DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine

[mat_ski]

Step 5 yesterday. Looking good, I think.

 

[Jovimaple]

I made a triple berry DB last year from Costco's Kirkland triple berry fruit. I bottled it in March of 2021. We opened a bottle yesterday at Thanksgiving dinner and it was delicious! The aging definitely smoothed it out.

I used 12 lbs of fruit for 6 gallons, which is about 1.5 times the amount of fruit in the original recipe, if I recall correctly. I made my first batch according to the recipe (tweaked to make 3 gallons instead of 5) and it was a bit light on fruit for my taste.

 

[Shurt1073]

My Dragon Blood is close ..... real close. I can feel the Dragons breath when I get near. The batch was started on Oct 26th and plan to bottle the first week of December.

 

[Jovimaple]

Don't forget to post how many gallons (DB is counted as a variant of Skeeter Pee):

How many gallons of Lon D's Skeeter Pee have been made?

 

[mat_ski]

Pretty tasty, can’t wait to try it in few months.

 

[David Violante]

So I recently made a triple berry very similar to @Jovimaple, had let is sit post fermentation (no move in SG >3 days) , moved some things around (time got away from me) and just went to check it. Maybe it has been a few weeks (month and a half) and it looks like it's undergoing MLF... has anyone experienced that with their DB? Very active tiny tiny bubbles...

 

[wbhutchins]

@dangerdave, I want to thank you for the outstanding recipe. Yours is the second batch of any kind of wine I have ever made and the first I have ready for drinking. It is fantastic and your directions are easy to follow. I have definitely got the "bug" and have a new one (tropical - Blackberries, Peach, Mango, Pineapple and Strawberries) in the carboy clearing. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

 

[Ericphotoart]

I've made 4 batches of berry DB, 1 of them was triple berry and 3 of them were quad berry. I love quad berry version and it's my wife's favorite. My last batch was 10 lbs of Berry Medley from Aldi, plus 4 lbs of wild blueberry and 3 lbs of raspberry. It is the best DB so far. Amazing! Wild blueberries made a huge difference.

 

[wineview]

I've been toying with the idea of making some Dragons Blood. The only ingredient I don't have is "yeast energizer". Can I give it a shot without it?

 

[wbhutchins]

I would order it from Amazon or get from your local vendor. Yeast Energizer - 1 lb.

 

[G259]

I have never used yeast energizer, never had a problem.

 

[wineview]

I have never used yeast energizer, never had a problem.

Truth be told, I never heard of yeast energizer.

 

[Shurt1073]

I used some LD Carlson yeast nutrient from Label Peelers when I made my Dragons Blood .... not sure its necessary but I used a little.

 

[winemaker81]

I've been toying with the idea of making some Dragons Blood. The only ingredient I don't have is "yeast energizer". Can I give it a shot without it?

Yes. The energizer is not necessary. Here is a comparison of nutrient vs energizer

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/blo...ce-between-yeast-energizer-and-yeast-nutrient

 

[wineview]

Yes. The energizer is not necessary. Here is a comparison of nutrient vs energizer

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/blo...ce-between-yeast-energizer-and-yeast-nutrient

The article says you don’t need yeast energizer unless a lot of sugar is used. Dragons Blood uses an awful lot of sugar.

 

[winemaker81]

The article says you don’t need yeast energizer unless a lot of sugar is used. Dragons Blood uses an awful lot of sugar.

It's not required. I suspect most of our membership doesn't use it.

 

[wineview]

It's not required. I suspect most of our membership doesn't use it.

Got it

 

[wineview]

I've been going through the Dragons Blood recipe and would like to ask a few questions.

After pitching the starter, Dave specifically instructs to stir vigorously. That is the opposite of gently pouring the yeast colony along one side of the bucket. Is there a specific reason for the vigorous stir instructions in this recipe?

It's mentioned that higher fermenting temperatures will yield a sharper tasting, more colorful wine. Is he saying it will be more acidic? I suppose those temperatures hold true for any red.

I don't have Sparkoloid. Can I substitute bentonite during primary?

I typically don't use Potassium Sorbate for fear of off flavors. Is K-sorbate specifically used because of the additional sugar (2-6 cups) added directly into the carboy? Will these sugars ferment out or is he referring to back sweetening.

As this discussion moves forward, I may think of a few more questions.

Thanks

 

[wineview]

Hmm, that’s not promising. If you use a drill mounted whip, you’re done in 10 minutes.

Yeah...boy am I glad I found your post. Ive never heard of degassing for two days. I use a drill and am done in 6-10 minutes for kit wines or juice buckets. Is there something different about Dragons Blood that requires more degassing time?

 

[winemaker81]

Yeah...boy am I glad I found your post. Ive never heard of degassing for two days. I use a drill and am done in 6-10 minutes for kit wines or juice buckets. Is there something different about Dragons Blood that requires more degassing time?

If you are going over 3 minutes with a drill, it's too much. Degassing is not an instant process. I stir for 1 minute, which expels a lot of CO2 and jump starts the process. The wine finishes degassing over the next few weeks.

Not stirring the must after inoculation is based upon newer research. You'll get a quicker start.

You can use any fining agent you want.

I haven't read the recipe in a long time and don't recall the details. However, if you add sugar before the sorbate, it will ferment.

If you backsweeten, you will use sorbate. It's a quick drinking wine, so letting it age 9 months before back sweetening isn't recommended.