HOW TO MAKE BLACKBERRY WINE
The hedgerows are laden with Blackberries and it’s a good way to make wine at very little cost.
It’s best not to pick your fruit alongside a busy road or next to a farm field which may have been sprayed but that still leaves you with plenty of options. Wash them well and discard any that are mouldy. Watch out for grubs and maggots!
This recipe is for a one gallon batch so you will need a suitable sized foodsafe vessel to ferment in such as a demijohn or small plastic fermenter which has been properly sterilised. If you are not sure about anything give Brewmonkey a ring on 0121 620238 for some advice.
You need:
About 2 kg of Blackberries.
1.5 Kg of brewing sugar
Yeast: We recommend a sachet of Gervin GV8 yeast
Yeast nutrient – 1 level tsp
Pectolase – 2 level tsp dissolved in half a cup of lukewarm water
What to do:
Crush the blackberries in a brewing bucket and pour about 2.25 litres (4 pints) of boiling water over them. Add the sugar, mix well to dissolve and leave for a few hours to infuse.
Add the same amount of cold water and the pectolase. Put the lid on and shake well to mix.
Add the yeast and nutrient, put the lid on and shake again.
Leave to ferment for four or five days and then strain the liquid into a sterilised demijohn through a sterilised sieve. Add the airlock and put somewhere dark to carry on fermenting. If the fermentation vigorous it may overflow so put a container underneath to catch any spills and protect your floor.
Leave for a while to finish fermenting. The yeast and any small particles of fruit should eventually settle to the bottom leaving clear wine above.
Carefully use a sterilised siphon to transfer to a second demijohn leaving the sediment behind. This is called ‘racking’ and may happen several times until the wine is clear enough to bottle and drink.