DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine

[willie]

Ran down to Wally World again for another 3lb. Bag of Wyman's Blueberry's for a total of 12lbs. Also bought some banana's to help this Blue Blood along.
This wine making is getting addicting.

Will

 

[JaJinAK]

Thanks Dave for the encouraging words!! I am waiting now for the sg to stabilize for the 3 days. Down to .991.
Question, when I transfer to the carboy should I put the brew belt on it? It is about 64 degrees inside my house right now.

Thanks.

Jules

 

[boozehound]

Talking about adding bananas. Are you adding the hole banana peeling and all or just banana? Does banana need to been reel ripe (mushy) or firm? How many bananas per 6 gal batch? Lastly what does the banana do for the wine? Anyone can reply. Thank u


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[Medic8106]

I've been adding two large bananas to my berry bag at the start of fermenting for a three gallon batch. Ripe, chopped and no skins. Is it the correct way? I don't know. Is there a right way, probably not. I'm just experimenting. I'm trying to add some body and mouthfeel to the dragon blood by adding them. I could tell a difference at the end of my last batch, the must seemed "thicker".

 

[jkrug]

I did my first blackberry few months ago. Did a fpac with it and DAMN it is good!!

 

[bkisel]

Used two cut bananas, ripe but not over the hill, in "secondary" of my last DB batch. Can't say if it really helped over the previous 2 batches but it certainly did not hurt. I was trying to get a better "mouth feel" (less watery feel) than what I got with the first two batches. Maybe if I could taste/feel side by side I'd know whether a better mouth feel was obtained or I just wasted two bananas. All three batches of my DB have come out great!

 

[dangerdave]

Ok, bananas. Ripe with spots. Sliced with skins on. Perhaps one banana per gallon added to primary. I think that's how it goes.

It does seem to add some body to the wine, but I do not add them any more. I've tried it and did not find that added step worth my while. You may have a diffent opnion---any of you---so I strongly suggest you try a batch with them and see what you think.

Jules: No brew belt after degassing and fining. Just let it sit and clear. Most of your work---except back sweetening and bottling---is done by then.

 

[JaJinAK]

Thanks Dave. I did rack to the carboy yesterday and I cannot believe how much has dropped to the bottom already. I actually thought it looked pretty clear going through the tubing. Funny how that works!

Jules

 

[freqflyer]

I made some Db back in June. I didn't complain about it but I wasn't a fan of it. It was too tart and I could taste the lemon juice.

Anyway, tonight I poured a glass of it. I sprinkled some sugar in it and stirred it up. I got it a bit too sweet, but Wow! This stuff is good. I had backsweetened with 3/4 cup sugar per gallon.

Now I'm sitting on 30 bottles that are not quite right. I'm curious as how to sweeten them more. I need to incrementally sweeten until I get it where I want it. How much sugar should I add at a time per bottle? I'm thinking a teaspoon or two. Also, do I need to let is sit for any length of time to let the flavor adjust?

I'd like to get this batch right since I caught a glimps of how good it is.

 

[bkisel]

There is no disputing taste! On my first batch I also used 4.5 cups for the batch and my wife though she really liked the DB felt it was a bit to sweet. On the second batch I cut back to 4 cups and I really couldn't taste the difference. Third batch I've gone back to 4.5 cups and wife hasn't noticed or at least hasn't commented.

With my first kit I emptied all my bottles back into my carboy because of sediment found in the bottles - my screw up. Let it set for a couple of weeks and re-bottled with no ill effect. Maybe you can do the same in order to sweeten your DB batch? Maybe add a bit of k-meta and sorbate for insurance? Re-bottle in a few weeks assuming you've not kicked off another fermentation which I believe would be unlikely.

 

[freqflyer]

That's my plan. i'm just trying to opinions on how to add each time. At 3/4 cup per gallon, that's about 7 teaspoons a bottle. I'm also concerned about if I can add stir and taste to get it right. Or do I need to add stir, wait a few days, and taste. People talk about how the sweetness and fruit flavors come out over a few months. I have noticed that. Will the wine have to go through that again?

 

[bkisel]

That's my plan. i'm just trying to opinions on how to add each time. At 3/4 cup per gallon, that's about 7 teaspoons a bottle. I'm also concerned about if I can add stir and taste to get it right. Or do I need to add stir, wait a few days, and taste. People talk about how the sweetness and fruit flavors come out over a few months. I have noticed that. Will the wine have to go through that again?

The friend who held my hand through my first wine kit always back sweetens in the bucket just before bottling. He holds out about 1.5L and slowly adds his sugar slowly stirring and then tasting. If he gets it just a bit too sweet that's the main reason for having held out some wine - just add it in. When he gets it to where he wants it and hasn't used the held out wine he now adds it in and figures he's close enough.

My DB goes very very quickly so I don't really notice much change first to last bottle in a batch. If I were planning on bottle aging my DB I just might bring the sweetness a little shy of where I'd really like it with the feeling that it just might mellow a bit during bottle aging.

Good luck!

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

With your 12 lbs. of Blueberry did you add extra lemon juice or add some acid blend? I'll be starting a peach (15 lbs.) DB variation in a few weeks and have been freaking out reading all these different posts about getting the Ph just right. I'm thinking I may need to add an extra 48 oz. of lemon juice or maybe some acid blend for my peach Db but am really clueless as to which and how much. Your thoughts?

