuff that smells like vinegar, bites like vinegar and has a slight blueberry taste. According to SG calculations, it's at ~5.5% abv.
Questions:
Do I have blueberry vinegar?
Do I have really bad blueberry wine?
Is it salvageable as either vinegar, or wine?
Do I just dump it and get on with my life....?

Thanks for any words of wisdom.


----------



## docanddeb (Sep 22, 2011)

Please give your recipe and time line. It will help to sort out what happened and when.

My straight juice should be done by now. I usually just leave it alone. In a couple weeks everything is pretty much done. It got down to 1.020 fast and I put it under airlock. It's nice and cozy there and I'll check it this weekend.

Debbie


----------



## Old Philosopher (Sep 23, 2011)

docanddeb said:


> Please give your recipe and time line. It will help to sort out what happened and when.
> 
> My straight juice should be done by now. I usually just leave it alone. In a couple weeks everything is pretty much done. It got down to 1.020 fast and I put it under airlock. It's nice and cozy there and I'll check it this weekend.
> 
> Debbie


I'll post the recipe, but I can already hear the responses.
No acid blend
No yeast nutrients
No this, no that.....

But I've never used them before. I guess blueberries are just more finicky than other fruits.


----------



## docanddeb (Sep 23, 2011)

No one will be able to answer all the questions you asked without some basic knowledge. Knowing what is and isn't in the wine helps to figure out if anything may have gone wrong.... chemical reactions and all that stuff.

Debbie


----------



## Old Philosopher (Sep 23, 2011)

docanddeb said:


> No one will be able to answer all the questions you asked without some basic knowledge. Knowing what is and isn't in the wine helps to figure out if anything may have gone wrong.... chemical reactions and all that stuff.
> 
> Debbie



Okay, here's the rundown on the blurberry:

"Recipe":
6# frozen blueberries, mashed.
1 gal water
8 cups sugar
1/4 tsp K-meta (for any wild yeast)
1 pkg Premier Red yeast



On 7/24/11 I started a batch with 6# of frozen blueberries.
Placed in a straining bag in my 5 gal bucket. Poured 1 gallon of boiling water over them, and mashed them slightly. Added 1/4 tsp of K-meta.
I added simple syrup made from the water/juice combo in stages until the SG reached 1.080. This took 8 cups of white sugar, and raised my volume to 1.25 gallons.
I made a yeast starter with juice and Premier Red yeast, and added that the next day.
By 8/16/11, the SG had "stuck" at 1.050, so I made an yeast starter juice and Cuvee yeast, and added it. The starter was going good, but stopped working within 12 hours in the batch.
On 8/22/11, the SG hadn't moved from 1.050, so I took some advice and added 1/4 cup of raisins. There was a slight vinegar taste at this point. The SG dropped to 1.048 and then stayed there for the next 6 days.
On 8/28/11, I made a yeast starter of regular bread yeast with 1 cup of plain water. It got going well, and I added 1/4 cup of juice to the starter. The yeast slowed down within minutes, and the foaming diminished. I went ahead and added it anyway.
So...the SG has remained unchanged (at 1.048) since the 22nd of August, but the vinegar tang, and smell has increased. There's just a hint of berry flavor now.

So my question is not "what went wrong", but what to do at this point? It's my belief the acid levels in the batch killed the yeasts. Might it ever turn into usable vinegar?


----------



## docanddeb (Sep 24, 2011)

The first thing I notice is that you used 1/4 tsp of Kmeta... that is the dose for 5 gal of must. That was the first stressor on the yeast. I don't think even vinegar spores, yeast, whatever they are called... could overcome that. But, the yeast did start right away.
Did you start this in a bucket? or jug? did you stir it a couple times a day those first few days?
Bread yeast has a very low alcohol threshhold, so that is why it was overcome and pooped out immediately.
When you make a new starter for a stuck fermentation, EC 1118 is a good one to use. It is a fairly long process, as you have to keep adding the "stuck" must to it very slowly. If it were me, I would start it in another primary, and slowly, very slowly.... add the stuck must to it. It has to get used to the alcohol level slowly, or it will just stop working.
The point that you are at now.... I don't have experience with. Hopefully someone with more knowledge in that area will chime in.
Good Luck!

Debbie


----------



## Old Philosopher (Sep 24, 2011)

docanddeb said:


> The first thing I notice is that you used 1/4 tsp of Kmeta... that is the dose for 5 gal of must. That was the first stressor on the yeast. I don't think even vinegar spores, yeast, whatever they are called... could overcome that. But, the yeast did start right away.



My apologies. I misquoted my own notes. I used 1/4th of 1/4th tsp. Basically a "pinch" for this 1.25 gal batch.
Thanks for all the other advice.


----------



## Redtrk (Feb 20, 2012)

Sorry to dig up an old thread however instead of starting another I thought I would resurect this one.  

