|
Post by txdirtdawg on Nov 12, 2012 15:44:06 GMT -5
Well, today I put together the mixings for a 1 gallon batch of habanero wine. I used 6 Chocolate habaneros, 3 cans of Welch's white grape juice, some DME (dehydrated malt extract), granular sugar, pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient and water up to a gallon. I just chopped the stem end off of the habs and put them in a nylon bag that I made out of an unravelled bath scrunchy (not sure that's what you call them).
The 2 gallon bucket, lid, airlock and scrunchy were sanitized with a bleach water solution before mixing. Late tonight or first thing in the morning, I'll drop a crushed campden tablet in the mix to kill any wild yeasts and then about 1/2 a day later I'll add the yeast. J
Just taking a taste of the liquid after stirring had my lips buzzing. The heat of the habaneros should come down some after combining with the sugars during the fermenting process. It smells very habanero-fruity like!
|
|
|
Post by marielouise on Nov 13, 2012 2:40:57 GMT -5
I have never made wine. Have drank a little here and there that others brew up. Sounds like you have fun making and tasteing ---lol!!!!
Jim did make some blackberry cordial that was really good a few years back. HUMMMM gotta go find that last jug he hid!!!
|
|
|
Post by txdirtdawg on Nov 13, 2012 9:49:55 GMT -5
ML, I do enjoy the making of it. It's sort of the geeky science part involved that gets my attention. I'm actually not that big of a wine fan. I prefer a good beer myself. If I do drink a wine, it better be a sweet white dessert type if I'm going to enjoy it. I first tried Chambord (blackberry liqueur sold in stores) about 1 or 2 years ago. My wife wanted some as a present. That's darn good stuff! I might try to make some next spring when the blackberries come in, as that stuff is 'spensive! If the jug that Jim made has been sitting for a few years, that ought to be some really smooooth stuff.
|
|
|
Post by catgrass on Nov 13, 2012 14:39:41 GMT -5
Is Habenero wine spicy? Kinda weird sounding!
|
|
|
Post by txdirtdawg on Nov 13, 2012 17:39:10 GMT -5
Well, this is my first shot at it, so I can't speak from experience. Jack Keller put on his wine making site that it is spicy. He just uses 2 Habs, but knows someone who'll put 16 or 18 in their's.
The more I've read about the jalapeno wine, the more I believe it is an outright drinkable wine (a pound of golden raisins has a lot of sugar, so should soften the blow for that wine). The habanero wine is probably going to be a 'add to marinades, use it to cook' wine. It uses 3 cans of the Welch's White grape concentrate, so I don't think it has as much buffer effect. I wanted some of the habanero flavor and spice in an easy-to-add form for cooking. That's why I used 6 habs in mine. I can still adjust how much goes into the food depending on how hot it turns out. I want some heat, just don't want to burn down the kitchen. Lol.
|
|
|
Post by txdirtdawg on Jul 23, 2013 16:47:52 GMT -5
Well, bad news on the habanero wine. I had used a 2 gallon bucket as my primary fermenter. I had let the initial rapid ferment go by and then added an airlock directly to a hole I had drilled in the lid of the bucket. Somewhere between that activity and now, a crack developed in the edge of the lid and fruit flies found their way to the crack (I found dead fruit flies around the crack). The wine itself looked fine, but I don't take any chances with any kinds of fermentables - even pickles - and I sure don't need any added protein to my potables). I went ahead and dumped the batch down the drain without tasting. The smell was very potent of heat from the habs tho. I'll probably try another batch later in the summer or this fall and promptly transfer the working wine into gallon jugs with airlocks instead of leaving in the bucket.
|
|