Welch's concord with the super-sugar method

[jswordy]

OK here it is. Started yesterday
Bentonite.
16 cans of concentrate.
5 1/2 lbs. of sugar.
1 1/2 lbs. of Raisins.
10 tsp. Acid Blend
2 1/2 tsp. Pectic Enzyme.
5 tsp. yeast Nutrient.
French Oak Chips ( Medium Toast).
H2O to make it 5 gal.
RC 212. Yeast.
Into the primary. Starting SG was about 1.130 if I was reading it correctly and away we go.

I'd have used 20 cans, but you're off and running. You can always add concentrate on the back end.

With that much acid blend, this is probably gonna be a tart wine. It will mellow some after 6 months. You may want to add concentrate on the back end after stabilizing to try to mellow the tartness up front some, pre-aging. Have to see how it tastes first.

I have gotten to the place where unless it is an alkaline fruit I rarely add acid in primary, but rather add it at the end if it is needed.

So far the 212 seems to always finish for me at 13% ... let's see what you get. Please keep us posted.

 

[Enologo]

I'd have used 20 cans, but you're off and running. You can always add concentrate on the back end.

With that much acid blend, this is probably gonna be a tart wine. It will mellow some after 6 months. You may want to add concentrate on the back end after stabilizing to try to mellow the tartness up front some, pre-aging. Have to see how it tastes first.

I have gotten to the place where unless it is an alkaline fruit I rarely add acid in primary, but rather add it at the end if it is needed.

So far the 212 seems to always finish for me at 13% ... let's see what you get. Please keep us posted.

Yeah thought I'd split the difference Keller says 2 which I've read was not enough you were saying 4 cause you like it sweet so I figured somewhere in the middle and thought I could add some later. I didn't realize the blend would make it tart though and that I could add it later on we'll see how it turns out maybe I'll have to change it on the next batch.

 

[jswordy]

Yeah thought I'd split the difference Keller says 2 which I've read was not enough you were saying 4 cause you like it sweet so I figured somewhere in the middle and thought I could add some later. I didn't realize the blend would make it tart though and that I could add it later on we'll see how it turns out maybe I'll have to change it on the next batch.

I say 4 because to me that's where the flavor is. Like any wine, you can make it as sweet or dry as you like by raising or lowering your starting specific gravity. If you start at ~ 1.070, for example, you will wind up dry with the same yeast.

I just wanted to comment on the acid because you may pucker up when you take a wee sample at the end of primary. The reason Jack Keller adds acid is because he uses less concentrate, so he has to make up for it. You can blend and sweeten it out later with concentrate, or age it out. Or both.

Let's see how it turns out!

 

[Enologo]

Now I can't wait to see. This is the hardest part for me.

 

[jswordy]

Now I can't wait to see. This is the hardest part for me.

It's why I make big batches. I will drink it when it is not ready, so I make more than I will drink and some does survive - usually.

 

[Enologo]

That's why I just picked up a 20 gal. Brute. I haven't used it yet but I'm getting ready to up the anti.:>

 

[Arne]

It's why I make big batches. I will drink it when it is not ready, so I make more than I will drink and some does survive - usually.

Something about that statement sounds familiar. LOL, Arne.

 

[jswordy]

LOL @ Arne! I'm gonna have to send you a bottle of this concord after it ages awhile. Plus the wine's stature will be enhanced because the value of the wine will increase exponentially just because of the shipping charges!

It'll go from around a $6 retail bottle to a $24 bottle by the time it gets to you!

 

[ClarissaM]

sorry to revive a dead thread but i think i really want to try this for my first brew. im thinking this a modification of the linked recipe, correct? has anybody tried this with the old orchard berry blend?
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request121.asp

 

[wineforfun]

Not sure if it is or not but it is an awesome recipe on it's own. I make the super sugar Welchs often and it always turns out great. It is one of my wife's favorites.
I would recommend making according to jswordy's recipe.
After you have a batch under your belt, then start experimenting, if need be.

Never made it with Old Orchard, etc. but as long as you stick to the 4 cans per gallon, the high SG to start with and the RC-212 yeast, it should be fine.

 

[dralarms]

Well, I have no pix to post and so I am remiss, but I tasted the Welch's batch as I racked it over to new carboys, and it seems to have worked out well.

I used a high sugar/lower alcohol yeast method on this batch. SSG was 1.150 and it came out of primary at 1.050 still moderately working. Yeast was RC212 (12% ABV advertised). Four cans of Welch's per gallon were used, plus sugar.

We now have a six and a five of modestly sweet wine that is not rocket fuel in which active fermentation has stopped and stabilization has begun with the addition of sorbate and meta in the transfer and degassing.

For grins, I stuck a half a spiroll of French medium roast oak in the fiver. It's been in there 5 days now, so I'll pull it tonight.

Should be 60 bottles of interesting in 3-4 more weeks. I'll squirrel them away a little longer after bottling. A nice spring taste, maybe, to see how it comes along.

Yes, yes, I know ... sigh ... it's WELCH'S! But I can't help my lowbrow self, it is a fun must for me to play around with.

