Elderberry champagne

[Alison Cooper]

Hi today I have just picked lots 9f elderberry flower heads going tontry make some champagne ,
And advice can I use bread yeast I watched on YouTube you can do that
Looking forward to the experience

 

[Twostage]

I'm not a big wine maker but apparently bread yeast can get to 14% ABV and for a champagne you will probably only want about 11%.

I use bread yeast (fermipan) all the time for making cider and I like that it leaves a lot of apple flavour.

I keep looking at the elderflowers growing where I live and thinking I should make some EF wine but the Missus can't stand it because of the catty smell but I can't detect it because I'm a bloke .

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I watched on YouTube you can do that

Welcome to the forum @Alison Cooper

I would not use bread yeast why go through all the hassle of making the wine to have it ruined by using bread yeast when wine yeast is so cheap.

 

[Tanglefoot]

I've always used Lalvin EC-1118 with good results
https://www.lallemandbrewing.com/en/united-kingdom/products/lalvin-ec-1118/

 

[Twostage]

Welcome to the forum @Alison Cooper

I would not use bread yeast why go through all the hassle of making the wine to have it ruined by using bread yeast when wine yeast is so cheap.

What makes you think it will be ruined ?

 

[Twostage]

Lots of things like this on the internet…

Yes 12% abv is a good average for flieschmanns bread yeast which is still pretty strong. But many wine yeasts say 14% tolerance but can get up to 16% with proper nutrients.

From my quick googling there seems to be a pattern of people saying , yep I do that and others who haven’t tried and say it won’t work

It would be interesting to do a split batch

 

[Tanglefoot]

Bread yeast typically has a limit of around 8% alcohol and tends not to floccolate and clear as well as wine yeasts, also chance off off flavours.
If I wanted to experiment I'd rather try a
wild fermentation, plenty of people do it that way.but I've always stuck to a tried and tested method.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I've used the EC 1118 and also kveik yeast, but did need to use a lot of nutrient with the kveik to get it fully fermented.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

What makes you think it will be ruined ?

Tanglefoot saved me posting.

Bread yeast typically has a limit of around 8% alcohol and tends not to floccolate and clear as well as wine yeasts, also chance off off flavours.
If I wanted to experiment I'd rather try a
wild fermentation, plenty of people do it that way.but I've always stuck to a tried and tested method.

 

[oldchap]

I've had several years of decent batches of elderflower here using the wild yeasts on the flowers themselves. Usually, it takes 2 to 3 days to get going, but it's really satisfying having something that's largely just foraged.

 

[Twostage]

Tanglefoot saved me posting.

Bread yeast typically has a limit of around 8% alcohol and tends not to floccolate and clear as well as wine yeasts, also chance off off flavours.
If I wanted to experiment I'd rather try a
wild fermentation, plenty of people do it that way.but I've always stuck to a tried and tested method.

So, have either of you tried it ? I’ve also read the 8% limit in posts on forums but it appears to be people quoting what they’ve read elsewhere.

I’ll have to do some googling and see if there is a brulosophy experiment or academic paper or similar.

I’ll be happy to be proven wrong by the way.

 

[Tanglefoot]

I've never even thought about using bread yeast for my elderflower wine,
is there any reason why it would be a good idea to do that rather than use one developed for the purpose ?
I've used mainly Lalvin and Gervin yeasts for all sorts of country wines over the years, my comments are based on that experience.
I am more interested in drinking as fine a wine as I can make rather than tinkering for the sake of it but each to their own, it is a hobby after all !

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I've never even thought about using bread yeast for my elderflower wine,
is there any reason why it would be a good idea to do that rather than use one developed for the purpose ?

Exactly.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

So, have either of you tried it ?

No my local health food shop sells wine yeast why would i go out and buy bread yeast when i can get the proper stuff for the job?

 

[Twostage]

No my local health food shop sells wine yeast why would i go out and buy bread yeast when i can get the proper stuff for the job?

From the original post she seemed to already have some bread yeast and was asking if she could use it. I didn’t get the impression they were asking for a yeast recommendation.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

From the original post she seemed to already have some bread yeast and was asking if she could use it. I didn’t get the impression they were asking for a yeast recommendation.

She didn't say she had bread yeast she said she saw someone use it on YouTube hence why members told her she would be better off using wine yeast.

And advice can I use bread yeast I watched on YouTube you can do that
Looking forward to the experience

 

[Twostage]

Can I use bread yeast is the question but I can understand people wanting to offer good advice.

Wonder if she read any of this

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Can I use bread yeast is the question

Use wine yeast designed for the job is the answer

 

[Twostage]

Use wine yeast designed for the job is the answer

We should have clarified right at the start. Every day is a school day

 

[RoomWithABrew]

We should have clarified right at the start. Every day is a school day

Finings at the end for me!!!