how does this recipe look?

[robjloranger]

this is my first recipe, looking for some insight as to how it seems it will work out, any changes i might want to consider etc. i am aiming for around 12% and drinking asap lol thanks

12 lbs loganberries
10lbs sugar
extra sugar for sweetening to taste later
2 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
citric acid
2 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
5g(1 packet)lalvin 1116 yeast
2 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate


inspect and wash berries, add to mesh bag inside primary.
close the bag and crush the berries with your (sanitized)hands or a (like wise sanitized)potato masher.
pour 5l boiling water over berries and stir well.
add sugar to 1.090 SG and stir well.
add cold water to completely cover berries, then let cool to 50 degrees celsius.
add pectic enzyme, leaving for about one hour.
top up to 18l with cool water, allow the temp to drop to 30 degrees celsius or less.
add in the yeast and stir, wait about an hour then add in 1 1/4 tsp yeast nutrient once again stirring.
cover loosely and allow to ferment for about 3 days @ around 22 degrees celsius. stir the must a few times during the first 48hrs.
remove the bag of berry mush and gently squeeze out most of the juice, don't go crazy on it.
add remaining 1 1/4 tsp yeast nutrient.
rack to secondary?
top up to 22.5l cool water.
place airlock and allow to ferment for 3 weeks @ 20 degrees celsius, or until SG is unchanged over about 3 days.
when stable add potassium sorbate and stir well, stir occasionally over the next 48hrs.
if not completely clear at this point add finings, or rack off of sediment.
when clear rack and if necessary adjust sweetness using simple syrup in 1/4 cup increments and then adjust acid with citric acid to taste.
age in bulk or bottle.

 

[Turock]

This will be a pretty thin wine, it seems. There's a lot of water addition. I've never made loganberry wine, but we DO make Boysonberry wine which is a hybrid of loganberry,red raspberry, and Pacific blackberry.

We also like to take PH readings and adjust the acid at the primary. Doing adjustments before you begin the ferment makes for much better wine.

 

[robjloranger]

i don't have a way to test ph or acid yet, i did read that loganberries are high in malic and citric acid though, so maybe if i could test it i would bump it up with tartaric instead of a blend?
the original recipe was calling for 8.8lbs of loganberries and 2.2lbs of blueberries, so i added it all together (the weight) and rounded up. what would you change if it was yours? would adding some bananas help at all?

 

[mmadmikes1]

Agree with above, way to much water. no more than 2 gallons total.

 

[robjloranger]

as far as the acid goes, loganberries have a apx ph of 2.70 - 3.50 where blackberries have a ph of 3.85 - 4.50 and raspberries around 6.27. apparently anyway. so it would suggest that less fruit would be needed of the former than the two latter. or am i way off here?

 

[Turock]

Gosh--with those kinds of numbers, you don't need more acid. Sounds like calcium carbonate would be in order so you can get the PH around 3.3 to 3.4

When you have a few extra dollars, buy a PH meter. You will be surprised how much better your fruits wines will be.

So hard to say which fruit to use as ACID ADJUSTMENT!!! I've never made wine that way. Acid levels are so different on the same fruit but grown in different locations. Our red rasp and blackberries come in under 3.0

 

[mmadmikes1]

every fruit varies from week to week. Nothing is that exact. I don't like water for making big changes in PH. week wine sucks

 

[robjloranger]

so you think it will be too weak? i can't really afford more logans as they are $15 for 4lb bags. any other fruit additions you might recommend? something to bump up the flavor a little..

 

[Wade E]

As said above this will almost be colored water. 8 lbs per gallon is really a minimum and with lots of fruit that is even way to low! The closer you get to not adding any water the better your wine will be.

 

[loumik]

One other thing. If you add sugar to get SG to 1.090 then add water two additional times your SG is not going to be 1.090 any longer. You should put the fruit or juice in primary, add add your 5L of hot water, pectic enzyme, any other ingredients, (except yeast) stir. Add water to the level you want to make. Stir well, now you can check your SG and add sugar to get SG to what ever level you want to start at. Cover primary and leave alone for 12-24 hours while keeping temp at 70-75* F. Now you can pitch your yeast. If you don't have enough fruit to make the batch you want to make try to make a smaller one. Good luck and keep asking questions.


LOUMIK

 

[robjloranger]

ya i was thinking i'd have to figure out something for the sg reading to be useful. what do you guys think if i kept the recipe the same but added about 10lbs wildberry honey or something? making it a fruit mead.