Dragon Blood in 15 days!!!

[tucson]

Sodastrem

I guess I could bottle the wine into the quart containers carbonized it and then pout into beer bottles - hmmmmmmmmm!

 

[dessertmaker]

Don't add sulfate or sorbate. Add half a teaspoon of sugar to every bottle. Make sure to use a bottle designed to hold carbonation or you'll get bottle bombs. Play with sugar amounts and time after fermentation that you bottle.

 

[southlake333]

Getting ready to do my first batch and my son in law bottles beer and has a ton of bottles (he now kegs his beer). Was wondering if I Bottle and cap like beer would it work and what would I do to give it a little fizz?

Yes you can use beer bottles. I do half of my batches in beer bottles as they make for great single serve portions.

As for carbonation you have 2 options. Option 1 is to not degass. This will leave a little bit of fizz. If you are wanting full on carbonation then option 2 would be to not stabilize the wine and instead add a bit of priming sugar to each bottle which the yeast can work on to create carbonation (like you would do with beer).

 

[keena]

I suggest his second option. Then you know how much carbonation you are making, its hard to know how much you have left, more so harder to copy it if you want to make it again.

 

[tucson]

3gallon instead of 6

My first batch of wine making without using a kit. I am going to make triple berry dragon blood and was planning on cutting the receipt in half for 3 gallons. Also going to bottle in beer bottles with 1/2 tsp of sugar and leave out the potassium sorbate. Does that sound right?

 

[smack]

My first batch of wine making without using a kit. I am going to make triple berry dragon blood and was planning on cutting the receipt in half for 3 gallons. Also going to bottle in beer bottles with 1/2 tsp of sugar and leave out the potassium sorbate. Does that sound right?

Just a technique that id recommend. start with 3.75 gallons in your primary, that way when you rack into your secondary, you can leave the sediment behind. That's just me, I always make extra. If its something that im going to bulk age, I make a gallon and a half extra, so I can fill my intended carboy, plus a gallon jug, plus leave the sediment in the primary. That way I have something to top off with when I rack from the secondary into another sanitized carboy down the road, as another thick layer of sediment inevitably falls out.

 

[keena]

Had anyone carbonated this before? I'm curious to how it taste

 

[adamfritzsche]

Dragon Blood went pinkish?

Good afternoon all. I had a question about my dragon blood. My dragon blood went dry, so I racked it from my primary to my carboy. The dragon blood was nice and dark red in color. I began to degas it thoroughly and I also added my kmeta and sorbate and sparkalloid. In the process of all this the dragon blood has gone to a bubblegum pink color and has been that way for hours now. Is this normal?

 

[tatud4life]

I can't think of anything that would cause that. Mine didn't do that.

 

[dangerdave]

Good afternoon all. I had a question about my dragon blood. My dragon blood went dry, so I racked it from my primary to my carboy. The dragon blood was nice and dark red in color. I began to degas it thoroughly and I also added my kmeta and sorbate and sparkalloid. In the process of all this the dragon blood has gone to a bubblegum pink color and has been that way for hours now. Is this normal?

The sparkolloid will sometimes do that. Give it time to clear. You will see.

 

[tatud4life]

That's good to know in case the same thing happens to me. Thanks Dave!!

 

[adamfritzsche]

Indeed it is. Thank you. Maybe I can stop worrying now.

 

[smack]

Also consider that the sparkalloid is unnecessary. This turns out just as tasty and just as gorgeous without it.

 

[dangerdave]

Dragon Blood Recipe update with reduced sulfite...since I've been adding too much.

"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): 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)
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.
Top water to six gallons
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.

 

[Dend78]

hmmm already time to make another batch, the first 3 gallons didnt last long, i have about 4.5L left still a fair amount but im holding onto these 3 bottles for a year then trying them. I need a bigger lab area and more carboys i got 10 gallons of stuff going and I need more of the quick easy drinking stuff ready!!!

Party on DAVE!! Glad you were able to catch the sulfite issue before it got to far out of hand for ya

 

[dangerdave]

I have one bottle left over from the first triple berry lemon wine (pre-Dragon Blood era) I made in October of last year. I need to break it out and give it a try. The six month old stuff was superb!

 

[pappyross]

Question for Dave? I've stated my first batch from your Dragons Blood recipe, every thing is going fine, but When I was at the local wine supply shop there was fruit puree in 16 oz. cans, do you thing this would work and be a little less messy than the whole fruit?

 

[Dend78]

Question for Dave? I've stated my first batch from your Dragons Blood recipe, every thing is going fine, but When I was at the local wine supply shop there was fruit puree in 16 oz. cans, do you thing this would work and be a little less messy than the whole fruit?

my 2 cents

it will work but the cost would most likely be higher, if you go that route just use the mesh fruit bag still and it should come out nice and clean.

 

[smack]

Dragon Blood Recipe update with reduced sulfite...since I've been adding too much.

"

Dave, I don't know if you've considered this yet, but your recipe is so packed full of flavor, I haven't been back sweetening it.
Since its such a fast drinker, that also reduces the need to sulfite this. I haven't been adding either and it keeps just fine. I've made dozens of wines without back sweetening, nor adding sulphite or sorbate at the end, with no trouble. My muscadine wine and port both kept well for over a year before we finally drank it all. Everything else has been consumed before making it that far, much of the reason I don't add the additional additives at the end. Just something you could experiment with.

 

[dangerdave]

Question for Dave? I've stated my first batch from your Dragons Blood recipe, every thing is going fine, but When I was at the local wine supply shop there was fruit puree in 16 oz. cans, do you thing this would work and be a little less messy than the whole fruit?

I agree with Dend78. You might find it more costly. I get the fruit from Walmart at about $10 a bag ($20 for one batch). I'd stick with the mesh bag to contain the pulp of the puree---has Dend said. It could be worth a try.