Dandelion wine

[firebreather]

Well we are on our way to getting some dandelion wine made.
Its brewing in the barrel now and will be transferred to the demijohns in the next couple of days.
Just got to keep my mitts off it till its done.
Give it a few weeks in the DJ's then into bottles, then comes the really hard bit...........

Not drinking it for 9 yes 9 months.

The reciepe says that it will mature and taste lush if i can wait.

Next to be put on will be some mead but i dont know if i have the resolve to mature it for 3 years. I will struggle with 3 days
I will let you know how it turns out and if my reslove holds out

 

[Matt Weir]

Nice one Greg. Please post or PM me the recipe and method would you?

Cheers,

 

[firebreather]

Collect enought flowers to fill 2 pints with just the yellow petals.
Then mix them in with 4 pints of boiling water.
mash up the petals with a spoon and stir daily for about 4 days.
Disolve 2 table spoons of citric acid and 2 lb (1KG) of sugar in 2 pints of boiling water, making it into a fine syrup.
Strain the flower water then mix it with the syrup (when its cool).
Add 1 pint of grape fruit juice concentrate 1/2 tsp tannin (we used a tea bag ). A general purpose yeast and a nutrient tablet.
Wait for it to ferment should take a couple of weeks in the barrel then transfer it to the demi-johns.

Thats where we are at the moment with it . I would love to take credit for the reciepe but it came from an old wine making book called
Boots home wine making and brewing by B.C.A Turner. Its a great litle book.

People get all precious about brewing and you just dont need to. If you have never done it just get stuck in and have a go. If it goes wrong so what, you will have learnt something for next time. Some of the best things i have made should have gone wrong.
Mead next !!!!

 

[Matt Weir]

Collect enought flowers to fill 2 pints with just the yellow petals.
Then mix them in with 4 pints of boiling water.
mash up the petals with a spoon and stir daily for about 4 days.
Disolve 2 table spoons of citric acid and 2 lb (1KG) of sugar in 2 pints of boiling water, making it into a fine syrup.
Strain the flower water then mix it with the syrup (when its cool).
Add 1 pint of grape fruit juice concentrate 1/2 tsp tannin (we used a tea bag ). A general purpose yeast and a nutrient tablet.
Wait for it to ferment should take a couple of weeks in the barrel then transfer it to the demi-johns.

Thats where we are at the moment with it . I would love to take credit for the reciepe but it came from an old wine making book called
Boots home wine making and brewing by B.C.A Turner. Its a great litle book.

People get all precious about brewing and you just dont need to. If you have never done it just get stuck in and have a go. If it goes wrong so what, you will have learnt something for next time. Some of the best things i have made should have gone wrong.
Mead next !!!!

Cheers Greg. I did cider a few weeks back thanks to input from British Red and that eventually turned out nice (and strong) and I had deviated from the original recipe by adding honey.

I've currently got some nettle beer fermenting in the brew bin but didn't follow any one recipe to the letter - all my weights and measures were either approximate or whatever I had. I need to rack that off into demijohns soon as it's been sat for a week (or is it two?) and most recipies called for like 3 days.

So no, I'm not a precious brewer by any means

I've got a bazillion dandelions on the allotment so looks like that will be next up.

 

[firebreather]

Good stuff. we will have to get together for an appreciation of each others fine beverages when they are ready ( if i can keep my hands off mine )

 

[Matt Weir]

Good stuff. we will have to get together for an appreciation of each others fine beverages when they are ready ( if i can keep my hands off mine )

Too right, thing is I have the same problem as you in that it tends to erm... 'evaporate' far to quickly

We will need to plan a brew to coincide with the next meet we can both make.

 

[firebreather]

Too right, thing is I have the same problem as you in that it tends to erm... 'evaporate' far to quickly

We will need to plan a brew to coincide with the next meet we can both make.

Mine gets sent away for testing.......on and intensive basis

 

[Richie O]

I've been put off by making mead beacuse of the time you have to wait before guzzling although i did buy some nice stuff from a farm shop in devon last summer whilst on holiday...
My nettle beer has been bottled now and i will be trying it on my next day off work!

