Dragon Blood in 15 days!!!

[dangerdave]

That sounds great, Petey! Keep us appraised of the outcome.

 

[petey]

That sounds great, Petey! Keep us appraised of the outcome.

Yeast (1118) is working well! I'm starting with 7 gallon batch cause I'm expecting lots of gross lees with all those peaches. Smells good already!

 

[sgx2]

Weighing in with my DB

I've been lurking for a while now, but the pictures looked so good I decided to fire up a batch of Dragon Blood and it's a real winner!

I thought I'd share the specific recipe I followed and share the progress I tracked and whatever pictures I could find of the product.

Here's a cut-and-paste of the report for this batch from my database (sorry for the mixed units, I'm Canadian...) - it may be useful to keep in mind that I did the first two paragraphs of the recipe instructions I've noted below in my kitchen the night before I started the batch at my friend's winemaking location:

Batch: Dragon Blood I
Varietal: Lemon
Batch Size: 6 Gal/22.7 L Carboy (30 bottles)
Date Started: Jul 15, 2013 2:00 PM
Cost of ingredients: $28.00

3 32oz bottles of RealLemon brand lemon juice
3 kg triple-berry mix (dark berries: raspberry, blueberry, blackberry) [6.6 lbs - this was a large bag from the grocery store]
2 341mL cans cranberry juice concentrate [two standard sized cans from the grocery store freezer]
4 kg table sugar (white) [8.8 lbs]
8 decent sized bananas [for body]
1 sweet potato [for the amylase to combat any starch haze from the bananas]
Water to 23 L [to 6 Gallons]
1 pkg bentonite
3 tsps pectic enzyme
1 tsp yeast energizer
3 tsps yeast nutrient
1 tsp tannin
1 fruit bag
1 pkg Lalvin EC-1118 yeast

First, prepare invert sugar: boil 8 cups of water, reduce heat slightly, add 1/2 cup of the lemon juice, stir well, maintain heat just under boiling and dissolve all sugar within it. Maintain heat and stir for about 30 minutes. Transfer to large jug (1.25 Gal/160 oz will be fine). Be careful! This will remain piping hot for a lot longer than you think.

In the same pot boil some water, enough to cover the bananas and sweet potato. Chop the ends off the bananas, dice both the bananas and the sweet potato and add to the water. Simmer for ~30 minutes. Transfer the liquid only to another jug (or other suitable container), add the cranberry juice concentrate and the lemon juice.

Dissolve the yeast energizer, yeast nutrient and tannin in very hot tap water within a primary. Add the bentonite and ensure it's well distributed and not clumping. Pour in the banana/sweet potato/concentrate/lemon juice mix and half the invert sugar. Top up to about 22 L with very hot water and mix with degassing stirrer. Test SG, adding invert sugar in small stages, mixing very well and retesting until SG is at 1.075. Try to get the final liquid level to 23 L.

Place the berries into a fruit bag, sprinkling the pectic enzyme into the bag as you're filling it, then add it to the primary, crushing the fruit well.

Cover with a lid and airlock or with a well-secured clean towel.

Uncover and stir with a drill-attachment type degasser daily to ensure must is well oxygenated, until must is at ~1.010. At this point rack to a secondary and top-up as needed.

Note:
May need to liquid amylase enzyme if starch haze does not clear.

Current ABV level: 10.5%

Initial Chemistry:
SG: 1.075 TA: n/a % pH: n/a SO2: n/a ppm

History

Date                  Event       Value   Details/Observations
Jul 15, 2013 2:00 PM  Start
Jul 16, 2013 3:24 PM  SG Reading  1.068   A little warm and some good foam, did not stir
Jul 17, 2013 11:46 AM SG Reading  1.050   Bubbling and warm - aerated must with drill-mounted degasser
Jul 19, 2013 11:49 AM SG Reading  1.004   Almost done - temp down - aerated again - very gassy - will rack later today
Jul 19, 2013 1:32 PM  Racked              Racked to secondary for anaerobic phase
Jul 19, 2013 1:33 PM  Note                Pretty hazy looking, may need some amylase to clear starch haze
Jul 20, 2013 3:46 PM  SG Reading  1.000   Added 5 tsp amylase enzyme dissolved in the hydrometer tube half full of wine
Jul 21, 2013 3:35 PM  Note                Still bubbling away
Jul 23, 2013 3:13 PM  SG Reading  0.996   Some bubbling - probably trapped gasses
Jul 23, 2013 3:14 PM  Stabilized          Added keiselsol/chitosan clarifiers too
Jul 24, 2013 3:58 PM  Note                It is not clear whether the amaylase had any effect, but the wine is darker and may be clearer
Jul 31, 2013 2:45 PM  Note                Left it alone for a week and was rewarded with very clear looking wine
Aug 02, 2013 9:22 PM  Tasting Note        Clear as a bell - definite lemon nose, acidic and hot

The 6 Gal DB is in the back (dried Elderberry 3 Gal to the left, 3 Gal Strawberry to the right and two 5 Gal Mango Pulp obscuring the DB ) - I'll have to get a better picture.

Label waiting to be applied:

 

[jamesngalveston]

nice post....love the dragon glass holder..that is cool.

 

[ou8amaus]

Love the label, my favorite so far! I am curious how your db will come out with 3 bottles of lemon juice... I have only ever used 1 per the most recent recipe and have been reluctant to add more due to acid/heartburn concerns voiced by a few others here.

 

[sgx2]

Thanks for those comments about the label

I found a picture of a pewter dragon glass and then overlayed it over a picture I took of a glass of red wine and worked the image a bit. Gotta love the GIMP.

