Modifying Tom's Blackberry Recipe To 5 Gallons

[winenerd]

Hello All:

I've got 30 pounds of local blackberries from last years local harvest thawing. Please check my modifications to Tom's 6 Gallon recipe. I removed the concentrate because I don't have any. Would appreciate any comments. I do plan to adjust pH in the primary with Calcium Carbonate if needed.


Blackberry Wine 5 gallon recipe
30 lbs of previously frozen and thawed Blackberries
8.75 lbs – White Table Sugar
1/4 tsp – Liquid Pectic Enzyme or 3tsp powdered
1.5 tsp – Acid Blend
5 tsp – Yeast Nutrient
1/4 tsp – K-Meta
2.5 tsp – Yeast Energizer
4 3/4 Gallons – Water
1 Sachet – Lalvin 71B 1122

Thanks!

winenerd

 

[Julie]

take a hydrometer reading before adding all the sugar, bring your sg to around 1.080. take an acid and/or ph before adding any acid blend

 

[winenerd]

Will do. Thanks Julie.

 

[winenerd]

Well, I have it in primary. But, I am confused.

I made a rookie mistake and tried to fit it all in a wine kit primary bucket. With 30 lbs. of fruit, it quickly filled up. So, I transferred it to two 5 gal primaries. My problem is with my initial SG reading. I expected no more than 10 lbs of sugar for a 5 gal recipe. But I had to add 12 lbs. of sugar (split between 2 primaries), to get to 1.080. Granted, there is about 9 gallons of volume between the two primaries. Does that sound right?

My major ingredients are 30 lbs. blackberries, 12 lbs. sugar, 5 gallons water. These are split between two 5 gal primaries and both are close to the 4.5 gal level.

winenerd