Pineapple (Maybe Pina Colada) Wine Update

I started with a recipe from YouTube but wanted to be a bit more mindful of the outcome than those nice ladies seemed to be... and wanted to maximize the fruit flavor as well.

2 pineapples
1 gallon water
7 cups sugar
1 pkg Lalvin RC 212 yeast

Peeled and cut up the pineapples (ate some, LOL), put in a pot with water and sugar. Brought to a boil. I didn't weigh the fruit, however, 'cuz I didn't think of that until later and don't have scales anyways. Transferred to primary bucket ‘cuz the kettle was too full for fermenting, and let cool. Added activated yeast, stirred, and covered. Recipe says to use an airtight container, stir every two days for 21 days, strain and enjoy. I didn't do 21 days, instead using the hydrometer I was able to record the following:

8/12/13 – 1.116 SG
8/14/13 – 1.061 SG
8/15/13 – 1.045 SG
8/17/13 – 1.022 SG
8/22/13 – 1.000 SG
8/23/13 – 0.996 SG

Tonight I strained the must into a big pot then moved to secondary (well, 2 secondaries, actually) using a colander and a sanitized flour sack dishtowel (my strainer towel, never sees "soap"), moderately squeezing out the fruit, for a total of 5 liters of liquid under airlock. Using the on line calculator, this comes out to 15.987 ABV. Too high for my palate, but I'm thinking this will allow for additions later on, for sweetening if needed and possible experimentation with coconut flavoring, for that pina colada taste I want.

1st Batch of Beet Wine 3 Weeks Later

It needs to age.  It also will need some back-sweetening.  This was my first batch, but as you can see in a mere 3 weeks' time, it's clearing nicely.  Tastes, um... alcoholic, sour.  That's where aging comes in.  And knowing what you're doing, which I didn't but I'm learning :)  Cheers!

Pineapple Wine Label

Here's what I've come up with... Once it's done fermenting, I'll change the ABV.  If the yeast will permit, 17% isn't out of the question, but I won't know 'til it's done.  If it's that high, it's going to have to be mixed down with something... Adding coconut extract for the Pina Colada flavor won't do the trick, so I'll have to come up with some other brilliant idea.  But that's in the future, and subject to all sorts of chemistry and other assorted magic... *grin*

New Pineapple Wine and Beet Wine Update

Tweaked a recipe I found on YouTube, and came up with this recipe.  Trying to achieve good wines with a minimum of additives while using more sophisticated techniques than hootch-makers.

Three Cats Fine Wines Pineapple Wine

2 pineapples
1 gallon water
7 cups sugar
1 pkg Lalvin RC 212 yeast

Total investment:  $8

Peeled and cut up the pineapples, put in pot with water and sugar. Brought to a boil. Transferred to primary bucket ‘cuz the kettle was too full for fermenting, and let cool. Added activated yeast, stirred, and covered. Recipe says to stir every two days for 21 days, strain and enjoy. Not sure but I may tweak those directions a bit. With this high of a starting specific gravity, I should be able to rack into secondary when it reaches 1.000, and end up with an alcohol content of about 15%.  I'm not certain at this point if this strain of yeast is alcohol-tolerant to that level, but if not that's OK, the wine will be a little sweeter is all.  Intent is to try for a Pina Colada wine, using Coconut Extract at the end.  We'll see.

8/12/13 – 1.116 SG
8/14/13 – 1.061 SG

Here's the formula for determining alcohol content using a hydrometer:  Subtract the last hydrometer reading from the first hydrometer reading, then divide by 7.36.  This will give your percentage.

The beet wine is now coming along nicely in secondary.  Here's what it looks like:

I need more wine bottles for sure, now! Gotta see if I can find some more carboys, too. I've got a gallon jug from a Carlo Rossi Sangria I found the other day, for the pineapple's secondary fermentation process, but if I'm going to make more than a gallon at a time, I'm pretty much stuck now until I get more equipment. But wine bottles I need.

OK, Obviously I Have No Life...

Skeeter Pee Label, as previously suggested.  Sigh... Like I don't have anything better to do?  LOL!!!

New Label

Dragon's Blood is essentially a 3-fruit wine that's fairly quick to make, tasty, and said to come out fairly potent.  It'll be the next wine I start, once my beet wine is racked off into secondary and I've got a free bucket for primary fermentation.  But, I was feeling creative so I went ahead and designed a label for the Dragon's Blood even though it's not even begun yet.  Skeeter Pee will be the next one I try after that, it's a lemon-based wine that's also said to come out real smooth and potent, also fairly quick from start to bottling -- No doubt I'll have a label for that too, before long.  So... here's Dragon's Blood.

Winemaking Update

The pictures below are the two wines that currently are aging, before bottling.  The rhubarb is clearing, and tastes pretty nice, and the beet is just starting to clear a bit.  This particular beet isn't real fancy, it's just beets with some lemon and orange to get the acidity correct.  The beet label I'm posting here isn't meant for this particular batch, but rather for the upcoming batch.  But since I'm posting pics and labels, figured what the heck.
                                                                                                                                                            

This will go on clear bottles.

This will be about 7 bottles.

This will go on green bottles.

This also will be about 7 bottles.

The 6 gallon batch currently in primary isn't fermenting as quickly as I'd like.  My specific gravity readings thus far have been:

* 7/28/13 – 4 gallons in bucket, added 2 cups sugar; 2 gallons in kettle, added 1 cup sugar, to reach 1.090 SG in each. SG Readings corrected for temperature.
* 7/29/13 – Divided and added 1 packet Lalvin Bourgovin RC 212 yeast to both containers. Temp 83 degrees in the house.
* 7/30/13 - 1.087 SG
* 8/1/13 – 1.077 SG
* 8/2/13 – 1.067 SG
* 8/3/13 – 1.062 SG
* 8/4/13 – 1.050 SG

Can't really rack off into the secondary, the carboy with the airlock, until the readings fall below 1.000, preferably 0.950.  But as long as they're still falling, it's still fermenting which while slower than I want, is acceptable.  This batch should net approximately 27 bottles.  Guess I'd better start finding wine drinkers to save their bottles for me :)