Ribena Wine

[NathanJR]

6 bottles of Strawberry & 6 bottles of blackberry Ribena bottled at the weekend.

They'd been in for about 5 weeks or so and activity had ground to a halt so i assumed they were done. Took the FG on bottling and it appears they weren't quite there - 1.10 & 1.00 respectively (expected 0.90 ish?).

Will this be a problem or am I just left with a sweeter wine?

Tasted them both and the Strawberry was very nice (despite the overpowering fresh alcohol taste which I expect to disappear slowly).

Sampled these yesterday, 3.5 weeks in the bottle.

The strawberry is now very drinkable, SWMBO has alrerady claimed them.

The Blackcurrant is a little disappointing in comparison, tastes like a cheap red wine (can only get better!).

 

[Ratsathome]

This is the recipe that I used.Mine is now in stage 3................
I use an Android APP "https://play.google.com/store/apps/...xLDEsImNvbS5rb29sYXBwei5FUDc3NzA2NDUwMDAxIl0.

"Two bottles of Ribena (Blackcurrant) were diluted with twice the amount of water (four Ribena bottles full). Yeast in the form of a nucleus was added and the mixture allowed to ferment for ten days.

STAGE 2:

After ten days' fermentation, two bottles of ribena(I used strawberry) and one Ribena bottle of water were added and the mixture allowed to ferment for a further ten days.

STAGE 3:

After a total of twenty days' fermentation, two bottles of Ribena(I used strawberry) and one more bottle of water were added. Fermentation was then allowed to carry on to completion, taking, in all, three months.

The result was a good, round wine flavored delightfully but not too strongly of fresh blackcurrants.

At stage 3 it was borne in mind that, while most of the SO2 would have been driven off during fermentation by adding those last two bottles, I was, in effect, bringing the total SO2 content up to 175 parts per million. fearing that the yeast might be just a little weakened at this stage I decided to drive off the SO2 in the last two bottles by raising the temperature of the to 70 deg. C. If you want to do this and have no suitable thermometer, stand the bottles in a saucepan of water and slowly raise the temperature until the Ribena in the bottles has increased in volume enough to reach the rims of the bottles. The temperature is high enough to drive off the SO2 and the heat should be cut off at once. The caps of the bottles must be removed before heating. The whole of fermentation was carried out in narrow-necked bottles plugged with cotton wool, fermentation locks being fitted after ten days. Racking was not carried out until one month after the last addition. Monthly racking followed until fermentation ceased. Even at this early stage the wine was nice to drink, but it had improved vastly at the age of six months.

 

[ScottM]

This is the recipe that I used.Mine is now in stage 3................
I use an Android APP "https://play.google.com/store/apps/...xLDEsImNvbS5rb29sYXBwei5FUDc3NzA2NDUwMDAxIl0.

"Two bottles of Ribena (Blackcurrant) were diluted with twice the amount of water (four Ribena bottles full). Yeast in the form of a nucleus was added and the mixture allowed to ferment for ten days.

STAGE 2:

After ten days' fermentation, two bottles of ribena(I used strawberry) and one Ribena bottle of water were added and the mixture allowed to ferment for a further ten days.

STAGE 3:

After a total of twenty days' fermentation, two bottles of Ribena(I used strawberry) and one more bottle of water were added. Fermentation was then allowed to carry on to completion, taking, in all, three months.

The result was a good, round wine flavored delightfully but not too strongly of fresh blackcurrants.

At stage 3 it was borne in mind that, while most of the SO2 would have been driven off during fermentation by adding those last two bottles, I was, in effect, bringing the total SO2 content up to 175 parts per million. fearing that the yeast might be just a little weakened at this stage I decided to drive off the SO2 in the last two bottles by raising the temperature of the to 70 deg. C. If you want to do this and have no suitable thermometer, stand the bottles in a saucepan of water and slowly raise the temperature until the Ribena in the bottles has increased in volume enough to reach the rims of the bottles. The temperature is high enough to drive off the SO2 and the heat should be cut off at once. The caps of the bottles must be removed before heating. The whole of fermentation was carried out in narrow-necked bottles plugged with cotton wool, fermentation locks being fitted after ten days. Racking was not carried out until one month after the last addition. Monthly racking followed until fermentation ceased. Even at this early stage the wine was nice to drink, but it had improved vastly at the age of six months.

Sounds like an interesting creation. I didn't think the yeast would be strong enough to kill off the preservatives initially. You didn't have any bother with the first 2 bottles fermenting?

 

[kRooGa]

Great thread everone. Just a quick question. I've grabbed some cardboard cartons of origional Ribena (ready to drink). Would this be ok at the amounts given in the recipe on the OP or would I need to up the amount.

 

[Pearlfisher]

This is the recipe that I used.Mine is now in stage 3................
I use an Android APP "https://play.google.com/store/apps/...xLDEsImNvbS5rb29sYXBwei5FUDc3NzA2NDUwMDAxIl0.

"Two bottles of Ribena (Blackcurrant) were diluted with twice the amount of water (four Ribena bottles full). Yeast in the form of a nucleus was added and the mixture allowed to ferment for ten days.

STAGE 2:

After ten days' fermentation, two bottles of ribena(I used strawberry) and one Ribena bottle of water were added and the mixture allowed to ferment for a further ten days.

STAGE 3:

After a total of twenty days' fermentation, two bottles of Ribena(I used strawberry) and one more bottle of water were added. Fermentation was then allowed to carry on to completion, taking, in all, three months.

The result was a good, round wine flavored delightfully but not too strongly of fresh blackcurrants.

