Brewday! 😬

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

So, brewday was yesterday. Only one out the three has had the yeast pitched. The other two should be good for pitching yeast tomorrow. So from left to right we have:-

Ginger and Sultana
Standard red wine for cooking
Rhubarb and Raspberry (my favourite and smells amazing!)

I will share the recipes at the end of fermentation if anyone is interested. I just want to make sure they’re not poisonous first . Allowing myself 4-6 weeks to get to the clearing stage, so plenty of time methinks! Wish me luck with round two guys!

 

[DocAnna]

Looks and sounds very industrious - and I'd love to se the recipe for the Rhubarb and Raspberry .

Is the delay in pitching due to giving time for a campden tablet to work?

Anna

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Looks and sounds very industrious - and I'd love to se the recipe for the Rhubarb and Raspberry .

Is the delay in pitching due to giving time for a campden tablet to work?

Anna

Thank you! I'm a perfectionist so I do try my absolute best and put a lot into it - time and money to make sure it's fantastic!

I'm waiting for the pectolase. I understand it needs 24 hours before we pitch the yeast? Not sure if this is necessary, but it's something I've kind of picked up.

The rhubarb still needs another couple of additions too . Very proud of this one in particular!

 

[johncrobinson]

Your REALLY getting into it now Lisa

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Your REALLY getting into it now Lisa

Thanks John! Really enjoying it! Hubby has an app called Brewfather for his beer and I’m jealous because I can’t find one for my wine!

 

[Scrattajack]

Rhubarb and Raspberry sounds great.

A few years ago I was struggling for a present for spouse's birthday so asked her what she wanted. Four raspberry canes was the answer, so they were duly bought. I didn't know the garden centres sold them in bundles so she ended up with two dozen of the things. We've been rolling in raspberries ever since.

Might get her rhubarb this year.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

We really need to start planting stuff too. We have quite a large back garden (just bought our first house together) and it’s going to waste. Never seem to be able to find the time. I’d love a rhubarb crop and like you say some fruit bushes

 

[foxy]

We really need to start planting stuff too. We have quite a large back garden (just bought our first house together) and it’s going to waste. Never seem to be able to find the time. I’d love a rhubarb crop and like you say some fruit bushes

Get your gum boots on and get out there, soon be time to start getting the ground ready in the northern hemisphere. I have an abundance of rhubarb and passion fruit. Not a wine maker, yet. But I am sorely tempted to try one or the other and make a wine maybe even both together, a mixture of sweet and sour.
I have 2 grape vines, but they are sweet table grapes not much cop for making wine with.

The passion fruit vine is loaded with fruit, not quite ripe yet.

Going to have to read up on wine making now, it has a nice ring to it, Passion Fruit & Rhubarb Wine.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Get your gum boots on and get out there, soon be time to start getting the ground ready in the northern hemisphere. I have an abundance of rhubarb and passion fruit. Not a wine maker, yet. But I am sorely tempted to try one or the other and make a wine maybe even both together, a mixture of sweet and sour.
I have 2 grape vines, but they are sweet table grapes not much cop for making wine with.
View attachment 39150
View attachment 39151
The passion fruit vine is loaded with fruit, not quite ripe yet.
View attachment 39152
Going to have to read up on wine making now, it has a nice ring to it, Passion Fruit & Rhubarb Wine.

All looks great! I don’t know what gum boots are though!

 

[foxy]

All looks great! I don’t know what gum boots are though!

Then its time you learned.

 

[Scrattajack]

There's also a blackcurrant bush which is pretty fertile, to the point where despite numerous pies, cheesecakes and jam over the last couple of years, I was called on to make room in the freezer for the current supply by using the backlog. There are five demijohns 'conditioning' right now.

The gooseberry bush didn't take though, gutted about that. Gooseberries make great wine.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

There's also a blackcurrant bush which is pretty fertile, to the point where despite numerous pies, cheesecakes and jam over the last couple of years, I was called on to make room in the freezer for the current supply by using the backlog. There are five demijohns 'conditioning' right now.

The gooseberry bush didn't take though, gutted about that. Gooseberries make great wine.

ooh I bet gooseberry and strawberry would be good!

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

@foxy ohhhh you mean welly bobs! (wellington boots)

 

[Scrattajack]

ooh I bet gooseberry and strawberry would be good!

Well, great in theory but the wisdom I picked up from the pioneer wine book writers from the '60s was that strawberries don't come out well in wine. I've not tried it so I don't know (spouse has yet to deliver a glut of strawberries) but I guess you'd have to do a gooseberry wine and then flavour it with the strawberries later.

As you said earlier, there's an embarrassment of riches when it comes to beer making but not a lot on the country wine scene.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

As you said earlier, there's an embarrassment of riches when it comes to beer making but not a lot on the country wine scene.

Yeah, it’s a shame that! A girl needs lessons! It’s tannin and citric acid that I struggle with mostly.

I’ve found a website which gives me low, medium and high levels of tannin for different fruits, and the same for citric acid. So helps me estimate if I need to add anything to my recipes to help the brew along or enhance the flavour somewhat. But I don’t know whether I can trust it or not.

I am finding that I’m starting to be able to taste what it needs though, as I take a sample before I pitch the yeast normally. Experience will help I’m sure. And I suppose you can always add at the end.

 

[johncrobinson]

Strawberry's make an excellent wine esp a sparkling wine.What does not come out very well is the colour (a sort of pale blush)
Gooseberries make such a good wine they are known in winemaking circles as "the hairy grape".

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Rhubarb and raspberry update. Made use of gravity to help me extract as much juice as possible from the fruit. Fruit pulp weighs 1343g after pressing. This is all that’s left out of 7.1kg of fruit. Well impressed with that! Got 11 litres out of it. Demijohns blipping away nicely!

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

All my wines transferred into demijohns now. I was a bit worried about disturbing the yeasties but they’ve all survived and they’re going like billy-o. Been at it all day, I’m pooped! Where’s the wine at?

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Strawberry's make an excellent wine esp a sparkling wine.What does not come out very well is the colour (a sort of pale blush)
Gooseberries make such a good wine they are known in winemaking circles as "the hairy grape".

Sounds like a challenge to make a super red version!

 

[Gerryjo]

Sounds like a challenge to make a super red version!

Strawberries are actually weak in colour as can be seen when fermenting but you could add some preservative free food colouring and natural flavouring to enhance it. I've tried.