If either of you are coming to the spring bushmoot then you are welcome to try some plum wine my dad gave me a couple of weeks ago, he was clearing out the loft and found it. He had made some ten years ago and a couple of bottles had hidden from him.

Him and my mum drank one of them and said it tasted like brandy and got them ****** on a glass, so i'm looking forward to that!

 

[Matt Weir]

One glass ey Richie?

Unfortunately work has interfered with the spring moot and I'm on-call but I am booked off work for the main summer moot so if you don't sup it all by then I'm yer man

What exactly are you using to bottle the nettle beer? I'm thinking 2Ltr plastic pop bottles for mine?

I've been put off by making mead beacuse of the time you have to wait before guzzling although i did buy some nice stuff from a farm shop in devon last summer whilst on holiday...
My nettle beer has been bottled now and i will be trying it on my next day off work!

If either of you are coming to the spring bushmoot then you are welcome to try some plum wine my dad gave me a couple of weeks ago, he was clearing out the loft and found it. He had made some ten years ago and a couple of bottles had hidden from him.

Him and my mum drank one of them and said it tasted like brandy and got them ****** on a glass, so i'm looking forward to that!

 

[spamel]

I need to get started soon! I got some stuff off of freecycle, the bin was scratched to death and very gunky so I'm not bothering with that, but three of the four demijohns are in A1 condition, the fourth has a cracked handle that is rather sharp, so I'll use that for racking of sediment or whatever. The pressure barrel is a bit mucky on the outside but good on the inside so I need some tubing and airlocks and a bin and I'm away. They were cheap in Wilkinsons a few weeks back so I may go and have another look!

 

[Matt Weir]

I need to get started soon! I got some stuff off of freecycle, the bin was scratched to death and very gunky so I'm not bothering with that, but three of the four demijohns are in A1 condition, the fourth has a cracked handle that is rather sharp, so I'll use that for racking of sediment or whatever. The pressure barrel is a bit mucky on the outside but good on the inside so I need some tubing and airlocks and a bin and I'm away. They were cheap in Wilkinsons a few weeks back so I may go and have another look!

Good man,

Are you going 'wild' or do you fancy some kit stuff?

 

[EdS]

plenty of unsprayed dandelions and nettle here and the elderflowers shouldbe out in a couple fo weeks.

 

[gregorach]

Too right, thing is I have the same problem as you in that it tends to erm... 'evaporate' far to quickly

There's a very simple solution to that problem - you're not making enough!

 

[fredcraft]

Give it a few weeks in the DJ's then into bottles, then comes the really hard bit...........

Not drinking it for 9 yes 9 months.

The reciepe says that it will mature and taste lush if i can wait.

You could give it a name and talk about it like it's your child ! Everyday, sing lullabies and stick your ear on the barrel to hear it "come alive"... Perhaps it will motivate you to wait

"We are so lucky, we expect it in Febuary next year"

 

[Matt Weir]

There's a very simple solution to that problem - you're not making enough!

Damn it your right Dunc!

 

[spamel]

Good man,

Are you going 'wild' or do you fancy some kit stuff?

Wild stuff! Of course, yeast will be shop bought, but the rest I hope to get from natures' own larder!!

 

[EdS]

You could give it a name and talk about it like it's your child ! Everyday, sing lullabies and stick your ear on the barrel to hear it "come alive"... Perhaps it will motivate you to wait

Like I did with the cider.

 

[fredcraft]

Like I did with the cider.

So, how did it turn ?

 

[Richie O]

What exactly are you using to bottle the nettle beer? I'm thinking 2Ltr plastic pop bottles for mine?

I recommend going out on the razz with some friends on a Grolsch only night and keep the bottles.


They're ideal!

 

[firebreather]

You could give it a name and talk about it like it's your child ! Everyday, sing lullabies and stick your ear on the barrel to hear it "come alive"... Perhaps it will motivate you to wait

"We are so lucky, we expect it in Febuary next year"

Its already named.........fox piddle as the foxes run all over the field where i collected them from and i think it will be an early birth