DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine

[bkisel]

...
I know the recipe calls for 20 cups of sugar. I guess what I'm really asking is: Are other people getting about 20 cups out of a 10lb bag? Someone posted a calculation for the cups of sugar in a 5lb bag and it would have left 3 cups unused in a 10lb bag, but I'm just not finding that to be the case. Thoughts???

That was me. I got the chart from a Domino Sugar web page. There is the disclaimer "Domino® Sugar Package Requirements (approximate)".

 

[jamesngalveston]

Rosa, if you take 6 gallons of water and add sugar to 1.095 then you will have about 7 gallons of liguid...the sugar will change your volume, then if you add lbs of fruit, the volume will change again.
THis is what i do.

for a 6 gallon batch...
i add 6 gallons of water, and the fruit.
i add pecting and let it break down the fruit for 24 hours
i add sugar to get to my starting sg.
i might have 7 are more then 7 gallons.
after i remove the fruit i may have 6 1/2 are 7 gallons
after i rack the first time i may have 6.5 are 6 gallons
as you rack and remove lees you will have less gallons.
always keep anything over what will fill your carboy for use to top off with.

 

[bkisel]

No, I think James was just giving the example if using the 20 cups not insinuating that triple berry takes less sugar in the recipe than quad berry. The only difference between the two is that quad berry has strawberries. He was simply saying not to worry about how many cups you are adding because it could be different every time. So just say add your 10lb bag and take your SG reading and adjust from there... Correct me if I'm wrong James?


Carolyn

Thanks Carolyn, I believe I understand what Steve is/was saying. What I missed, even though Rosa321 emphasized it, was that he added more cups of sugar on top of the 10 pound bag of sugar. Having missed that in my first reading I was looking for an explanation why, thinking Rosa and I both used one 10 pound bag, Rosa's SG was so much higher than mine. I goofed. Need to be more careful in my reading.

 

[jamesngalveston]

Dave should change the recipe to state as follows.

Add sugar to get to the target SG of 1.075 are what ever is your preference.

Sometimes it may be less sugar, some times more...It all depends on the fruit,the ratio of fruit, the ripeness when packaged.

If i make my blackberry wine from early harvest berries, i may use 15lbs of sugar to get to sg of 1.110.
If i make my blackberry wine from end of season, i may use 12 lbs of sugar..it all depends on the ripeness.

 

[Rosa321]

Dave should change the recipe to state as follows.

Add sugar to get to the target SG of 1.075 are what ever is your preference.

Sometimes it may be less sugar, some times more...It all depends on the fruit,the ratio of fruit, the ripeness when packaged.

If i make my blackberry wine from early harvest berries, i may use 15lbs of sugar to get to sg of 1.110.
If i make my blackberry wine from end of season, i may use 12 lbs of sugar..it all depends on the ripeness.

Thanks everyone! This is where my confusion its coming in..... Because out sounds if you use the fruit count for some of the gravity. I'm only using the initial sugar and making sure its between 1.085 & 1.090 as the recipe states.
Should I have it a little lower, and be retesting to account for the fruits sweetness?
It doesn't say that in the recipe I have, but it sounds like that's what you are doing...

 

[bkisel]

Thanks everyone! This is where my confusion its coming in..... Because out sounds if you use the fruit count for some of the gravity. I'm only using the initial sugar and making sure its between 1.085 & 1.090 as the recipe states.
Should I have it a little lower, and be retesting to account for the fruits sweetness?
It doesn't say that in the recipe I have, but it sounds like that's what you are doing...

From Dave's instructions on page one of this thread after water to 6 gallons and before adding fruit... Test SG with hydrometer (remember, you are looking for a SG around 1.075) Note: The natural sugars from the fruit (below) will slightly increase the final ABV, so be careful how high you drive up the SG at this point!

Dave indicates in the sugar adding step that 1.075 will give you a finished abv of "about" 10%-11%.

Guess what we can do is make it once sticking to the recipe and then make adjustments, if need be, on subsequent batches.

