When Life Gives You Bananas…

[FlamingoEmporium]

Scored a bunch of bananas after hurricane Milton. One bunch from one of my trees that fell and another large bunch put out by the road and a few other stray bananas from other sources.

Added about a pound of mango from this year and some Welches white.

Yeast getting pitched before bed tonight.

Some were fresh some were frozen for a few days. This is about half of what went in. Happy to hear any tips. My first batch of banana

 

[BigDaveK]

My last banana wine used 12 lbs VERY ripe bananas, frozen for a couple days, for a one gallon batch. Crazy intense banana flavor.
When you back sweeten consider using a little brown sugar, not too much. I think I did 25% brown sugar.
Good luck!

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

When you back sweeten consider using a little brown sugar, not too much. I think I did 25% brown sugar.

Will do. Did you have to adjust ph at all ?

 

[BigDaveK]

Will do. Did you have to adjust ph at all ?

I assume you mean at the beginning rather than at bottling. In that case, oh yeah! Keep in mind bananas can be used to raise the pH of a must that's too acidic. My starting pH was 4.6. With a volume a little over 1.5 gal. I used 8 tsp of acid blend and got the pH to 3.3, a little low, but at bottling it had climbed up to 3.5.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

This is the most vigorous ferment I’ve had. Interesting.

 

[hounddawg]

yup with banana i use 12 lb to the gallon apple juice and golden raisins, i made my brother 12 gallons about 4 years ago, oh did he complain about it being way to high on ABV, TOLD HIM When i made it bulked aged for a year, then bottled, told him it would be at least 3 more year before it just started tasting good, a couple days ago he opened a bottle and said it was great, now he regrets 3 of the cases he has already drank..., since it just now is getting smooth, ask me about mine, told him mine was still in bulk aging and he was not getting any of it, boy did he look sick,
he was warned and rewarned, time and patience, most important, be bottling mine this coming spring, will have bulked for 5 years,
Dawg
ALL MY WINES ARE HIGH ABV%, WITH WAY HEAVY FRUIT/BERRIES, after a decent bulk aging , it will be smooth as silk, but kick like a mule,
.
AKA Richard

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

What happens when your hydrometer runs out of lines ? Still had quite active fermentation this morning, and I said to myself “ better check SG”

At first I thought hydrometer was stuck In the bottom of the test vial. It was because it was 0.990.

I didn’t try to increase starting SG much, I think it was around 1.089

 

[hounddawg]

SG 0.990 is a finishened ferment, 1.089 IS pretty sweet, I finish my wines off at FSG 1.040. that along with a ferment using 3 to 4 times the recommended fruit/berry per gallon makes my wines taste like the fruit/berry of the bush, i use only EC-1118 yeast,
that 1.089 was that your starting SG or your final SG. , if it was your starting, then taste your wine and sweeten to taste, , then bulk age for as long as you can, it will get much better with age, if your FSG IS 0.990 Then just sweeten to taste, use sorbate to stop refermention, depending on yeast used, most yeast will give you 14 ABV% OR Lower, EC-1118 will give you a ABV% of 18 to 22 the higher end using step feeding and nutrients to get to 22 ABV, BUT IT CAN BE DONE, 18 ABV is easy to achieve
Dawg
,

 

[hounddawg]

ok reread your post, looks finished at SG 0.990, TIME TO BULK AGE and let it clear,
time and patience is most valuable thing for wines.
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

I back sweeten just before bottling,
Dawg

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Yes 1.089 was starting. It’s being transferred into secondary as I type. I normally transfer to secondary at 1.020 and below. But this one fermented a bit lower.

Three weeks in secondary maybe only 2 depending on how it clears, and then a minimum of three months aging. I don’t have much room for storage, only my “wine closet”

 

[hounddawg]

I'M A single old man, so i turned a bedroom into my wine room, , sounds like you got it going on,
good luck, and let us know how it comes out,
Dawg

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Update - sat in secondary for 4 weeks. Patience is getting better. Just racked to long term for a few months (as long term as it gets here) it looks nice and tastes even better. Really smooth for only sitting 4 weeks. Has a little flavor, not bitter or overly astringent. This will probably get a very light backsweetening at bottling to see if I can draw out a little flavor. Won’t take much to make it taste sweet which I don’t want.