My Milk Wine project

[seth8530]

Just because i like diapers dont mean im old =_= i just like the ...... security.... they offer.

 

[arcticsid]

I am not prepared to make any further statements at this time!

 

[seth8530]

HEHe, Right now ive got the milk wine degassing with its top off for a few days. im trying to get some of the gas out of it before i let it sit with the top put back on so it can clear out.

 

[arcticsid]

lay it over your shoulder and gently pat it on the back!!! LMFAO now for real.

 

[seth8530]

lol, not a bad idea. The only thing i dont like about plastic is that its really hard to degas with anything other than time.

 

[seth8530]

Ok, a taste update.

The co2 has now been bled out for the most part ( i think)

The funky taste that i dislike is now more of an after taste making it much more drinkable

I think it taste EXTREMLY nuetral for the most part, minus the farmy taste it seems to have. I think that once i add vanilla extract that i might have something very desirable on my hands. kinda of a fo-vodka. Alcohol is def one of the bigger flavors with this one.

The colour is kinda of a mountain dewish colour.

 

[The_Zymurgist]

Seth,

If you are still aging the milk wine in a carboy, you should try using American Oak chips for at least 2 months. This should impart a very nice vanilla flavor naturally and make the wine extra silky.

I am starting my batch this weekend. I was originally thinking of using a low temp - slow fermenting yeast strain to keep as much of the fruity phenols intact, but my concern for spoilage has me thinking that a fast-burning, high-temp Champagne yeast is probably the way to go. Also I have a question about the milk used...2%, 1%, or skim?

Bests,
The_Zymurgist

 

[seth8530]

Remember to use lactict acid pills. I would recoment a faster yeast to try and establish an alcoholic enviroment to mitigate the risk of spoilage.

Also very very important, The cheese product is almost nearly as desirable as the milk wine itself. So i would recoment trying out a whole milk possibly. ( more fat means more cheese ?)

Where would i get the vanilla chips from? Where do you all buy your wine stuff from online?

Please feel free to use my thread or start a new one and post detailed notes on yours.

BTW im new to these forums too but ive found the comuniity here to be great so far.

 

[The_Zymurgist]

Seth,

You won't be buying "Vanilla Chips" per se. You'll want to buy American oak chips. These are different from the French oak tree chips as they have more Lactones which produce stronger "Vanilla" and "Sweet" flavors naturally in the wine. As I suggested earlier, I would use them for no less than 2 months. A good place to order them is the website - L.D.Carlson (I can't post a link, but its the name {all one word - ldcarlson} dot com)- once you are at the main page, click on "public catalog", then on "wine" at the table of contents. At the very bottom of the page is a supplier called "StaVin" which has very good oak harvested from Missouri and Minnesota, which happens to be where most wineries buy their wood for barrels to age wine in. For the Milk I would suggest a mild toast.

Also what kind of milk did you use? Was it lactose-free milk, or plain? Reduced Fat (2%), Low Fat (1%), or Skim (Non-Fat)?

Cheers,
The_Zymurgist

 

[seth8530]

Ill see if my gramp has any american oak chips. Do in need to do anything to prep the chips? Ill check that site out too.

I used standerd 2 percent milk. I bet lactose free milk would work best because you wouldnt have to pitch in lactose pills. If i was you i would find a lactose free milk with a high fat content. I believet that the fat is responcible for the wonderfull cheese we love

 

[The_Zymurgist]

Seth,

I live in great state of Pennsylvania where there is no shortage of oaks, but I still opt to buy the chips because as I said before they are grown in a distinct region and climate, and prized for the flavors they impart, but if you were to use your own, the ideal type would be a dead tree seasoned naturally for 1-3 years. Once you cut it into chips or staves, you will have to kiln-dry them (also kills off bacteria and fungi). As far as kiln-drying them is concerned, I have no idea the EXACT process because I have always purchased the pre-dryed chips. So from here you will be on your own.

Tomorrow I will be starting my batch. I am still torn between regular milk or lactose-free milk. I will probably come down to a matter of price. I will post pics...lots of them.

Cheers,
The_Zymurgist

 

[seth8530]

Awesum advice. Im thinking that you should make your own thread that way you dont have to worry about your wine getting lost somewhere in the depths of this thread lol

Im really excited about the pictures, what do you plan on making your starting gravity and alcohol. I think that the milk wine takes to the alcotaste pretty well but thats just my oppinion.

