Sweet Tea Wine

[Mismost]

Started my batch yesterday and started with JSquared's recipe:
21 family size tea bags in a gallon of water simmered for 20 minutes
10# sugar, 6 gallons 1.09 SG
yeast energizer and nutrients
EC1118 yeast
peptic enzyme ...although I'm not sure why

then I went off my normal tangent:
4 very brown bananas sliced and bagged...they will like the enzyme
1/2 bag of wild berry juice left over from a cheap kit...it is very berry

Have no idea how this will turn out....but, I have less than 10 bucks into a 6 gallon start...it's even cheaper than a frozen juice concentrate wine. Right now it tastes like real sweet strong ice tea with a berry flavor. Just love it so far!

 

[Mismost]

Update...I read all about the slow fermentation some folks had which was why I started with energizer and nutrients...figured the bananas would also help feed the yeast as well as build up the body. Well, I pitched the yeast Sunday night, must temp was about 82 because I had made simple syrup with the 10# of sugar....I had also rehyrdrated the yeast and slowly fed it small amounts of must and got it up to about a quart in size.

This is a the BIGGEST fermentation I have ever seen! Thick, heavy foam 3" deep...I can hear the bucket sizzling behind me. That EC1118 is in a very happy place and it is just eating it's way through everything. Have been stirring, squeezing, and punching down the banana bag twice a day...just the lid sitting on top of the bucket...no signs of slowing down!

I may call this one Steam Engine Sweet Tea.

Was wondering if something about making the simple syrup changed the sugar chains and helps it ferment faster/easier?

 

[Mismost]

well, it's been about week now. I pulled the banana bag after 5 days, snapped the lid down and air locked it. It is still just chugging right along. My last little taste was interesting, I liked it. We'll she how she turns out.

 

[maurtis]

Mine is chugging along too. Like you I made a simple syrup instead of just pouring the dry sugar into the fermenter. A week after pitching the yeast and I am at 1.010 from 1.090.

Planning to rack and degas with wine whip at 1.00, then after a couple weeks rack again for bulk aging for a few months.

Since I have mainly been making DB with only one racking before bottling this process it a little different. When should I add k-meta and sorbate? I do plan on back sweetening before bottling.

Should I k-meta at my first racking at 1.000, or at the second racking into my aging carboy? Should I sorbate then too, or k-meta and sorbate just before back sweetening / bottling?

I made a 6 gallon batch with 7 large Lipton tea bags. Ended up closer to 7 gallons since I neglected to factor in the volume for the simple syrup, 11 lbs of sugar to bring the gravity to 1.090. I used 256 oz of organic white grape juice for body (nearly the equivalent of 6 cans of concentrate) and zest and juice from 6 lemons.


05/29/2016
- Steep 7 tea bags and add tea to fermenter
- Add grape juice to fermenter (256 oz, four 64 oz bottles of organic white grape juice)
- Zest and juice six lemons, add juice and zest to fermenter
- Add pectic enzyme and yeast nutrient/energizer to fermenter
- Add water to 6 gallons
- Take gravity reading and calculate how much sugar to bring OG to 1.090, make simple syrup and add to fermenter (it took 11 lbs).

05/30/2016
- Add yeast to fermenter and stir
- Stir again in the evening

05/31/2016
- Stir in the morning
- Stir in the evening
- Fermentation smells of lemons and tea, delightful

06/01/2016
- Stir in the morning and take SG 1.070
- Stir in the evening

06/02/2016
- Stir in the morning, SG 1.050
- Add 3 tsp of Fermax, I like to add more Fermax at the 1/2 sugar break with non-fruit wines
- Fermentation still smells of lemons and tea, very nice

06/03/2016
- Stir in the morning
- Forget to stir in the evening

06/04/2016
- Stir in the morning
- Forget to stir in the evening

06/05/2016
- Forget to stir in the morning
- Forget to stir in the evening

06/06/2016
- Notice a slightly yeasty farty smell, yeast is stressed
- Stir in the morning, SG 1.010
- Add 1 tsp of Fermax and apologize to the yeasties for ignoring them

 

[maurtis]

Going back through my old wine making notes... I think I will wait a couple extra days for the wine to completely ferment dry and stable for a few days before racking, then do 1/4 tsp of k-meta and 3 tsp of sorbate when I rack and degas.

