crude recipe, will it be drinkable?

[jnjheflin]

My Wife found a crude recipe on a cooking site for wine, we thought it looked pretty simple and there were lots of reviews saying it was "awesome",so we followed the recipe below to the letter but doubled everything, but now after investigating a little further(almost 1 week later), im wondering if its going to even be worth drinking or is there anything else i need to do ...we used 2 cans frozen concentrate welchs white grape juice(one can was white grape and peach),we rehydrated the yeast with a cup of sugar water at 105 deg. for about 15 min, for the ballon idea we used a very heavy rubber ballon stretched over the top of a 3 1/2gallon clear plastic water bottle and poked a small hole in ballon and fit a clear vinyl tube in then run to a jar of slightly chlorinated water. the temp. in the house has been at most 83.deg/F and as low as 68.deg/F, also we dissolved the(gulp) 8 cups of sugar in hot water and cooled it down to 100.deg/f before combining everything...we didnt check anything with a hydrometer or check for acidity levels (of course by now i have read a little more about it)....so what do i got? can it be saved?

Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
4 cups sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen juice concentrate - any flavor except citrus, thawed
3 1/2 quarts cold water, or as needed

Directions
1. Combine the yeast, sugar and juice concentrate in a gallon jug. Fill the jug the rest of the way with cold water. Rinse out a large balloon, and fit it over the opening of the jug. Secure the balloon with a rubber band.
2. Place jug in a cool dark place. Within a day you will notice the balloon starting to expand. As the sugar turns to alcohol the gasses released will fill up the balloon. When the balloon is deflated back to size the wine is ready to drink. It takes about 6 weeks total.

FOOTNOTE:
Use a frozen juice concentrate without added sweeteners for best results.

 

[Tom]

One word.. YUK!

I would pass. Try a "mist" type kit if this is your 1st wine.

 

[Julie]

I just can't understand where someone would say this wine was "awesome" You do not have enough juice, actually, no where near enough (for a one gallon batch 3 - 4 cans of welch's concentrate), I bet way too much sugar but without a hydrometer, can't tell.

Sorry my best advice is if you are serious in making wine you need to get some equipment. You don't need a lot right off but I will warn you once you start you will probably be investing a lot more.

If you want to start with one gallon batch's then make sure you get a hydrometer, airlocks, and a titration kit. There is a pile of good advice for those just starting in our beginner's section, go check it out.

 

[jnjheflin]

Have reciently aquired some equipment.
The hydrometer reading after being in the container for 10 days is 1.162 at 72 degrees.
Replaced the blow off tube with a bung and a bubble type air lock.
noted yeast smell.

 

[Tom]

better ck again. No way thats the reading

 

[Julie]

At 1.162 after 10 days, you will have rocket fuel but since you used bread yeast, the yeast should die off way before it is dry. The wine will finish very sweet, with not much flavor.

 

[Julie]

Here is a link to frozen concentrate wine that Wade had posted up, take a reading before adding any sugar and I would suggest only adding in small amounts so you don't raise the sg to high.


http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3515

Hope this helps. I don't want you to get discouraged.

 

[jnjheflin]

TOM If all you have to say is that im to stupid to read the gauge, then I don’t think I will be needing your help any farther, thank you for your discouragement and non assistance

 

[jnjheflin]

is there anything you would suggest that I might bring the SG to where it should be. (I'm going to guess that it should be closer to 1.0)

 

[jet]

TOM If all you have to say is that im to stupid to read the gauge, then I don’t think I will be needing your help any farther, thank you for your discouragement and non assistance

I think you misread his intent.


An SG of 1.162 at 10 days seems unlikely.

1. I do not even think my hydrometer goes that high, but I guess yours might.
2. That starting SG would yield an ABV of 22+%, assuming your yeast could hold on that long, which is highly unlikely.

CO2 in fermenting wine can give falsely high SG, but I have never seen it cause a reading like that.

Assuming the SG is correct, I would doubt fermentation has started.

 

[Julie]

is there anything you would suggest that I might bring the SG to where it should be. (I'm going to guess that it should be closer to 1.0)

leave it go for now and see how low it will ferment to. Have you tasted it?

 

[jnjheflin]

Thank you julie for all your help. i figure this out for my self. good by

 

[docanddeb]

I would do another google search for balloon wine. I've seen some recipes that are pretty logical. This has a lot of sugar!
Hydrometers are hard to read... especially for beginners. You really have to start at the 1.000 mark... and then carefully follow each line. It's easy to read 1.600 instead of 1.060 in the beginning.

If it started bubbling... it will certainly turn to alcohol. Flavor might be a little weak, though.

Debbie

 

[EdwardLongshanks]

It sounds to me like you just read the hydrometer wrong. here is a link on how to read it properly
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10346

I made some wine with pretty much the same recipe you used only I used half cranberry juice, and half frozen grape concenrate. I also used a regular airlock since they run about $2. It turned out pretty decent but I am making some changes for the next batch. im going with an ale yeast and only using half a pack, im going to clear it with knox geletin, and im going to maybe back sweeten it. I only do this for fun and experimenting as I also have 23L wine that is more conventional.
have fun