Supermarket Juice Wine How To guide and Recipes.

[El Draco]

couple of questions if i may be indulged?

Would including, in the wow ingredients, a handful of raisins/currents be beneficial?
If so, in what way?

Has anyone added spices to the wow's?

I have been give two 25l ferment bins, just the bucket and lids.. to do wow's in them, would i need to drill the lids to fit the airlocks? or are they ok to use as is?

I will soon be racking my first wow and am eager to taste for own enlightenment :lol: more like ive got the ingredients ready for a 5 gallon batch so want to start on that if i like the wow :drink:

What's everyone's favourite wow?

thanks in advance

 

[Chippy_Tea]

couple of questions if i may be indulged?

Would including, in the wow ingredients, a handful of raisins/currents be beneficial?
If so, in what way?

I think they add body to the wine but to be honest WOW's are fine as they are, i have made many gallons and never thought about adding raisins, you could make 2 DJ's of the same wow and add raisins to one to see what the difference is.

Has anyone added spices to the wow's?

I have never read anyone doing this.

I have been give two 25l ferment bins, just the bucket and lids.. to do wow's in them, would i need to drill the lids to fit the airlocks? or are they ok to use as is?

I have one with an airlock hole and grommet already inserted, you can drill a 9mm hole or just lay the lid on top of the bucket and dont seal it, the CO2 will escape, i prefer an airlock as you can see when it has finished.

What's everyone's favourite wow?

At the moment mine is apple/raspberry and white grape juice or apple/mango and white grape juice, these are 100% juice (90% apple + 10% Raspberry and the same for the mango) as they are 100% i only use 1 litre of each to every DJ.

 

[El Draco]

[quote="El Draco":2uexyf4u]couple of questions if i may be indulged?

Would including, in the wow ingredients, a handful of raisins/currents be beneficial?
If so, in what way?

I think they add body to the wine but to be honest WOW's are fine as they are, i have made many gallons and never thought about adding raisins, you could make 2 DJ's of the same wow and add raisins to one to see what the difference is.

Has anyone added spices to the wow's?

I have never read anyone doing this.

I have been give two 25l ferment bins, just the bucket and lids.. to do wow's in them, would i need to drill the lids to fit the airlocks? or are they ok to use as is?

I have one with an airlock hole and grommet already inserted, you can drill a 9mm hole or just lay the lid on top of the bucket and dont seal it, the CO2 will escape, i prefer an airlock as you can see when it has finished.

What's everyone's favourite wow?

At the moment mine is apple/raspberry and white grape juice or apple/mango and white grape juice, these are 100% juice (90% apple + 10% Raspberry and the same for the mango) as they are 100% i only use 1 litre of each to every DJ.[/quote:2uexyf4u]

thanks for the info Chippy... think ill drill the lid.. gonna get on with this today and do a 4 gallon wow tomorrow methinks :whistle:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You may want to get some grommets like these to guarantee an air tight seal (12mm outside diameter 9.5mm inside diameter. :thumb:

http://thumbs4.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/ ... YioSfA.jpg

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

Has anyone added spices to the wow's?

Yes, and it was a disaster - but that's because I left the spices in for far too long. Add them after the first week, once fermentation has begun to die down, and taste daily until the flavour is how you want it. Also, don't use star anise, or use only one "arm", as it will overpower all other flavours otherwise.

 

[El Draco]

You may want to get some grommets like these to guarantee an air tight seal (12mm outside diameter 9.5mm inside diameter. :thumb:

http://thumbs4.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/ ... YioSfA.jpg

aye.. cheers mate

 

[El Draco]

[quote="El Draco":17echyrf]Has anyone added spices to the wow's?

Yes, and it was a disaster - but that's because I left the spices in for far too long. Add them after the first week, once fermentation has begun to die down, and taste daily until the flavour is how you want it. Also, don't use star anise, or use only one "arm", as it will overpower all other flavours otherwise.[/quote:17echyrf]

was just thinking mellow spices, maybe vanilla too :)

 

[El Draco]

just attempting a major brew (for me)

quick question..

doing some wows but 1 gallon each of apple & blackberry, apple, orange & Mango and an apple..

mid mixing up.. but seem to recall reading that i might have to add citric acid (?) to any of these above?

ill be checking back when ive added the juices etc :)

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Are you adding a litre of grape juice to each DJ?

