Jalapeño 357 Wine - Critique This Recipe/Process

[TenForward]

Being new to winemaking, could I have this "Recipe/Process" critiqued...


Jalapeño 357 Wine -

1 US Gallon Batch:
• 1 gal Welch's 100% Grape Juice
• 12 oz Box of Sun-Maid California Natural Raisins - Chopped and Placed in Strainer Bag
• 10 Large Jalapeño Peppers without Stem - Sliced and Placed in Strainer Bag
• 1/2 Large Banana - Peeled, Sliced, and Placed in Strainer Bag
• Granulated Sugar to Specific Gravity 1.085
• 1/8 tsp (1 of 2) of Potassium Metabisulfite
• 1/8 tsp of Wine Tannin
• 1 tsp of Yeast Nutrient
• 1 tsp of Acid Blend
>>>Add All Above to Primary, Stir, Take Specific Gravity Reading, Cover with Clean Cloth
_____Wait 12 Hours, Add 1 tsp of Pectic Enzyme, Stir
_____Wait 12 Hours, Pitch 1 Packet of Red Star Premier Cuvée Active Dry Wine Yeast, Stir Daily for 3 Days
_____Wait Until Fermentation Slows (5-7 Days from Pitching Yeast), Discard Strainer Bag, Transfer to Secondary with Airlock
_____Wait 30 Days, Rack, Take Specific Gravity Reading, Add Ingredients Below
• 3 drops Mad Dog 357 Pepper Extract - (5 Million SHU)
• 1/8 tsp (2 of 2) of Potassium Metabisulfite
• 1/2 tsp of Potassium Sorbate
>>>Degas by Stirring Vigorously at Least 5 min, Add Ingredient Below
• 1/2 tsp of Sparkolloid
>>>Stir, Top-up with Spring Water, Refit Airlock
_____Wait 10-14 Days, Take Specific Gravity Reading
>>> Rack into Bottles and Age at Least 3 Months

 

[Jericurl]

Part of the fun is learning what works and what works for you, so I only have a couple of items.

I would nix the raisins and use a whole banana. It won't impart much flavor but gives plenty of body.

Next, buy a hydrometer and go by SG, not how many days something has been in primary. It is much more accurate and let's you know quickly if something isn't going as planned, when it's time to move to the next step, etc.

Last...what exactly are you going to be using this wine for?
You may want to consider using apple juice instead of grape.
I've tasted both and the grape was just meh for me. I preferred the apple/jalapeno.

Final thought...understand that anything you use with your jalapeno wine will likely not be able to be used for any other wines.
My items that were used for onion wine were worthless to me for anything else, and I've heard this is also true for hot pepper wines. For clarity, by items I mean anything plastic used..buckets, carboys, siphons, etc.

 

[sour_grapes]

I know extremely hot peppers and Scoville units in general (my brother did some of the early research on this topic), but I had no idea what Mad Dog 357 was. You prompted me to go watch some Youtube videos of people taking a bit of this product and just about flipping their lid. Yikes.

I like a little heat now and again, but am not a huge fan of super-duper hot sauces. But, reading your post and watching the videos made me want to go take a drop or 12 of Tabasco sauce. I am glad I did. I have a nice, mild heat going now. Obviously, nothing outrageous from Tabasco (3000 SHU to your 5,000,000), but pleasant. Think I will go take another hit! I cannot imagine what it was like for those poor *******s on youtube!

 

[TenForward]

I cannot imagine what it was like for those poor *******s on youtube!

I did the same amount that this guy on the YouTube video below did. I WILL NEVER do it again!!

https://www.---tube.com/watch?v=LmLyNJhh8Qk



EDIT: Fill in "you" in front of tube if you want to watch. Warning bad language...

 

[TenForward]

Last...what exactly are you going to be using this wine for?

Cooking and/or sipping is what I have in mind. It mainly depends on how it tastes. Thank you for the insight.

 

[sour_grapes]

I did the same amount that this guy on the YouTube video below did. I WILL NEVER do it again!!

Ha! I actually linked to that very video, but deleted my link. I only wanted a subtle hyperlink to it, but it showed up the same way as it did in your post. I felt this was distracting, and deleted it. I watched a few others that indicate your decision to partake was unwise, but your decision to avoid in the future is sagacious!

 

[Julie]

I agree with what Jericurl has advised especially not using the raisins. Also, I would taste before using the extract.

 

[ffemt128]

10 Jalapeño peppers in a gallon will give you quite the bite, you may not need the extract if you want it to be drinkable.

