Chugabout* Wines

[Moley]

* similar to the Antipodean concept of going Walkabout, no particular idea of where you're going or when you'll be back, but involving a slow boat.

I've mentioned something in Welshwitch's beetroot wine thread which needs explaining, so here it is:

We've got a narrowboat. Quite old, not particularly big, anything but posh, but she suits us. If anyone's got a few hours to spare, here's my build blog.

We went chugabout last week, no particular plans, no particular hurry to get anywhere, had a fairly enjoyable few days (although mostly dull and occasionally damp), met another boat and a couple of crews who have become very good personal friends as a result of that waterways forum, had a good Banter and shared around some of my home brews. Got through numerous assorted bottles of beer, several bottles of wine and a large stoneware jug of TC. Saved a small fortune, only went in one pub all week, but we know that one has proper butcher's faggots, chips & peas for £3.95 and Enville Ales at £2.05 a pint, so it's an essential port of call. The Dry Dock at Windmill End near Netherton, for anyone who might know the area.

At this time of year I knew there was a good chance that I would find plenty of free fruit, so I took along my two smaller fermenting buckets, sugar, yeast, nutrients, citric, pectolase etc.

I will try to upload photos later this evening, but my ‘red bucket’ started off with 10 oz Blackberries, 1 lb 3 oz Elderberries and 12 oz of Rosehips (as I hadn't yet found enough of those, and our fridge has only got a small freezer compartment, which was still full of sausages etc.). 1kg sugar added, a couple of Campdens and water to 1 gallon. As I found another couple of pounds of blackberries I rinsed them in sulphite and chucked them into the bucket, then made it up to 2 gallons, then another 3 lbs of blackberries, another 1.5kg of sugar, a few other things I forgot to write down, then I got home and added 2.5 litres of apple juice, bringing it up to 3 gallons.

Meanwhile, I did find enough Rosehips, so my ‘white bucket’ has 4.5 lbs rosehips, 2kg sugar, 1 litre of white grape juice, all the usual additives and water to 2 gallons.

And then I found the damsons, but that will be another thread.

Pics later.

 

[falafael]

well done moley, sounds like the simple life to me, if ever you come down the river trent...fiskerton way, give me a shout, and i'll meet up for a 'pint'!!
:

 

[TheCheekyMonkey]

sounds good, a guy i know (my local mechanic) is building his own house, hes just come back from 7 weeks in dunoon, telling me all about his working holiday, how he wakes up catchs crab for tea, or sits out on his personal beach.



well jealous!

 

[rickthebrew]

wow!

amazing blog and a great story - love the boat - no wonder you didn`t have time for brewing when you were doing her up!

:clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[Moley]

Falafael: Noted. Will have to try to plan out a chug in your direction, although that would be quite a jaunt.

Monkey: Your mechanic sounds like he's got it sussed, I hope it works out for him.

Rick: Ta very much.


Anyway, it's late, I seem to have spent most of this evening washing, sulphiting, rinsing, de-stalking, sorting, weighing, bagging and freezing another 19 pounds of damsons, giving me 37 lbs in total (not counting some my Mother has taken and a batch Mrs. Mole has cooked for pies), and that was from just two trees. Oh, and 1.5 lbs of elderberries too.

After that I really can't be bothered to strain the ‘red mixture’ into DJs, so I've just skimmed out most of the pulp for now and will do the rest tomorrow.

And the Rosehip is looking like this: Sorry, I'm back to **** mobile phone pics again.
I've started picking the smaller, harder, wild rosehips now, but again, they are going in the freezer for later (besides which, I'm running out of DJs until I can get a few gallons bottled).

 

[TheCheekyMonkey]

can i ask how many wine bottles you own? and how your livers doing? seems your brewing more than anyone on here

 

[Moley]

Ah, yes, you've noticed

But the thing is, although I've got quite a few bottles of wine down our cellar, many of them aren't ready for drinking yet. Certainly, they are drinkable, but they are improving. This is why I've been banging through quite a few of the supermarket juice and fruity bags wines, so there is something drinkable now while the proper stuff ages.

The point you're missing is that this is the best time of year for free fruit / free booze. Cost in the sugar, yeast and adjuncts and you're looking at around 20p per bottle, so you've got to pick it and make it while you can.

The wine volumes in my signature are misleading as most of that is still in DJs (it matures better in bulk), and all this red fruit I've got on-the-go at the moment probably won't be bottled at least until next Easter, and should be at its best for drinking by this time next year.

Liver seems to be doing fine, for now. I give it a day off every now and then, think it might even have had two in '06.

 

[TheCheekyMonkey]

very true, i`m doing the same myself although on a much smaller scale (i`m sure my liver is a woman), ive just picked a couple of kilograms of blackberrys from my hedges (left loads on the floor for next year) , with the weather being the way it is and the dog just giving pups, i havent been out as much as i could of, this being my first year and all


nice boat bud, by the way....

 

[Amadeus]

Been making "drink it now" kit wines.
Just finished a 5 gallon Beaverdale white and put it in some 1 gallon water bottles i've got.

Woke up this morning to find I had finished over half a bottle :whistle:
sure my liver hates me for that...