Post date: Feb 22, 2013 10:27:55 PM
So having started a big red, now I'm going to start a big white. I'm scaling up this, which was quite well received. The only changes I'd like to try are 1) lowering the ABV just a bit and 2) using acid blend 3) skipping the pectic enzyme, 4) upping the tannin a little and 5) adding a very small amount of oak. So the recipe would be:
4.5 gal bottled apple juice (Shaw's house brand, Essential Everyday, from concentrate, unsweetened, OG 1.051@60.5 F, corrected to 1.0501).
4.5 lb granulated sugar (target is SG of 1.085, which would be 12.2%ABV if we finish at 0.994 like last time and add 0.25gal water to 5 gallons - from FermCalc)
5 tsp acid blend
3 crushed Campden tablets
1-1/2 tsp tannin
2-1/2 tbsp yeast nutrient (Fermax)
2 oz toasted American oak chips
1 packet Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast
This will get a SG of 1.085 (got 1.088 at about 65F)
2/22/13 5PM
Poured half a bottle of apple juice into 7.5g primary. Put 2 pounds of sugar into the half full apple juice bottle, capped, shook like crazy. Poured in fermenter. Kept repeating procedure (fill bottle halfway with apple juice, add about a pound of sugar, shake to dissolve, add to primary. When sugar was done, put all the other dry ingredients except yeast and oak into another half full bottle of apple juice, shook to dissolve. Washed out bottle with apple juice, put all the rest into the primary. Had a little more than 5 gallons (without adding water - the bottles must have had more than a gallon each.) Put 2 oz in a measuring cup (it's about a cup), and topped off with boiling water. Put in a mesh bag and added to the primary.
2/23/13 8PM
Rehydrated yeast in 2 oz 108 degree water for 15 minutes, stirred and pitched.
3/4/13 (about)
Removed bag of oak chips. Fermentation seems done.
3/11/13 8PM
Racked into 5 gallon carboy. FG is 1.000 at 70 degrees F. Fermcalc says this is 11.7% ABV. I think I can taste the oak. Taste is nice, a little sharp. Wine is very clear.
4/7/13 11AM
Racked off about 1/2" sediment. Wine is even clearer. Shook a lot to degas. Wine tastes much nicer now, more balanced and less acidic. I'll bottle it after it settles.
5/4/13 8AM
Stabilized with 3 Campden tablets and bottled. 23 750s and 3/4 of a 375. Tastes ready.
8/24/13 3PM
I've had several bottles of this now, it's ok, but it tastes a bit oxidized - kind of "port-y". Not a terrible thing, but not really the clean flavor I got from the last one. It had a fair amount of headspace in the carboy - that may have been a problem. It's not bad, but it's not all it should have been.