blackberry/elderberry mix

[FTC Wines]

Dawg, We had a bottle of our BKE, ( blackberry 50%, Elderberry 50%) last night, it’s two and Half years old. Awesome just gets smoother and smoother as it ages! I put some away for the 5 yr tasting. Roy

 

[hounddawg]

this is the first wine I've made, that taste much better at room temperature than cold, and it is enjoyable, i bottle 1 carboy, the other 2 will age for a long time to come,
Dawg

 

[BernardSmith]

But red wines generally taste better at room temperature* and white wines are enhanced by chilling. I think Americans have been hoodwinked by breweries that make crap beer and lager with more rice and maize in them than barley to think that all drinks should taste better at near frozen temperatures. Those breweries refrigerate their brews because the cold makes it harder for you to taste how awful they truly are.
* and historically, room temperature generally meant that you had to wear several layers to keep warm.

 

[Bossbaby]

I just did a 3rd racking on my blacberry/elderberry last night and the flavor has gone kinda flat with an astringent aftertaste, I dont want to back sweeten a whole lot but it may need something??? acid maybe..

 

[hounddawg]

I just did a 3rd racking on my blacberry/elderberry last night and the flavor has gone kinda flat with an astringent aftertaste, I dont want to back sweeten a whole lot but it may need something??? acid maybe..

your blackberry elderberry needs time to age, what is your SG & PH
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

But red wines generally taste better at room temperature* and white wines are enhanced by chilling. I think Americans have been hoodwinked by breweries that make crap beer and lager with more rice and maize in them than barley to think that all drinks should taste better at near frozen temperatures. Those breweries refrigerate their brews because the cold makes it harder for you to taste how awful they truly are.
* and historically, room temperature generally meant that you had to wear several layers to keep warm.

um that's a personal preference, although that tends to be the norm for traditional wines, not so much with country wines, generally?
Dawg

 

[winemaker81]

I agree with @BernardSmith on temperature regarding beer. I pour a home brew at 70 F, it tastes fine, but American mass market beer needs to be chilled, else it tastes like crap. [Honestly, all mass market beer tastes like crap to me, but that makes it easy to nurse one beer for 4 hours!]

Ales from local brewpubs taste fine regardless of temperature, so it may be an ale vs. lager thing ... although I find beers with significant amounts of corn or rice just don't taste good. As a teenager we drank what we could get, but once I started on barley-only beers? There was no going back.

@hounddawg, I'm curious why the blackberry-elderberry tastes good to you at room temp, while previous wines did not. You like sweet wines, so is there a difference in the sweetness?

I just did a 3rd racking on my blacberry/elderberry last night and the flavor has gone kinda flat with an astringent aftertaste, I dont want to back sweeten a whole lot but it may need something??? acid maybe..

In my experience, non-grape wines need backsweetening, else they taste astringent.

Start with 1/4 cup sugar in 5 gallons of wine, stir very well, and taste. Repeat until you're satisfied.

 

[hounddawg]

I agree with @BernardSmith on temperature regarding beer. I pour a home brew at 70 F, it tastes fine, but American mass market beer needs to be chilled, else it tastes like crap. [Honestly, all mass market beer tastes like crap to me, but that makes it easy to nurse one beer for 4 hours!]

Ales from local brewpubs taste fine regardless of temperature, so it may be an ale vs. lager thing ... although I find beers with significant amounts of corn or rice just don't taste good. As a teenager we drank what we could get, but once I started on barley-only beers? There was no going back.

@hounddawg, I'm curious why the blackberry-elderberry tastes good to you at room temp, while previous wines did not. You like sweet wines, so is there a difference in ghty proud of our history cept for one thing the sweetness?


In my experience, non-grape wines need backsweetening, else they taste astringent.

Start with 1/4 cup sugar in 5 gallons of wine, stir very well, and taste. Repeat until you're satisfied.

i love the Ozarks and proud of our history, but the old ridge runners round here could not make beer all of theirs tasted of yeast, so i never tried brewing beer, made fine um u no, and good wine,
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

I agree with @BernardSmith on temperature regarding beer. I pour a home brew at 70 F, it tastes fine, but American mass market beer needs to be chilled, else it tastes like crap. [Honestly, all mass market beer tastes like crap to me, but that makes it easy to nurse one beer for 4 hours!]

Ales from local brewpubs taste fine regardless of temperature, so it may be an ale vs. lager thing ... although I find beers with significant amounts of corn or rice just don't taste good. As a teenager we drank what we could get, but once I started on barley-only beers? There was no going back.

@hounddawg, I'm curious why the blackberry-elderberry tastes good to you at room temp, while previous wines did not. You like sweet wines, so is there a difference in the sweetness?


In my experience, non-grape wines need backsweetening, else they taste astringent.

