Elderberries

[Pete Oakley]

The Elderberries around here are ready. I've always used the traditional method of pouring hot water on the berries and mashing them up in a bin. I have a small fruit press and would like to extact the juice from the berries. I usually use 2 1/2 litres of any fruit juice to water to make the must up to 1 gallon of wine. I'm looking for opinions, would this work with Elderberies? Any ideas welcome.
Thanks,
Pete.

 

[hypnoticmonkey]

You would lose a lot of the body to the wine, I imagine. Real winemaker ferment on the grape skins for a while to get a lot of the tannin/colour out of them.

 

[graysalchemy]

Elderberries work best with damsons or blackberries IMHO.

2lb Elderberries
1lb Blackberries or damsons
1 KG of sugar disolved in a little water (boil it up to make a syrup)
250g of Raisins chopped
1 tsp Pectolase

Ferment on the pulp for a week then strain through a straining back into DJ and top up with water to 1 Gallon.

But you will have to give it at least 12 months before even attempting to drink it, 2 yrs is better 4-5 is excellent and 7 years is simply divine :lol: :lol:

 

[godfrey]

moley's excellent how to is here

http://ww.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewto ... 48&t=10372

 

[Pete Oakley]

Thanks for the advice.
Pete.

 

[alanywiseman.]

The skins contain colour and tannins so you will lose some of that by not fermenting on them.

 

[hypnoticmonkey]

I have just stuck 5.5lb of elberberries in the freezer. Man, that took a while to get them all off the stems!

My plans aim for 31lb of elderberries, though, so I've got a long way to go...

Planning:
5 gallons of blackberry and elderberry wine (2lb of each per gallon = 10lb elder needed)
5 gallons elderberry wine (3lb per gallon as per Moley's recipe = 15lb elder needed)
3 gallons of GA's port, 2lb of elderberries per gallon = 6lb of elderberries needed)

I found a huge array of elderberries in a park near a school I'm in at the moment, so I know I can get another 10lb there if I put my heart into it.

The depressing thought is that only takes me to the half way mark! I might need to scale back the ambitions, at least by 1 gallon each.

 

[oldbloke]

I have just stuck 5.5lb of elberberries in the freezer. Man, that took a while to get them all off the stems!

Um, I'm led to believe that freezing them on the stems cleverly makes them all fall off by themselves.
Intend to try it this year.

 

[godfrey]

I have just stuck 5.5lb of elberberries in the freezer. Man, that took a while to get them all off the stems!

My plans aim for 31lb of elderberries, though, so I've got a long way to go...

Planning:
5 gallons of blackberry and elderberry wine (2lb of each per gallon = 10lb elder needed)
5 gallons elderberry wine (3lb per gallon as per Moley's recipe = 15lb elder needed)
3 gallons of GA's port, 2lb of elderberries per gallon = 6lb of elderberries needed)

I found a huge array of elderberries in a park near a school I'm in at the moment, so I know I can get another 10lb there if I put my heart into it.

The depressing thought is that only takes me to the half way mark! I might need to scale back the ambitions, at least by 1 gallon each.

why not make GA's port and moleys wine first

then reuse the pulp for the 3rd must with brambles

 

[hypnoticmonkey]

I have just stuck 5.5lb of elberberries in the freezer. Man, that took a while to get them all off the stems!

Um, I'm led to believe that freezing them on the stems cleverly makes them all fall off by themselves.
Intend to try it this year.

Tried it a few times before. Didn't do it this time because
a) It never quite worked that well for me. I did develop a fairly good method of rubbing them between my hands to get them off, but that ended up with very cold hands.
b) I've found a good fork that works better than any of my old forks, surprising how much of a difference it makes.
c) I don't have space in the freezer for the stalks as well!