Best way to extract juice from blackberries?

[BillyBock]

Greetings! New to wine making, but have brewed beer for a couple years. I recently stumbled upon a whole mess of wild blackberries (black caps). I was wondering what method is best for extracting the juice? I was thinking of freezing the berries whole after cleaning them and then thawing and mashing them then straining out the seeds and pulp through a fine mesh screen. Let me know some thoughts.

I also am looking for a good recipe for this fruit. If anybody has a good one they like and would be willing to share or point me in the right direction. Thanks for any input!


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[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

For wine freeze then thaw put in grain bag smash with wine bottle ferment and throw away what is in the bag after about five days.

 

[wildozarkwine]

I usually don't even mash them. I just freeze and thaw them. A good easy general recipe is 3lb fruit and 3 lb sugar. More fruit if you want a fuller flavor, more sugar if using a high ABV yeast like 1118. Keep records, I did not make wine for several years and all my records got lost, now I have several copies!
Experiment and have fun.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Freezing is good, but if you freeze/thaw then freeze/thaw again, it's even better. No need to crush after that. Like the Chief said, put 'em in a mesh bag to contain the fruit & ferment. You'll want to push it down & move it around a bit twice a day, just to make sure mold can't grow on the surface of the fruit or bag. Also, a dose of pectic enzyme at the beginning of primary will help quite a bit.

You'll get some seeds & pulp that come through the mesh, but most of it will stay in the bag. Racking will take care of what gets through. BTW, don't squeeze the bag or you'll get even more seeds & pulp in the must. It's not as good as your straining idea, but it's a lot less work.

Here's a link to some wine recipes you might like, they're for 1 gallon batches, but you can scale them up. Scroll down for the blackberry recipes.
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/recipe2.asp
Regards, GF.

 

[BillyBock]

Thanks for all the info! I'll have close to 25# of berries when I finish picking, maybe more. From what I've been reading, I was going to do 25# of berries with about 8 to 10# of corn sugar. I have an acid test and ph strips ordered along with acid blend, pectic enzyme, KMS and SMS, potassium sorbate, calcium carbonate, yeast energizer and yeast nutrient, plus two yeasts: Lavlin EC-1118 and Red Star Premier Cuvée. From what I understand I use the SMS for sanitizing and the KMS goes into the must along with the pectic enzyme.

Do I need to sanitize with SMS or will something like OneStep or StarSan work? (I like OneStep because it is easier and safer to use than StarSan and have never had an issue in my beer brewing as far as infections)

Also, a lot of these recipes say to add boiling water to the berries initially and let sit for 24 hours before adding sugar and yeast. What is the purpose of boiling water? I am assuming it's to help kill any nasties that are riding along on the berries but maybe I'm wrong.

I assume that I add the yeast nutrient when I add the yeast. I was thinking of going with 1118 for the yeast. Do I need the energizer as well with the nutrient or wait to see how it ferments first?

Will the potassium sorbate and pectic enzyme work well enough to stabilize and clear the wine or do I need another fining agent later on? I have isinglass powder that I use for beer.

Sorry to "bait" you all with one question only to ask ten more, but I keep thinking of things as I go along and if this is going to take 6 months to a year at least before results, then I want to get it right!


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[jensmith]

I just have time for a quick partial answer. The boiling water is to set the color. When you want a nice bright rich color pour boiling water over your fruit. If you just use cold it will not be as bright. You will still have color, just not the max amount. Not a neccesarry step, but a nice touch.


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[WilliamSlayer]

Do not use the 1118 yeast this particular case. Go with a list that is better for a fruit wine such as lalvin 1116 or 212.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Go with the yeast you think will give you the end result you want. I've got a blackberry/blueberry wine going right now, I used RC-212. From Keller's site:

"Lalvin RC212 (Bourgovin) : This yeast is traditionally used in the Burgundy region for full red wines and is a favorite of home winemakers seeking similar big reds. Naturally, it is perfect for Pinot Noir. It has good alcohol reach (14-16%) and high temperature (68-86° F.) tolerance and excellent color stability. This yeast requires high nitrogen nutrient additions to avoid the potential development of H2S. It is quite suitable for use with non-grape black and red fruit (plums, prickly pear cactus fruit, pomergrantes) and berries (blackberries, raspberries, dewberries, mulberries). It is quite tolerant of concurrent malolactic fermentation."

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/strains.asp

Regards, GF.

 

[Yooper]

I like Lalvin 71B-1122 (Narbonne), as that yeast metabolizes more of the malic acid than other strains. Blackberries are high in malic, and reducing it with 71B means that no acid adjustments are necessary.

I use Jack Keller's recipe #2, from his site: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f79/blackberry-wine-31294/ and do the freeze/thaw and keep the berries in the straining bag(s) as described in my link.

 

[WVMJ]

Black caps and blackberries are 2 different things. Black caps are what a lot of people call black raspberries, when you pick them the cap comes off and the center stays on the stalk. With real blackberries the center stays inside the berry. Black caps usually not as acidic as blackberries, your pH strips are going to be hard to read, a TA test kit might be easier. Pasteur Red and K1V116 are both good. With 25 pounds you have almost enough for a 5 gallon batch of wine. Add a little oak if you want to impress your friends, this is real wine. WVMJ

Greetings! New to wine making, but have brewed beer for a couple years. I recently stumbled upon a whole mess of wild blackberries (black caps). I was wondering what method is best for extracting the juice? I was thinking of freezing the berries whole after cleaning them and then thawing and mashing them then straining out the seeds and pulp through a fine mesh screen. Let me know some thoughts.

I also am looking for a good recipe for this fruit. If anybody has a good one they like and would be willing to share or point me in the right direction. Thanks for any input!


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[BillyBock]

Thanks all for the info! Looks like I'm going to order some more yeast. Still undecided as to which one to use, but it's a good thing packets are cheap.

WVMJ - based on stepping up some one gallon recipes, 25# of berries should be enough for six gallon batch? I am going to pick more berries over the next couple days and should get close to 30#, already have 20 picked, cleaned and in the freezer. I was also thinking about oak. This wine is getting shared throughout my family and some like sweeter less dry and some like dry, so I was thinking after it is ready to bottle, I would back sweeten half of the batch. How would oak affect a sweeter type wine? (Please forgive me as I am a noob when it comes to wine)




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[gratus fermentatio]

Thanks all for the info! Looks like I'm going to order some more yeast. Still undecided as to which one to use, but it's a good thing packets are cheap.

WVMJ - based on stepping up some one gallon recipes, 25# of berries should be enough for six gallon batch? I am going to pick more berries over the next couple days and should get close to 30#, already have 20 picked, cleaned and in the freezer. I was also thinking about oak. This wine is getting shared throughout my family and some like sweeter less dry and some like dry, so I was thinking after it is ready to bottle, I would back sweeten half of the batch. How would oak affect a sweeter type wine? (Please forgive me as I am a noob when it comes to wine)




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25lbs is plenty for a 6 gal batch, I usually go with 3-4lbs/gallon.. Best way to tell what the difference oak makes in a wine is to have a glass of oaked chardonnay and a glass of unoaked chardonnay in a side by side tasting. A higher end bar should have both oaked & unoaked wines suitable for comparison; that way you can pay for 2 glasses instead of buying 2 bottles of wine you may or may not like.
Regards, GF.