Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Eating and Drinking => Homebrew => Topic started by: Kate and her Ducks on September 05, 2009, 20:37
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Think I might have got a bit carried away and picked a load of elderberries today (I mean about 12lbs!) and have spent a number of hours picking them off the stalks. They are now covered with boiling water, waiting to cool so I can add the yeast and everything.
Hope it works as I would hate to waste them all.
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I can smell 'em from here ! :tongue2:
How many gallons are you hoping to make ?? :ohmy:
My elderberr and blackberry has got its yeast in and is starting to foam a bit. I've kept all the fruit in muslin bags for simplicity.
Did you manage to get all the stalk bits out ?
Rob
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Wish I had read your thread first as that would have made things easier! Will have to strain it all and then decant it which will be a bit of a faff! Going to be about 4 gallons. Maybe should have made some jam too!
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Hi there :)
I am completely new to this and we have moved to a place with a very overgrown garden, I have just found that we have three Damson trees and am going to try to make Damson Gin but would like to try Elderberry wine as we have two huge trees jam packed with Elderberries! Could you tell me the best way to make it?
X
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Congratulations on the damsons. I am very jealous, nabbed a few from a friend, enough to make some damson vodka which was amazing last year. Would love more, will have to keep my eyes open.
As to the Elderberry wine, I am following a CJJ Berry recipe. 4lbs of elderberries squashed up in a bucket. Boiling water added to a gallon. When cooled to 20C add the yeast, 20g of citric acid and some yeast nutrient. Leave for 3 days then strain into the demijohn with 1.25kg of sugar. Not made it before so no idea how it works out. I also bunged in a few blackberries that were about too!
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I've used a recipe I found on t'internet. For one galon. Used 2kg of elderberry and blackberry in about a 60/40 ratio. I wanted it to be a bit on the dry side if poss. Fruit crushed in straining bags.
1.5kg sugar, citric acid and yeast nutrient plus 2 camden tablets when cooled.
Yeast and pectic enzyme added after 24 hours. Stir daily for a few days.
It's on a heat pad at the mo to get the yeast as active as poss. I'll rack into a demijohn next week sometime.
Needs a year or 3 to be pleasant apparently. I have patience. :D
Rob 8)
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Well mine is foaming away happily now.
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I hope you didn't cheat and put washing up liquid in :wub:
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:tongue2:
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Just checked mine and it's fizzing like cherryade. :D
Not long until first racking. Smells good too. :)
Rob 8)
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Mine smells better than I thought it would. Smells very fruity already. My recipe says leave it in it's primary fermentor for 3 days before putting into the demijohns so 2 days to go.
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Mine reckons 5-7 days, but I think it's just so the yeast has enough time to multiply before going anaerobic.
Rob 8)
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Well I have just decanted the elderberry wine into the demijohns and it is bubbling away nicely!
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I'd better do mine too so we can race to alcoholic oblivion ! :D
Rob 8)
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Some advice please:-
I haven't got time this week to go and get stuff for winemaking, so can I freeze the elder and black berries now and then start it off next week?
I hope so :D
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Mine were being foraged over a few weeks and frozen as I went along. They were still frozen when I stuffed them in the muslin bag and poured the boiling syrup over them. :D
Doesn't seem to have done them any harm.
Freeze away :D
Rob 8)
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O goody :D...thnx
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hi all,in answer to the question can i freeze the fruit.simple answer is yes.it also helps to freeze them cos freezing breaks down the enzymes in the fruit.if you have elderberries left over then try making apple and elderberry jam.equal amounts of elderberry,apple and sugar.my elderberry wine is usually around 19% and very sweet.needs to mature for at least a year.2 years is better. cheers mo
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Hi guys,
Just to say thanks for the advice! Going to start this week on the wine, we have the Damson Gin and Damson wine going and the wine is fizzing away at the moment, its really exciting!! Will let you know how we get on with the Elderberries!!
X :)