Spiced/Crab Apple Wine

[Runningwolf]

Bill buy 3x the amount you think you'll need, they don't go bad. A 15 mile trip to Lowes in the middle of a crush stinks.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

RW, I am curious as to why you guys just dont crush then press these crabs? We froze ours after reading your posts, thawed, crushed and then pressed and the juice just poured out very nicely. I have planted some Dolgos so happy to see they are so good. Are you going to do anything to adjust the acid levels? Like MLF? What kind of yeast are you favoring? Our 100% crab apple juice right now could best be described as having a bracing level of acid, by bracing I mean you have to brace yourself before you taste it WVMJ

 

[Runningwolf]

Actually this time I used the recipe at the beginning of this thread from many moons ago. I used champagne yeast. You bring up a good point about pressing right away and I don't see a problem with it. I just wonder if you'd get the nice red coloring I got and the flavor. Maybe you'll get more flavor, you see I did as the original poster and added water to the top of the apples after the crush (adjusted to 21 brix). So my acid is not anything like two years ago. Today I plan on racking to carboys and letting it finish up and see what I got.

Use that high acid to your advantage. If you make some wine with cider the crabapple is a wonderful addition. Also blended with Chardonnay was phenomenal. Try small amounts and larger amounts in your blends with lower acid wines. As you know you can add large quantities of sugar to this to balance it out, without seeming too sweet.

 

[Runningwolf]

Actually today is day 7. I have been getting ahead of myself. Today I racked over to (5) 6 gallon carboys leaving room for any more fermentation and stirring. I have 5 flasks with a bentonite preparation waiting to be stirred into each carboy. I am predicting after several rackings I'll be down to about 25 gallons.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

RW, Very nice color extraction, we have one dessert apple that the skin bleeds into the flesh when you cut it and the flesh is very white, might have to try that one those next year. No we didnt get any color extraction but our wild crabs are just stripped red and green not like your red Dolgos. Brisk levels of tannins in there to. Looking forward to our Dolgos fruiting in a couple of years. WVMJ

 

[Hokapsig]

I am about a week behind Dan. I sanitized a baseball bat and smashed the frozen-then-thawed Dolgos. Went over to FFemt to press them and got a very nice magenta color and about 4 gallons. We tasted the juice and got a great pucker factor. I added sugar to about 1.070 and let sit for a day. I added the yeast tonight and the yeasties went wild, producing some airlock burps within minutes. I saw my friend with the crab apple trees tonight and he said there are many more which have yet to fall from the top. Going after those might be a Friday event.

 

[mgmarty]

Ok, time to bring this thread back again. I followed the recipe for the spiced wine. It is tart. (to say the least!) I racked the six gallon carbouy into a five gallon carbouy. What is left over I sweetend and plan to bottle it for thanksgiving. Its at 1.002 right now. I may sweeten it more, got to get the wife to try it first. I lost all the pink coloring. It looks like apple cider. Im really pleased with this wine so far. I have a thought to blend in some of my cherry wine, just for color. Anyone tried this?

 

[hownowbrowncow]

My wine is still bulk aging in the carboy since the start of this post, October last year. I haven't lost any color, mine is a nice clear reddish tint (color blind, don't ask me). The color could depend on the type of crab apples, as there is 37 different crab apple species.

 

[Hokapsig]

My crab apple ended up with a tart earthy flavor. Mabe I left it on the skins too long? Anyway to re-boost this thread, I went out and picked 20# worth of crabs, and the trees are still polluted with dolgos. FFemt will be over on Sunday and we will strip the trees as much as possible. I still have about 40pounds left over from last year to add to the poundage for this year. Dolgos are frozen in the winery and will be out to thaw and crush soon.

 

[Runningwolf]

Bill, are you serious your crabapples are ready this soon? It just seems a month too early to be picking. I planted a new Dolgo Crab last year I bought at Lowes and that tree was loaded this year. I removed about 2/3 of the fruit so the tree didn't stress out. In addition to this tree I add a Chestnut Crabapple this year.

