rocket fuel

[outdoorsmadness]

i stabilized my blackberry wine to day, and tasted it and realized i made a batch of rocket fuel. og was 1.092 and fg was .960 i figured about 12.5 % but didnt realize it would be that strong its harsh to the throat and numbs your tounge, its been about 10 weeks since i started the wine . is this normal? will ageing mellow it out? i plan on backsweetening it will that help? if so about how long will it be before its drinkable?

thanks

 

[Wade E]

I vry much dought your finished sg! I dont think a hydrometer even goes down that far! More like .990? Fruit wines like any wines need time to tame and thats not rocket fuel but a good abv for that wine actually. Sweetening it will also smooth it out of you like sweeter wines, other than that time will do its thing so be patient.

 

[myakkagldwngr]

The blackberry I made actually has quite a kick too. I know it's alot better than the Elderberry I just bottled day before yesterday.
I wish now I had made twenty gallons so I might have some bottles aging next year.

 

[outdoorsmadness]

I vry much dought your finished sg! I dont think a hydrometer even goes down that far! More like .990? Fruit wines like any wines need time to tame and thats not rocket fuel but a good abv for that wine actually. Sweetening it will also smooth it out of you like sweeter wines, other than that time will do its thing so be patient.

the fg was .990 i made a mistake. i plan on sweeten it after this weekend then i will bottle, i will age some but anxious to drink , this is my first batch ever.

 

[Wade E]

Dont forget to add sulfite and sorbate before sweetening or you will really have rocket fuel cause it will start fermenting all over again.

 

[outdoorsmadness]

Dont forget to add sulfite and sorbate before sweetening or you will really have rocket fuel cause it will start fermenting all over again.

i added camden tabs a potasium sorbate last night. will sweeten and bottle monday.

 

[BobF]

i added camden tabs a potasium sorbate last night. will sweeten and bottle monday.

You might want to wait a while after sweetening before you bottle it. If firmentation does start up again, you could have quite a mess.

 

[outdoorsmadness]

thanks for the advice i will wait a little xtra then, im just so anxious. how long do you recemend?

 

[smurfe]

Sweetening will help smooth it out a lot. Did you adjust the acidity in the beginning? THat may have a bit to do with the mouthfeel you are experiencing. I am sure after you back sweeten though you will notice a good difference.

 

[outdoorsmadness]

Sweetening will help smooth it out a lot. Did you adjust the acidity in the beginning? THat may have a bit to do with the mouthfeel you are experiencing. I am sure after you back sweeten though you will notice a good difference.

i did not test the acid level but i did add a half a tsp of acid blend per gallon for recipie called for it

 

[Wade E]

Since you are sweetening it it will come around faster as sweeter wines hide imperfections and or higher abv's but it will need at least 4-6 months before it will start coming around and will keep improving for another 6 months tom a year or more.

 

[non-grapenut]

Sometimes my rocketfuel wines make great mixers for weak tasting batches. Blackberry would be a good mixer. You will find it best to save your "failures" in gallon jugs for blending. I once made 5 gallons of grapefruit wine I could not stand, mixed it with some strawberry wine that lacked something and the result was a tart berry. Never give up!

 

[MJOl]

thanks for the advice i will wait a little xtra then, im just so anxious. how long do you recemend?

Jack Keller recommends about 10 days before bottling after you have stabilized
Michael

 

[BobF]

Jack Keller recommends about 10 days before bottling after you have stabilized
Michael

Actually, there is an update on his site that says he now recommends minimum 4 weeks if back sweetening in addition to stabalizing. He also said he hasn't bothered to update all of the recipes ...

 

[Tom]

Please keep in mind a few things on his site. Most of the recipes are not his. Alot of those recipes are old and have been improved.
One thing I don't agree on is his low #per gallon for his fruit wines.

 

[wingnutooa]

rocket fuel! BAH!


here ya go.

18%abv

i like the strong taste of my first batch.

i actually took a half a shot glass of it and mixed it with half a shot of fireball (cinamon whiskey)

was delicious

 

[arcticsid]

Love the way your label turned out, I remember when you first showed it to us. I'm glad the wine turned out to your liking. Keep on keeping on. Now all you need to do is build a rocket. LOL

 

[Midwest Vintner]

Sometimes my rocketfuel wines make great mixers for weak tasting batches. Blackberry would be a good mixer. You will find it best to save your "failures" in gallon jugs for blending. I once made 5 gallons of grapefruit wine I could not stand, mixed it with some strawberry wine that lacked something and the result was a tart berry. Never give up!

great advice here. we do the same thing. works great. use one wines fault to cover up your "fault." it can even make a better wine than both separate.

the recommended 10 day rule works, but works better to bulk age if possible. it'll age in either container. no rush, since ya should have back up's to drink!

i like the v8 label. we make some fortified wines that don't have any bite!

 

[Leanne]

There's no rush. Just leave it to mellow in bulk. Many wines seem to really benefit from bulk aging.