Blueberry Port Game plan

[gaudet]

Thanks Goodfella

I almost forgot, I have some medium toast french oak as well, I will add that to the recipe as well. I will add that when I rack to secondary as well

 

[Wade E]

I think the brandy will add even a little more body so the mixture of brandy and Everclear is a good idea.

 

[Goodfella]

How's the BB Port coming along Gaudet?

 

[gaudet]

Funny you should ask........ I am chapitalizing it today. Will put it
in a 5 gallon carboy to let it finish then rack it off, Decided to go with 2#'s of dissolved sugar which I am waiting to cool to add in. It should bring up the total SG to the 1.126 range.

 

[gaudet]

Racked it today into a 3 gallon and 1 gallon carboy. Added 2 oz Medium Toast French Oak (eyeballed it for each container). I will get an sg in a month. Taste it in two or three weeks to see how the oak is doing. The little sample I sipped this morn was dry, but I didn't get a SG.

 

[Wade E]

Sounding good there buddy!

 

[Waldo]

I would go ahead and backsweeten now gaudet if you are going too. If you wait until you get the oakiness like you want and then backsweeten it will change it on you.

 

[intoxicating]

Question for blueberry wine lovers:
I have a three gallon batch that I am ready to divide into 1 gallon batches. One I plan to bottle dry, the other two I will sweeten. One of the sweetened ones will not be oaked. It is not chewy or port, only around 10 to 12 %, and elderberries, but no banannas or DME. I will NOT be adding anything to this batch to boost the ABV.

I bought cubes of Med toast and house toast American oak. How many cubes to one gallon? Which should I put in first, Med or House? Should they be stirred, or left alone? It is in the bulk age stage.

 

[Waldo]

Assuming the cubes are 3 oz packages which are intended for 6 gallon batches then you can just "guesstimate" 1/6 of the package and put that in. You do not need to stir either. If you are going to use both styles in the same batchthen i would add them all at the same time. Just out of curosity, why are you using two different oak profiles?

 

[intoxicating]

Yes, they are 3 oz packages, and it would be no trouble to guestimate, or even to count the cubes if I was feeling especially obsessive/compulsive.

No one stirred water in the concrete yet, so I am open to suggestions. I thought I wanted the med. oak for the vanilla notes, and the darker one for the "jammy" notes. I have a batch of brandywine, that I want to be chewy and vanilla-ey but haven't completely decided on the blueberry.

What do you think?

 

[gaudet]

Status update:

I got a little lazy and let this sit on the oak for almost 3 months. Was a little scared about what it would taste like. I can only say that I was extremely surprised. I racked it all into the fermentor and added the appropriate k-meta and k-sorb. Took a fg reading and it ended at 1.010. I did have to top up the 1 gallon jug with some spring water, but only a pint. I estimate the ABV to be about 15.50% to 15.75%. I think its going to be a great sipper, even if I don't add any brandy to up the abv a little more.

 

[Wade E]

Sounds like a good one there!

 

[Waldo]

How much oak did you have in it and was it chips or spirals? I bet its gonna be a winner

 

[gaudet]

It was 2 ounces of medium French toasted oak chips Waldo

 

[gaudet]

More impatience pays off again...... The blueberry port was pretty good, could probably use a little more sweet, but I think I will let it be as is about 15.75% abv and it has a good oakiness to it as well... I think its gonna need a year or so to develop some more good flavors to it, but its gonna be a nice one.

 

[Wade E]

Sounding good there buddy. 15.75% is a good number for a fruit Port.

 

[Goodfella]

I am happy this is turning out good!!!


I have to put in my 2 cents though....


I would bump it to 19-20% ABV (or at least 18), then sweeten it to 1.030 SG and it will turn out awesome.


It can handle the extra ABV. IMO


P.S. The Brandy adds a great flavor to it. IMO

 

[Waldo]

Im gonna jump on the wagon with Goodfella on this one. Bump er up buddy and sweeten morewith a good Fpack

 

[gaudet]

Ok I'm convinced to add the brandy and bump it up to 1.030, now what brand of brandy is suggested. I have never had brandy before, never really wanted to try it, so I guess I never got any....

 

[Goodfella]

I would use E&J XO. It is a little more mild... A good fit for BB Port.