Start with 1/4 cup sugar in 5 gallons of wine, stir very well, and taste. Repeat until you're satisfied.

no, and I've been pondering that myself, it don't make since, I've tried all my wines both ways, and every single time i like cold..., but i got them i just bottled in a wine rack, i kicked back a few bottle to try 1 each year..., my SG-PH and amount of pounds the exact as always , and i know fruit is different every year, but i don't think that could be it, makes e wonder about the 2 carboys still in bulk age, i got a bad habit of when making a wine i make 3 to 5- ,6 gal carboys, no i bottle at 1.040,
Dawg

 

[dralarms]

@hounddawg, I just tried a 50/50 mix of blackberry and elderberry. Mighty tasty.

 

[hounddawg]

@hounddawg, I just tried a 50/50 mix of blackberry and elderberry. Mighty tasty.

yep i ain't disappointed, can't hardly wait to try at 1 year which is not that far off, still have 2 carboys bulk aging plus the one i bottled, still have most of the bottled, but alas i gotta make a lot more Skeeter Pee Port,, makes aging easier by keeping me out of what i'm aging,
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

yep this wine keeps getting better, I'll be making much more of this wine, grinning ear to ear,
SKOAL
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

But red wines generally taste better at room temperature* and white wines are enhanced by chilling. I think Americans have been hoodwinked by breweries that make crap beer and lager with more rice and maize in them than barley to think that all drinks should taste better at near frozen temperatures. Those breweries refrigerate their brews because the cold makes it harder for you to taste how awful they truly are.
* and historically, room temperature generally meant that you had to wear several layers to keep warm.

not with country wines at least to me, strawberry, tart cherry, etc. are very good cold, of course i make and drink my wines at a SG of 1.040. if i remember correctly you like dry wines, where i like sweet wines, and where i live i get most all my fruits and berries farm fresh, now and then i do have to use concentrates, mainly in winter time, ,

 

[hounddawg]

so pulled a cork yesterday, room temp, of my blackberry/elderberry, it has gotten better, i figure the other 2 - 6 gal carboys will stay in their carboys, yep sooth as silk, am very happy
Dawg

 

[Scooter68]

Some day I might try a blend of Black Currant (Tart) along with Blackberry. Black Raspberry, when I can get the good wild stuff deserves to be made all by it self.

I did bottle up a batch of "Triple Berry" this winter. I scrounged up some old Wild Blackberries (3.5 lb (I think)) Red Raspberries (1lb maybe) and Wild Black Raspberries ( 2 - 2,.5 lbs) the three together are just down right awesome. A one gallon batch - I bottled 3 standard bottles and 4 Splits because there is no way I'm giving away a whole bottle to anyone who isn't a really really good friend. Wild Black Raspberries are too precious.

 

[hounddawg]

Some day I might try a blend of Black Currant (Tart) along with Blackberry. Black Raspberry, when I can get the good wild stuff deserves to be made all by it self.

I did bottle up a batch of "Triple Berry" this winter. I scrounged up some old Wild Blackberries (3.5 lb (I think)) Red Raspberries (1lb maybe) and Wild Black Raspberries ( 2 - 2,.5 lbs) the three together are just down right awesome. A one gallon batch - I bottled 3 standard bottles and 4 Splits because there is no way I'm giving away a whole bottle to anyone who isn't a really really good friend. Wild Black Raspberries are too precious.

Agreed 100%
Dawg

 

[winemanden]

But red wines generally taste better at room temperature* and white wines are enhanced by chilling. I think Americans have been hoodwinked by breweries that make crap beer and lager with more rice and maize in them than barley to think that all drinks should taste better at near frozen temperatures. Those breweries refrigerate their brews because the cold makes it harder for you to taste how awful they truly are.
* and historically, room temperature generally meant that you had to wear several layers to keep warm.

Bernard is spot on. Try tasting an American Budweiser against a Budweiser from the Chzech Republic. it's a revelation. Top quality ingredients and Ageing compared to??? No contest.
No I'm not being anti American.

 

[Scooter68]

Interesting to read the opinions on this thread. I suspect that the comparison to some foreign beers to American beers is probably spot on.
I found the same to be true comparing breads as well. (OK off topic but it does involve yeast) German white bread vs American White bread. Mass production is the American way and I suspect that the crafting of beers at micro-breweries has taken off simply because the difference is significant - when the beer is truely crafted well. The technical quality of our products might compare favorably but the true test is done by our taste buds.

 

[Arne]

Since we got off topic from elders and blackberries I am going to keep it a little off topic. Hope you don't mind, Rich. Daughter gave me a blackberry plant 4 years ago. Last year itproduced 78 berries and Kathy counted and ate every on of them. I had to cut a branch off it and took a piece of it and set it in

 

[Arne]

Darn fat fingers. set it in a glass of water on the kitchen window sill. It proced to loose its leave and left us with a stick. Was in with some other cuttings and left it. The other day Kathy said the blackberry had roots and leaves. Put it ina small pot today and back in the window. My question is the plant was thornless, will the new plant be thornless also assuming I can keep it alive? Arne.