Wine making recipes

[Jim916]

I just started making homemade wine. It is turning in to a fun hobby. I have made 2 kit wines and a batch of skeeter pee wine. I am wondering if anyone has any good recipes for fruit or other types of wines. I have a couple of 1gallon jugs I would like to use. Or even get more carboys. Thanks.

[ThunderLund78]

Brings back memories. My Grandpa made wine out of currant berries that grew in our backyard. I wish he had a written recipe but I think it was all in his head. He took it to his grave.

When I was in high school, my friends and I thought it would be smart to make wine out of store-bought apple juice, sugar and bakers yeast after learning the basics in science class. We had a teacher who made wine; he probably taught what happens when yeast and sugar mix a little too well. WHOOOWHEEE! I wouldn't recommend it!

[Redlantern]

Not sure if you like hard cider but I have a good recipe for it. Didn't think it'd work when I got it off the internet but it turned out great. Takes a while to make (which I'm sure you realize) but tastes much like a Hornsby's. Let me know if you're interested.

[Redlantern]

Thunder, I know what you're talking about with the sugar and bakers yeast. Found out corn sugar and a specific yeast for what you're brewing makes a world of difference. The first batch of cider I made didn't taste like any cider I had ever drank before. And it would give you a really nasty headache. Ended up dumping four gallons of the stuff down the drain.

[ThunderLund78]

Red,

I think I'd like to try that Hard Cider Recipe now that I'm older and wiser Please post!

[Jim916]

The hard cider does sound good. Post it ifyou can.

[Andy Loos1432404924]

When I make my wine, I usually by the kits. I really like Blueberry or Wild Berry.

[Redlantern]

Five gallons of fresh apple cider, if not available, granny smith apples frozen concentrate works well. Just make sure there is no preservatives in the stuff. Grind four campden tablets and set on top of cider for about twelve hours before adding yeast. I like Wyeast #1084 Irish Ale yeast. Pretty much any ale or lager yeast works but I do NOT suggest using champagne yeast. The sweetness of the cider doesn't come out when using this stuff. You'll probably need to rack it two or three times. Expect it to take up to two months to naturally clarify. Patience. After it's clarified you'll need to add the priming sugar for carbonation. 3/4 of a cup of corn sugar is enough, added just before bottling. Don't go over 7/8th of a cup, bottles start to explode (at least they did for me).

As most who brew already know, cleanliness is important. Make sure everything you use for brewing is sterilized and then rinsed clean of any residue. Good luck. The stuff is pretty tastey

[Jim916]

Thanks for the recipe. It sounds good. Can you drink it right after bottling? What is the alcohol content?

Has anyone tried the skeeter pee? I made some for our halloween party and it turned out pretty good. Most people liked it. I made a strawberry lemon flavored batch. I forgot to warn people that it was 10% alcohol. You usually start it with the active yeast slurry from the primary fermenter or you can use a starter batch of yeast. I plan on making a lemon skeeter pee for next summer when it is hot outside.

[Redlantern]

I waited a week to drink after bottling. No matter how much I racked it, I still ended up with some of the fuzz on the bottom. The recipe I posted gets about 6.5% alcohol. I have another version using corn sugar in the beginning that seems to boost the % a bit. I really didn't care for it that much. I don't care much for stronger drinks. I tried using honey instead of corn sugar once. I was hoping to get a honey flavor in it but I never noticed it.