Dragon Blood in 15 days!!!

[jamesngalveston]

grapes, do you use yeast nutrient and energizer, are super ferment which has both...i switched to the super ferment...

 

[sour_grapes]

Well, I am NOT an expert. I have only done two kits where I did not use EC-1118. In both of those, I used both an energizer to start and a nutrient 1/3 through the sugar, using RC212 yeast. I did not have any off odors. Small dataset, and non-demanding situation.

Is superferment thought to be better than doling out the energizer and nutrient separately?

 

[jamesngalveston]

yes...its better....more stable ferment. i think it was turock that suggested it to me one time in a post, Its all i use now..

 

[PoppaCork]

I got my first batch of Dragon Blood started.
I tried two different LHBS's and neither had yeast energizer, so I added a couple cut up banana's per suggestion from jamesgalveston.

Here is a photo of it 18 hours after casting the yeast...



Room temp is 75°, must is 79°.
It is a very active ferment at this point, and all seems well.

 

[dangerdave]

Very nice ferment you have there, Greg!

For everyone's info, there is a new thread titled "DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine" in the recipe section. We are trying to center all DB discussion there, if you all don't mind.

 

[PoppaCork]

Moved the Dragon Blood to the bottle last night. Taste great!
The wife and I killed two + bottles last night. I did hide six bottles to try sometime next year.

Going to start some with just blueberry in a day or so, then another triple berry...



Now I just need to get a 20 gallon fermenter from HD so I can keep ahead of the NEED!

 

[jamesngalveston]

beautiful color....blueberry is excellent....

 

[Fordguy]

The last few batches that I have made have been 12 gallon batches with 9 lbs of blueberries and 8 lbs of strawberries.
This has been my favorite flavor.
I have tried all cherry with lime juice, all cherry with lemon juice, triple berries with lemon and also lime.
You can vary this recipe in so many ways.
Thanks to Dave for his recipe and also Lon for his skeeter pee recipe. I have enjoyed Lon's recipe as well.

 

[Rosa321]

Hello!

I'm a newbie, and can't wait to try this recipe as soon as my primary fermentor is free! I have to ask though... how much bentonite? Or does it come in small packets like yeast? Just asking...so I don't make a novice mistake!!

 

[Bambi]

I used my own personal recipe, a modified, simpler version of Lon's original skeeter pee recipe. I call the wine Dragon Blood. Here's the recipe. The only variation was the addition of bentonite to the primary before pitching the yeast.
__________________________________________________________
"DRAGON BLOOD"

FROM DANGERDAVE'S EASY PEESY (SKEETER PEE) RECIPE

Ingredients: For a six gallon batch:

Step 1: To a cleaned and sanitized seven gallon primary, add---in this order:
2 bottles (48 oz each) 100% Lemon Juice (ReaLemon in the green bottle): if you want to recude the acid level use one bottle.
Water to about five gallons
20 cups of white granulated sugar (looking for a SG btw 1.085-1.09 after filling to 6 gallons*): use less sugar for lower final ABV. Stir sugar until completely desolved.
1 tsp. tannin (stir)
4 tsp. yeast nutrient (stir)
2 tsp. yeast energizer (stir)
3 tsp. pectic enzyme (stir)
Top water to six (6) gallons* (looking for a SG btw 1.085-1.09) and stir well
6 lbs. of Triple Berry Blend (raspberry/blackberry/blueberry--available in most grocery store freezer sections), frozen then thawed, in a nylon fine mesh bag (tied shut), placed in primary: Give the bag a couple of squeezes to work in pectic enzyme. May also toss fruit directly into primary, but this makes for a "messier" fermentation and subsequently will require more clearing time and racking.
Cover primary
Place brew belt: Keep temp in 70F-80F range.
Let sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours...

Step 2: To the primary fermenter, add:
1 packet of EC-1118 Yeast (starter, per yeast directions): Sprinkle yeast into one cup of warm water (100F), let sit for 15 minutes (no longer), stir and add to primary. Other yeast strains may also work well.
Stir Primary Vigorously!

