Parsnip 'Sherry' Advice needed.

[MadrikXIV]

Went from this recipe in 'Booze for Free' which is also on the telegraph site...

Ingredients
1.8kg/4lb parsnips, 1.3kg/3lb sugar, 4 litres/ 7 pints of water
1kg/2lb raisins, 1 lemon, 1 tsp pectolase, tsp yeast nutrient
1 Campden tablet (optional), white wine yeast

Wash the raisins in very hot water, allow to cool, then chop up. Put in a saucepan, cover with 1 litre/2 pints of water and simmer for five minutes. Push through a muslin cloth, keep the juice to one side, and compost the raisins.


Give the parsnips a good wash and a bit of a scrub to get the dirt off, but don’t peel them. Place in a large pan and boil in the rest of the water. Cook until you can put a fork in them, but not so they fall apart.

Meanwhile, put the sugar, the raisin juice, the juice and the rind of the lemon into a smaller pan and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Strain the parsnip liquid through a muslin cloth into a fermentation bin (the parsnips can then be made into parsnip mash, composted, or fed to your pigs). Also, add the raisin juice and, when hand-hot, the yeast nutrient, the pectolase and Campden tablet. If using a Campden tablet, leave for 24 hours before going onto the next step.

Add the yeast, leave for 10 days, then strain into a demijohn.

Plug up the demijohn with cotton wool, leave for six months, rack if necessary. Siphon into sherry bottles and plug with sherry cork stoppers.

The sherry will improve with at least six months’ ageing.

Now started this on March 10th and strained it over about 14 days, it tasted good already, just a bit concerned as to leaving cotton wool in the top, I'm hoping it's just a bit of yeast on top, but can't tell if it's got a very small touch of mould floating :? (still smells parsnippy and good)

Quite a bit of sediment in the bottom at present so maybe some of that got lose, was tempted at syphoning to another demi again, with maybe a little top up of boiled water, but through a muslin bag to be on the safe side?

Just wish I could locate my original sg (although think it was around 1.12-4 as thought if it went to 1.0 it would be around 17%)

Any advice appreciated, as definitely aim at keeping it till Christmas, with a couple 'shared'

 

[RobWalker]

if it's fermented out, i'd suggest racking it to a new dj if you intend to age for a long time. less sediment in the bottom will stop the yeast affecting the flavour as well as leave it clear for when you bottle.

if you're not sure about cotton wool, you can stabilise it with a campden tablet and k-sorbate, leave it under airlock for 48 hours, then bung it for as long as neccessary.

 

[MadrikXIV]

Cheers for the tip,

It appears to still be fermenting at the moment, still small bubbles rising, and if u put an airlock on, it soon bubbles, one of the reasons I'm annoyed at losing the original reading, just see how far its got.

Fairly sure its just a lump of gunk thats floated to the top, and it's me worrying.

Got some nice Sailor Jerry bottles with some black foil wraps lined up for it

 

[Jonny69]

Safer to leave an airlock on it in my opinion. Solid bungs are ok if you're prepared to let the pressure out from time to time, plus you need to be absolutely sure the wine has finished fermenting!

Parsnip wine does need quite a lot of time before it becomes drinkable. Just put it somewhere and try to forget about it for 6 months - it's worth the wait!

 

[LeithR]

You might like to try this - its normal practice in Tuscany on rural farms. Rather than either an airlock or a hard bung try putting a small amount of Olive oil into the neck of the bottle after fermentation is thought to be complete. This will allow the wine to continue fermenting if it needs to and it will keep out any nasties.

When you want to "Open" the bottle just hold it firmly below the neck of the bottle pointing away from you and with your other hand give the bottle a good dunt on the bottom. This will eject the plug of olive oil without doing any damage to the wine.

 

[MadrikXIV]

Cheers folks, think I shall re-wrack it tonight to clear some of the sediment, it has been fermenting well, still see the little bubbles, will put an airlock on it, and hide it behind a desk (got a gap behind the draws on an old computer desk, and ignore it till Augustish and then bottle it.

Even after 2 weeks it tasted good and can't wait till it's done

 

[olriley]

All the advice given has been good practice for wine :thumb:
...but - as I understand it (not from experience) - not necessarily sherry, which actually needs a bit of exposure to air to oxidise it and give it that unique taste. So cotton wool is preferred over airlocks, olive oil etc.

However I read somewhere that it is difficult for the homebrewer to hit the sherry nail on the head without overcooking and getting vinegar.

I've just started some parsnip myself and I think I will leave it as a wine, under airlock. Mine has been steadily fermenting for three weeks and aint done yet.
:

 

[MadrikXIV]

The same recipe as mine then, a good book, and as you say, it's the oxidisation part that worries me a little.

May airlock, no water, cotton wool in the top, hidden in the dark, until July when the back room gets the sun, then transportation to the cellar for stabilising and clearing.

Hopefully ready for Christmas (As no doubt only get 5 and a bit bottles, some will be used in this years Christmas Cake which gets made at the end of September )

One thing the book taught me....I need a bigger boiling pan, it was quite a juggling act using 2 big pans, 2 woks, then getting the raisins on the go as well, and a lot of straining, only to realise the rubber gloves had sprung a leak!!!

 

[olriley]

Loving the wok usage.

Yes big pans are invaluable!

Your plan for storage sounds perfectly reasonable. Enjoy!

 

[MadrikXIV]

Must invest in a big pot, would save on electricity as well

 

[Brewtrog]

The reason it's classed as a sherry is due to the oxidation, so it should be fine. If you used a sherry yeast you could have even been getting a flor on the top of the brew (which is a good sign)

 

[MadrikXIV]

The reason it's classed as a sherry is due to the oxidation, so it should be fine. If you used a sherry yeast you could have even been getting a flor on the top of the brew (which is a good sign)

That could be my problem, the recipe didn't mention Sherry Yeast when I made it, and at the age of 38, up until recently I was ignorant to just how many yeast strains are out there

Just about to re-rack it due to the sediment, and see how it goes

 

[MadrikXIV]

Well... re-racked, think it may of been sediment as there was a lot, think it could be around the 13% mark at the moment, tastes very good, very sweet still, think it's gone from 1.14 (lost me bit of paper) to 1.04 at present

 

[olriley]

Good stuff. Hey, welcome to the Heritage Oven Preservation Society! Thought it was just me holding the candle! I use it for period re-enactments, you know, cheese fondue, cable-knit turle necks and that sort of thing.

 

[MadrikXIV]

A classic build oven, it looks confused at these new fangled curries and oven chips, although only half the grill works now, and the original grill tray long since departed, and a plate light likes to stay on, and can't adjust the clock....after many faithful years of service, it may be retired this year (I've had it around 15 years after kinda inheriting it)

Downside is, all my cooking books are in f, so all that converting would be a pain (Or just everything at 200c)!!!!