If I am not seeing a lot of stuff drop out, I will save the second racking for three months later and back sweeten. Then bottle a few months after if things are looking good and clear.

 

[Mismost]

I racked mine a week ago and thought it should start at least try to clear up...but, it didn't...still kinda early. Got a wild hair and thought I would degas it and help it start clearing. Did the spoon for a while and really did not see anything. Got out the All In One Pump....MAN! That carboy had more gas in it than a high school football team at all-you-can-eat Mexican buffett! Thick, pillows of heavy foam arose...after 20 minutes of vacuum on/off/on/off it finally settled down and quit threatening to come up into the vacuum hose.

I know...Steve would say it very a very un-effective way to degas and he may be right....but is way cool to watch and play with!!

 

[Whitehrs]

How did that turn out for you, JS? I'm thinking of a version of Skeeter Pee Sweet Tea wine. I've always liked lemon in my tea, or is it tea flavored lemonade?

Drunken Arnold Palmer? I like it..

 

[Mismost]

7-6-2016...racked again, added camden tablets, slow clearing, but I am in no hurry...bet I have use a fining agent of some sort. Vac racked and pulled even more CO2 off, tasted good...going to be an interesting wine.

 

[hounddawg]

orange panko/black tea, I too will try this as if I didn't have enough going already,,,,, 6-gal blackberry,, 6-gal elderberry, 10-gall apple.. 20-gal apple/pear blend, 10-gal sweet cherry with honey,,,, starting a wildflower honey an Stella hops that give off a wildflower taste, and a wildflower honey mixed with sour cherries, 6-gal of each,
Dawg
Richard

 

[Whitehrs]

pitched a Carmel/Honey Chai tea with Banana last night (7-18-16) it is chugging away.. The must tasted very good before I pitch yeast. It was at SG 1.079.. I'll go dry, but I'll put it in secondary at about 1.03 or 1.02, and let it finish out for a month. Then test, rack of the lees and airlock it again. Then add K-meta, and let it clear for 2 months repeat until it's clear... I'm going to back sweeten with Smucker's carmel topping.. I may add a couple Biglow's Vanilla Chai tea bags for bulk aging as well.

We will see how it works out..If it is awesome I will post the recipe.. If it sucks I will not.. I will work on the Drucken Arnold Palmer maybe..

 

[Whitehrs]

7-30- I put the carmel Banana Chai tea into carboy at 1.020 after 5 days. Now a week later it is still just sitting there, no action in the bubbler. It is fully thick with cloudiness, and a ton of sediment. I pitched about a 1/4 packet of Cote des Blanc (That is what I used) thinking I had removed all most all of the yeast with the solids, when I moved it to carboy. I mean it just froze/stopped when I went to carboy. I'm probably just going to watch it, and Rack it off the lees/solids in a week or so. and test it at that time. Probably fine if it is stopped. That would give me 8-9% abv, and would remain sweet. Anyway. It tasted awesome when I moved it to carboy. I'm guessing it will turn out. I may do a Sweet tea/Skeeter pee 50/50 (Drunken Arnold Palmer), that would be a galloon of Sweet tea, mixed with a gallon of skeeter pee. Not sure, still working this one..

 

[Mismost]

I racked mine on 7-6-2016...saw Whitehrs post and got down on my hands and knees and crawled back in the corner under my desk, to take a look at mine. 27 July 2016, and it is clearing rather nicely now! I just didn't feel like moving 5 other carboys to get to that one! Sometimes having a small work area is a good thing...makes it easier to just leave stuff alone!