I now use citric acid in all my juice drink wines i didn't before and it does make a difference, you might want to try one with and one without so you can see the difference.

The ingredients that we make homemade homebrew homebrew wine from do not, as a rule, contain enough acid to produce a well balanced bottle of wine. We must add some. 'Some' means squeeze the juice of a couple of lemons into the must. Alternativly buy a tub of citric acid and chuck some of that in. This will allow you to make fairly consistent wines.

But, (why is there always a 'but'?) the story does not end here. The winemaker can get hold of malic, lactic, citric, tartaric and succinic acids. This is before you consider the mysteries of tannic acid, but that topic alone will fill a page.

Essentially, each acid imparts differant qualities. Many winemakers use a mix of citric, malic and tartaric, but most of us just rely solely on citric. One can also obtain precipitated chalk, this is calcium carbonate, and is added to the wine to reduce the acidity.

Citric Acid. The is the most popular acid, it has a characteristic fruity taste. It is found in things like lemons and oranges, which is why these fruits are often included in older recipes. Citric acid also imparts brilliance to wine.

Malic Acid. Found in things like apples. This acid is said to help speed fermentation. There also exists stuff called malolactic bacteria, this can be persuaded to start a small fermentation in bottled wine, where the malic acid is converted to less acid lactic acid in a process called malolactic fermentation. This is generally considered a good thing.

Tartaric Acid. The predominate acid in grapes. Imparts a vinoius character to the wine, but is apt to crystalise out of the wine some time after bottling because it is rather unstable in solution. This can lead to a deposit in the bottom of a bottle of previously clear wine. This in turn gives an exallent excuse to muck about decanting the wine.

Succinic Acid. Never used it myself, but is said to improve bouquet and maturation processes.

 

[El Draco]

Are you adding a litre of grape juice to each DJ?

I now use citric acid in all my juice drink wines i didn't before and it does make a difference, you might want to try one with and one without so you can see the difference.

The ingredients that we make homemade homebrew homebrew wine from do not, as a rule, contain enough acid to produce a well balanced bottle of wine. We must add some. 'Some' means squeeze the juice of a couple of lemons into the must. Alternativly buy a tub of citric acid and chuck some of that in. This will allow you to make fairly consistent wines.

But, (why is there always a 'but'?) the story does not end here. The winemaker can get hold of malic, lactic, citric, tartaric and succinic acids. This is before you consider the mysteries of tannic acid, but that topic alone will fill a page.

Essentially, each acid imparts differant qualities. Many winemakers use a mix of citric, malic and tartaric, but most of us just rely solely on citric. One can also obtain precipitated chalk, this is calcium carbonate, and is added to the wine to reduce the acidity.




Citric Acid. The is the most popular acid, it has a characteristic fruity taste. It is found in things like lemons and oranges, which is why these fruits are often included in older recipes. Citric acid also imparts brilliance to wine.

Malic Acid. Found in things like apples. This acid is said to help speed fermentation. There also exists stuff called malolactic bacteria, this can be persuaded to start a small fermentation in bottled wine, where the malic acid is converted to less acid lactic acid in a process called malolactic fermentation. This is generally considered a good thing.

Tartaric Acid. The predominate acid in grapes. Imparts a vinoius character to the wine, but is apt to crystalise out of the wine some time after bottling because it is rather unstable in solution. This can lead to a deposit in the bottom of a bottle of previously clear wine. This in turn gives an exallent excuse to muck about decanting the wine.

Succinic Acid. Never used it myself, but is said to improve bouquet and maturation processes.

Cheers mate.. i'll bung some in now :)...

