Woodland Wine !!

[Bearwood]

I'll probably give it a skip then. It's nice to try something new, but at the moment the harvest of other fruit has been so bountiful I probably don't need to try it this year.

Thanks for the reply though

[splodger]

oddly enough this year - i have become quite experimental with my wines - the good growing season has provided so much fruit that i really felt i needed to play a bit of mix and match - obviously i have made the tried and tested recipes as per normal - but with such a glut of things like apples etc - i thought i would vary my methods, creating different blends and flavours. can't wait to try them all out

[Bearwood]

That's good to hear Splodger. When it comes to brews I experiment very little, changing one variable at a time. This is probably borne out of my paranoia that I'll lose a perfectly good brew, and is mostly unfounded.

Cider has been a firm favourite again this year, I've been impressed with the quality of the harvest.

[splodger]

i love to cook - and use alot of wine in my cooking - so this year i've made wines specifically for cooking with - and if any of my experiments turn out below par, then i shall use them for cooking too

not a fan of cider - but i doubt i'd turn down a glass or two of well made homebrew

[oldclaypaws]

Whitebeam fruit is edible and can make wine, but needs to be bletted- picked, left in a cool place and not used until almost rotted. At this point it tastes like delicious tropical fruit, apparently. You have to discard the seeds though, they contain hydrogen cyanide. (As does Laurel). Googling whitebeam wine should yield options, sounds fruitiley good.

[splodger]

Whitebeam fruit is edible and can make wine, but needs to be bletted- picked, left in a cool place and not used until almost rotted. At this point it tastes like delicious tropical fruit, apparently. You have to discard the seeds though, they contain hydrogen cyanide. (As does Laurel). Googling whitebeam wine should yield options, sounds fruitiley good.

think i'll give that a miss - plenty of other (tried and tested and totally safe) ingredients to forage

[splodger]

didn't fancy playing in the trees today - too cold and blowy - so decided a day looking after my wines was required
the prep/cleaning is the worst part of homebrewing - but the quality control (and i am very particular in this department ) makes all the faff worth while

i've made a few "experimental" wines this year - and i am pleasantly surprised with how they are developing

i give quite a few bottles away (xmas) so have designed this years labels ready to print - nearly all ready, prior to dispatch - now all i have to do is more quality control - just to make sure

[Bearwood]

Can't beat a good 'quality control' session Splodger. I often find that the 'quality' is so good, that I forget how good it actually was. And hence the 'quality' needs to be reassessed.

I brewed an ale on Saturday with my own Fuggles and Goldings hops with a rapidly attenuating yeast; already (Thursday) the specific gravity is at 1.010. Mauri Ale 514 is the yeast if you're interested.

[J G Hunter]

Cheers 'Paws. May have to try that next year. Do you do oak wine as well?

I have made Oak leaf wine before myself and let me tell you it was delicious. Without a doubt. The recipe was in a little 70s home winemaking book. When I get hold of it again, I will write up the recipe in here. Keep note you do need a lot of oak leaves, something like six pints or 3 litres or something (I used a Pyrex measuring jug) so ensure that you find Oaks with a profusion of leaves and at a height you can reach! Unfortunately my wine turned to vinegar and as such when straining out the leaves this year I will bring the Oaky brown water back to the boil, or use a Campden tablet.

[smojo]

For some reason there were hardly any blackberries in my woods though masses of brambles. What grew were tiny. I'm thinking of having a go at birch sap wine this year. I believe you can also make sycamore sap wine - anyone done that one? I used to make loads of different ones when I had an allotment. Parsnip was a favourite. As well as using boxes of fruit juice like orange, I also used grape juice and added some raisins to boost it up a bit. Potato was supposed to taste a bit like whiskey but you had to mature it for two years. I waited patiently and when I tried it, it was disgusting and went down the drain.