Blackberry Questions

[Andy]

DaaB asking a question on JHBF shocka!

Is this a first ?

[DRB]

I'd like to know the answer to that also as I collected a measly kg today ,which are sitting on the work top as I decide what to do.

[DRB]

I have also bought 3 cans of tinned blackberries to make a gallon of wine,which I tend to compare with the fresh balckberry wine.

It did come as a shock daab asking a question .

[J_P]

DaaB asking a question on JHBF shocka!

Is this a first ?

I've already bookmarked it

Could you not add a cambden tablet to kill any wild yeasties in there rather than trying to rinse the berries and wash away valuable sugar?

[oblivious]

The freezing should make it easer to break down the blackberry cell wall

[Duffbeer]

No do not rinse as you'll wash away the juice, once thawed place ina bowl and add 1 camden tablet (then leave 24 hrs), you can then crush with hands or masher, or use a straining/muslin bag.

Happy brewing


Karl.

[Vossy1]

Always best to rinse them just in case the berries have any small maggotts on them

[oblivious]

Always best to rinse them just in case the berries have any small maggotts on them

Saves adding wheat malt for head formation

[Orkney_Rob]

I was wondering what you were on about there... had to translate the language into a proper one to work out you were talking about Brambles! Suddenly it all makes sense and becomes clear!

How about giving them a quick rinse in their frozen state, then drop em in a bowl and campden them. Hopefully you shouldn't loose too much juice that way! Or you could just chuck them in a stock pot and stew them up for a bit that should kill any bugs hanging about!

[lockwood1956]

All I do with mine is sulphite them (50ppm, or 1 campden tab per gallon, and leave for 24 hours before pitching the yeast) or if freezing them sulphite them when thawed, the fermentation process after sulphiting will take care of any nasties that may be in there.

If you are really leary about what might be in them then you could use boiling water poured on them as part of the process. (i prefer cold preparation personally)

hope this helps
regards
Bob

[oblivious]

I would have though it dissipates, as I have hear of people added them to carboys of pressed apple juice

[awalker]

I froze a kilo of blackberries the other week.
The grubs in the berries seemed to try to escape to freedom by crawling out as the temperature dropped. Made it easier to evict them.

It also helps to soften the fruit as Oblivious said and C.J.berry says in his book.
So now I freeze all fruit before I make wine as it seems to get a better extraction rate.

[Duffbeer]

Always best to rinse them just in case the berries have any small maggotts on them

I'm inclined to give them a gently rinse. After all I saw a few mice scurrying around in blackberry bushes (so I left plenty on those) and being the New Forest with live stock roaming free....(have you ever seen a cow take a slash, golden rain springs to mind )

The problem with rinsing after you have frozen them is that youll wash away the juice, look at the bag once you remove them from the freezer, you will find they have de-juiced themselves by up to 50 %, hence the reason for freezing fruit for wine. A camden tablet will remove any contamination.

P.S to remove maggotts soak freshly picked berry's in slightly salted water for a few hours and watch the little creepies crawl out and die, then rinse and freeze. (the berry's that is, unless your into fishing )

Happy brewing

Karl.

[mixbrewery]

Betty reccomends freezing all fruit.

Very good wine making book.

[Duffbeer]

Thanks for the advice so far but do you discard the sulphite water or does that all go in with the berries?

The sulphite will be useless after 24hrs so just pour it all in and ferment:)

Happy brewing

Karl.