Blueberry wine experiment, taste test and final alcohol readings.

This is the result of using fresh blueberries and grape concentrate. It took 4 months to finish but it's complete!

This was one of my first experiments this year and this post should show what can go wrong when you try to brew higher alcohol wine.

I started with:

1 gallon jug
Lavlin EC 1118 yeast (I no longer use this brand)
250 ml red grape extract syrup
750 ml frozen blueberries that were blended into a fairly smooth liquid mixed with water
1 kg dextrose/ 2.2 lbs
1 tsp bentonite
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme (should be added in the juice 4-5 hours before starting the yeast)
1/2 tsp yeast nutrient

The Original gravity reading was 1.11 which should have given me a final alcohol content of around 15%. This finally finished out at 0.990 which would equal 15.75% but I think it's closer to 13% because I topped it up with water after the fermentation stalled out after racking to a new jug to remove the bulk of sediment and fruit pulp.

I ended up adding another 20% more water and another 1/2 tsp of yeast nutrient and yeast energizer (DAP) after it stalled after a month and a half in.
It slowly bubbled away then for a total of 4 months.

The smell has some resemblance to blueberry but altered, it's missing some of the original components and appealing characteristics of blueberries.

There is a mild blueberry flavor mixed with a dry alcohol red wine flavor. I can't say I really like the flavor, lol. I will probably mix it with carbonated water and ice when drinking it but I won't be making this again.

Final thoughts:

I put the airlock on right at the beginning. I think this stressed the yeast without enough oxygen in the first few days this likely contributed to the fermentation stalling. I always cover the jug with breathable paper now for the first few days as the yeast are multiplying.

I added too much sugar, had I went with less it would have finished much faster. The fruit pulp could have slowly broken down releasing small amounts of sugar extending the fermentation as well. For a single jug fermentation there was way too much pulp and sediment if you're trying to maximize the final volume or create drinkable wine in a reasonable amount of time.

More experiments are coming, I'll post them as I complete them. See my blog for more details in the brewing method.

Please leave your thoughts or comments below. Cheers!

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