BLUEBERRY WINE

[Guest]

I started a Blueberry last August.


I was up to Pensylvania for a funeral and while there, I spent some time at an Uncles place and his wife had two, huge Blueberry bushes blowing fruit out like rain.


I think I spent two hours picking blueberries that afternoon.


Anyway, here are the notes on the progress, which by the way, aside from the stuck fermentation issue I raised a while back,I'm exceptionally pleased with so far.


Incidently.


I attribute this issue to the fact that all I had at the time of fermentation, to my utter dismay, was Red Star Cote Des Blancs yeast, a notoriously slow cooker and recomended white wine yeast. Live and learn.


I added a yeast energiser as previously suggested and theresults were next to none.
After consulting other sources I decided to stand on a lower a.b.v. (stuck at 1.030), abondoned all other efforts to restart the fermentation and left it to age in the carboy.
Turns out you can do this and depending on where it stops fermentation, you don't have to backsweeten. It's a bit sweeter than I like my wines but good none the less.
I'll K-Met later and bottle to one gal bottles with screw capsfor aging, then transfer to 750's later to store and give away.


Take care all.
Handyman



NOTES:
2008-08-15 03:00pm<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />
Started the must today.
Starting S.G. was 1.084
Starting p.h. 4.6
Washed and inspected the berries thoroughly. 4 Jap Beetles include -ed in inventory. Discarded immedietly.
2008-08-16 03:00pm
Pitched the yeast today.

2008-08-17 08:00pm
Must started bubbling finally.

2008-08-22 04:18pm
Must is bubbling at about 5 seconds a burp. S.G. was 1.063

2008-08-23 12:26pm
Must is bubbling at about 5 seconds a burp. S.G. was 1.060

2008-08-27 05:36am
Must is bubbling at about 5 seconds a burp. S.G. was 1.046

2008-08-28 05:47am
Must is bubbling at about 8 seconds a burp. S.G. was 1.042

2008-08-29 05:17pm
Must is bubbling at about 8 seconds a burp. S.G. was 1.040

2008-09-20 05:17pm
Fermentation has stopped. I’m adding a yeast energizer hoping that it will help get the fermentation started again.. S.G. was 1.030

2008-09-27 05:17pm
Fermentation has stopped and energizer hasn’t helped. I’m now aging at S.G. was 1.029

2008-10-09 07:30pm
Racked the wine again. 0.030s.g. still. Very prominent blueberry aroma and taste with only a small amount of acid. Very small amount of lees build up this time. I think one more rack in a couple, 4 weeks and to the bottle.

2008-10-18 07:30pm
Racked into the 6gal. carboy again today. Very prominent blueberry aroma and taste with only a small amount of acid.

2008-11-01 10:17am
Racked into the 6gal. carboy again today. 0.030s.g. with a very prominent blueberry aroma. Filled two Bud Lime beer bottles with the remainder.

 

[Wade E]

Sounds good, dont forget sorbate on this 1!

 

[Guest]

Yup.
I'm still degassing as well. There's still a little froth edging up the sides of the bottle so I stir it up every couple days or so.
Love this SS wand with the nylon paddles. I just wash it in the sink, sterilize it, stick it in my DeWalt cordless then dip it in and oscelate it forward and backward VERY SLOWLY and in SHORT BURSTS (learned the hard way many bottles agoon what happens when you're too aggressive with the stir.... woooooosh).


This one's clearing just fine on its own too.
While you can't obviously, see through the bottle, by the glass comes out crystal clear.
I'm very pleased.
I'm also pleased with the taste. Not so much alch in this run makes it much smoother though a little more like juice.


Handyman

 

[NorthernWinos]

Racked today after adding Super-Kleer a couple weeks ago....

The usual sediment, perhaps less than most.

Clearing nicely, very dark...think it will be nice.