I happened to stop into a Walmart today which I rarely do and saw 4 lb bags whole frozen blueberries in their freezer section. I'm now thinking about getting about 5 0r 6 bags to start a 6 gallon batch of blueberry wine. 

My questions are; 
Has anyone ever used these for wine? 
If so did you add anything else to it or just use the blueberries?


----------



## jtstar (Feb 20, 2012)

Redtrk said:


> Sorry to dig up an old thread however instead of starting another I thought I would resurect this one.
> 
> I happened to stop into a Walmart today which I rarely do and saw 4 lb bags whole frozen blueberries in their freezer section. I'm now thinking about getting about 5 0r 6 bags to start a 6 gallon batch of blueberry wine.
> 
> ...



I have done both a Blueberry and a Blueberry/Elderberry


----------



## jswordy (Feb 21, 2012)

For comparison, I've got a 5-gallon batch that's a close variant of this 1-gallon recipe in a 5-gallon secondary now...my variations are in parentheses...

•	3 lb. blueberries 
•	1 can frozen Welch's grape juice concentrate *(can omit; adds fruitier taste; I used 4 cans in 6 gal.)*
•	1 3/4 lb. granulated sugar 
•	1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme 
•	1 1/2 tsp. acid blend 
•	1/2 tsp. yeast energizer 
•	1 tsp. yeast nutrient 
•	1/2 tsp. wine stabilizer 
•	6 pints water 
•	1 crushed Campden tablet or K meta equivalent
•	1 pkg White Labs 749 AMH (Assmanshausen) or Lalvin 71B-1122 (Narbonne) wine yeast - I used 71B-1122.

Wash and crush blueberries in nylon straining bag and strain juice into primary fermentation vessel. Tie top of nylon bag and place in primary fermentation vessel. 

*(I made 6 gallons total to reduce to 5 at secondary. I placed the berries directly in the must and then strained them prior to secondary.) *

Stir in all other ingredients except yeast, stabilizer and grape concentrate.

*(I stirred in the Welch's, too. Initial SG was high, at 1.120.)*

Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover well, and set aside for 24 hours. Add yeast, cover, and daily stir ingredients and press pulp in nylon bag to extract flavor. 

*(In my case, stirred twice daily and pushed down the berry cap.) *

When specific gravity is 1.030 (about 5 days), strain juice from bag and siphon liquor off sediment into glass secondary fermentation vessel. 

*(At. 1.040, I poured the must through a 5-gallon nylon paint filter into another bucket and left it sit 24 hours to settle, then racked.)*

Fit airlock. Rack in three weeks and again in two months. 

*(I am in the 3-week/1-month phase.)*

When wine is clear and stable, rack again and add stabilizer and grape concentrate. Wait 3 weeks and bottle. Allow a year to mature. It will be worth the wait.

*(I will probably wait 3 months, then taste it. I would not be surprised if it took 3 rackings instead of the 2 listed to get it clear to my standard. I intend to back-flavor as needed with blueberry juice concentrate and allow to settle prior to bottling.)*

It does taste very berry out of primary!


----------



## jswordy (Feb 21, 2012)

Redtrk said:


> Sorry to dig up an old thread however instead of starting another I thought I would resurect this one.
> 
> I happened to stop into a Walmart today which I rarely do and saw 4 lb bags whole frozen blueberries in their freezer section. I'm now thinking about getting about 5 0r 6 bags to start a 6 gallon batch of blueberry wine.
> 
> ...



Yes, I have used them for the recipe I just posted. Frozen berries are riper than fresh, so they could be used alone. The nice thing is that you can thaw and crush right in the bags, then squeeze out the berries into the straining bag or must.


----------



## Redtrk (Feb 21, 2012)

This is good info and thanks! I'm going to start getting some bags into my freezer and get ready for a 6 gallon batch.


----------



## jswordy (Feb 22, 2012)

Redtrk said:


> This is good info and thanks! I'm going to start getting some bags into my freezer and get ready for a 6 gallon batch.



Just be careful of those WM frozen berry bags. Some may have very tiny holes in the seams. No biggie as far as the winemaking, but if you set them on something that will stain, juice could leak onto it as the berries thaw.


----------



## 1ChuckGauthier (Feb 22, 2012)

Wade E said:


> I also use both energizer and nutrient on all my wines. 1 tsp per gallon of nutrient and 1/2 tsp per gallon of energizer. Blueberry and Cranberry both contain natural benzoate so the substitution of energizer is a better decision but if you have both use both. I always add all fruit and wait around 12 hours before adjusting the sg up so as to extract all or most of the sugars out of the fruit so as to not exceed my typical starting sg of 1.085 or there abouts.



Reading this old post by Wade has me wondering if every wine I have made is higher in alcohol than I thought I was making. I have added fruits and sugar to the level of 1.085 and thought I was doing ok. Just started some strawberry and just realized that I also added meto bisulfate at the same time as pectic enzyme.


----------

