Whosyer Blueberry Wine - 7/19/2008

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 07/19/2008 | last updated: 11/07/2008
Recipe: Wild Blueberry Wine | status: Bottling
temperature: n/a
starting gravity: n/a | current gravity: n/a | final gravity: n/a
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30201814&l=8

7/19/2008 - Got the blueberries, got the chemicals. Bought a 6-gallon betterbottle (wow, they're SO light, I may never buy glass again!). Just waiting now for the fermenter to be free (next week). Blueberries are frozen (helps with sugar extraction I've heard).

Whosyer - The blueberries are from Dexter's farm in Knox County, IN. Ya know, Hoosiers. As in, hoosier daddy?

7/24/2008 - This is TOO easy! Got the must ready today. No worries, no temperature control, no sterilization (except for the Campden tabs), no 60-minute boil, adjust the SG by just adding sugar, wow! Why didn't I do this sooner?

OG:1.093

The only thing I did wrong was, I put twice as much yeast energizer as the recipe calls for. I'm gonna cling to the idea that the yeast won't mind. The cannibals!

7/25/2008 - Made the yeast starter this morning in the official yeast starter bottle (a 750ml Maker's Mark bottle) which has gotten most of my beers off to a good start. So, here's hoping! The yeast was active. When I opened the fermenter, the must had some solids floating on top, but underneath was the most beautiful dark purple liquid I've ever seen. Pitched the yeast and stirred it in a little.

7/27/2008 - Whoa! Came in this afternoon after church and the whole first floor smelled like blueberry "something." Powerful. Then, later today, opened the fermenter to punch the fruit down. The CO2 was coming out so fast that the juice was foaming like a shaken Coke can. This thing is really smoking. I guess I'm used to ales that go really hard for a couple of days. But, the airlock is bubbling two to three times per second, and it's been steady like that since it started two days ago.

7/29/2008 - Half-way done. Down to 1.030 SG. CO2 has slowed down to about 10 pops per minute.

7/31/2008 - Pretty much done. Down to 0.995 SG, I've never seen a hydro float so low before. Tastes like dry wine. Of course, it's full of solids, but wow it's pretty good, even without aging at all. Transfered (not racked) to carboy.

8/21/2008 - Racked to 5-gallon Better Bottle. Had to add about a bottle of wine, and then half that of water.

8/28/2008 - Stir.

9/11/2008 - Stir.

9/18/2008 - Racked. Very little sediment, but some fruit pulp did drop out. Of course, I had to steal a sip. It's so dry, but so good. Very clear except the last little bit.

9/25/2008 - Stir. Target bottle date: 10/30.

11/7/2008 - Stabilized with 5 campden tablets and 2.5 tsp potassium sorbate. Of course I sampled. It's mellowing out; the bite is nearly gone.

Sweetening Wine
Sweetness SG
Dry (less than) 1000
Medium dry 1000-1010
Medium sweet 1010-1020
Sweet 1020-1030
Dessert 1030-1040
Two (2) ounces of sugar will raise one (1) gallon of wine by .005 or five (5) gallons by .001.

1/2/2009 - I bottled this several weeks ago. I sweetened some, left some dry. I'll never sweeten again. It would be better to leave it dry, and offer a syrup table-side for those who want a sweeter wine. The dry is awesome, the rest, less so.

2/19/2009 - Update on the sweetened wine. The stuff that I brought up to about 1.010 was pretty good. It just needed some time to mellow. Maybe bottle-shock. The dessert wine, which I brought up to about 1.020 I don't like very much, and neither does anyone else.

Vicar's Brew Mild Ale - 11

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 07/13/2008 | last updated: 08/21/2008
Recipe: | status: Finished

original recipe calls for 6# Alexanders. I'll check to see, but I don't think I can get that locally, and can't mail order in time for brew day.

7/17/2008 - Had two clergy friends over today to show them the brew process. First, we bottled a peach wheat that was ready, then we brewed this simple brew. This will end up being a dark brown but very light beer. Low in alcohol, low in hops, very drinkable. I was hoping for a little more sugar, maybe at 1.036.

OG: 1.031
Exp app atten: 75%
expected FG: 1.008 (really?)
Yeast: WLP001 (from #9 2nd gen, last culture)

7/21/2008 - Racked to secondary. SG:1.010. ABV:2.8%. Less attenuation than expected, but fermentation was done.

7/26/2008 - Concerned about the mild flavor. Dropped in 1oz of Fuggles.

8/21/2008 - FG:1.006, so the lightest beer I've made. I added gelatin about two weeks ago, and WOW that works. Dark and clear. 3.3% ABV, 81% attenuation. I think the late dry-hopping of the Fuggle saved the beer. We'll see after carbonation.

8/31/2008 - A drinkable beer, very light, very malty in the flavor, hops are more of an aftertaste. Dark and clear. Don't make this one again, though.

9/22/2008 - I take it back. This one has matured into a smoother flavor, the hops have balanced the malt out. I still probably won't make it again.