 

[Whitehrs]

I racked mine on 7-6-2016...saw Whitehrs post and got down on my hands and knees and crawled back in the corner under my desk, to take a look at mine. 27 July 2016, and it is clearing rather nicely now! I just didn't feel like moving 5 other carboys to get to that one! Sometimes having a small work area is a good thing...makes it easier to just leave stuff alone!

Yep, mine is in the closet of my Office at home. Sits right at 72-73 all the time.. Most stuff I have done is great 72-73.. What is the temp under the desk? Mine is quite a bit warmer with the monster computer tower under there. I guess if I need a 80-85 degree ferment I guess it will work..

 

[Mismost]

Was racking some wines and even though it's only been a month, I racked the Sweet Tea again. Cleared up good, nice flavor....different but nice....It has the tea taste. I like my tea sweet, may sweeten this one up a bit to get there. But, I think it's gonna be a nice sitting on the deck sipping wine.

I need to go back and find who started/posted that recipe....they need an Atta Boy!

 

[JSquared]

Was racking some wines and even though it's only been a month, I racked the Sweet Tea again. Cleared up good, nice flavor....different but nice....It has the tea taste. I like my tea sweet, may sweeten this one up a bit to get there. But, I think it's gonna be a nice sitting on the deck sipping wine.

I need to go back and find who started/posted that recipe....they need an Atta Boy!

I've had mine sitting since I made it. I wasn't impressed with the taste so it's just been sitting. After this post, I'll have to pull out some and give it a try!! I'll let you know what I find out.

 

[Mismost]

I've had mine sitting since I made it. I wasn't impressed with the taste so it's just been sitting. After this post, I'll have to pull out some and give it a try!! I'll let you know what I find out.

Please do! I think it is a pretty wine, it cleared nicely. My neighbor lady tried a glass, she likes dry and it is dry. SHe said it had a familiar taste she couldn't identify, but she liked it. I finally told her it was tea and she was fairly shocked! Once she knew she said it was good tea. She suggested i split the batch and only sweeten half...we'll see. I just really like sweet tea!

 

[JSquared]

I think the problem with mine is, I got it too sweet and it overpowers the wines true flavors. I make make another batch and leave it dry and just do good old fashion half and half!

 

[Whitehrs]

I think the problem with mine is, I got it too sweet and it overpowers the wines true flavors. I make make another batch and leave it dry and just do good old fashion half and half!

I had thought about that as well. 1/2 skeeter pee, half sweet tea.. drunken Arnold Palmer..sounds good.

 

[Mismost]

Started my batch yesterday and started with JSquared's recipe:
21 family size tea bags in a gallon of water simmered for 20 minutes
10# sugar, 6 gallons 1.09 SG
yeast energizer and nutrients
EC1118 yeast
peptic enzyme ...although I'm not sure why

then I went off my normal tangent:
4 very brown bananas sliced and bagged...they will like the enzyme
1/2 bag of wild berry juice left over from a cheap kit...it is very berry

Have no idea how this will turn out....but, I have less than 10 bucks into a 6 gallon start...it's even cheaper than a frozen juice concentrate wine. Right now it tastes like real sweet strong ice tea with a berry flavor. Just love it so far!

Racked into the bottling bucket. FG .97 ABV 15.48 (never sure about these numbers...but that what the calculator said) Crystal clear, nice golden collor, and the taste has a hint of tea and berries...it's very nice...thin, light body. It is not hot to me, yet it is warming on the tummy!

I was thinking of backsweetning it, but I like it as is...can always add Splenda to a bottle later....for now, I just gotta get it in the bottle!

Thanks to JSquared for sharing the recipe!

 

[WildernessMedic]

Too long to read but after my first cheap old garage sale kit the second thing I did is go get a falling of captain Ds sweet tea and ferment it. If I recall it wasn't bad.