It's getting to that time again and I think it's time to try some natural brews.
Anyone got any suggestions for Hedgerow Port or similar?
Anything else in the hedges I could ferment to good effect?
Hedgerow suggestions?
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J_P
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Adam
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ADDLED
We made sloe gin last year. It was the first time weve done it so we went a bit mad with different recipes and ended up with 9 litres. Unfortunately - although it didnt seem it at the time - most of it was gone by Easter, but i found a half empty kilner in the garage at the weekend that hadnt been racked off and it was really, really good. When you racked it off you can keep the sloes in the jars and refill with sherry, and leave again for 6 months. Didnt do that, so i might with the last jar.
Blackberry vodka was nice too; half filled a kilner with berries and topped up with voddie and a couple of cloves. Pretty nice tbh, but this year I would might try cheap brandy instead.
Blackberry vodka was nice too; half filled a kilner with berries and topped up with voddie and a couple of cloves. Pretty nice tbh, but this year I would might try cheap brandy instead.
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lockwood1956
Bob's Port recipe..adapted from CJJ Berry's
2lb Elderberries
2lb Blackberries
1lb jar of bilberries (pek?)
250ml Red Grape Concentrate
Sugar to 1.090 (I reckon about 1 1/2 to 2 lb)
3 tsp Pectolase
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 vitamin B1 tablet (3mg)
Lalvin EC1118 or Gervin Purple label yeast.
Water to a gallon
Method:
Mash the fruit and bilberries using a potato masher, put the fruit into a straining bag, add the sugar in syrup form (dissolve it in hot water and allow to cool)
Add rest of ingredients Red Grape Concentrate, Pectolase, nutrient add approx 5 pints of water
Ferment on the pulp for 5 days,(or till the must reaches SG 1.020) dipping the bag in and out of the must at least twice a day, squeezing the bag to extract colour and flavour, then strain into demi/carboy top up with cooled boiled water and ferment out to dry, then add grape concentrate or sugar to raise SG back to 1.015 to 1.020, then add alcohol (Brandy) to get alc content up to 20% add 1/2 ounce of American white oak and age for two months, then rack and taste, at this point the oak should have done its job and could be removed, you may leave the oak in longer if you wish, removing it once the right profile has been reached, but after checking at two months, you need to check weekly if you are leaving the oak in longer, as once the oakiness is in, you cant take it out
hope this is useful
regards
Bob
2lb Elderberries
2lb Blackberries
1lb jar of bilberries (pek?)
250ml Red Grape Concentrate
Sugar to 1.090 (I reckon about 1 1/2 to 2 lb)
3 tsp Pectolase
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 vitamin B1 tablet (3mg)
Lalvin EC1118 or Gervin Purple label yeast.
Water to a gallon
Method:
Mash the fruit and bilberries using a potato masher, put the fruit into a straining bag, add the sugar in syrup form (dissolve it in hot water and allow to cool)
Add rest of ingredients Red Grape Concentrate, Pectolase, nutrient add approx 5 pints of water
Ferment on the pulp for 5 days,(or till the must reaches SG 1.020) dipping the bag in and out of the must at least twice a day, squeezing the bag to extract colour and flavour, then strain into demi/carboy top up with cooled boiled water and ferment out to dry, then add grape concentrate or sugar to raise SG back to 1.015 to 1.020, then add alcohol (Brandy) to get alc content up to 20% add 1/2 ounce of American white oak and age for two months, then rack and taste, at this point the oak should have done its job and could be removed, you may leave the oak in longer if you wish, removing it once the right profile has been reached, but after checking at two months, you need to check weekly if you are leaving the oak in longer, as once the oakiness is in, you cant take it out
hope this is useful
regards
Bob
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coatesg
Looking to do an elderberry wine in the not too distant future - the elder bushes are starting to look laden with fruit round here. Have just got a copy of Berry's book - lot's of interesting stuff in there.
Otherwise - sloe gin is excellent used this recipe last year:
450g sloes
225g caster sugar
1 litre gin
Some say you need to make sure the sloes have a frost or two on them first (though last year with all the rain they were ready way before that so bunged them in the freezer for a week). Prick all the sloes with a fork and bung them in a suitable container with the sugar and gin. Shake every couple of days for the first few weeks (dissolves sugar, mixes coloured sloe juice around) and leave to sit in a dark cool place for at least 2-3 months or so. Tastes great on it's own or with tonic/lemonade as a long drink.