 

[pjd]

My crab apple ended up with a tart earthy flavor. Mabe I left it on the skins too long? Anyway to re-boost this thread, I went out and picked 20# worth of crabs, and the trees are still polluted with dolgos. FFemt will be over on Sunday and we will strip the trees as much as possible. I still have about 40pounds left over from last year to add to the poundage for this year. Dolgos are frozen in the winery and will be out to thaw and crush soon.

Wow, I would think the crab apples would be ripening in September not in July. I bet these ones will be tart!

 

[Hokapsig]

Dan, I tried to upload photos from my phone, but the trees are absolutely full of dolgos, though I am going back for more on Sunday. One more week will turn the pink apples into the bright magenta apples. The owner has 3 trees worth and wants them stripped of apples. He also has July apples and pears for harvesting.

 

[Hokapsig]

phil, it seems early, but the dolgos are just starting to drop off the trees. Last year, even the pears, which you are supposed to wait until after the first frost, were gone way before that.

 

[jayada]

OK Browncow and Runningwolf --- It's been a while since you posted this crab apple recipe. How did it turn out? On your scale of 1-10? You seem to know your stuff... I have access to some nice crabs and wanted to make a 5 gallon batch. Can you post your specif recipe and timing processes for your favorite crab wine? You want your must to be at 21-23 brix before primary, right? And if I'm only wanting a 5 glalon batch do I want to fill the primary with crushed crabs to near the top and then level off with water, or should I compact the crushed crabs a bit then add water? I do have access to a nice press, so I assume pressing would be best but when?...I've seen others who only drip strain and do not press. Any wisdom on this from you guys would be great for a complete newbie like me.

 

[Runningwolf]

I posted to this thread because I'm bad at keeping notes. So everything you read on this thread is all of my notes. Crabapple is very high in acid. It is one of the very few wines I ever add water to. I still keep the acid fairly high. I make this wine to enhance my low acid Apple and Pear wine. The wine is excellent. I shred the apples then press them.

 

[TheMadCanadian]

Greetings!

I am trying out this Spiced recipe!

2 Days after letting the apples stew with the pectic enzyme, I check the gravity.

natural sugars in the apples should give you about 27.6g/L (1.020)

Thats according to the experience in this thread. My gravity is at 1.20. Hope that means I got some good apples!

 

[Hokapsig]

Time to boost this thread as my wife is complaining that 2 years of frozen dolgos have to be removed from the freezers downstairs.

 

[hownowbrowncow]

Woot! Good luck and Enjoy!

I still have bottles of my original batch, it's very tasty.

 

[hownowbrowncow]

OK Browncow and Runningwolf --- It's been a while since you posted this crab apple recipe. How did it turn out? On your scale of 1-10? You seem to know your stuff... I have access to some nice crabs and wanted to make a 5 gallon batch. Can you post your specif recipe and timing processes for your favorite crab wine? You want your must to be at 21-23 brix before primary, right? And if I'm only wanting a 5 glalon batch do I want to fill the primary with crushed crabs to near the top and then level off with water, or should I compact the crushed crabs a bit then add water? I do have access to a nice press, so I assume pressing would be best but when?...I've seen others who only drip strain and do not press. Any wisdom on this from you guys would be great for a complete newbie like me.

4 years later. I'd give this one an 8. I made the recipe up as I went (and I've made hundreds of different wine batches since with various fruits... I should post my recipes), and it turned out to be a wonderful wine, especially with age.

The more apples you ferment, the better. You can even cut down some of the acidic after-taste of crab apples in general by using pear juice (not from concentrate) instead of water as it won't mask the taste of apple. It will sweeten the wine, greatly, beware.

Yes press before mixing anything.

 

[TheMadCanadian]

Well thought I would post an update. Aslong as I can post links, The Crabapple wine is fermenting nicely.... and a little peak at the Watermelon wine I started a while back.

http://tinypic.com/r/n9d9j/9

or

http://sendvid.com/f9j7pwdx

Cheers