Elderflower Champers/Fizz/Beer...

[HeltorChasca]

...Whatever you wish to call it: I've got 25 litres of it doing its stuff in a fermenting vessel!

My 8 year old daughter, armed with her red handled, kids' Opinel lead a raiding party consisting of the dog, Chasca, and me into the Somerset countryside in search of Elderflowers for this year's brew. Nettle stings put up the only resistance and we came away victorious. Our trophies: two large muslin bags of warm, sunsplashed flowers.

Some sugar, lemon juice and their skins, a splash of vinegar and a tank full of water later, I sit in antisipation for the results.

Last year's batch was a corker, so guess what that means for this Year? Hmmm - Realist or optimist?.......hc

 

[Toddy]

You've put me in the notion and the flowers are just fully coming out on the trees I gather from
I suspect tomorrow I'll have a stash brewing too

cheers,
Toddy

 

[gregorach]

Funny you should mention that, I was just out picking elderflowers today... They'll be going in a batch of pale ale tomorrow. Not sure if I've got enough there to do wine as well - it's only the earliest umbrels that are open round here so far. But that's the plan - get an early batch of ale on the go, then get the wine and hopefully another batch of ale on over the next couple of weeks...

It was only last week that I finally got around to bottling last years wine. You know how you always end up with a three-quarter full bottle that's not worth corking? Lovely...

 

[Tengu]

Is that the Men an Tol?

Has anyone a recipe??

 

[gregorach]

[Consults records...]

Last batch of wine I made was:

1pt elderflowers (fresh, washed and destalked)
500g Raisins
1kg sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
4.5L boiling water
Steep for 24 hrs

This came out at 1.5ppt acidity, so I then added 4g Tartaric acid and 2g Malic acid to bring the acidity up to 3ppt... (Probably not really necessary, maybe not even right - I make this up as I go...) Also 4.5g (say, a rounded teaspoon) of yeast nutrient (again, probably not really necessary), 3g pectolase (probably worthwhile if you're adding raisins), and 1 packet of Gervin GV5 white wine yeast. Starting gravity was 1.109... Strained it all out and racked into a demijohn a week later, then pretty much forgotten about... Until I stabilised and fined it four months later... Then I didn't get around to bottling it for another 8 months or so. Turned out fine - mind you, I like my white wines dry and sharp.

As long as you've got sugar, and bit of acid, and yeast, you can't really go too far wrong... (Famous last words! )

 

[gregorach]

Oh, aye, meant to say... The flowers are a lot easier to separate from the stalks if you leave them wrapped up in a poly bag overnight.

 

[marcelxl]

About to make our first batch when they flower around here (yorkshire) do you remove the flowering parts from the stalks or does this not matter? in other words can I just cut off the flowering part as high up the stalk as possible and then just put the whole bunch in?

Cheers!

Marc

 

[gregorach]

I always separate the flowers from the stalks myself, but I'm not 100% sure that it's absolutely necessary... Doesn't do any harm though. The trick is to leave them wrapped up in a poly bag overnight, then they just wash off. You want to wash them anyway.

 

[Nagual]

It's always interesting seeing other peoples methods etc for making wines. I've only made one batch of wine, that was last year. Elderflower, and I have to say it was not bad at all. Picked the flowers, pulled and cut them off the stalks just incase they impart a sour / bitterness. Followed HFW's recipe, well mostly followed it.. lol.. you know what it's like. Even once an open bottle went off several months later it made for good cooking wine vinegar

I had tried to see if it would start by itself, but the natural yiest on the flowers wasn't enough, or more probably I messed it up somehow.

 

[gregorach]

Using wild yeasts is always touch and go at best. For the price of a packet of yeast, it doesn't seem worth faffing about... To me, anyway. Maybe others have had more luck...

 

[daveO]

I can never get it going with it's natural yeast.

I've got 3 different buckets going this year. 1 the same as last years but with more lemon and ginger, 1 with less sugar as the last lot was a touch sweet for my taste but ok for the missus, and one quite dry and gingery just to see how it turns out.