Otherwise - sloe gin is excellent used this recipe last year:
450g sloes
225g caster sugar
1 litre gin
Some say you need to make sure the sloes have a frost or two on them first (though last year with all the rain they were ready way before that so bunged them in the freezer for a week). Prick all the sloes with a fork and bung them in a suitable container with the sugar and gin. Shake every couple of days for the first few weeks (dissolves sugar, mixes coloured sloe juice around) and leave to sit in a dark cool place for at least 2-3 months or so. Tastes great on it's own or with tonic/lemonade as a long drink.
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ADDLED
Nice one Coates. Have you tried the same ratio but with damsons?
We did a 2 litre jar doubling up on the sloes but kept the gin and sugar the same, but used Tanqueray Export as its 47% for the extra punch - nicely helped by Waitrose selling litre bottles of it at £12.
I preferred it because it turned out quite powerful and had a pleasant cherry menthol tunes hit to it that was lovely on a cold evening to set you up for the trek to the boozer.
We did a 2 litre jar doubling up on the sloes but kept the gin and sugar the same, but used Tanqueray Export as its 47% for the extra punch - nicely helped by Waitrose selling litre bottles of it at £12.
I preferred it because it turned out quite powerful and had a pleasant cherry menthol tunes hit to it that was lovely on a cold evening to set you up for the trek to the boozer.
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coatesg
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ADDLED
If you make it, leave it for 6 months minimum, longer if possible. You wont be disappointed. It goes from nasty to ok to nice in a few months and then stays there, so you think thats as good as it gets. Then you forget about it and taste it a long time later and its totally different.
Only a few weeks to go so good luck
Only a few weeks to go so good luck
From what I've read the 'wait until the frosts' rule is just so you pick them when they're ripest and less bitter. These days what with global warming they should ripen well before the first frosts. I think once they've lost their light blue sheen they are at their best. They'll be soft by then.coatesg wrote:Some say you need to make sure the sloes have a frost or two on them first (though last year with all the rain they were ready way before that so bunged them in the freezer for a week)
I advocate sticking them in the freezer for a couple of days also but it's a myth that this improves the flavour, it's instead of pricking. When you pour the gin over it's supposed to split the skins, I can't say I noticed that but it will definitely soften them. Some say it isn't as good that way. I prefer it as I can't be arsed to prick 100's of the blighters. It still extracts plenty of flavour and tastes great.
Just my 2p worth
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ADDLED
Mooj youre right; freezing simulates the frost and also breaks down the skin and flesh. I freeze them for a few days then sit there with a dinner fork, a kilner and a sack of sloes and just stab them three or four times each berry and pop them into the jar.
My mates mum uses a silver darning needle and pricks each perfectly ripe berry a dozen or so times. She makes 5 glass gallon demijohns of the most wonderful sloe gin every year, and she never gets troubled by wherewolves.
My mates mum uses a silver darning needle and pricks each perfectly ripe berry a dozen or so times. She makes 5 glass gallon demijohns of the most wonderful sloe gin every year, and she never gets troubled by wherewolves.
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maxashton
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Bedlington beer
Elderberry. blackberry Cider
Can we pervert the good old Elderberry & blackberry or other seasonal fruit to make a Turbo Cider?
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maxashton
Using real fruit, you'd be making country wine, and absolutely! You can even use parsnips.
There is buckets of information on t'interweb re making country wines.
One my mate used to make was chopped rhubarb layered in with a kilo of sugar, left overnight. Rinse out with boiling water to make up a gallon of must, cool and sanitize with campden tablet, then yeasties in the next day once the metabisulphate has done its work.
Well, that was the gist of it,......
There is buckets of information on t'interweb re making country wines.
One my mate used to make was chopped rhubarb layered in with a kilo of sugar, left overnight. Rinse out with boiling water to make up a gallon of must, cool and sanitize with campden tablet, then yeasties in the next day once the metabisulphate has done its work.
Well, that was the gist of it,......
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Bongo