Damson Wine/Gin/Cider

[Will_D]

Watch this thread!

Just been given about 20 kgs of beutiful damsons.

Coz of the weekend that in it (RDS!!) they are now in a deep freeze (always recommended for fruit for wines as the freezing breaks down the cell walls)

Promise of more next week so its Damson time for me!

This is now a placeholder for some seriuos Damson processing!

[Taf]

I have access to a load of plums, and planning to use some to bulk up a hedgerow cider that I hope to do shortly, but will watch this thread with interest

[Will_D]

So here's the basic Damson Wine Recipe:

For 5 gallons:

10 Kg Damsons, frozen

Put into fermenter and warm up with boiling water. Say about 10 litres.
They should thaw out and end up at about 22C.

Sanitise the hands or any other form of mashing device and break up the Damsons as best you can.

Check temperature and if its OK at 22C add Pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient and Amylase.

Put to one side while you wash and steep 1 kg of Pearl Barley in 1.5 litres of boiling water. Cover and allow to stand for 24 hours and then wizz up in a food processor. (Alternative is to grind the Barley dry and then steep)
Why the Barley - don't know its just in th erecipe I am following.

So after 24 hours add the barley mash to the fermenter.

Leave another 24 hours.

Pitch with a wine yeast of choice and wait for ferment to start.

After about 2 or 3 days fermenting its time to get messy!

Strain/press or however get the bulk of the solids out!

I just used the big press - see below

Then add about 5 Kgs of sugar disolved in Hot water, cooled and added.

Bubbling away like mad. Will check gravity when it slows down, may need more sugar - we'll see!

[Rats]

Just started mine today. Little different.

[DEMPSEY]

In all country wine recipes I read everyone adds sugar . Is this what a commercial wine makers does as well .

[Dunkel]

In all country wine recipes I read everyone adds sugar . Is this what a commercial wine makers does as well .

Actually this is legal in most of the world - called "Chaptalization" after M. Chaptal, a French Agriculture Minister from long ago who authorised it. However in hotter winemaking countries e.g. Australia, Chile, it's not necessary as the grapes ripen enough to give sufficient sugar levels to hit the alcohol targets. Adding sugar to raise alcohol is mostly done in cooler areas such as Burgundy or the Loire Valley.

[DEMPSEY]

What amount of sugars can you get then from 1 Kg of damsons v 1 Kg of sugar. I feel that the onlt thing plain sugar adds is alcohol and nothing else.

[Will_D]

First of all:

Damson Wine Update:
After 2 weeks gravity had dropped and it was very dry so added another kilo of sugar.

Damson Gin:
Damsons now steeping in vodka at the moment. Will add sugar to taste in a bit.
(As are Rasberrys and Blackberrys

Damson Cider:
Started this a few days ago.
9 Kgs of Damsons, frozen, thawed, mashed with a masher. Juice is 1.042
Scratted 17 kgs of apples. Juice is 1.054

Made a cider starter with trub and 1 L of Lidl AJ. On the stir plate.
Then mixed the above pulps together. Added 2 litres Lidl AJ. Sg is now about 1.052
Added Pectolase and left at 18C for 24 hours.

Added yeast starter and nutrients.

Fermented on the pulp for 3 days.

Today: Pressed the juice, got 18 litres, which allowing for 3 L of Lidl Aj gave 15 L from 26 kg fruit.
Not bad press effiency.

[fobster]

It's damson season again and I have access to a few kilos via my mam. Looking at doing a wild ferment in a demijohn, I think 3.8L in a standard gallon demijohn will be ok. Would a split of 2.5L of apple juice and 1.3L of damson juice be ok? How many damsons roughly for 1.3L of juice?
I was thinking to freeze ->defrost -> pulp -> strain the damsons to get the juice then add this to the apple juice to make up the 3.8L and let it sit in the demijohn with a bit of muslin over it and see if wild yeast will work its magic.

Thanks

Also have this maturing as we speak swapping the plums for damsons, www.lovetobrew.co.uk/plum-brandy-recipe

[Will_D]

This sort of question is best answered by using a refractometer. 2 drops of juice and you know the sg!

Classic Damsom wine recipe (Alla. CJJ Berry is 1.75 Kg Fruit to 1.75 Kg Sugar per gallon. There is a lot of sugar in his recipes and given the yeasts available I doubt if they fermented out.

Not sure if an all fruit recipe would work as well. You will get a lot of acid from th efruit (and tannins if present)

[fobster]

Never said in my OP, it's a cider I'm doing. If that changes things somewhat.

[Will_D]

Never said in my OP, it's a cider I'm doing. If that changes things somewhat.

Not really - just check the OG of the juices. I imagine ripe Damson juice may be a bit higher than apple juice (usually 1.045 to 1.055)

At around 1.050 the mix is a cider blend. Add sugar to up the OG to 1.085 and then you are in wine territory.

For wines add nutrients and masybe extra acid - tiz all about balance!

[fobster]

Glad to report some yeast activity on the cider. after it being in the demijohn since Monday. 700ml juice of ~2kg of defrosted damsons and 3L of cloudy apple juice from Aldi topped up with some cooled boiled water, gave an OG of ~1.050.

I wasn't sure whether freezing the damsons would nuke any natural yeasts or just put them to sleep. Or perhaps it's some local wild yeast that was passing by?

[fobster]

The cider is down to 1.009, still has a krausen on it. Will leave it another two weeks then transfer into another vessel.

Taste wise, it's not sour anyway. The damsons add a nice tartness and plummy flavour. The likelihood is that an airborne yeast is doing the donkey work for me.

[phynes1]

Will, any tasting notes on the damson wine?

I made a damson wine in sept, with black currants and blackberries. Bottled a week ago champagne style, primed for 5 vol CO2