Works lovely served on ice with some mint leaves from the garden on a hot day

 

[HeltorChasca]

It’s good we all do things differently!

With regard to the yeast: If you don’t want to add any brewers’ yeast, DON’T wash the flowers. If you do, you will wash off most the natural yeasts that give your brew fizz and alcohol. I’m not sure if washing away the pollen washes away some of the unique flavour too. This part entirely depends on your method and taste preference.

I personally go for the lazy option and cut the stalks off as far up near an entire umbrel. From my experience this adds a little bit of tartness which makes the drink even more refreshing. The other thing, leaving more of the stalks on, is that the colour is enhanced. Although not to quite the same degree, it takes on the tones and hues of “Schweppes Bitter Lemon”. Just my preference, but I like it. I ferment the lot for a week before bottling it. Last year was my best batch and I reached the dizzy heights of 2.5%. (OG-FG/7.46)

This year I’ve tried suspending all the flowers and lemon skins in muslin bags in my fermenting vessel. I’m hoping I’ll still get the favour, but one step in the clearing process will have been improved. Hopefully!

I can’t wait...........hc

 

[gregorach]

I ferment the lot for a week before bottling it. Last year was my best batch and I reached the dizzy heights of 2.5%. (OG-FG/7.46)

Ah, I see... My wine comes out at a mere 11%. Pretty light compared to some of the old boys I know...

This year I’ve tried suspending all the flowers and lemon skins in muslin bags in my fermenting vessel. I’m hoping I’ll still get the favour, but one step in the clearing process will have been improved. Hopefully!

I line my fermenter with a sheet of muslin, so you can still stir the must and there's plenty of space for everything to move around, but you can just lift the whole lot out to strain it.

 

[HeltorChasca]

Ah, I see... My wine comes out at a mere 11%. Pretty light compared to some of the old boys I know...



I line my fermenter with a sheet of muslin, so you can still stir the must and there's plenty of space for everything to move around, but you can just lift the whole lot out to strain it.

I think these are great ideas. Up until now that you have got me thinking I have only relied on the natural yeasts and got tasty results albeit very low alcohol %. My beech and sycamore sap got to 13%.

I think I'll do half the batch "au naturel" and the other half I'll add brewers' yeast. Dunc: Would you recommend a champagne, white wine, ale or super yeast? I'll let you know the results and send one up to Edinburgh...! Cheers......hc

 

[gregorach]

I'd go for a white wine yeast for a regular elderflower wine.

 

[Ryecroft]

Quick question, can you use bread yeast? If not, why not ?

Sorry for being a simpleton

 

[hiho]

just bottled my fizzy stuff up. plastic bottles this year...
lost about 20 litres of the stuff last year due to "bottle bombs"

 

[HeltorChasca]

Quick question, can you use bread yeast? If not, why not ?

Sorry for being a simpleton

Bread Yeast? Yes you can with fair results. The brewers yeasts are just developed specifically for different types of brew with high quality results (ale/lager/white wine/ red wine/champers etc) They cost between 8-p and £2 a table spoon (6-9g sachet) and your bakers' yeast won't cost anything like that.

Saying that mine is bubbling away and I haven't added any yeast. It's all powered by the natural plant yeasts. Alll the best...........hc

 

[HeltorChasca]

just bottled my fizzy stuff up. plastic bottles this year...
lost about 20 litres of the stuff last year due to "bottle bombs"

Crumbs - A common occurence and a real risk with Elderflower and using natural yeasts. Just out of interest: With last year's batch - How long did you leave your brew to ferment before bottling it? Reason I ask is: Half of it I want a low % and don't want to ferment it for more than about a week. The other half I'm going to add white wine yeast (cheers Dunc) and bring it up to about 13%.

Trouble is, that if you don't let enough fermentation happen in the fermenting vessle, it takes place in the bottles hence the explosions. What do you think?

 

[hiho]

think it was going 9 days before i bottled it... and 2 before it blew a bottle and i dumped it...