Elderflower Champagne

[Tequilla6]

Yeah, as promised checked mine today and down another 6 points at 1.020 so looking good. Some yeast Vit it seems helped your along then CJ.

Keep meaning to buy some but never get around to it.I've heard that Marmite is a good substitute somewhere. Anyone have any experience or confirmation of this? Can't remember where I see that info at the moment though.

Been picking some more Elderflower but this time it's for my next AG brew before the Elderflower disappear for another year. Looking to do a light summer ale with a neutral type bittering hop and use the Elderflower for flavour and aroma so don't want to overpower them, or maybe use a floral bittering hop to complement the Elderflower.

[simple one]

Yes marmites good. I havent got my recipie book to hand though... I think its one teaspoon per gallon?

[crafty john]

Yeah, as promised checked mine today and down another 6 points at 1.020 so looking good. Some yeast Vit it seems helped your along then CJ.

Keep meaning to buy some but never get around to it.I've heard that Marmite is a good substitute somewhere. Anyone have any experience or confirmation of this? Can't remember where I see that info at the moment though.

Been picking some more Elderflower but this time it's for my next AG brew before the Elderflower disappear for another year. Looking to do a light summer ale with a neutral type bittering hop and use the Elderflower for flavour and aroma so don't want to overpower them, or maybe use a floral bittering hop to complement the Elderflower.

The elderflower season can be quite long if you look in the right place, try shaded wooded areas for a late crop, they don't get direct sun light so they can still be in flower in mid July. I think I have read somewhere that vitamin B tablets can be used as a nutrient.

[Tequilla6]

Down another 5 points to 1.015 in two days and tasting better all the time as the sweetness drops and the Elderflower comes out.
Just an aside, had another brew day yesterday and ended up with what looks like 25Litres of a lite summer Elderflower bitter.

[simple one]

Is there any pictures?

[Tequilla6]

Yes there are, after I found my batteries were dead in the camera and recharged them. Missed some of the steps but the important ones have been taken. Will be adding a post to the brewdays for it. The recipe is already in the Recipe section under Sambucus.

[jubnut]

hello everyone. Thanks for your advice, i followed the recipe on this page to make Elderflower wine, (the one posted by timothio) which is now bubbling away in my demijohns, last night me and my mate from up the road went through the hardship of drinking three bottles of Tesco's cheapest CAVA and a bottle of bucks fizz so i have some strong bottles for my Champagne. I sit here now with a Hangover and a question, I tasted my wine before it went in to demijohns, to be fair it didnt taste of elderflower at all, when i bottle it, can i prime it with elderflower cordial and some added sugar?

Many thanks
James

[simple one]

You can do and add whatever you want really. If I was going to do what your saying though, I would add the elderflower cordial, in increments. Until I got the desired taste (carefull not to over laden the yeast with a high ABV). Then once fermented to its end point, bottle and prime with sugar.

Also in my opinion, always better to prime light with champers. As if it ferments out more in the bottle, with the added priming sugar. The opening of bottles can be an experience.

edit: always read the label on the cordials for the chemical consituents. Its better to go for an organic one with no preservitives, than play around with one which may not ferment due to preservitives or sweetners. Unless your looking for a half sweet champagne....

[crafty john]

Hi all
Mines nearly down to 0.990, I'm gomma bottle it tommorow with 170 grams of dextrose in champagne bottles I might take 1/2 a dozen bottles through the full champagne process to see if I can get a crystal clear brew.

[Talisman]

So when are you suppose to bottle this? I'm almost down to 1.000 so do I wait til 0.990 then bottle with 6g of sugar per litre to get that fizz?

[Tequilla6]

I would love to let you know Talisman, but mine is taking an age to get down as well, Six days on and it's at 1.007. I have now added some Marmite 3ml to try and get it going a little bit. If it was not bubbling away at a constant bubble every 3-4 sec I would be worried by now. The sweetness is reducing and its getting more drinkable by the day. The clarity is still not there but I guess this maybe more to do with the Elderflower than any thing else. How are other people's Elderflower Champagne clearing?

Here is my latest picture of the trail jar and hydrometer reading.

[Tequilla6]

Well mine has hit the magic 1.000 today. Magic because the test sample was just dry enough that the sweetness was not in your face and the dryness did not squelch your cheeks in. That as Goldilocks would say makes it just right once a few more points of gravity are converted. Think its time to bottle the blighter. Just need to hope there's enough fermenting left to give it a nice fizz. I will also be keeping an open FV of a litre or two so I can monitor the rest of the fermentation. Don't need any bottle bombs do we and as I have never brewed this before I'm still not sure how far this brew has to go before sugar conversion stops or what the upper alcohol limit of the yeast is.

[crafty john]

Hi All
Mine's been in the bottles for 8 days now and it's almost clear, I had a taste on tursday and it tasted a bit bitter, I tasted a sample that was completely clear last night and it tasted a lot better. I think it needs time to mellow just like any other brew, I am gonna try a bottle this friday and see how it's shaping up.

[Tequilla6]

Put the sample from yesterday in the fridge, and checking it this morning, it's cleared out a lot of the particles in suspension and is looking quite bright. So I have decided my next move it to put the 25L into the fridge to cool before racking off ready for bottling to which I'm probably going to add a primer.

[simple one]

I reckon it should be down below 1.000... you may be looking at a FG for a strong one at around 0.990 ish, and even a 11% around 0.995. When I make my country wines the secondary lasts months before getting to a FG. Although you have the bonus of actually wanting CO2, so maybe bottle condition, but prime very light?

One warning. Wine yeasts are not like beer yeasts. They often form a whispy sediment. Too much fizz will mean the yeast getting kicked up, even on a cold and gentle opening. I would get as much yeast out of solution. And prime light. (I often store the wine in a sealed secondary for about 8 months, syphoning off any sediment when its thicker than about 5mm. Then on bottling mix priming sugar, water and a small amount of champagne yeast and add it to the wine and cork)