Sloe Gin Question

[Gtbaker369]

Hi all,
I made my first batch of Sloe gin last year/ this year.
Started last November, mixed sloes with gin and left until Jan/ Feb. Added sugar and few other seasonings to taste once sloes were strained off then bottled and left in dark until today.
I've had a quick look and noticed a jelly like sediment at the bottom if all bottles? When turning then upside down it moved as a solidish block in shape of bottom of bottle. I shook one up and it eventually came apart and mixed back into the gin.
Has anyone experienced this and can tell me what it is, how to stop it, if my gin is now no good etc etc?
I used cheese cloth originally to strain my sloes from final liquid but bit sure if I should have used more layers or used something different?
All help would be appreciated.
Cheers everyone

 

[dbg400]

I've had sediment similar to that and just strain the whole lot through a sterilised muslin bag and back into clean bottles. With the high sugar & alcohol levels I don't think anything nasty is likely to build up - I'm guessing it's fruit residues that slowly fall out of suspension and combine into the gloop you see!

 

[Gtbaker369]

Shouldn't this have been stopped when putting everything through muslin cloth the first time around?
Also when using the cloth for similar things I tend to double it up but it seems to slow down very quickly to the point you get a drip every so often even though my funnel is pretty full. What does this mean? Should I only be using one layer instead of doubling it up?
Cheers

 

[dbg400]

I've needed to strain sloe gin several times if the bottle last that long! It does take longer the more layers it goes through - I used a jelly bag last time, which allows a lot more volume through it (but I did have around 5 litres of sloe gin to deal with!)

 

[Gtbaker369]

I've needed to strain sloe gin several times if the bottle last that long! It does take longer the more layers it goes through - I used a jelly bag last time, which allows a lot more volume through it (but I did have around 5 litres of sloe gin to deal with!)

Yes I have tried to age for at least a year ready for Xmas which is why I have recently checked on it and found the jelly stuff.
Do you think I using a single layer of Muslin Cloth would be good enough for most homebrew filtering's (Not Just Sloe)?
Yes it is getting a bit of a pain now as I have recently bottles some Blackberry Vodka (2L) and it did take a stupid amount of time, I ended up using a teaspoon to gently stir the liquid which seemed to speed it up going through, but my worry was that this may have an effect on small things im trying to filter out. I originally used a general sieve to get the vodka from the berries but then used the cloth for the liquid.

 

[wezil]

Hi try using a bit of kitchen roll and a funnel, it takes a while, but filters really well.

 

[GB2014]

Could you dissolve it with pectase?

We had our first frost last night here in North Yorkshire, I am poised to get the sloe gin going.

 

[terrym]

For those wanting to have a go at Sloe Gin or Vodka ( I actually prefer Vodka) this is my recipe and method. Sloes are ready now (certainly in my area) but go quickly in accessible areas like public footpaths because people pick them to make Sloe Gin. Ripe sloes are dark in colour, with no green unripe patches. So don't delay if they are ready, pick them! I use cheap supermarket gin/vodka as a base, you can of course use more expensive if you want.
Ingredients- 370g Sloes, 330ml Gin or Vodka, 110g Caster Sugar (these quantities nominally fit a 750ml wine bottle, see method, prorate for other 'steeping' vessels). Use slightly more sugar if you need finished product sweeter, or less as you wish. Note that the added sugar does not ferment.
Method -
1. Pick ripe sloes, bigger and darker the better. Discard poor quality. Wash in cold water, and drain. Put in the freezer for 24 hours or more.
2. Remove from freeezer and drop measured quantity into a clean wine bottle (screw top preferred).
3. Allow sloes to thaw. Thawing will split the skins which will allow the sloe pulp to flavour the gin/vodka better.
4. Funnel in the measured sugar, followed by the gin/vodka.
5. Cap the bottle and shake until most of the sugar has dissolved.
6. Every day for two weeks turn the bottle to disturb the contents. Then do this once per week for about 3 months. During this steeping period the flavour and colour from the sloes will cross into the gin/vodka
7. Decant off the liquid into a clean dry wine bottle. If you wish, use a paper filter (e.g kitchen tissue) to remove any sloe pulp residue.
7. Finished product can then be drunk (just in time for Xmas?). It will be a dark crimson colour with more than a hint of fruit (sloes are part of the plum family). Leaving it longer will not make a lot of difference in my experience. If there are still bits from the sloe pulp at the bottom of the bottle and it concerns you, decant off the clear liquid to drink, and use what's left in cooking e.g. sauces, marinades etc etc.
8. Enjoy.

