Dandelion Wine Making?

well i tried it and it didnt work out to well for me
i think becase i boiled the dandelions instead of steeping them as the recipee called for.

so the only hint i can offer is find a place with a LOT
of dandelions because the recipee calls for a lot.

ill probably give it another go this year

Thats something I noticed this spring in the midwest, Ive never seen so many dandelions! Yes..I read that you're supposed to add the dandelions to the boiling water and let them steep.

Here are some tips I got off the home brewing forum.

The flowers are best picked at mid-morning to mid-day.

When preparing them remove all the green, especially the green stalk which is very bitter. Most of the green sepals should be removed as well, but if a few get through that's fine, they'll add some body.

Allow the flowers to steep for 2 days. Keep the pot covered during this time.

After 2 days strain off the flowers, add the remaining ingredients except the yeast, but as others have noted only use half the sugar. 1-2 lbs (2-4 cups) of sugar will be plenty, depending on how dry or sweet you like your wine.

Bring it back to a boil for 10 minutes and then put the liquid into your sterilized primary fermentator. After it has cooled to roughly 30 C or 90 F add the wine yeast (not baker's yeast, although that might do in a pinch) and the fermentation lock.

When the bubbling has mostly subsided (10-14 days) remove the liquid from the lees and rack it for 2 months before bottling (unless you like exploding bottles). Like all wines, it's best if it's aged in the bottle for at least a year, although there'll be a noticible improvement after just 6 months.

Really seems like a no-brainer..but I usually mess up everything I touch..lol

Don't worry it's easy...

You boil the water, adding your sugar, and what ever else you want to add, ie your oranges etc..
Then let it cool down to BELOW 100.
Add your yeast and cover. The reason you boil the water first is to kill any yeast that may already be in it.

DO NOT STIR, just let it set for AT least 15 days. When it turns clear/ or is no longer sweet to the taste, it's done.
Filter out the BS, the Lees are the DEAD yeast. They fall to the bottom.

Remember the longer it sits, the stronger it gets. One more thing, you can't SEAL it off totally, because it burps out CO2 as the yeast eats the sugar. Just burp it every couple of days, DO NOT pull the lid off, because you could get some bad yeast in it...

The recipe calls for 5 pounds of sugar to 3 gallons of water. You can add stuff afterwards too, which is more preferred unless you want them in first. My first batch was sweetened and flavored using jolly ranchers. I put some in water, and melted them in the microwave and added them AFTER I filtered the LEES out. :-)

Hope this helps, btw, my first batch was JUST sugar water, and people LOVED it. Second and ongoing I used flavors. :-)

Oh if you want to go smaller, 1.75 cups of sugar to 3 quarts. Same amount of time on everything.

Thanks for that..its good to know its worked for someone :) BTW, how do you burp it if you dont remove the lid?

What was it like adding the jolly ranchers? I bet it was yummy!!!
Thats why Im adding the oranges and lemons, dont really want to use candy.

Could tell ya how to make wine and mead, but not dandelion wine. Different process I suppose. I don't know why you would boil it though. Wouldn't that get rid of the volitile components that you want in the wine?? I guess you do need to chapitalize (add sugar), because there isn't any residual sugars in dandelions. No Brix..lol!

Get the airlock
Use WYeast, and will you be using a yeast nutrient? Any additional fruits at all? This can be the nutrient.

Monitor your ferment - too little move carboy to warmer area and agitate a bit. Too much, remove some of the cap. Fermentation should be 10-14 days.

Rack off into second carboy, and stow away for ...however long. Ive never made this type of wine so....But try and get the juice off of the lees.

I would rack off an additional time for clarity before bottling.

Stock up on Potassium Bicarbonate (META), and Citric Acid for cleansing agents. CLEAN EVERYTHING...being sanitary is paramount.

Yes, thank you..Im new at this, so every little tip Im taking to heart!
The dandelion wine my pop used to make years ago was delicious, and he's passed away, so no one left to carry it on. Thought Id give it a try. He also made it from elderberries, but they arent ripe yet. I might try my hand at that if this batch turns out.
Im going to be adding the oranges and lemons to it, so im assuming that will be the nutrient needed?
Is the WYeast the best for wine making?