 

[wineforfun]

I have made quite a bit of apple/jalapeno wine. I make it to drink, not cook with.
With that said, I make 1 gal. batches and use 8 jalapenos per batch. 5 without seeds and 3 with seeds. This gives it plenty of bite, yet keeps it drinkable.
I do backsweeten to balance things out and cut some of the heat.

If you are going to use 10 jalapenos with seeds, I can almost guarantee it will be undrinkable in any form, unless you are numb to heat.

 

[TenForward]

I agree with what Jericurl has advised especially not using the raisins. Also, I would taste before using the extract.

I may leave out the raisins. Is this a common taste preference or a more problematic issue.

10 Jalapeño peppers in a gallon will give you quite the bite, you may not need the extract if you want it to be drinkable.

If you are going to use 10 jalapenos with seeds, I can almost guarantee it will be undrinkable in any form, unless you are numb to heat.

The heat is not an issue with me.

 

[Julie]

To be honest, I know there are a lot on here that use raisins and that is fine. Personally, I look at a raisin as an dried up, oxidized grape and I just bring myself to add them to a wine. Raisins will add tannins to your wine, I preference is to just add tannins to my wine.

 

[TenForward]

To be honest, I know there are a lot on here that use raisins and that is fine. Personally, I look at a raisin as an dried up, oxidized grape and I just bring myself to add them to a wine. Raisins will add tannins to your wine, I preference is to just add tannins to my wine.

Thank you...


[Edited for sensitive readers].

 

[Noontime]

Keep in mind you can always add more pepper or extract after fermentation, but you can't take it out. I know you want hot, but I'm also assuming you want some flavor as well (hence the grape juice, raisins, etc), so I'd go a little lighter on the heat and then add more if needed (like dry hopping a beer or adding oak to wine). I made a hot cinnamon wine using dried jolokia and learned my lesson...be conservative and flavor to taste later. Good luck!

 

[dcbrown73]

Umm, no. hah

 

[TenForward]

Keep in mind you can always add more pepper or extract after fermentation, but you can't take it out. I know you want hot, but I'm also assuming you want some flavor as well (hence the grape juice, raisins, etc), so I'd go a little lighter on the heat and then add more if needed (like dry hopping a beer or adding oak to wine). I made a hot cinnamon wine using dried jolokia and learned my lesson...be conservative and flavor to taste later. Good luck!

I will cut back on the heat by means of removing the extract as a precaution to help maintain flavor. I don't think I can go below 10 peppers though. The peppers are for both heat and flavor.

Umm, no. hah

I think the universal translator must be broken...

 

[dcbrown73]

I think the universal translator must be broken...

I'm a native Texan and like some spicy food, but not anything like that 357 sauce! I really enjoy all types (well almost all types!) of wines, but I know that one will not live in my cellar hah. :<

 

[TenForward]

I like to keep all my options on the table...

 

[dcbrown73]

My two favorites and I will put them on just about anything!

 

[sour_grapes]

I had a funny situation happen when the extract-containing sauces were just coming out. I had a bottle of the original version of Dave's Insanity sauce (which I suppose is now considered almost "tame" compared to some of the recent, extreme ones). I was eating lunch with some colleagues, and I had a tiny, dime-sized dollop of Dave's on my plate. I would dip the tiniest bit onto the end of each of my french fries, and was enjoying my lunch.

One of my colleagues was from Kolkata (India), and he really liked spicy food. He asked what the heck I was doing, and I explained that this was a REALLY spicy hot sauce. He kind of laughed at me and poured a good tablespoon's worth on his plate. I pleaded, "NO! You don't understand! This is not just normal hot sauce! It is REALLY hot. Try a little bit first!" He kind of grinned derisively at me, scooped up a spoonful, stuck it in his pie-hole, and then his eyes went as big as saucers. Took most of the lunch hour for him to recover.

 

[mikewatkins727]

Jalapeño wine

I, too have made Jalapeño wine. The first one came out as a sipping or cooking wine. I used 1 lb of Jalapeños, pound of raisins, 2 lbs sugar, pectic enzyme and grape tannin per gallon. You control the "heat" by how much of the seeds you include &/or peppers. I destemmed the peppers and sliced them length-wise, scraping the seeds out. Run them through a food chopper for coarse chop. My first batch I returned about half the seeds and it made a very warm wine. Warm is very subjective here, so start with one gallon and some or no seeds. Go from there.

Mike