May 2009
17 posts
Elderflower Champagne
30 May 2009
I started a 5 gallon batch of elderflower champagne last night.
My method:
4 gallons of hot tap water in a 5 gal bucket
2 kg of sugar and stirred until dissolved, this took a couple minutes. SG ~ 1.04 which is near the starting gravity for beer. I expect a small temperature error, but the idea is to determine % alcohol at the end - I’m curious what it really...
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Elderflower Champagne.. the saga continues
I have added a further 6 litres of water, as 16.6% seemed mighty strong.
With the extra water and the fact that not all the sugar gets turned it should taste ok! but fingers crossed.
Might try a second batch if the flowers hold out on the trees.
sugar equation
Hi Dylan -
That equation is rather handy, thanks.
However, I suppose it assumes complete fermentation, and in the case of Elderflower champagne we are normally well short of this. Probably not even half of the sugar gets fermented when following the common recipes.
Of course, we can use proper winemaking and cidermaking techniques and make stronger drinks, but the Elderflower champagne is...
nice catch!
Hi Marcus -
I’m glad you spotted that error, I missed it completely. Shame on Channel 4! ;-)
Hopefully the champagne will turn out well regardless, but I agree it’s best to water it down to get the sugar concentration about right. Perhaps add a bit more orange or lemon juice and vinegar too since either can’t really hurt. But I think you used enough Elderflowers to give it a...
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Sugar and Alcohol →
Handy link on sugar and alcohol relationship.
Roughly, a rule of thumb seems to be:
to work out how much sugar you need for a particular alcohol:
g = % * l * 20
conversly, to work out potential strength of a brew:
% = g / (l * 20)
Where
% = alcohol strength
g = grams of sugar
l = litres of water
dylski
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ElderFlower Champagne
Thanks Jason. The ratios on your recipe are very different from the River Cottage one. I just looked back at the Site and there is a long list of complaints saying that the recipe is incorrect. Channel 4 have admited to this and they are correcting it. It looks like I need to water it down quite a bit. One of the posts suggests adding a further 10 litres of cold water.
I will add the extra water...
wine!
Hi Dylan and Marcus,
Just a quick note to check all is working and to promise that I’ll contribute some of my activities in home winemaking very soon. At the moment I have a batch of Raspberry/Apple wine on the go and also some gallon demijohns of elderberry wine and also plum wine to bottle ASAP.
Anyone up for a tasting?
BTW, I’ll be hunting for elderflowers this evening to...
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Elderflower Champagne Day 4
Nothing happened overnight.
However the last 3 days it has not been very warm.
I have now decided to add the whole sachet of yeast
Marcus
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ElderFlower Champagne day 3
After two days Nothing has happened Like the recipe suggested I added a “pinch” of white wine yeast and left it over night.
Marcus
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Elderflower Champagne
I am attempting to follow Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipie We picked the Elderflowers at midday. Apparently you are meant to pick them in the morning, as in the afternoon they tend to smell like Cat’s pee!
Tabatha and I struggled to find any big flowers on the tree, and she had to sit on my shoulders to get the good ones.
Hugh says to collect 24 – 30 flower heads, but they differ...
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Nettle Ale tasting
Tasted remarkably good - better than my previous batch whish followed a different recipe. This was refreshing and sparkling, pretty well balanced and a good taste of nettles.
Reckon it’s about 5.5% alcohol content.
dylski
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Nettle Wine
[This happened in the past - recorded here for the future]
30/4/09
Followed book recipe (remind me to post up link) times 2, i.e. 4l nettle tops (frozen), 9 litres water, 2.2kg caster sugar, 30g ginger, 4 lemons (juice and rind grating), 2tsp each of yeast, nutrient and tannin. Put in pressure barrel with tap open (so unpressurised)
Question? What’s a litre of nettle tops? I put them in a...
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Sour Cherry Wherry
[This happened in the past - recorded here for the future]
6/7/08
Put 3.48kg Sour Cherries (the little sour ones from Ian and Bettina’s garden) into 2 litre of boiling water.
Left them.
8/7/08
Started a Woodfordes Wherry kit
Mushed cherries in their muslin bags - squeezed to get (slightly cloudy) juice. Washed and squeezed the bags in cold water to get another 1 to 1 1/2l juice....
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