My recipe made 6 gal with the 3 32 ounce bottles (not the 48 oz)

It's definitely sharp, but it's very nice over ice and I imagine a little time in the bottle won't hurt this at all (if it makes it that long)...

 

[dangerdave]

Nice, sgx2! Keep some of that DB back for aging. I know it's hard...

 

[TheRooster]

I've been brewing beer for years but today is the first time I'm trying my hand at wine. I've read through this and a number of other threads and I'm psyched about my first batch of DB (started today, DDs recipe, except all blackberries onstead of the triple berry). Thank you everybody for making this process clear and simple to understand for this beer brewer! Extra thanks to DD for putting so much effort into making this recipe so easy and available (pdf file, this thread, et cetera).

 

[sgx2]

Nice, sgx2! Keep some of that DB back for aging. I know it's hard...

with all that acid it should have quite a shelf life, so I hope to have some left for next summer - wish me luck!

 

[Billberry]

I like those neat individual carboy carts sgx2. Did you make those yourself or did you buy them somewhere?

 

[jamesngalveston]

one thing i noticed about the pictures, you just had the fruit, no bag are strainer.
i just wonder if that would help in clearing, the larger peices maybe taking down the smaller with it.
next batch i will make without a strainer bag...

 

[dangerdave]

I've been brewing beer for years but today is the first time I'm trying my hand at wine. I've read through this and a number of other threads and I'm psyched about my first batch of DB (started today, DDs recipe, except all blackberries onstead of the triple berry). Thank you everybody for making this process clear and simple to understand for this beer brewer! Extra thanks to DD for putting so much effort into making this recipe so easy and available (pdf file, this thread, et cetera).

Thanks, Rooster. That was my goal. Step-by-step, easy-to-follow, for the new wine maker to get their feet under them. Welcome to the wine world. DB is a favorate all over, so enjoy! It's fun to make and drink!

Oh, and welcome back, jamesngalveston!

 

[sgx2]

one thing i noticed about the pictures, you just had the fruit, no bag are strainer.
i just wonder if that would help in clearing, the larger peices maybe taking down the smaller with it.
next batch i will make without a strainer bag...

What kind of a primary are you using? If it's ported I really don't recommend that as the fruit pieces will plug the tap. If it's not ported I still recommend using a bag as you're using a racking cane the tiny fruit pieces can clog the cane.

 

[suecasa]

as far as using a bag … i used one on my first batch … didnt have one for my second so skipped it … mistake IMHO! i lost a lot in volume with the extra sediment and i felt like it actually look much longer to clear … just my 2cents since I am by no means the expert most everyone else is around here!

 

[petey]

I've only been winemaking for 7 months now. I don't know how I could handle all the waiting for my wines to age if it weren't for DB.
Tomorrow I start a tropical blend. I'll post my results soon!

Just back sweetened my tropical blend . Started on aug 2. Taking a little longer to clear, probably all the peaches. Taste pretty good on the dry side,ill let it sit for a week or two before I bottle

 

[dangerdave]

Peaches are a pain, Petey. Glad it turned out well! I just stabilized my new batch of tropical yesterday. This one used 4 cans of pineapple-orange juice frozen concentrate in the primary. I smells really good. I have high expectations for this one!

 

[jamesngalveston]

I believe there is no end to the combinations when can have with dragon blood.
my strawberry/cantaloupe is gorgeous and taste excellent.
my next batch will be a kiwi something are other. its just cleaning all those little buggers.

 

[detlion1643]

I just bottled my batch of strawberry, and disappointing actually.

Notes:
Strawberry Wine (6/23/2013)
32oz 100% Lemon Juice
Water/Sugar to 1.085
8lbs Frozen Strawberries
2 ½ tsp Yeast Nutrient
5 tsp Yeast Energizer
1 Packet Montrachet Yeast

Pitched 6/23
6/26 – Gravity 1.015
6/29 – Gravity 0.992
6/30 – Gravity 0.992

6/30 – Rack To 5g Carboy (total amount was about 4g)
7/17 (Morning) – Added 3 Campden tabs + kmeta
7/17 (Evening) – Added 2 ½ cups sugar
8/26 - Bottled

The wife said it tasted like unsweet tart strawberries. I could taste it as not dry, but not really sweet, but it did seem tart to me as well.

*When racking from primary bucket to carboy it smelled so good. When popping the airlock to add campden/kmeta/sugar, it smelled even better. When bottling, it doesn't smell at all .

Went ahead and did a hydrometer reading on my sample, turns out it was 1.005.

Any ideas for the tart flavoring? Will it mellow out and some? I know some sweetness will still come around in the bottle.

 

[sgx2]

I just bottled my batch of strawberry, and disappointing actually.
........
The wife said it tasted like unsweet tart strawberries. I could taste it as not dry, but not really sweet, but it did seem tart to me as well.

*When racking from primary bucket to carboy it smelled so good. When popping the airlock to add campden/kmeta/sugar, it smelled even better. When bottling, it doesn't smell at all .

Went ahead and did a hydrometer reading on my sample, turns out it was 1.005.

Any ideas for the tart flavoring? Will it mellow out and some? I know some sweetness will still come around in the bottle.

I wonder: was this feedback from a newly-bottled sample, or from the carboy before bottling?

If it's the former you might be seeing the effects of "bottle shock", so give it a little time and try again...

 

[detlion1643]

I wonder: was this feedback from a newly-bottled sample, or from the carboy before bottling?

From the bottling bucket while bottling. I'm going to open my first one in a week and see how it is.