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blueberries?
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 5:47 am
by swpeddle
Anyone here ever try fermenting blueberries? I found a gallon of them in the deepfreezer, but they turned out to be a little freezer burnt. I got me to thinking that rather than throwing them out, why not try to make some blueberry based brandy or whatever you call blueberry booze?
So my question is, what else should I add? Right now, I was thinking about boiling them a little just to break them up and to kill off any spores that survived freezing, then dumping it into a fermentation bucket, add a bag of sugar, some yeast nutrient and then top up with enough water to drop the temp down to 28-30°C or so and pitch in some EC-1118. I am undecided on adding some acid (lemom juice?) to drop the pH, since blueberries don;t seem very acidic, but I don't have a pH meter, so the starting pH would be unknown. Thoughts, suggestions?
Thanks
Steve
Re: blueberries?
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 6:03 am
by Guest
swpeddle wrote:Anyone here ever try fermenting blueberries? I found a gallon of them in the deepfreezer, but they turned out to be a little freezer burnt. I got me to thinking that rather than throwing them out, why not try to make some blueberry based brandy or whatever you call blueberry booze?
So my question is, what else should I add? Right now, I was thinking about boiling them a little just to break them up and to kill off any spores that survived freezing, then dumping it into a fermentation bucket, add a bag of sugar, some yeast nutrient and then top up with enough water to drop the temp down to 28-30°C or so and pitch in some EC-1118. I am undecided on adding some acid (lemom juice?) to drop the pH, since blueberries don;t seem very acidic, but I don't have a pH meter, so the starting pH would be unknown. Thoughts, suggestions?
Blueberries have just about the same amount of sugars in them as grapes. I usually use 20lb fruit per 5 gallon wash(although, 10lbs blueberries should be ok). along with a 5lb bag of sugar and a can of tomato paste, and a couple tsp lemon juice. The paste has never affected the flavor of my brandies in a negative way. I usually use bakers yeast and my fermentations are usually between 10-14%.
Thanks
Steve
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 8:56 am
by Tater
Pot head that you postin agin on recipes that you got some where else and havent tryed?LOL your still biggest bullshitter on fourm :
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 10:25 am
by Guest
tater wrote:Pot head that you postin agin on recipes that you got some where else and havent tryed?LOL your still biggest bullshitter on fourm :
This was me....."Blueberries have just about the same amount of sugars in them as grapes. I usually use 20lb fruit per 5 gallon wash(although, 10lbs blueberries should be ok). along with a 5lb bag of sugar and a can of tomato paste, and a couple tsp lemon juice. The paste has never affected the flavor of my brandies in a negative way. I usually use bakers yeast and my fermentations are usually between 10-14%. "
Yeah, I'll admit I am a bullshitter,
but..
There is no bullshit there. I use somewhere around 20 lbs of fruit per 5 gallons. I haven't yet tried blueberry, and I know that they are usually sweeter tasting than grapes, that is why I said "Blueberries have just about the same amount of sugars in them as grapes." I do usually use 20lb fruit(any fruit that I have used) per 5 gallon wash, and I figured that blueberries have ALOT of flavor, and that Is why I said..."(although, 10lbs blueberries should be ok)".
I never said that I have fermented blueberries. I just stated my personal "rule of thumb" for fermenting fruits, and, that less blueberries than normal would probably be ok due to thier full-flavour. I know that when making wine with just about any kind of berry, most recipes use less berries than you would with say, pears, apples, plums, grapes because of the body they produce.
~
POTHEAD
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 11:06 am
by Tater
Tater stands corrected
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 11:36 am
by swpeddle
ok, it sounds like I am basically on the right track with this......although I am using nutrient instead of paste, it shoudl work out to be about the same......however, my question about pH still stands. Do I really need the lemon juice? Anyone else?
Steve
PS maybe my taste buds are dead, but I would consider blueberries to be pretty mild in flavour compared to all the other berries that grow wild around here.
Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 11:50 am
by Tater
Ive never had to use paste or lemon juice on blueberry's its the skin of fruit or berry's that will feed yeast.however using it doesn't hurt..
Re: blueberries?
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2013 10:16 am
by bobsmith
Actually, using 20 pounds of fruit in a 5 gallon mash is too much. You won't be able to get enough water in the bucket to dissolve all the sugar and make a mash thin enough to pour through a cloth to strain it. I use way less poundage when I make strawberry shine or brandy, whatever you prefer to call it. In a 5 gallon mash I'd use 3-5 pounds of fruit tops. That's just my experience though. My strawberry liqour yields 2.5 gallons off a 10 gallon mash and comes out to 112 proof when it's all said and done. Clear like water and burns blue in a lid. First half gallon comes off at around 143 proof. I call it good.
Re: blueberries?
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2013 11:52 am
by Dnderhead
blue berries are 10% sugars,,grapes are 15% even higher if "eating" grapes.
Re: blueberries?
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2013 4:46 pm
by RumRunR
i think you'd have better luck by just filling a jar with the blueberries and covering with some good hooch after a week or so they are good to eat and the hooch is even better to drink. it's a hit round here.
I call it dingle berry juice
but lol on the 2005 topic