DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine

[dangerdave]

Thanks, Dave!
I just spent several minutes smelling it lol......I can't decide if it's a harsh alcohol smell or an acetone smell...... But it smells strong, and not like blueberries so much.

It's it ruined? If I rack to a carboy, and there is acetone, what happens then?

Did this happen because if was pushing on the lid and it wasn't on all the way??? I'm so sad if it's ruined. I'm always so careful and aseptic when I work with wine. :'(

Oh, Rosa! Do not fret! It isn't ruined, I promise you. This recipe is nearly bullet proof. Great for people starting out making their first home made wines. It is going to be good.

I thought we had discussed this when you started, maybe not. I usually try to give people the heads up. The blueberry version takes some time to come around and taste like blueberries. At the beginning, it will not smell like blueberries, either. This one has a charcter all it's own. Stick with it.

I repeat, it is going to be good!

 

[PoppaCork]

Mad mango

I like all the different DB's I have made but, I have a new favorite!

Just bottled 31 bottles of mango DB. I call it, MAD MANGO!
Starting sg was 1.1, ending sg was .986.
I used 30 lbs frozen mango chunks for a 6 gallon batch.
Mangos leave a lot of sediment suspended, it took 14 days to clear after adding the Super-Kleer!(was starting to think I had a bad batch of Super-Kleer)

Mango stains!
I use a white Brute to ferment in and the mango stained it yellow where the cap was! Not that it bothers me, I just found it interesting. I use food service gloves to squeeze the fruit bag and it even stained them in a single use of them. You don't want to get mango on anything you don't want yellow!

I have used the same Brute container to ferment blueberry, blackberry and triple berry, and none of them stained it at all!

I don't have the most educated palate, but to me, this is the best, smoothest tasting on bottling day, of all the DB's I have made.
I like this batch so much that it will get a 'PRIVATE PERSONAL STOCK' label on it.

Here is how it looks in the bottle.









Has anyone made a banana version of DB? I am considering making a batch...

 

[Rosa321]

Oh, Rosa! Do not fret! It isn't ruined, I promise you. This recipe is nearly bullet proof. Great for people starting out making their first home made wines. It is going to be good.

I thought we had discussed this when you started, maybe not. I usually try to give people the heads up. The blueberry version takes some time to come around and taste like blueberries. At the beginning, it will not smell like blueberries, either. This one has a charcter all it's own. Stick with it.

I repeat, it is going to be good!

Thank you so much for your vote of confidence!!!
We did discuss the aging process. I guess I just wasn't ready for the smell! haha
Could be the higher amount of fruit, or just a characteristic of blueberry, but my one and only other batch didn't smell like this.

I'm sure if it didn't spoil, it will come around. Perhaps I have a nice Christmas wine on my hands

 

[Rosa321]

I like all the different DB's I have made but, I have a new favorite!

Just bottled 31 bottles of mango DB. I call it, MAD MANGO!
Starting sg was 1.1, ending sg was .986.
I used 30 lbs frozen mango chunks for a 6 gallon batch.
Mangos leave a lot of sediment suspended, it took 14 days to clear after adding the Super-Kleer!(was starting to think I had a bad batch of Super-Kleer)

Mango stains!
I use a white Brute to ferment in and the mango stained it yellow where the cap was! Not that it bothers me, I just found it interesting. I use food service gloves to squeeze the fruit bag and it even stained them in a single use of them. You don't want to get mango on anything you don't want yellow!

I have used the same Brute container to ferment blueberry, blackberry and triple berry, and none of them stained it at all!

I don't have the most educated palate, but to me, this is the best, smoothest tasting on bottling day, of all the DB's I have made.
I like this batch so much that it will get a 'PRIVATE PERSONAL STOCK' label .

Wow! Looks great!!
Did you keep everything else the same in the recipe (i.e. Lemon juice instead of acid blend etc.). Looks like a recipe I may have to try some day!

 

[oreoman]

Poppa-- that mango sounds yummy!! Looks great too!! That just might be a future batch for me!!
Joann


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[PoppaCork]

Wow! Looks great!!
Did you keep everything else the same in the recipe (i.e. Lemon juice instead of acid blend etc.). Looks like a recipe I may have to try some day!

Thanks.

I forgot to mention that I did not use any lemon juice, I used 3 teaspoons of acid blend in it's place, and I used 6 lb. per gallon of fruit(30 lb. total), all else is by the recipe.

 

[bkisel]

Greg,

Are mango chunks readily available? Where do you get them? Why did you substitute the acid blend in place of the lemon juice?

Thanx...

 

[Rosa321]

Thanks.

I forgot to mention that I did not use any lemon juice, I used 3 teaspoons of acid blend in it's place, and I used 6 lb. per gallon of fruit(30 lb. total), all else is by the recipe.

Fantastic!!!!!!! I'm putting it on my to do list

 

[PoppaCork]

Greg,

Are mango chunks readily available? Where do you get them? Why did you substitute the acid blend in place of the lemon juice?

Thanx...

