Blackberries

[Mike]

Hi y'all,

As the warmer seasons are approaching here in the Southern Hemesphere and
the blackberries over the fence will soon be doing their thang. I have
decided to (finally) convert them into a palatable beverage.

I'm hoping to make something that's a refreshing summer companion to a
summer BBQ meal for the following Summer.

Is anyone prepared to share their favourite Blackberry Plonk recipie? I'm
looking for something light and fruity.

Mike

[Robin Somes]

In message <430e...@clear.net.nz>, Mike
<nospam_...@paradise.net.nz> writes

>Is anyone prepared to share their favourite Blackberry Plonk recipie?
>I'm looking for something light and fruity.

Jack Keller's site has quite a wide selection of them, check under

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/recipe2.asp

My experience is that lighter blackberry wines (made with 3 - 4 lbs of
fruit per gallon) take a year or so at least to be pleasantly drinkable,
as the tannins mellow, whereas heavier wines, with 6lbs per gallon, are
very full-bodied, and drinkable much sooner.

Here's a recipe for a medium-bodied blackberry I've got going at the
moment. I'd expect the result to be getting drinkable about this time
next year, after at least 6 months in the bottle. It should end up about
12% alcohol. Makes about 2 gallons.

8 lbs blackberries
14 pints boiling water
2½ lbs sugar
More sugar later
Vit. B tablets, yeast nutrient, pectolase, campdens.

Put the berries in the primary, add 2½ lbs of sugar, pour on the boiling
water, and mash them thoroughly. Add 2 campden tablets. When cool, add
pectolase sufficient for 2 gallons. Cover, and leave to soak for 2 days.

Strain into another primary to remove the pips and pulp. Add vitamins,
yeast nutrient, and sufficient sugar to bring the SG up to 1090, then
pitch the yeast - I just used an all-purpose yeast. Cover with a cloth,
and stir twice daily; I generally find the fermentation will go off like
a rocket. It may give off a smell rather like hydrogen sulphide, but
this disappears later, and isn't so far as I can tell a genuine H2S
problem.

When it's finished fermenting vigorously - a week or 10 days should do -
rack off into secondaries, fit airlocks, and leave it to ferment
further. When it's finished, after a couple of months, it will have
cleared extremely well, but thrown an unfeasible quantity of sediment.
Rack off the lees into another secondary, and leave it another 6 months
at least, before bottling. It may seem harsh and thin at this point, but
it matures very nicely.

It's important to keep it in the dark, or use dark-coloured glass,
because sunlight will fade the colour.

cheers,
robin

--
www.newforestartgallery.co.uk
www.badminston.demon.co.uk www.robinsomes.co.uk
www.amazonian-fish.co.uk www.pisces-conservation.com
www.irchouse.demon.co.uk www.blackwell-science.com/southwood
Trust me, I'm a webmaster...

[use...@isbd.co.uk]

Mike <nospam_...@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
> Hi y'all,
>
> As the warmer seasons are approaching here in the Southern Hemesphere and
> the blackberries over the fence will soon be doing their thang. I have
> decided to (finally) convert them into a palatable beverage.
>

Huh? Our blackberries here in the UK are just nicely ripe now.

Surely they're an early autumn/late summer fruit.

Or does 'blackberry' mean something different to you and me?

--
Chris Green

[Alan Gould]

In article <3n84bk...@individual.net>, use...@isbd.co.uk writes

>Huh? Our blackberries here in the UK are just nicely ripe now.
>
>Surely they're an early autumn/late summer fruit.
>
>Or does 'blackberry' mean something different to you and me?
>

We have been picking blackberries, or brambles as some call them, for
about two weeks now. I find that the earlier berries are better suited
for fresh eating and freezing because they are firmer, and the later
ones for wine-making as they tend to be softer by then. I shall either
make the popular favourite blackberry and apple wine, or a blend of
blackberry, elderberry, blackcurrant, and any other suitable red fruit
available.
--
Alan Gould. North Lincolnshire, UK.

[arne thormodsen]

<use...@isbd.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3n84bk...@individual.net...

Here in Oregon we have three varieties. I don't know their names, but
I do know their habits. One tends to grow closer to the ground and up
over bushes and fences, and ripens around June. The other two
varieties are the "bramble" type that mound up on top of themselves to
make an impenetrable thicket and are ripe right now. We've been
picking them for the last couple weeks. Not sure if I'll try to make
wine from them this year, I've been disappointed by my past results.
But my blackberry jelly recipe is pretty reliable.

--arne

> --
> Chris Green
>

[Shane Badham]

<use...@isbd.co.uk> wrote:

You didn't check his email address; he's down-under!

--
Regards, Shane
"A closed mouth gathers no feet!"
Website: http://www.wonk.demon.co.uk/

[use...@isbd.co.uk]

Shane Badham <sh...@wonk.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> <use...@isbd.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > Mike <nospam_...@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
> > > Hi y'all,
> > >
> > > As the warmer seasons are approaching here in the Southern Hemesphere and
> > > the blackberries over the fence will soon be doing their thang. I have
> > > decided to (finally) convert them into a palatable beverage.
> > >
> > Huh? Our blackberries here in the UK are just nicely ripe now.
> >
> > Surely they're an early autumn/late summer fruit.
> >
> > Or does 'blackberry' mean something different to you and me?
>
> You didn't check his email address; he's down-under!
>

Yes I did, that's exactly why I asked the question! Our blackberries
in the UK are ripe now, I couldn't understand how they could also be
just ripening in New Zealand unless they were something different.

--
Chris Green

[Pinky]

I am with you Chris -- he seems to be out of season in the southern part of
the southern hemisphere! Months to go I would have thought

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
Remove PSANTISPAM to reply
<use...@isbd.co.uk> wrote in message news:3nnt2lF...@individual.net...