Step 3: Each day, do the following, in this order:
Check temp
Check specific gravity
Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter---remove friut pack: Temporarily place in sanitized bucket.
Stir primary vigorously: To introduce oxygen into must.
Replace fruit pack
Cover primary

Step 4: When specific gravity (SG) reaches <1.000, do the following:
Squeeze juices from fruit pack into fermenter---remove friut pack: Discard fruit.
Rack to cleaned and sanitized six gallon carboy
Add 1/4 tsp. Potassium Metabisulfite (stir)
Add 3 tsp. Potassium Sorbate (stir)
Degas very thoroughly: I cannot emphasize this enough!
Add Sparkolloid* (or other cleaing agent): *1 tbs in one cup of water simmered for about 30 minutes. Add hot mixture to carboy.
Allow to clear undistrubed for no less than 1 week

Step 4: When wine is clear:
Carefully rack off of lees into cleaned & sanitized six gallon carboy
Add 4-5 cups of white granulated sugar (stir until sugar is completely disolved): Add more or less sugar to taste. Remember! The sugars will blend with the berry flavors over time, and the sweetness will come forward. Do not over-sweeten!
Allow wine to clear free of all sediment: This may or may not require more racking over the next few weeks.

Step 5: When wine is completely clear:
Bottle in clear bottles
Note: Never bottle cloudy wine! NEVER!
__________________________________________________________

Starting SG was right at 1.085. Yeast was EC-1118---no slurry. I did not filter.

Yikes is right! I still can't believe it. I have two more batches going just to see if this was a miracle (Well, Jesus made wine, lots of it, and very quickly, too!)

Just gotta say that this sounds über delicious! I may use a triple berry combo of blueberries, strawberries, and saskatoons.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[jamesngalveston]

double the amount of fruit....you will be happier....

 

[Jericurl]

I initially made a very heavy strawberry Dragon's Blood that I intended to use for Christmas presents.
I quickly realized that my 6 gallon batch was not going to last long enough to give everyone a bottle, so I started a new batch.
It's finished, just waiting on my corks to get here so that I can bottle.
It tastes amazing. Even better than my first batch of DB.
Here is what I did:

Christmas 2013 wine

3 LB TRIPLE BERRY FROZEN BLEND (RASP, BLUEBERRIES,BLACKBERRIES)
5 LB MIXED FRUIT FROZEN BLEND (PEACHES,STRAWBERRIES,CANTALOUPE,PINEAPPLE AND GRAPES)
1 LB FIGS

2 BANANAS
1 LB DARK RAISINS (I ran these through my food processor with a bit of water)
3 CLOVES
2 LICORICE ROOT STICKS, BROKEN

1 40 OZ LEMON JUICE
2 11 OZ CANS OF WHITE GRAPE CONCENTRATE

1 T TANNIN
4 tsp. yeast nutrient (stir)
2 tsp. yeast energizer (stir)
3 tsp. pectic enzyme (stir)

SUGAR TO SG OF 1.09

Throw 1st 3 ingredients into a mesh bag. Add water to primary to about 5 gallons.
Add Lemon juice, and grape concentrate, stir.
Add sugar to SG of 1.09

BOIL 1 GALLON OF WATER WITH BANANAS, RAISINS, CLOVES, LICORICE ROOT FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES. Strain and pour water into primary. Check SG and adjust if needed.

Add each of the additive, one by one, stirring after each addition.
Pitch yeast of choice.
I used pasteur champagne yeast.

Followed the rest of DB instructions as written.

Now, this won't win any awards, but it's the best thing I've made so far.
I'm incredibly happy with it.
Next time around, I want to double all of the fruit and see how it turns out.

 

[dangerdave]

That is an awesome variation, Jericurl! Very creative!

 

[saramc]

DangerDave.....what is the most up-to-date recipe/notes for the 'in 15 days' version?? With the many pages and tweaks, not sure myself. Want to provide some info to a new friend and want to direct to the most accurate one that you use. Thanks!

 

[jamesngalveston]

most current;

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f2/dangerdaves-dragon-blood-wine-41825/index12.html

 

[dangerdave]

Thanks, James. Got my back, as always.

The Super Kleer version was ready to bottle in 11 days! James, you are well aware of this, of course.

 

[Jericurl]

And here is a picture of the wine from the above recipe. We just finished bottling it.

 

[ShelleyDickison]

And here is a picture of the wine from the above recipe. We just finished bottling it.

I love the labels. Did you burn the edges?

 

[Jericurl]

Manthing made them for me. He just printed them out for me with the edges colored like burnt paper, then contour cut them.

 

[dangerdave]

Very cool, Jericurl! Another success!