Perfect! The fruit will be a great nutrient for the yeast. WYest is a great product for wine making, east to get, and with great results. That is really awesome of you for keeping on with the tradition of your pop! :-) Have fun, and experiment! :-)

Thank you so much! Im really looking forward to drinking it, more than anything..lol

my granma made it by the bathtub full.... she never used yeast I think the flowers of the dandies were the natural yeats , ive made a batch or two or three , and not used yeast either, it was wonderfull... I made the mistake of bottling the first batch and the corks blew sky high and lost it all, it continues to " perk" shall we say for the longest of times , it does, ..........

Make sure you only use the yellow flower - NO GREEN ALLOWED!! The green stuff will make it bitter.

Here's a recipe that looks inviting.

[link to www.theguardian.com]

Thanks so much for that link..Ive bm'd it and going to use it!

My dad made dandelion wine. It was like champagne...so good! Maybe I'll try to this year.

He also made tomato wine. I still have some though hes passed some time ago, best stuff ever!

Wow, tomato wine?? Ive never heard of it, but why not!!!!
Yes, try it..at least its cheap to make :)

wow do not burp your bucket like the other poster said. at peak fermentation it will explode in a matter of hours.. use an airlock.. they are like 1.50$ and you can buy then anywhere that sells brewing supplys.. and you can also buy your bucket there with a hole pre drilled in lid for the airlock.

use a wine yeast. leave it at least 3 weeks. you might want to add some yeast nutrient(also very cheap) as there might not be enough for them to eat in there. they need more then sugar... search homebrewtalk in google. biggest homebrew forum ont he net.. you can search the forum for any info you might need.

good luck

Thanks, I did read about the airlock..wasnt sure how much it was..I will def get one! And thanks for the link, too :):hf:

Delicious with jolly ranchers.

Don't know what everyone else is talking about, but I've done this several times.

I use normal bakers yeast, not brewers, the difference is how long they can live and keep making alcohol.
Generally bakers is up to about 20% while brewers will get you around 28% before they both die from alcohol poisoning.

Of course since you adding fruit, I would add a little more water if the fruit is sweet... Look, the sugar is the key, it's REQUIRED. Even moonshine is made with sugar. ;-)

It's a very easy recipe... It's the same formula for making moonshine. But moonshine is distilled, which is still illegal in this country LOL...

Oh burping, just lift a corner of the lip, slightly. No need for a fancy valve.. seriously, why waste the cash.??.

Maggy, check your PM from the thread discussion the other night.

That's total bullshit. MAYBE if you have it in a 99 degree room. My uncle first taught me, he used apple cider, and would only burp the jug once a day.

You will see the bucket lid raising up, that's when you know it's time to burp it.

Read this:

[link to ingeb.org]

Are you making straight dandelion wine? ..

I make my own but use berries or apple juice so I think yoir process will be different ..

Someone mentioned burping your wine .. as far as I know that will cause bacteria and you could get sick if not die

thank you, dear..thats awesome!..im not able to pm you back, tho :)...

I know back in the days of stills..they had explosions..wouldnt that explode, tho?

Great site! Thanks..i love the disclaimer..LOL

Warning!
If you think you know the meaning of the word Sommelier 1),
DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!
Leave this page as quickly as you can!

Well..im using an old recipe that you put 2 sliced oranges and lemons..but I thought Id add a piece of a cinnamon stick as well.

Well..I sure as heck dont want bacteria in it..so I guess the lock thingy would be the best to use.

btw..is it illegal to sell your alcohol, is it bootlegging?

Not that Im planning on doing that..but just askin.

It is illegal to sell it... or give it away...

You may not distill spirits... (create whiskey, etc)

but you may make 100 gallons of beer and 100 gallons of wine... per adult per household for personal use.

Thanks doc..was just wondering about the legality of it..oh, believe me, its for my own personal use..*hic*