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DAY 1: 08-06-3002
The first (somewhat late!) brew of 2003. The honeysuckle flowers were collected (about
1/3rd of a bucket) then sorted. All traces of green foliage (which like the berries are
poisonous) were removed along with any unopened flowers. Only fully mature blooms were
used. The 'graded' flowers weighed in at 115g. The flowers were soaked in cold water for
about 15 minutes to 'loosen' any wildlife before being rinsed under fast flowing water to
remove the dust which was sticking to the tacky petals.
Meanwhile 1kg sugar, nutrient, acid, tannin, pectolase were dissolved in 4½ litres cold
water. To this the flowers, lemon and the chopped raisins were added. Finally as this is a
cold soak brew, two crushed Campden tablets were dissolved in to sterilise the must.
A starter bottle was
prepared using Brewmaker Express Wine Yeast (which has been by far the most successful
type used to date).
Only 1kg of sugar was added, as a number of recipes for honeysuckle state that this brew
is prone to sticking.
DAY 7: 08-06-3002
On day 2 the starter bottle
was added when the effect of the campden tablet had dissipated.
The brew will be stirred daily for a week, then strained through a fine bag. Fermentation
was initially vigorous, by the time the must was strained things had calmed down
considerably. Straining through muslin has never proved very effective once the yeast has
been added, so this stage was omitted with the result that a good deal more solid matter
than would be desirable ended up in the demi-john. There will doubtless be significant
loss at racking as a result, and topping up solution will be required.
WEEK 5: 14-07-03
Fermentation had stopped completely, and fearing a stuck ferment
the gravity was checked. The S.G. reading was 0.990 indicating that all the
sugar had been used! The brew was decidedly murky, and was racked then treated
with Bentonite before returning to the cupboard to begin clearing.
WEEK 14: 15-09-03
The gravity was checked (again!) and found to be 0.990 (no great surprise).
Unusually the Bentonite had made only a small impact on the murkiness. The brew
was racked again, incurring an appreciable loss owing to the thick Bentonite sediment,
and was topped up with cooled boiled water. Although this has a weakening effect
on the strength, the gravity suggests this brew will stand a little dilution.
The next method of attack on the cloudiness was an application of Ritchie Kwik
Clear.
The brew was then returned to the cupboard to (hopefully!) clear further.
WEEK 26: 06-12-03
The wine had finally dropped clear, and was racked. A teaspoon
of potassium sorbate and a crushed campden tablet were added before being given
a final polish with the VinBrite. The wine was left in a demijohn with safety
cork to await bottling.
WEEK 42: 02-04-04
The brew was finally bottled.
An interesting wine at the time of bottling, with an unusual gingery taste. Not
at all unpleasant!
