Coconut wine?

[BernardSmith]

I very recently read a paper published in the Journal of Brewing and Distilling (2011) about attempts to make wine from coconut meat. Palm wine is traditionally made from tapping the sap of palm trees but that process apparently damages and then kills the tree. So this paper describes a very small experiment wherein the author, Okiemute Idise, sets out to see whether he can make a similar tasting and similar looking wine to palm wine using the fruit itself. My question: has anyone on this forum tried to make a wine from coconuts? I would have thought that given the amount of oil in the fruit that this would be a challenge but Idise makes no mention of any problem with the oils..

 

[Deezil]

I've read of it but haven't tried it yet.
Plan to though.

I've read that the oils float to the top, essentially starving the yeast of oxygen and making the fermentation process troublesome. I've also considered using a combination of coconut meat and coconut water.

When I do attempt it, I'll probably use honey and make a mead of it.

 

[BernardSmith]

I used coconut water (is that called coconut milk?) in a coffee** wine I made. Did not come through at all, IMO.. Regarding the oil issue. My thinking is that if one was to vigorously stir the must several times a day any layer of air would be broken up and air would be introduced into the wine. After the gravity drops to the point where you want to rack the wine into a carboy any oils floating on the surface would need to be skimmed off - fats, I assume, become rancid and I would think that aging would then lead to off flavors.

I think a gallon batch of coconut wine is on my to do list for February.

**For the record, the coffee wine was too bitter to enjoy and I thought that the experiment was an abject failure... I cracked open a bottle this past week and after two years the flavors have mellowed incredibly and the wine is now one I would have no problem opening for friends. Always good to be reminded by my own work how important time and patience is in wine making

 

[Deezil]

Coconut water looks like water and has a really light flavor; coconut milk is white like milk and is thicker and sweeter - two different products. Coconut water is the liquid found inside the coconut, where coconut milk, I believe, is from the meat of the coconut.. I believe it's pressed out, but not 100% on that.

I've read of the oils being skimmed or soaked into a paper towel off the top of the fermentation.. it's these oils going rancid like you mention, that spoils the batches. I want to try both a paper towel and a turkey baster to get the oils off. It's going to take a little experimentation to get it right. I think it's something that will need to be done more than once, then get it all.

It's on my list of to-makes too.

When you start it, just start it here and maybe between the two of us, we can get this nailed down

 

[BernardSmith]

Will do... Will see if my local supermarket has any coconuts.. Trying to figure out how many pounds of fruit I need for one gallon - and how many coconuts that will require... I'm thinking 4 or 5 lbs of coconut meat? Or I wonder if anyone sells just 100% pure coconut milk (without the thickeners and preservatives)..

 

[BernardSmith]

Jack Keller talks about using 1 lb of dried coconut to which he adds rice and dates... I have no problem with using honey or date syrup rather than sugar (although his recipe calls for sugar) but rice? Perhaps doubling the coconut to 2 lbs (dry).

 

[BernardSmith]

Found a supply of coconut milk with K-meta used as the preservative. Not sure how much was used but I bought a gallon and will create a starter and add the c-milk to the starter in small batches ...

 

[Deezil]

Where'd you score that at? I'm intrigued

I can't remember what the rice is for, but I know it's not fermentable sugars

 

[BernardSmith]

There is a store in the Bronx called Garden Gourmet. They sell all kinds of lovely fresh vegetables (the area is incredibly cosmopolitan) and all kinds of international foods. Goya makes cans of coconut milk with 3 ingredients - coconut milk , water and k-meta - Most of the other brands seem to contain contain carageenan and other additives...

 

[mmadmikes1]

First squeeze organic coconut milk is sold at most coops. There is a new one in Tacoma that has it. It aint cheap. I pay 3.50 for 12 oz can. I am thinking flacked meat would work better and cost less. Most is sweetened. Now I think I will go have a piece of coconut cream pie

 

[BernardSmith]

The milk I got cost $1.75 a can - 13.5 oz... but this is the Bronx... It's a Goya product - no added sugar (so there is about 1 gm of sugar in each "serving".(7 servings) And I creamed off about a cup of what I think is oil from the surface of the bucket this morning (I am hoping that the k-meta used as a preservative will evaporate off in the course of the 24 hours I have it exposed to the air (although covered with a paper towel before I pitch the yeast).

 

[Rodnboro]

If you just want the coconut taste, Cornucopia makes a Coconut Frascati kit. I made this one as per instructions and increased the ABV to 10%. It was cheap enough to try and turned out pretty good for a sweet wine.

 

[PandemoniumWines]

How did your coconut wine turn out?

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

I have so many coconuts, but the idea of coconut wine doesn’t really intrigue me. Definitely NOT from the coconut meat of ripe coconuts. It’s more oil than anything else and you would think that’s where the flavor comes from (but not really) coconut water, from immature coconuts is what should probably be used. As was mentioned it looks like clear water,(kind of tastes like that too) but there is a rum distillery here that makes the best coconut rum I’ve EVER tasted (not that coconut flavoring stuff). They use coconut water for the flavor. The coconuts should be at the stage where they are full of water and the pulp is just starting to form as a jelly. Not the coconut you would buy in a store. If you have to, look for the “box” of coconut water. Somebody mentioned Goya, Iberia etc.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

OK now I’m curious. Wondering why I couldn’t replace some water in my recipe (tap, spring, (distilled) or whatever) with coconut water.

I still have a lot of young coconuts that produce at least 10 ounces of water. When young they produce sweet clear water that is somewhat sweet but not necessarily strong coconut tasting.

There really isn’t any coconut meat at this point only small amounts of white cream / jelly

I don’t know where to find the amount of sugar in raw coconut water.

When I make my next batch of mango wine I’m thinking of doing a separate batch of mango coconut water wine to see the result. I’m wondering if backsweetening with coconut water might add anything to the taste as well

I should have some mango wine to backsweeten in a month or so when it’s aged enough (2 months in secondary at present)

 

[Ohio Bob]

I don’t know where to find the amount of sugar in raw coconut water.

Do you have a refractometer? All it takes is a droplet to measure the Brix level.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

I don’t have a refractometer. I don’t know what is is or whether I need extra space in my garage to park it

 

[Ohio Bob]

I don’t have a refractometer. I don’t know what is is or whether I need extra space in my garage to park it

Between $20-$50, hand held, uses ambient light refracted onto a prism. Through the eye piece you read the amount of sugar in the droplet on a scale engraved in the eye piece.

Vineyard tenders use them to do quick field tests of their grapes to determine ripeness.

 

[David Violante]

These are great gadgets pre-fermentation; I have one and use it just as Bob mentioned.

Just know that they don’t replace your hydrometer. A few of us here and there have at one time or another forgotten this and thought it would be just as easy to put a drop of fermenting must on the lens and see where the SG falls. However, as the alcohol increases the refraction of the light changes and you don’t get the reading you think you’re supposed to. I‘ve definitely done that . They are great though for their intended purpose.

 

[BigDaveK]

I can appreciate your trying to use what you have on hand. I try to source most of my raw material from the yard and garden, also. As far as coconuts, though, I've got zero to add.

That being said, I have thought about experimenting with different sugars - like coconut palm sugar.