I did not add any extra lemon juice or acid blend. Just from reading through all of the DB posts, I think people routinely add extra fruit (as much as double) without upping the acid. However, I am way too new to wine making to really know what I am doing...lol...so who knows if I did it "right".

 

[bkisel]

I did not add any extra lemon juice or acid blend. Just from reading through all of the DB posts, I think people routinely add extra fruit (as much as double) without upping the acid. However, I am way too new to wine making to really know what I am doing...lol...so who knows if I did it "right".

Thanks, you gave me some feedback and I appreciate your input.

With the peaches pitted I'm probably at about 14 pounds of fruit. I'll likely throw in a dash (how's that for being precise

) of acid blend in addition to 48 oz. of lemon juice.

Did I read someplace that Dave's original DB recipe called for 2 48 oz. bottles of lemon juice?

 

[dangerdave]

First of all, Bill, great job fielding the DB questions. Your answers are spot-on!

The very first couple of DB's I ever made included more sugar and more lemon juice than I use now. At first, being patterned after Lon DePope's Skeeter Pee (thank you, Lon!), I use what he prescribed: being 96oz of lemon juice and six cups of sugar for a six gallon batch. But most of the time, Lon makes plain lemon Pee and flavors it with various colors of Kool Aid. I wanted mine to be more like a fruity blush (thus the fruit!) For me, it was both too sweet and too tart using Lon's recipe, so I first reduced the lemon juice to 48oz (and therefore the acid), then backed off on the sugar. This allowed the fruit to come forward (a problem Lon did not have to deal with). I finally got it adjusted to my---and my wife's---tastes, since she was who inspired me to start making wine. Dragon Blood was my attempt to make what she liked. Amazingly, I got it very near right the very first time.

Speaking of which, in celebration of the 3rd anniversary of my first batch of Dragon Blood, here's a picture of that very first batch...

 

[Johngottshall]

Nice I'm starting a 3 gallon batch of blueberry after work tomorrow. Not going to add to much lemon juice.

 

[willie]

First of all, Bill, great job fielding the DB questions. Your answers are spot-on!

The very first couple of DB's I ever made included more sugar and more lemon juice than I use now. At first, being patterned after Lon DePope's Skeeter Pee (thank you, Lon!), I use what he prescribed: being 96oz of lemon juice and six cups of sugar for a six gallon batch. But most of the time, Lon makes plain lemon Pee and flavors it with various colors of Kool Aid. I wanted mine to be more like a fruity blush (thus the fruit!) For me, it was both too sweet and too tart using Lon's recipe, so I first reduced the lemon juice to 48oz (and therefore the acid), then backed off on the sugar. This allowed the fruit to come forward (a problem Lon did not have to deal with). I finally got it adjusted to my---and my wife's---tastes, since she was who inspired me to start making wine. Dragon Blood was my attempt to make what she liked. Amazingly, I got it very near right the very first time.

Speaking of which, in celebration of the 3rd anniversary of my first batch of Dragon Blood, here's a picture of that very first batch...

That's one sweet pic of your carboy Dave.
I am on batch #6 and it is a 100% Blueberry (Blue Blood) and in each one of them I have only used 30oz Real Lemon. Our Wally World has them in 15oz bottles. Been thinking of using 3 bottles for a total of 45oz. Just not sure what difference it will make.

Will

 

[jojabri]

Popped open a 6 month bottled Strawberry DB tonight, and WOW! She' s waaaaaay better now! I only kinda liked it off the bat, even though my hubby was chugging it like a Hummer chugs gas.

I've had to practice much restraint to put back a stock of each DB to be enjoyed at the 3, 6, 9, month and year mark. I don't know if I have the restraint to keep them any longer.

 

[Enologo]

First of all, Bill, great job fielding the DB questions. Your answers are spot-on!

The very first couple of DB's I ever made included more sugar and more lemon juice than I use now. At first, being patterned after Lon DePope's Skeeter Pee (thank you, Lon!), I use what he prescribed: being 96oz of lemon juice and six cups of sugar for a six gallon batch. But most of the time, Lon makes plain lemon Pee and flavors it with various colors of Kool Aid. I wanted mine to be more like a fruity blush (thus the fruit!) For me, it was both too sweet and too tart using Lon's recipe, so I first reduced the lemon juice to 48oz (and therefore the acid), then backed off on the sugar. This allowed the fruit to come forward (a problem Lon did not have to deal with). I finally got it adjusted to my---and my wife's---tastes, since she was who inspired me to start making wine. Dragon Blood was my attempt to make what she liked. Amazingly, I got it very near right the very first time.

Speaking of which, in celebration of the 3rd anniversary of my first batch of Dragon Blood, here's a picture of that very first batch...

Dave,
I'm a bit confused. Above you say you started off using 96oz. lemon and 6 cups of sugar. You say you reduced the lemon to 48oz and also backed off on the sugar but didn't give an amount however in the beginnig of the thread the recipe states 20 cups of granulated sugar! What is the actual current recomended sugar???
I just bottled my first batch and didn't bother to back sweeten since the residual sugar was pretty high after using the 20 cups.

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

I am about a week into my Huckleberry DB and it is the slowest ferment I have had so far! Granted, the days and nights have already gotten a lot cooler, but I am still surprised. Gravity is only dropping about .010 each day compared to previous batches that sometimes registered a change of as much as .025 from day to day. With a slower ferment, would anyone recommend a little yeast nutrient addition at some point? Gravity is currently 1.024.