Ginger Wine With Homemade GJC

[ScottE75]

Hi all, I haven't posted for a while because I've been experimenting. I've spent a couple of months trying different yeasts, additives and techniques.

My most recent experiment was ginger wine. I made 1 gal a couple of months ago, and it took ages with stuck ferments etc, but this time I cracked it!

First thing, stuck ferments can be avoided in non-fruit wines with the help of vitamin B1 (Thyamine). I have tried it in 4 non-fruit wines now with no stuck ferments, actually, they fermented so well they had finished before I had a chance to SG them. An Elderflower wine I made took 8 days to ferment with no GJC, just flowers, sugar and the usual additives including 2 vitamin B1 tabs.

Anyway, ginger wine. It turned out really well. I'd say it's one of my best. I used a GJC technique that I've shared before, using sultanas. I boiled them for 5 minutes until soft, then blitzed them with a hand blender. I added that to my grated ginger that had been boiling for 10 minutes with sugar and acid. I waited for it to cool and put it in a 5 ltr fermentation bucket. I had added the usual additives including 2 vit B1 tabs, and fermented it for 7 days before racking it into a demijohn. I let it ferment out, stabilised, and added kwik clear.

It came out with a silky (mouth feel?) feeling and with definite ginger tones, which weren't overpowered by the sultanas. My best wine to date!

I can post recipe in relevant thread if anyone is interested.

Salud!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Why not add it to the thread :thumb:

 

[LED_ZEP]

Just a quick question! Well a question following a statement..
I agree that nutrients are very important for the yeast and I don't want go into detail here as I've already posted a link in another thread ( https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/problem-fermentations-and-yeast-management.76633/ ) that demonstrates this point better than I can. The question is what other variables may have induced the reduced fermentation time? the obvious one is what temp control do you use? It has been a little warm, for once in the last month or so.

 

[ScottE75]

I don't know how to "quote" on the new forum, lol!

@LED_ZEP - I used ambient temp of my kitchen which is about 22 degrees. The only variables were vitamin B1, primary ferm in a bucket and homemade GJC instead of the ridiculously over priced shop version. Across the board it was the use of Vit B1 that was the same variable in my test brews. I will read your previous post with great interest.

I actually meant to post this thread in the "Brew days" thread, but I am a forum noob and got it wrong, lo siento!

(Edit: Just realised it was moved by admin, doh!)

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I don't know how to "quote" on the new forum, lol!

Click reply in the bottom right corner of the post you want to quote.

 

[Drunkula]

What is GJC? Not even googling 'GJC wine' comes up with anything.

 

[ScottE75]

Click reply in the bottom right corner of the post you want to quote.

Thanks Chippy!

What is GJC? Not even googling 'GJC wine' comes up with anything.

It's Grape Juice Concentrate like the stuff you buy off ebay, which cost the earth. I make my own version with boiled sultanas for white wine. Works a treat!