The Kool-Aid Challenge

[whino-wino]

I'm not really sure where this post belongs. This is not really a fruit wine, but it's not a kit wine either. There aren'tany forums for artificially flavored wines so I figured I'd stick it in here. I had someone argue to me that you can't make wine out of kool-aid. Of course, I've never really wanted to, but I just had to prove him wrong.


See this post:
http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5255


Anyway, I got started tonight. First I needed a few basic ingredients:

Then I chopped up about a pound and a half of raisins (for body):

O.K., maybe only one and 1/4 lbs of raisins:

All right, all right. A pound of raisins:

Boiled about 2 1/2 lbs of bananas (also for body):

Soaked the raisins in the hot banana water for 1/2 hour:

Added H2O to one gallon, 1/2tsp tannin, 1 1/2tsp yeast nutrient, enough kool aid for 2 gallons (according to directions on the can)and sugar to a S.G. of 1.090. Checked acid. It was low. Adjusted to 0.6 tartaric. Added 1/8 tsp K-meta and stirred like heck. Put the raisins back in and covered. I will pitch the yeast tomorrow. I haven't decided yet what kind. I think I'll try Lalvin EC-1118. (that's what I have the most of in the refridgerator)

Edited by: whino-wino

 

[NorthernWinos]

"Kool-Aid, Kool-Aid, Tastes great"
"Kool-Aid Kool-Aid, Can't wait"

 

[smurfe]

If there are no chemicals in the Kool Aid such as sorbate to inhibit fermentation, it will ferment. I took a gallon of water once, added sugar to an SG of around 1.080 and added yeast. In a day I hadairlock activity. I should of let it continue to dry to see what it tasted like. I didn't though, only let it go a few days. I just wanted to see if it would work. I used a yeast that was 2 years expired to.

 

[NorthernWinos]

If there are no chemicals in the Kool Aid such as sorbate to inhibit fermentation, it will ferment. I took a gallon of water once, added sugar to an SG of around 1.080 and added yeast. In a day I hadairlock activity. I should of let it continue to dry to see what it tasted like. I didn't though, only let it go a few days. I just wanted to see if it would work. I used a yeast that was 2 years expired to.

Last fall I made some Liquor Kits...Fermented water and sugar with 2 packages of Lalvin EC-1118...a few days into fermentation added more sugar...I can't recall the flavor, but it was suppose to get to 20% alcohol...Then at the end added the flavorings and more sugar....Some people are loving them...they were Amaretto and Hazelnut Brandy...Great for sore throats....the flavors are quite nice.

 

[whino-wino]

If there are no chemicals in the Kool Aid such as sorbate to inhibit fermentation, it will ferment. I took a gallon of water once, added sugar to an SG of around 1.080 and added yeast. In a day I hadairlock activity. I should of let it continue to dry to see what it tasted like. I didn't though, only let it go a few days. I just wanted to see if it would work. I used a yeast that was 2 years expired to.

I think experimenting like that is one of the things I like most about this hobby. When I walk into a grocery store I look at just about every item on the shelf (especially in the produce dept) and wonder to myself, "could I make wine with this?". And yes, I've wondered how plain water and sugar would turn out. I would think it would be a little thin. Besides, what would you call it? "Unflavored wine"?Or maybe "Plain wine"? It would be interesting to try just to see exactly what flavors different yeasts would impart since there would be no other flavors to interfere with it. See what you've done? Now you've got me started thinking again.......the only thing stopping me from whipping up a batch of "water wine" right now is the fact that I only have 2 one gallon carboys at my disposal and I have some blueberries in the freezer that I simply must get rid of. Speaking of which, I'm going to run to the freezer right now and get those puppies out to thaw. Tomorrow is "blueberry wine day", or maybe "blueberry port day", I better decide quick.


Later........

 

[PolishWineP]

That certainly sounds like a good recipe. I have a hearty respect for someone who can't say no to a challenge! I may have to start a batch of Lime Koolaid wine!

 

[whino-wino]

Update:


We have liftoff....


No picture because there's no foam or anything to show, but I can see it flowing and can hear it fizzing. S.G. is down to 1.080 (Started at 1.090) It actually smells kind of good.


I spent most of my evening trying to extract juice from 15 lbs of thawed wild blueberries. Will be pitching the yeast for that one tomorrow.....

 

[Lloyd1]

It actually smells kind of good.

You may have discovered the formula for Boone's Farm Wine!

 

[whino-wino]

It actually smells kind of good.

You may have discovered the formula for Boone's Farm Wine!

After checking on it tonight, I don't think so. It's still fizzing away with no foam, and it still smells like kool-aid, but the color sure did change:

It's basically grey. I sure hope it's not that color when it clears

 

[harryhebert]

Bravo !!! Now you see wine making wine for its own sake. In the past there was the dependency upon the natural sugars in the original content. Lately we have learned, that you can simply take water, add sugar, yeast, and make an alcoholic beverage. Its wine, but without the mother source of grape taste, etc. In all acutality, you can make a quite stong alcoholic "source beverage" this way and afterwards add your alcoholic beverage to grape juice, or any beverage you choose, (including party punch). If you add at least 2 cups of sugar on the front end you will make a pretty potent alcohol level wine. Afterwards, you can add it to anything that you wish. That's fun. Thanks for your spirit of adventure in it all.

 

[whino-wino]

That's why I LOVE this hobby!!

 

[snick]

Real winemakers prefer Triple-Ripple 3 to 1

 

[NorthernWinos]

Welcome snick...stick around....

 

[whino-wino]

I thought I'd update this since it's over now. I wanted my carboy back so I decided to rush things a bit with the Kool-Aid wine. It had cleared pretty well and after racking from the lees there was some headspace left that I didn't feel comfortable leaving in the carboy. At the same time, I didn't want to waste any wine topping up something I made with Kool Aid (I don't like using water either), so I decided to filter and bottle now.


Here's the wine after filtering (I lost some volume in the racking and filtering process)

Finished Product:

I wasn't sure what to do with the label, so I figured I'd go with a generic one....

The stuff doesn't taste too bad at this point, although I certainly wouldn't enter it in any competitions or anything. It definitely tastes like Kool Aid. I even sweetened with Kool Aid, which helped the color. I should have taken a pic before I backsweetened last week. It turned out to be a real dark amber color. Kind of reminded me of Killian's Red.

 

[Wade E]

Very Kool!

 

[NorthernWinos]

This is a 'Generic Wine label'...

Not sure who on the Forum first used it...I like it...but never used it before...Might have a wine in the carboy that would qualify fir this one.

 

[SmokinDawg]

I was watching on tv one of those prison shows and they made koolaid wine too! they subbed white bread for the yeast and a garbage bag for the carboy.

 

[hannabarn]

I guess if you're desperate you can get anything to ferment.