At stage 3 it was borne in mind that, while most of the SO2 would have been driven off during fermentation by adding those last two bottles, I was, in effect, bringing the total SO2 content up to 175 parts per million. fearing that the yeast might be just a little weakened at this stage I decided to drive off the SO2 in the last two bottles by raising the temperature of the to 70 deg. C. If you want to do this and have no suitable thermometer, stand the bottles in a saucepan of water and slowly raise the temperature until the Ribena in the bottles has increased in volume enough to reach the rims of the bottles. The temperature is high enough to drive off the SO2 and the heat should be cut off at once. The caps of the bottles must be removed before heating. The whole of fermentation was carried out in narrow-necked bottles plugged with cotton wool, fermentation locks being fitted after ten days. Racking was not carried out until one month after the last addition. Monthly racking followed until fermentation ceased. Even at this early stage the wine was nice to drink, but it had improved vastly at the age of six months.

Sounds like an interesting creation. I didn't think the yeast would be strong enough to kill off the preservatives initially. You didn't have any bother with the first 2 bottles fermenting?

I used this recipe but just with blackcurrant ribena , I'm not sure whether I heated the juice to a high enough temperature at stage 3 as the wine finished fermenting but was still very sweet , I mixed it with a gallon of dry WOW and it was still like a very sweet Rose. However SWMBO & her daughter make fruit cocktails from it and reckon it's as good as PIMMS.

 

[Gayle]

Great thread everone. Just a quick question. I've grabbed some cardboard cartons of origional Ribena (ready to drink). Would this be ok at the amounts given in the recipe on the OP or would I need to up the amount.

I'd imagine you'd need to use mostly cartoned juice, and not dilute it with water at all if you want any flavour. The big bottles are concentrated juice with lots of sugar so it's quite a different thing.

 

[kRooGa]

Apologies if I'm being a bit dense, but the only bottle of concetrate I can find list Potassium Sorbate in the ingredients. Is this why you would to boil the juice first?

 

[ScottM]

Apologies if I'm being a bit dense, but the only bottle of concetrate I can find list Potassium Sorbate in the ingredients. Is this why you would to boil the juice first?

Yes but according to the recent recipe this isn't required.

I guess the addition of good yeast means it can overcome the potassium.

 

[stevie1556]

Silly question, I'm wanting to start this off in the next couple of days, but as I don't have the equipment to make a 5 gallon batch, what would need to be adjusted to make it into a 1 gallon batch?

Also, do people recommend the recipe in the first post or on the second page?

 

[gtfletcher]

Random question! Quite fancy doing a ribena wine and came across a strawberry and cream robinsons in the local supermarket, however it is a 'no sugar' drink and all the advice seems to be to steer clear of sugar free! Is there anyway this can be used for wine making as i really fancy giving it a go!?

 

[ScottM]

I think the reason for avoiding sugar free is that you will be left with a very sweet, artificially sweet, wine.

 

[gtfletcher]

damn! why do they have to make all these damn things sugar free! not only is it not actually any healthier for you it ruins what would of been a very interesting flavour of wine!!

I'm assuming simmering/boiling etc wouldn't do anything to remove any of this artificial sweetness?

 

[ScottM]

damn! why do they have to make all these damn things sugar free! not only is it not actually any healthier for you it ruins what would of been a very interesting flavour of wine!!

I'm assuming simmering/boiling etc wouldn't do anything to remove any of this artificial sweetness?

No unfortunately not

 

[gtfletcher]

didn't think so! such a shame! oh well will just have to keep my eye out for other interesting flavours that aren't sugar free!

 

[Snokrystal]

Just recently returned to home brewing. Got 1g Demijohn pitched this afternoon. My starting gravity was 1.092 so Im looking at around 13% ?

Wilko's Rose wine 1 week into fermenting on the left. (Fermention was going off like a rocket)
Ribena Wine, waiting for pitched yeast on the right. (Cant wait to see how this works out)

 

[Moley]

My starting gravity was 1.092 so Im looking at around 13% ?

Topping up your DJ with water would adjust that down to around 1.085, but yes, you're probably looking at around 12.5 to 13% abv.

Welcome to the forum :
I've just noticed your location, what part of town?

 

[Snokrystal]

Fermentation is going crazy today, looks like a lava lamp inside the DJ :shock:

I've just noticed your location, what part of town?

Ahh nice to see someone local. Im on the Birchen Coppice area.

 

[Moley]

Ahh nice to see someone local. Im on the Birchen Coppice area.

I'm on the opposite side of town to you, Greenhill, through Broadwaters, up the hill past the Rose theatre and turn left.

Drop me a PM, you're welcome to call round some time for a natter and to pick up a couple of bottles :

 

[stevie1556]

I've just racked mine. Had a taster of the Strawberry Ribena and it was lovely! I didn't try the blackcurrent one as it threw up alot of sediment and I have to top up the DJ with a reasonable amount of water.

Silly question, but does anyone use finnings to clear these? I'm just wondering if it's worth adding any to them. I'm planning on bottling them just before xmas so I can give myself a nice present on xmas day

 

[beermaker]

Made five gallons of this stuff mid feb. Fermentation was a bit lazy starting so put more yeast adn nutrient in (youngs super yeast compound) and put a heat mat under it. Fermentation still not great - split the batch into five demijohns, made up an active starter culture and still on a warm mat. Its bubbling away but slowly and gravity is still about 1.062. Any suggestions anyone? Not sure on where to progress as I've only really brewed ale before.

Cheers!
Phil