Sugar Wine (Kilju) Recipe

[eca06ljc]

Hi everyone

I was thinking about making a batch of this stuff up and was wondering if anyone had a recipe? i just need to know how much sugar would be needed if i was planning to make it up in my 22.5 litre fermentation bucket and how much yeast would also be needed? Any tips?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

[Moley]

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=3559

 

[Amadeus]

22.5 litres? :shock:
Have you tried it? From all accounts it's a very acquired taste.

 

[ish1349]

22.5 litres? :shock:
Have you tried it? From all accounts it's a very acquired taste.

I would not go and make 22.5 litres straight. I just heard bout this and am just goin to do 1 gallon. If its good then i will consider making a big batch.

 

[Fergmeister]

thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=19588

I used 3 kg of sugar in 2 gallons of water, and also added some yeast nutrient and citric acid. it didn't go well. I ended up with 8 litres of very sugary 7.5% abv water because the yeast obviously got bored and decided to die off instead.

I mixed some up with cordial and citric acid to make a sort of tangy, sweet alcoholic cordial to drink if I ever get desperate enough, but the rest went down the drain. I was a bit upset about the 'waste' of 3 kg of sugar, so I would definately go small first.

That said, I have been tempted by some of the turbo yeasts that you use with the carbon stuff to clear it.

 

[tonyhibbett]

This is the raw basis for stuff that goes on to make primitive 'moonshine'. It's a pure intoxicant and tastes unpleasant because it's based purely on sugar. I have used this stuff to fortify weak wine, but it's unpleasant flavour is unacceptable.

 

[ish1349]

thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=19588

I used 3 kg of sugar in 2 gallons of water, and also added some yeast nutrient and citric acid. it didn't go well. I ended up with 8 litres of very sugary 7.5% abv water because the yeast obviously got bored and decided to die off instead.

I mixed some up with cordial and citric acid to make a sort of tangy, sweet alcoholic cordial to drink if I ever get desperate enough, but the rest went down the drain. I was a bit upset about the 'waste' of 3 kg of sugar, so I would definately go small first.

That said, I have been tempted by some of the turbo yeasts that you use with the carbon stuff to clear it.

The way I understand is that you have to add the sugar every so often. When the bubbleing stops, you add another 100g and so on and so on. Thats if your using high alcohol yeast that can go to 23% odd. Takes near enough a month to ferment.

 

[oldbloke]

I was thinking of following that method with a mead, as the mead taste seems to me more suited to something liquer strength. Does anybody think there's a yeast out there that would give a sensible tasting end product if I start with a kilo or so of honey then add another kilo bit by bit?

 

[Fergmeister]

Not sure about the amount of sugar causing a problem, I personally think it may have been because of the lack of nutrients, etc in the water (I added yeast nutrient and citric acid but it never seemed to help).

As for the mead idea I had considered that myself (or even using apple juice and a hearty amount of sugar to try and push for 20% cider/ apple liquer...). I made a gallon batch of mead last month using 3x425g jars of Asda amart price honey (£1.24 each IIRC). I made this up to 4.5l and added Young's super yeast compound and it fermented it to about 11% (where I finished it a little sweet) in about a week or so, so I think this could definately work. I had a glass of the resultant brew last night and tbh it was quite nice after only 3 weeks of clearing so it could turn out pretty nice in a few more months (or however long it lasts). I think I would definately try this again sometime with a more expensive yeast to see how it affects the flavour, or by using a mixture of set and clear honey to try and impart more of a honey flavour on to it.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Any honey will give a better flavour than plain sugar, but the cheapest ones are so bland, they don't make a big difference. Much of the finer elements get lost in fermentation, so it would make sense to use some better tasting honey, but added towards the end of the initial fermentation. Beware of certain Australian honey with a distinctly eucalyptus flavour, which to definitely don't want in wine.
Yeast nutrient and acid are essential, and getting the yeast started first in a cupful of orange juice is wise. Tartaric acid is preferable to citric, for fermentation purposes. You need 25% more honey than sugar, so at least a kilo per gallon is needed for a dry wine, £7.50 at the very least, with a strength below 10% abv. Adding another jar of good quality honey, as suggested, would give a better tasting, medium mead, but adds another couple of pounds to the cost.
It's interesting to note that my older, 2 year old or more, purely white grape dry wines, have a distinctly honeyed flavour..
I have found the best use for honey is as a substutute for sugar in apple wine as an enhancer, because the apple flavour allows the honey flavour to come through. Combined with dried (preferably fresh) elderflowers is a great combination. The flowers work best when added towards the end of the initial fermentation, because the alcohol extracts the flavour more efficiently, while late addition preserves much more of the bouquet. Pure apple juice will provide lots of the sugar, so it's a cheaper too.