Dragon Blood versus Skeeter Pee

[wbhutchins]

So this is less a which is better, but rather which am I making! I started a regular batch of Skeeter Pee, but thought the tropical fruit flavors in my grocer's freezer section would be a great additive. So I started with the standard 2 bottles of lemon juice, but added 3 pounds of pineapple, mango, peaches and strawberries. I added to a filter bag and have been treating the batch like dragon blood.

So here's my question. Should I continue to let it ferment in the bucket until stable like the DB recipe calls for or should I go ahead and rack it off the gross lees and get it into a carboy to ferment dry in a carboy?

I really like the aroma coming off the fermenting bucket as I stir and squeeze the fruit pack daily. I'm almost to the point where I pull the fruit pack and stop the stirring. If I was following the skeeter pee recipe, I would be racking this weekend. If I follow the DB recipe, it will sit in the fermenting bucket for another week or so.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Arne]

You can call it whatever you like. Also can end up however you want to. There are few hard and fast rules when making wine. If you can figure out how you want it, make it like you like to drink it. I usually ferment down to 1.000 to 1.010 then rack it over to a carboy. Good luckwith it, Arne.

 

[wbhutchins]

You can call it whatever you like. Also can end up however you want to. There are few hard and fast rules when making wine. If you can figure out how you want it, make it like you like to drink it. I usually ferment down to 1.000 to 1.010 then rack it over to a carboy. Good luckwith it, Arne.

I appreciate your thoughts. I suppose it's my ignorance of what I get when I do that. I've only just begun making wine. I've only been able to try my dragon blood, which turned out really good. So I'm inclined to follow that recipe. I have a batch of actual skeeter Pee in a carboy, but will be a while before I can try it. It's still in the "ferment to dry" stage. Anyway, I'm sure I'll like that too.

 

[BigDaveK]

So here's my question. Should I continue to let it ferment in the bucket until stable like the DB recipe calls for or should I go ahead and rack it off the gross lees and get it into a carboy to ferment dry in a carboy?

Glad you're having fun!

I usually transfer to secondary when the SG is around 1.020. Yeast don't get serious about making ethanol until they're in an anaerobic environment.

 

[sour_grapes]

Yeast don't get serious about making ethanol until they're in an anaerobic environment.

I am pointing this out only because I know you will be interested, Dave. What you wrote is true of most yeast, but not entirely accurate for S. cervevisiae. Check out the Crabtree effect: Crabtree effect - Wikipedia

 

[hounddawg]

since i back sweeten everything i leave in ferment barrel till around SG .996,
I've never worried about racking off gross lees. country wines are way more forgiving than traditional type wines,
Dawg

 

[crushday]

Yeast don't get serious about making ethanol until they're in an anaerobic environment.

Dave, not intending on pushing back on this statement - what do you mean here? How does a anaerobic environment (void of free oxygen) inspire the yeast, a single cell organism, to get "serious"? Is this anecdotal or empirical? @sour_grapes ?

 

[wbhutchins]

I really appreciate everyone's input. Decided to treat it as dragon blood since that's how it's acting. I was planning to rack into a carboy to ferment to dry, but it seems to have already done that in the bucket before I got the chance. So the wine talked to me and answered my question. It smells awesome. I look forward to trying it out someday in the next couple months. Pictures to post once it's cleared in the carboy.

 

[BigDaveK]

Dave, not intending on pushing back on this statement - what do you mean here? How does a anaerobic environment (void of free oxygen) inspire the yeast, a single cell organism, to get "serious"? Is this anecdotal or empirical? @sour_grapes ?

There's nothing wrong with "pushing back". If you have questions or doubts, certainly pursue an explanation.
And yes, it's a single cell organism but it is so amazingly and incredibly complex.
If you do a little research on wine making most sources (and most wine making books) will say yeast multiply under aerobic conditions and make ethanol under anaerobic conditions. Dive a little deeper and you find oxygen is vital for reproduction and that phase is called respiration. In the absence of oxygen yeast will cease to multiply (bud) and start to produce ethanol, the fermentation phase. My statement was incomplete because, well, I just plain forgot - a deeper dive will show that under high external glucose concentrations and in the presence of oxygen some yeast will produce ethanol the Crabtree Effect.
Yeast are fascinating little creatures.

 

[dustinwade]

So this is less a which is better, but rather which am I making! I started a regular batch of Skeeter Pee, but thought the tropical fruit flavors in my grocer's freezer section would be a great additive. So I started with the standard 2 bottles of lemon juice, but added 3 pounds of pineapple, mango, peaches and strawberries. I added to a filter bag and have been treating the batch like dragon blood.

So here's my question. Should I continue to let it ferment in the bucket until stable like the DB recipe calls for or should I go ahead and rack it off the gross lees and get it into a carboy to ferment dry in a carboy?

I really like the aroma coming off the fermenting bucket as I stir and squeeze the fruit pack daily. I'm almost to the point where I pull the fruit pack and stop the stirring. If I was following the skeeter pee recipe, I would be racking this weekend. If I follow the DB recipe, it will sit in the fermenting bucket for another week or so.

Thanks for your thoughts!

What size batch did you make? I want to try a 5 to 6 gallon batch

 

[wbhutchins]

It was a 5 gallon batch. And as it turned out, I finished it following the DB instructions. Turned out awesome! So great it's almost gone.

 

[dustinwade]

How much fruit did you use? Does the lemon juice over power the the taste?

 

[dustinwade]

How much fruit did you use? Does the lemon juice over power the the taste?

I apolagize I just seen 3 lbs each.

 

[wbhutchins]

Honestly, it still has the skeeter Pee taste, but everyone who tried it really liked it. The fruit notes offset the lemon nicely. I think the next batch I make will be that one again. I might go with 1 qt less lemon and add more fruit, but why mess with a good result?

 

[Jovimaple]

@dustinwade Welcome to WMT!

I made my first Dragonblood according to the dragonblood recipe, but I found it a little light on fruit taste. So now I use 1 1/2 to 2 times as much fruit as the recipe calls for, and I like it a lot better.

For the original recipe thread, search for 'DangerDave's Dragon Blood Wine'

 

[FinFam]

Are these both gluten free?

 

[cmason1957]

Since dragons blood is just skeeter pee with added fruit and fruit is gluten free, dragons blood is as well.

 

[winemaker81]

Are these both gluten free?

I can't think of a wine that is not gluten free. If nothing in the ingredient list contains gluten, the wine is gluten free.