Blackberry Brandy

[John Fenna]

Oh Mr British Red!
I humbly thank you in effusive amounts:notworthy
I followed your Blackberry Brandy recipe and tutorial and now have a bottle and a half of a VERY tasty "Winter Warmer". You were right that the initial tincture needed dilution with more neat brandy but the final mix is fantastic!

The taste testing was fun as well!

I now have something to keep my hip flask happy until the Blackberry Vodka and Plum Gin ( both done like Sloe Gin so a long term project) come on line.

The used fruit over ice-cream was a top tip!

I love you, your my best mate you are.........:You_Rock_ :notworthy

 

[British Red]

Glad you liked it John - its quite different from slow gin huh?. The dilution thing is a bit odd and I've never really figured it out - I think the amount of pectin varies with ripeness, fruit size etc. so you kind of have to make it up as you go along - its hard to be scientific.

Its a real old recipe where I come from (although I rather suspect that it used smuggled French brandy originally ).

If you can near to leave it a month or so it "rounds out" in flavour really nicely over that period. My only problem is want to drink more of it since it tastes pleasant and getting mildly squiffy. Mind you I remember being dosed with it as a cold preventative by a farmers wife - who always had a spoon for herself when dosing kids. She seemed to dose a lot of kids too

I ahve to admit I've not bottled mine yet - I'll do mine this week some time.

Skaal

Red

 

[pteron]

I too have been following this recipe, many thanks Red.

After dipping my finger in the blackberry goo before putting the brandy in, I nearly didn't get any further - it tasted so good, I was ready to sit down and just eat it!

Mine is now ready for filtering, so I need to find some ice cream... (I've got the spoon. (Titanium)).

 

[pteron]

So, after filtering, what do you do with the bowl?

 

[British Red]

The bowl of liquid?

Well, it depends

Is it completely clear or cloudy?

If its cloudy, do you care?

If its as clear as you want it, taste it. If its too thick, add some more brandy. If it has slightly "jammy" overtones (and you don't like them), nip into your local home brew shop (or use one of the on line ones) and get some pectic enzyme. Pour the liquid into a large demijohn, 5l water container etc. and bung in the pectic enzyme. Leave for 3 days - that'll get rid of the jaminess.

If you still have some cloudiness, chuck in a good dose of wine finings (home brew shop again) and leave for a week. Then syphon into bottles.

If, frankly, you just can't be bothered (and if it takes okay I don't bother always), dilute with neat brandy to get a taste you like (sometimes its spot on, sometimes too strong) and bung it in a bottle (or glass).

How was the ice cream ?

Red

 

[john scrivy]

I know its not wine But have just finished bottleing up Elderberry- Gin Blackberry vodka Damson vodka and Pineapple dark rum Must say the pineapple rum is brill But the best so far is the damson vodka My next project will be of course slow Gin-- also going to check out the hawthorn berries today or tomorrow for use with brandy Recon Im goner have a good Chistmas with that lot

 

[British Red]

pteron,

I didn't wait for your picture to load before replying

Cracking photo!

Red

 

[British Red]

When your brandy has cleared, use a siphon (bit of tubing) to decant it off from any sediment.

Select some attractive bottles – I like these old stone ones – they remind me of the “smugglers roots” of this drink. When you have filled the bottle cork tightly. I use a corking machine but a wooden mallet works fine

Make sure the cork is pushed right in if you want to use the next fancy step

A good dollop of sealing wax. This ensures the bottle is not “tampered with”

When you have sealed the bottles, add a label – I’ve made up some leather ones I like the look of. Strangely theres always a little left over – I’d use a glass to dispose of it!

Skaal!

Red

 

[pteron]

pteron,

I didn't wait for your picture to load before replying

Cracking photo!

Red

It didn't need washing afterwards!

Thanks again for the recipe, I have four bottles maturing. There were in fact nearly 5 bottles worth of brandy, but it didn't seem right to make one up with an air space

hic.

 

[FGYT]

Bumping this as its just taken me ages to find it and its the season much quicker than the traditional Sloe gin method of fruit spirits

 

[British Red]

Wow I forgot this one

trying something new with bullaces this year as soon as they ripen. Tried one the other day that had lost the bitterness so should be soon!

 

[FGYT]

Wow I forgot this one

trying something new with bullaces this year as soon as they ripen. Tried one the other day that had lost the bitterness so should be soon!

lucky I found it was going ot ask you for the recipe

am slowly filling Chinese takeaway plastic containers with Blackberries and putting in the freezer till i've enough

will start on the next hedge fruit as soon as i get a No 52 and 37

 

[British Red]

If you get up on the Downs, ask Bushwacker Bob to show you my blackberry picking spots - all you will ever want in a couple of hours!

 

[Mesquite]

Ohhh... Womble_Lancs had a bottle of this at the Moot.

I partook of it rather heavily on the Saturday night after we'd planted for Drew's tree. Went down like a dream

 

[British Red]

As a question to those who enjoy threads like these - any interest in a series of threads on meads, melomels and metheglins? Given we have a honey harvest, it seems a shame not to make a few varieties.

 

[Brewers Whoop]

As a question to those who enjoy threads like these - any interest in a series of threads on meads, melomels and metheglins? Given we have a honey harvest, it seems a shame not to make a few varieties.

Yes please!

 

[British Red]

Okay will do - as those who have sampled real mead and melomels will know - it will be a long thread - two years is about the minimum for me to pull a cork on mead - but I can show the basic steps - if anyone wants to do a "brew along", say the word, you will need a brewing bucket (any food grade 2 gallon bucket and lid will do) and a demi john (or 5 litre mineral water container), about 3lbs of honey and sundry brewing bits. If you don't have the odd stuff like yeast nutrients, acid blends and stuff, we can work out a sales thread to sell you enough for a batch of mead.

Red

 

[Two Socks]

Thanks in advance Red! This`ll be great. I`ll see if I can do a brew along, but even if I can`t find the bits I need I will follow this with interest!

 

[British Red]

Just started a new thread to discuss a brew along two socks - hadn't really though of it until Duncan bumped this thread whilst I was getting ready for this years mead run!

If it interests enough people we, will give it a shot!

 

[Lister]

Gotta say, the thread has made for a cracking read, it just so happens we have a 4kg bucket/drum of chickcrumbs that have just become empty, tha should do for the bucket brewing type vessel thing, plenty of yeast from the bread machine....just need fruit, don't quite think the wild strawberry plant will kick out enough fruit bloody chickens.