Next muscadine and then a kit white.

Jim, what's your final sg?

 

[ClarissaM]

i havent really seen a recipe from him. i saw the bit about 4 cans and yeast. i read the comments about gravity. i however didnt see anything about campden, nutrient or pectic acid.

 

[dralarms]

i havent really seen a recipe from him. i saw the bit about 4 cans and yeast. i read the comments about gravity. i however didnt see anything about campden, nutrient or pectic acid.

Most use potassium bimetasulfate, instead of campden, with welches nutreint and petic normally not needed.

 

[JimmyT]

I didn't use sulfites to start but used after fermentation was complete. I did however use yeast nutrient and energizer.

 

[jswordy]

Heck, I figured anyone who has made wine knows the basics of the way to make wine and should be able to make this wine based on what I have included in this thread. In fact, I do receive from time to time bottles sent to me by forum members who have successfully made it. Many thanks to those who have sent me them! Keep them coming!

No need to worry about final SG, I'd think it should wind up around 1.040 or even 1.030. Who cares? The key is, How does it taste to you? Let it go into carboy and sit there until the yeast are dead (no more bubbles in the airlock). If you use the specified yeast at ~ 70 or so degrees liquid temp, you should wind up with residual sugar and no need to back sweeten. This is a method as old as wine.

Rack, stabilize and preserve, degas, bottle. If it is too dry, stabilize and add sugar (but it should not be). It does NOT improve much, and certainly not much more after ~ 3 months. May improve slightly to ~6 months. The chief component of improvement is rounding of the alcohol flavor. I have kept a bottle for over a year, and that does smooth it out some more but the profile is the same.

I used to oak it but no more. The oak makes it take a lot longer to be smooth.

This is a lowbrow, highly popular, wine.



Here's a very cautious "recipe" for those who don't know how to make wine:

Makes 5 gallons

1.) 4 cans Welch's Concord frozen concentrate per gallon (meaning you pour 20 cans in the primary bucket, then top to 5 gallons)

1/4 tsp k meta

Sugar

Blend liquid, sugar, k meta to achieve 1.150. Let sit for 24 hours (this is primarily to ensure that your primary and your water are sanitized - the juice is sterile as it comes from the can.)

2.) One packet RC212 yeast

Sprinkle yeast on top after 24 hours of sitting time. Do not stir. Ferment with the bucket lid on loosely (laid on top) or a towel over the bucket in a cool or air conditioned area at ~70 degrees liquid temperature.

Stir morning and night every day after the first. After day 3 check gravity daily.

3.) When SG hits ~ 1.040-1.050, transfer to carboy and attach airlock. (This is the same as making good blueberry wine, where you rack it over at 1.030-1.040. The yeast enters anaerobic division early by doing this.)

4.) Allow wine to sit covered in a cool place to maintain ~ 70 liquid temp. Rack it over as sediment builds to 1/2"-3/4" in carboys (typically, the sediment is all yeast, as the concentrate is factory filtered).

Add 1/4 tsp. k meta every other racking, until it finishes. (Finishes means no bubbles whatsoever from the airlock for at least a week.)

5.) Don't reach for your hydrometer - reach for your wine thief. Taste it. Taste good, sweet enough? Rack over to a clean carboy with potassium sorbate by bottle directions and 1/4 tsp. k meta, degas, let sit a couple extra days, and bottle.

If not, add potassium sorbate by bottle directions and then granulated sugar to the wine, stirring well, until desired taste is achieved (see note below). Add 1/4 tsp. k meta, degas, and allow to sit one week to assess yeast dormancy (it will be fine). Taste good? Bottle.

NOTE: The one thing you need to remember when adding sugar (granular or liquid) to any wine is that sugar will bloom with time. You want to back sweeten any wine to just shy of ideal. As it sits a few more days, sweetness will increase as the sugars go more into dilution.

I hope this helps less experienced winemakers. Cheers!

 

[wineforfun]

FWIW, my final SG ends up around 1.026-1.036. Every batch is a little different but oh so good.

 

[JimmyT]

I just finished fermenting this recipe last week and is sitting in a carboy as of 6/9. It finished at 1.034

 

[wineforfun]

I just finished fermenting this recipe last week and is sitting in a carboy as of 6/9. It finished at 1.034

That sounds just right.

It is like Welch's grape juice on steroids. Good stuff.

 

[JimmyT]

That sounds just right.



It is like Welch's grape juice on steroids. Good stuff.

My first taste after it stopped moving for 3 days, I had a little from what wouldn't fit in my carboys. It was surprisingly decent right out of the fermentor. Can't wait til month 3 or 4!

 

[ClarissaM]

thanks for the clarification jswordy and others! your original post may have been perfect for those who have made wine before but i am an absolute beginner. ive read recipes and watched youtube until my eyes bled but ....
i did start work on my first batch. it smells great and its really hard not to go taste it like every 5 minutes. lol i cant tell if its still fermenting or the gases are just slowly escaping but otherwise it looks good.