 

[seth8530]

Seth,

I live in great state of Pennsylvania where there is no shortage of oaks, but I still opt to buy the chips because as I said before they are grown in a distinct region and climate, and prized for the flavors they impart, but if you were to use your own, the ideal type would be a dead tree seasoned naturally for 1-3 years. Once you cut it into chips or staves, you will have to kiln-dry them (also kills off bacteria and fungi). As far as kiln-drying them is concerned, I have no idea the EXACT process because I have always purchased the pre-dryed chips. So from here you will be on your own.

Tomorrow I will be starting my batch. I am still torn between regular milk or lactose-free milk. I will probably come down to a matter of price. I will post pics...lots of them.

Cheers,

The_Zymurgist

Have you started your batch yet? BTW i managed to get some oak chips from the local winery but im kinda mystified as to how much im sopposed to use lol

 

[seth8530]

Well, the milk wine has thrown us another curve. sneaky and eviel this stuff be.... I sorbated and k-meta'd it as prescribed by the instructions on the bottle.. I then added a cinamon stick to each gallon container. Well i think it took it kinda personal because evidently fermentation restarted lol.

They all had 2 percent PA left, before i stabalized and now they are bubbiling again. One has 1.5 PA left now and the other two have 1percent left.


So i have 1.5 gallons of 16 percent alcohol and 1 gallon of 15.5 percent alcohol.

Also the nasty taste that it used to have is now GONE completly and absalutely gone, it taste like cinamony flavord alcohol. I think it is delicious lol.
I went ahead and oaked 1 gallon of it. I think im gona rack soon and leave the cinamon behind in the other's that way i dont over cinamon them.

 

[Leanne]

Well, my neighbour has given me a bottle of milk wine ( and some of the cheese curds ). He explained the flavour so far to me as being "acidic but with a background of yoghurt". He is aging some and I will certainly age my bottle. He's enjoyed the experiment and is starting another lot. One happy neighbour! Thanks Seth! LOL.

 

[seth8530]

awesum, im glad to hear that he is making more. One thing that i did with mine that i loved was adding cinamon sticks to the secondary. The milkwine is VERY good about accepting flavors from other things. My "sample" tasted great because the cinamon actually complimented the hot 17% alcohol flavour and was very enjoyable to drink. Right now i have 2 gallons of the cinamon milk wine aging on american oak chips so im hoping that will give it even more character...

I seriously think that i might be on to something with this stuff.

If i get the chance i will def be making more of this.

 

[seth8530]

Well their is still some obvious visable fermentation going on. The wine is hovering between 16 and 17 percent alcohol. Do oak chips have any apreciatable amount of sugar in them?

 

[seth8530]

Ok, The gravity has stayed constant for over a month now... But it is still bubbiling happily away... What is going on in theier/. Have i created some sort of a monster? Will whatever is going on in their cause halucinations?? Will we be "Milked" now instead of drunk or stoned?

But seriously, the thing has been in a state that allows gas to escape for well over 2 months now. Its still bubbiling and the gravity aint movin. Any idea's kind sirs? and mams?

 

[The_Zymurgist]

Have you added any Potassium Metabisulfite? If so, how much per gallon? If not, drink some and let me know if you do infact trip your *** off! Another question that may help come to a conclusion is, what temperature are you storing it at? After moving from the primary to the secondary and moving to a temp. controlled room (65 degrees) all fermentation ceased. The milk wine then proceeded to clear very quickly and has been sitting on oak for about 2 weeks. I have yet to add metabisulfite, or even try some of it. Have you drank any "unflavored" just oaked wine yet?

Cheers,
Z.

P.S. I will post pics and my recipe (if you could call it that?) soon.

 

[seth8530]

Im storing mine at about 70 degrees, and i added 30ppm of kmeta via campden tablet to mine a couple months back. It is 16 percent alcohol but i drank 24 oz's and i was like gone. Like drunk. No trips or nothing like that tho.

Mine is cinamon/ oak flavourd. To me, it tasted to farmy without any flavouring. Also be aware that The milk wine is amazing at picking up flavours so keep that in mind.