I found the frozen mango chunks locally at a store called Jungle Jim's. They had them for approx. $8.00 for 2.50 lbs.. I have heard they are also available at Trader Joe's. I hope you can find some, it is worth it.

If you were to get fresh mangoes, you should be aware that, "The sap of the mango tree and the skin of its fruit contain urushiol, the same irritating chemical that causes reactions to poison ivy and poison oak. Most people who react with an itchy rash can still eat the fruit if it has been peeled for them. But some people react to eating mangos with serious allergic symptoms such as swelling of the lips, face and tongue and even anaphylaxis." (info copied from peoplespharmacy.com website)


I used the acid blend because the wife does not like lemon juice, and I have a low tolerance for it.

 

[bkisel]

Greg, Given your numbers the mango alone cost $96.00. A BIG attraction for me of the DB recipe is the relatively inexpensive cost to make a wine that gets pretty good reviews. Would you not get a decent mango wine using say 6-10# of mango?

Thanx...

 

[PoppaCork]

Bill, it was recommended to me to use 6 -10 lbs. per gallon for the mango wine, I only used 5 lbs. per gallon because I bought all they had left.
I am not sure I would try it with much less, unless you want to back-sweeten with a mango concentrate.
My understanding is that lighter color fruits tend to require more fruit to bring out the flavor. Hopefully someone with more knowledge about it will chime in...
You could just make a one gallon test batch and try it to see if it will work for you.

Still, at approx. $3.20 per bottle, I am very happy with the results.

FYI, I use double the fruit(two lbs. per gallon) on the blueberry, blackberry, and triple berry DB's to increase the flavor and body of the wine, and to help prevent it from tasting like jet fuel because I also make them to at least 14 - 15% abv.

 

[bkisel]

Bill, it was recommended to me to use 6 -10 lbs. per gallon for the mango wine, I only used 5 lbs. per gallon because I bought all they had left.
I am not sure I would try it with much less, unless you want to back-sweeten with a mango concentrate.
My understanding is that lighter color fruits tend to require more fruit to bring out the flavor. Hopefully someone with more knowledge about it will chime in...
You could just make a one gallon test batch and try it to see if it will work for you.

Still, at approx. $3.20 per bottle, I am very happy with the results.

FYI, I use double the fruit(two lbs. per gallon) on the blueberry, blackberry, and triple berry DB's to increase the flavor and body of the wine, and to help prevent it from tasting like jet fuel because I also make them to at least 14 - 15% abv.

Thanks. So much yet to learn. Hadn't heard about lighter vs. darker fruits and bringing out flavor. It'd be neat to have an understanding of why that might be.

So maybe use less mango and aim for something like a a mist wine in the 8-10% abv range?

 

[dangerdave]

I have made a peach/mango DB version several times. A way to get past the lighter flavor is to use an extract. Natural peach and mango extracts/flavorings are readily available commercially. They can amp up the flavor without adding much additional cost.

That being said, I bet Gregs Mad Mango is awesome! Do you have a label for that stuff yet?

 

[dangerdave]

FYI: Day 5 of primary fermentation on the triple-sized Big Batch with one packet of EC-1118---SG = 1.010. Foamy cap has vanished. Fizzing quietly along, just like normal.

 

[Johngottshall]

Bottling this evening

 

[StoneCreek]

just got around to bottling my first batch of DB (quad berry blend) yesterday and I am very pleased with the results. It was ready to bottle about a month and a half ago but when i began to rack to a clean carboy after clearing I disturbed a bunch of the lees so i decided to let it sit awhile longer. I did taste it at that time and I didn't like it at all. tasted hot, little fruit flavor, and watery to me so i figured i did something wrong along the way so i wasn't in any hurry to bottle. Wow, what a difference a month and a half makes. I am very pleased with the results and gave away a couple of bottles this morning to some friends for their feedback. fingers crossed. justed pitched a WE california merlot yesteday and when the primary is free I look forward to starting another batch! Dave, I plan on PMing you for your addy so i can send you a bottle to try. I would love your feedback.

 

[PoppaCork]

I have made a peach/mango DB version several times. A way to get past the lighter flavor is to use an extract. Natural peach and mango extracts/flavorings are readily available commercially. They can amp up the flavor without adding much additional cost.

That being said, I bet Gregs Mad Mango is awesome! Do you have a label for that stuff yet?



I only have a black & white laser printer but I did make a label for it.



One of these days I'll get a color printer and some editing software.

 

[bkisel]

David, except for the quad vs tri berry blend did you stick to the DB recipe? How much sugar did you use for back sweetening?

Thanx...

 

[bkisel]

Greg, As the kids say today... "that's sick!"... [meaning its cool].

 

[Johngottshall]

I started my first batch of this on the 16th of Jan. Followed recipe except I used 9 lbs of fruit. To be honest I thought I messed it up because it tasted awful to much lemon not enough flavor. Well I have been sampling along the way it kept getting better. Tonight when I bottled it I said to myself I have to go back to Sam's club and get more fruit this is awesome. Here are some pics of it bottled.