Banana wine

[BottomsUp]

I started a batch of banana wine a short while back.
I'd read that you used the skins as well as the meat of the banana in the process and I was curious how it would turn out.

Having fermented it and now set it aside in the glass carboy, I added some cinamon sticks and several pecan chips that I cut myself.

I've never heard of using Pecan as an additive but I read someplace that they add a buttery, smooth taste and after fermenting one of my Liquors (everclear, pinapple, pecan meat and cinamon sticks) and getting a wonderfully sweet pecan essence from it I decided to try it in my wine.

I only added it a couple days ago and will report again in a month or so as it ages out.
So far though, the must has been a dificult one.

It started out massivly foggy and tended to froth out of the airlock every couple days during fermentation.
After it reached 1.400, which took nearly 2 weeks and was still frothing, I transfered it to the glass carboy.
Another 2 weeks later and it was still frothing out though at a slower rate.

Two days ago at 1.450 I racked it again, added the wood chips and for two days now it's been a slow but acceptable burp with only minor frothing.

 

[Wade E]

Dont keep racking it while its fermenting as youtr leaving behind viable yeast making it harder and harder for it to finish fermenting. I dont use the skins in my banana wine so cant help you as far as that goes.

 

[JasonH]

I also didn't use skins. A low foam yeast might help with your mess next time.

 

[BobF]

I did a 3g batch with 5#/g of peeled fruit. No skins. Foaming can be taken care of by using a primary with plenty of head space.

I ran mine through a steam juicer, then fermented. It started out stinky and ugly. It's a beautiful thing now!!

 

[Sacalait]

Using the peel as well as the flesh gives a much stronger banana flavor. Did you use toasted pecans and how much did you use? I've made pecan liquere that is to die for.

 

[JasonH]

Using the peel as well as the flesh gives a much stronger banana flavor. Did you use toasted pecans and how much did you use? I've made pecan liquere that is to die for.

I may try this next time. Do you use all the peels or just a portion?

 

[Sacalait]

I cut the ends off but that was it. I washed them thoroughly before anything else. Set them somewhere cool and allow them to turn brown and mushy then slice into waffers and boil with a little water until they have disintergrated. Use everything including the water for your batch. Do not use any energizer. Bananas can be used in lieu of yeast energizer.

 

[JasonH]

Sounds good thanks for the tip.

 

[BottomsUp]

I may try this next time. Do you use all the peels or just a portion?

I too cut the ends off but I used the peels and the meat.
I sliced mine into medallions about a quarter inch thick (found it less time consuming that way doing 4 at a time) and boiled them still yellow.
I might try using less ripe bananas next time to see if the flavor is any different.
I also used Red Star Pasteur yeast and I was actually thinking at the time I opened it there might be a problem with it on this particular wine.

As far as pecans, in the shine liqueor I just dropped the shelled pecan meat into the must but I crushed them lightly prior to adding them.
I thought about toasting them but the purpose of that is to remove the oil and I wanted that nice pecan oil flavoring.
It worked out absolutly splendidly adding a wonderful toasted pecan flavor to it though it threw the color a bit to the tan/brown side. The draw back to using the oil I guess.

In the wine, I havn't put any pecan meat into it and I'm not sure yet wether I will. What I did do, was add about a dozen 3/4" cubed pieces of pecan wood to see what that does to it.

My mistake was in not saving back a bit of it without the Pecan as a control.

Oh well. We'll see won't we.

 

[Lurker]

I started a batch of banana wine a short while back.
I'd read that you used the skins as well as the meat of the banana in the process and I was curious how it would turn out.

I'll be doing a banana wine in about a month. Can we see your recipe?

 

[BottomsUp]

5-gallon recipe
Original Gravity should be 1.085 -1.090
Acid Balance .55 - .60%
Yields 6 x 1 gallon jugs or 30 each 750ml bottles

• 15 lbs. banannas
• 7 pts. Water
• Enough sugar to make the SG = 1.100 (about 5 lb)
• 5 campden tablet, crushed
• 15 tsp. acid blend
• 5 tsp. yeast nutrient
• 1-1/4 tsp. Tannin
• 1 pkg. wine yeast

 

[mayberry]

I started a banana wine recently. Starting gravity was high - 1.12 - but I was going more for a high ABV desert wine.

Bananarama (6 gallons)

• 63 bananas (about 25 lbs)
• 10 peels
• pectic enzyme for 6 gallons
• 1 Tbsp yeast nutrient
• 16 lbs brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp acid blend
• water to top off
• 6 campden tablets, crushed

Cook bananas with brown sugar in water like mashed potatoes (minus stems and butts) for an hour. Dump into 6 gallon fermenter with 10 peels, pectic enzyme, nutrient, acid blend, and campden tablets. Add water to top up. (Acid blend should help break down banana starch into sugar during this time.) Let sit 24 hours. Pitch yeast.

All the pulp and stuff creates a crazy hard cap that pushed my lid off the plastic bucket a few times. I would suggest a cinder block to hold it down. ;)

Gravity went up to 1.134 but is now down under 1.01. I plan on aging two years.

 

[Wade E]

Looks like a decent recipe there mayberry and welcome to our forum.

 

[silver]

In country some additives may be hard to get like pecans and others what do i do then?

 

[dralarms]

In country some additives may be hard to get like pecans and others what do i do then?

Are you sure you want to add pecans to your wine?

 

[bkisel]

I've got my first banana wine in bulk aging. Same basic recipe as above but different processing of bananas. Started with 30 lbs. and when ripened to spotty I then peeled, cut and froze the banana slices. Thawed slices were put into nylon bags and into the bucket. Waited ~24 hours before pitching the yeast.

 

[PandemoniumWines]

Out of curiosity, for those who have made banana wine - do you add an fpac or extract before bottling? I've heard banana wine isn't very banana-y.

 

[dralarms]

Out of curiosity, for those who have made banana wine - do you add an fpac or extract before bottling? I've heard banana wine isn't very banana-y.

Mine is very banana-y you called it. I add no extra fruit. I do leave the fruit in for about a week at the very least. Out of 58 lbs I had less than 5 lbs of waste.

 

[dralarms]

Just bought over 100 lbs of bananas for 15.00.

 

[rustbucket]

I also used Red Star Pasteur yeast and I was actually thinking at the time I opened it there might be a problem with it on this particular wine.

I substituted Red Star Pasteur Red in a RJ Spagnols Cru Select Australian Cabernet Shiraz Merlot last June and also got a great deal of foaming. I'm now wondering, based on your comment, if the foaming is a characteristic of that yeast. I had used it a year earlier for a Chianti with not foaming abnormality documented in my notes so I'm not sure.