Right to list what ive done today...

they all include tanning, glycerine, pectalose, nutrient, youngs super yeast & water..
all in gallon dj's *

1 litre apple & blackcurrent
1 litre white grape juice
800g sugar
sg 1.090

1 litre apple
1 litre wgj
800g sugar
sg 1.088

1 litre cherry
1 litre wgj
800g sugar
sg 1.090

theres more :shock: :lol:

* 5 gallon brew :party:

5 litre wgj
3 litre orange juice
1 litre orange & Mango
1 litre apple
4 k sugar
SG 1.090

will be adding citric acid to them.. also will be rechecking the sg as ive wrote it down and will update if different.. they were all about the same..

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Looks like you will be having a good christmas. :lol:

 

[El Draco]

Looks like you will be having a good christmas. :lol:

hahaha hopefully :pray: :)

they have started bubbling :party:

on a side note... my ever helpful better half has informed me that she 'helped me' earlier... by topping up the wow...
nice one says i... then asks which one...

Basically its the one that i just racked, degassed, stabliised then added finnings....
Ive just had a gander at it... its started bubbling again :sick: :wha:

Will it be ok? :pray:

she said it didnt matter as theres loads more :lol:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Basically its the one that i just racked, degassed, stabliised then added finnings....
Ive just had a gander at it... its started bubbling again

You have added stabiliser so even if your other half had topped up with something containing sugar it should not ferment, all stabilisers give off gas when added to wine, do not inhale this.

 

[acott]

Hey chippy so I'm a week into fermentation of my WOW. The krausen has sunken from the original wow, but on the apple and raspberry it's still there. I know around this time people usually top up, should I wait and let the krausen from the a&r fall before topping up?

 

[El Draco]

Basically its the one that i just racked, degassed, stabliised then added finnings....
Ive just had a gander at it... its started bubbling again

You have added stabiliser so even if your other half had topped up with something containing sugar it should not ferment, all stabilisers give off gas when added to wine, do not inhale this.

ahh.. the sediment parts :lol:

The bubbling has started on the 4 i made yesterday :) sounds like they are having a chat :hmm: :lol:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Hey chippy so I'm a week into fermentation of my WOW. The krausen has sunken from the original wow, but on the apple and raspberry it's still there. I know around this time people usually top up, should I wait and let the krausen from the a&r fall before topping up?

I always give my DJ's a good shake on day two and three to get the crusty head into the wine, it then turns into small lumps that float around like a lava lamp, when its finished you will find some stay on the surface and others sink to the bottom.

When i start my WOW i only fill to the shoulder of the DJ as i have had wow escape, i then do not top up until i have degassed it as you need a good space if you use a drill and degassing wand, if i topped up before degassing i would lose a lot of the wine as there is that much CO2 to get out, it makes a lot of froth and still comes close to coming out even with a big gap.

 

[El Draco]

quick update to the wow brews..

day 3..

The 5 gallon is going like a train... 104 bubbles per min
The 1 gallon of apple & blackberry is 1 per sec.
The cherry & apple gallons are both 1 every 2 secs..

It smells crazy in my spare room :)

 

[scholes2012]

Hi from a relative newbie, stumbled on my favorite so far by mistake, was told about WOW original by a work mate, and not realizing that grape juice gave it the wine properties, I made cranberry and apple from oceanspray Cranblend which happens to be 75% grape 25% cranberry.

1 Ltr Cranblend (138g sugar)
1 ltr Asda 100% Apple (113g sugar)
900g sugar. (5ltr)
Tsp Pectolase, glycerine, Wilkinson white wine yeast packet, yeast nutrient, 1 T bag brew.

Back sweetened to 1.100, Bit sharp when 1st bottled, after just 2-3 weeks very nice, now started 5 gallon.

 

[El Draco]

original wow question learned sirs..

I racked etc and added finnings on the 29th/30th nov.. and its clearing lovely.. can read small print through the dj...
Ive noticed that colour of the wine is still an orangey colour unlike the lighter colours on the pics that ive seen on here... is this normal?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Have a look at the video below from 11:50 onwards, it shows the finished wine, if you use KwiK Clear as he does don't use a full syringe of part A and B you only need 2ml for the cloudiest wine, a full syringe is 10ml.

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJQQdkS0JAw