 

[Rosa321]

From Dave's instructions on page one of this thread after water to 6 gallons and before adding fruit... Test SG with hydrometer (remember, you are looking for a SG around 1.075) Note: The natural sugars from the fruit (below) will slightly increase the final ABV, so be careful how high you drive up the SG at this point!

Dave indicates in the sugar adding step that 1.075 will give you a finished abv of "about" 10%-11%.

Guess what we can do is make it once sticking to the recipe and then make adjustments, if need be, on subsequent batches.

Well...... I guess that is where I goofed! I must have found an old copy that I printed out? Because I'm looking right at it and it DEFINITELY says in step 1 to make your SG between 1.085 & 1.090...... I shall adjust this moving forward!!!!

Still unclear if I should be testing SG again after the addition off the fruit or not, but I guess I will figure that out as I go!
Thanks again everybody.....

 

[Rosa321]

Yup yup yup...... My confusion came from my outdated recipe!!!!
Oh well..... Live and learn. I'm only two batches in. hopefully they'll still be drinkable hehe

 

[ckvchestnut]

Yes... You should and you didn't good per se... It's all about what final abv you want in he wine! For me 10-11% is a bit too light. I made my last two stronger and this time I started with an SG of 1.090 to see how I like it.


Carolyn

 

[bkisel]

Yup yup yup...... My confusion came from my outdated recipe!!!!
Oh well..... Live and learn. I'm only two batches in. hopefully they'll still be drinkable hehe

Hey, it could be that you'll have made the best DB ever!

 

[ckvchestnut]

It's all good guys! I haven't made one that I didn't like yet lol


Carolyn

 

[PAFruitWines]

I want to make a 5 gal batch of strawberry DB. I can get 18 lbs of frozen strawberries at Costco or (1) 96 oz can Vintners Harvest at the LHBS for about the same price. Which would give better strawberry flavor? Maybe 15 lbs in primary and 3 in secondary? Or 3 lbs for an fpac when back sweetening? Or is the VH enough?
Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[jamesngalveston]

18lbs of frozen gets my vote for the best flavor.
I use 4lbs of fruit per gallon and i add 2lbs strawberries with 4 cups sugar for a simple syrup added after it ferments dry.

 

[bakervinyard]

Update on my DB. Checked the S.G. today it vwas at .997, I took out the fruit bag and will wait for a stable S.G. Question, Would it be better to backsweeten with a fruit based F-Pac? Thanks, Bakervinyard

 

[jamesngalveston]

If you like the taste you have now...i would make a simple syrup of sugar and water, if you dont like the taste, make a simple syrup out of fruit and sugar.
keep in mind, the fruiteness and sweetness will come forward after a few months of aging, if it last that long.
my never does.

 

[bkisel]

Day 1 (Monday) DB started SG 1.075
Day 2 (Tuesday) Pitched yeast. SG 1.074, Temp 80F +-
Day 5 (Friday) SG 1.040, tmp 80F +-

Does the SG 1.040 seem about right? Because of a pretty much constant 80F and nutrient and energizer I was expecting to see something in the 1.020-1.030 SG neighborhood.

Thanx...

 

[jamesngalveston]

on day 5 mine are close to dry..
what kind of yeast did you use.

 

[bkisel]

on day 5 mine are close to dry..
what kind of yeast did you use.

EC-1118. Judging from bubbles and sound there is active fermentation. I'm not, at this point, dealing with a stuck fermentation.

 

[Rosa321]

EC-1118. Judging from bubbles and sound there is active fermentation. I'm not, at this point, dealing with a stuck fermentation.

It's day 5 fot the whole process, but only 3 days since the yeast was added, and possibly only 1-2 days since those little buggers REALLY got to work!!!!
I wouldn't panic. My last batch took until day 9 of the overall process to be stable at <1.

 

[bkisel]

It's day 5 fot the whole process, but only 3 days since the yeast was added, and possibly only 1-2 days since those little buggers REALLY got to work!!!!
I wouldn't panic. My last batch took until day 9 of the overall process to be stable at <1.

Thanks for posting. I feel better now.