 

[Popeye1980]

Is it better to add sugar at the beginning or at the end when sieving to taste?

 

[terrym]

Is it better to add sugar at the beginning or at the end when sieving to taste?

I don't know (others might), but why not add half or more of the sugar at the beginning and then top up to your taste at the end. And keep a record, so if you make sloe gin/vodka again you know how much sugar to add at the outset to suit you.

 

[Cwrw666]

Is it better to add sugar at the beginning or at the end when sieving to taste?

I would expect the sugar dissolved in the gin is a major factor in extracting juice and flavour from the fruit - by osmosis if I remember my school biology lessons correctly (if you have two liquids seperated by a permeable membrane then water moves from the less concentrated liquid into the more concentrated one. one of the reasons we prick the sloes - or freeze them - first is to make their skins permeable)
So put the sugar in first.
Recipe I use is:
1 750ml bottle of gin (or whisky, rum or brandy if you're feeling adventurous)
1 lb sloes
4 oz sugar

Some recipes use a lot more sugar but this one is as sweet as I like it.

 

[Overtond]

For those wanting to have a go at Sloe Gin or Vodka ( I actually prefer Vodka) this is my recipe and method. Sloes are ready now (certainly in my area) but go quickly in accessible areas like public footpaths because people pick them to make Sloe Gin. Ripe sloes are dark in colour, with no green unripe patches. So don't delay if they are ready, pick them! I use cheap supermarket gin/vodka as a base, you can of course use more expensive if you want.
Ingredients- 370g Sloes, 330ml Gin or Vodka, 110g Caster Sugar (these quantities nominally fit a 750ml wine bottle, see method, prorate for other 'steeping' vessels). Use slightly more sugar if you need finished product sweeter, or less as you wish. Note that the added sugar does not ferment.
Method -
1. Pick ripe sloes, bigger and darker the better. Discard poor quality. Wash in cold water, and drain. Put in the freezer for 24 hours or more.
2. Remove from freeezer and drop measured quantity into a clean wine bottle (screw top preferred).
3. Allow sloes to thaw. Thawing will split the skins which will allow the sloe pulp to flavour the gin/vodka better.
4. Funnel in the measured sugar, followed by the gin/vodka.
5. Cap the bottle and shake until most of the sugar has dissolved.
6. Every day for two weeks turn the bottle to disturb the contents. Then do this once per week for about 3 months. During this steeping period the flavour and colour from the sloes will cross into the gin/vodka
7. Decant off the liquid into a clean dry wine bottle. If you wish, use a paper filter (e.g kitchen tissue) to remove any sloe pulp residue.
7. Finished product can then be drunk (just in time for Xmas?). It will be a dark crimson colour with more than a hint of fruit (sloes are part of the plum family). Leaving it longer will not make a lot of difference in my experience. If there are still bits from the sloe pulp at the bottom of the bottle and it concerns you, decant off the clear liquid to drink, and use what's left in cooking e.g. sauces, marinades etc etc.
8. Enjoy.

I made sloe Gin2 years ago it’s all been strained a long long time ago and kept in dark place . My question is when ever we taste it It’s very musty , hence it’s still in the dark cupboard waiting to taste better. Will the musty taste go or shall I just bin the 5 bottles I made ? ( what s waste of good gin )

 

[Dutto]

According to t’Internet …

“The most common kind of wine flaw is called 'cork taint' (ie, when you hear people say a bottle is 'corked'). This means that the cork of the bottle has been infected with a bacteria called Trichloroanisole ('TCA' for short). A 'corked' wine will smell and taste like musty cardboard, wet dog, or a mouldy basement.”

It’s not supposed to be “bad for you” but I think it may be time for the drain!

Sorry!
:hat:

PS

“Admittedly, the incidence of corked spirits is lower than wine – possibly because spirits higher alcoholic strength and aromatic intensity make it more difficult to pick up. But it does happen and manifests itself in the same way – a smell of wet newspaper or cardboard, a stale mustiness.”