Well, here's where it gets weird. Yes, in Europe bilberries are wild blueberries. But in the US, there are native bilberries and European blueberries that volunteered into the wild (the Americas have no native blueberries), so now we have wild blueberries as well. We even have a few farms in New England that have 'preserved' fields of 'wild blueberries' that are, as advertised, fields of blueberries that escaped captivity and started growing wild for generations. There is one quick way to tell the difference: if the berry has a purple-red interior it's a bilberry, if the interior is a greenish-white it's a blueberry.
This is the first I’ve heard of bilberries.. I thought huckleberries were wild blueberries.. I harvest them from my farm in Pennsylvania each year.. I’ve made several batches of wine from them each year.. this year the Lord blessed us with huckleberries, elderberries, and blackberries.. it looks like I have my work cut out for me..
@@brewmaster212 Huckleberries are a different species than blueberries and bilberries. They do look very similar, however. Huckleberries are red to purple inside, like bilberries, and the easiest way to tell the difference is from the seeds and leaves. The leaves of huckleberries have a resin on them that exudes from the plant; blueberries and bilberries do not. If you have sticky leaves, you have huckleberries. The seeds of huckleberries are crunchy, the seeds of fresh blueberries and bilberries are soft. Also, a huckleberry will have slightly larger seeds that number no more than 10 per berry, while blueberries have smaller seeds and will have between 20 and 50 seeds. However, particularly in North America, the names huckleberry, bilberry, whortleberry, and blueberry are often used interchangeably. So whatever you have growing wild on your property, call it what you want and enjoy the wine!
Smiling! Today I started my first Kombucha in about 2 years. Didn't think I had a SCOBY but found a bottle in the back of the cabinet that still looked good, in the tea I stored them in. Didn't think they would last that long but not only did they last but multiplied about 15 times. Looks good, smells good, nothing growing on it looking back at me. Smiling! Something to do while waiting on the cider and wine to ferment. 73
Gonna have to try this recipe we have a elderberry a little over a year old that came out fantastic and have a new batch fermenting now appreciate the both of you and the knowledge you pass on thank you .
I've got to go back watch that blueberry episode again. I haven't made a blueberry-only wine yet. I made a "Black & Blue" from berries last year that came out well.
Gorgeous looking! A good reminder for me too...I've got 10L of blueberry mead, made with blueberry blossom honey that's totally ready for bottling. It's almost 10 months old. I back sweetened it like half a year ago. 🍷
Excellent timing! I went into my brewing cupboard this evening and found a small bottle of blueberry wine that also happened to be exactly a year old 😀 It was dark, rich, very dry, and delicious 😋
I officially have an experiment going on... Was attempting my first concord pyment and put 2 1/2 lb of honey in like I was making regular Mead and... surprise surprise 😅 1.130. I watered it down to 1.124 ( I marked it down as 1.120 because, HOPE 😆) I was really worried that my 8-month-old bread yeast would not be able to handle it, but since it was so full I put it on a lipped pan. Well, it's a good thing I did 😅 The next morning it was just spraying foam out the airlock! Once I got everything cleaned up and airlock refilled I put it back on the tray and let it do its thing. Day 4 and it's still chugging 😅 It's either going to be extremely strong or extremely sweet, and I don't really care which one! I'll keep you updated
Was cleaning out a kitchen cabinet last weekend, found some yeast, Flieschmans, that I bought about 6 or 7 years ago. For s.... and giggles I mixed a little water and sugar to see if it was still good. It is one of the most active fermentations I have ever made. Apple cherry cider.
Happy Anniversary! Today is my one year anniversary of home brewing. I had stumbled onto your Easy Homemade Wine from Juice Recipe video and it inspired me to try making my first wine! It actually didn't taste great but not terrible. It was pretty much like you said it would be. I actually still have a bottle of it left that I'm saving for Thanksgiving. Hopefully it tastes better after sitting a year! When I started I invested in all the equipment that you recommended. Hydrometer, auto syphon, StarSan...etc. Then I tackled a bunch of the wines you had videos for. It gave me confidence so I started experimenting on my own but always stayed current with your videos and used them for reference if i was unsure. Still do. Kept a journal because you really stressed the value of it in one of your videos. Built my own fermentation cabinet by repurposing an antique ice box and using cheap Amazon plant warmer pads. To date, I have brewed 25 different brews, made Hard Cider by the 5 gallon bucket and recently branched out to using wild berries native to Washington State such as the PNW Red Huckleberry, Wild Blackberry and Himalayan blackberry. Btw... Peach is my nemesis! Such a hard profile/taste to capture! Thank you for being such great teachers and not making us noobs feel dumb like other brewing channels do.
My solution to the floating ferm bag issue is to weight it down. I use my glass pickle weights which work really well. Sometimes the bag still ends up floating as the bag balloons as the fruit breaks down and leaves space for CO2 buildup. Still, I find cleanup easier. 🍷
Well then... Ive already got a few gallons of blueberry mead + 2 more blueberry mixed with other fruit aging. Now i have to watch this wine video and make a gallon of it just because i know (based on trying your other recipes) that i will love this too. Its a good thing i had plans on drinking and sharing my bb meads with friends.
Would be cool IF u backsweaten it and did a new test to see if its a better "fit" then the dry one. I made blueberrywine but more at the "dessertwine" path and it was also the best thing i ever made!
Wild blueberries 🫐 have a more intense flavor. Less juice per berry. Better flavor. Cranberry wine is a favorite for thanksgiving. An idea for next. Good for Christmas too.
The interruptive computer that shall not be named lol. Reminds me of that one person that always knows everything, has a related story and has to have the last word.
I’ve only tried brewing your Spiced Metheglin, which was a big hit at two years old . I live near California wine country and have been wary of trying to brew your wines but this one getting 11 is very tempting. I still remember your brewed Sangria episode and that is also tempting. Which would you say is better?
Another great video guys. Thanks for all the tips. I tried this same recipe with honey instead of sugar and half a cassia cinammon stick in secondary with the oak. Blew (or should I say blue) my mind. Please say hello to the computer that shall not be named 😁
Can you make a video about why i keep seeing people on forums and reddit making tomato booze? Also do you guys have a garden? have you ever fermented vegetables? I fermented a ton of peppers, garlic and cilantro this year and it came out awesome! Nice turnover on vegetable ferments too, about a month.
I honestly don't know why people make tomato brews. Not my thing. You can use vegetables etc, but... they tend to be very niche brews, and honestly, not far off of tomato ones. We used cilantro in a mead as an extra flavor, but, other than that... we haven't.
I hope you had a happy Halloween! Now, you mentioned oaking. Can you use wood chips or pieces to achieve that subtle flavor aspect in your brew? Like maybe add in secondary fermentation? If not, what would be your suggestion? My first ever batch of traditional mead is, roughly, halfway through fermentation. I’m also thinking about starting my second batch of mead, but I’m trying to decide if I want to stick with traditional or possibly adding something to it.
Awesome video as always! I'm wondering if we could make a wine made from non-grapes, meaning something close to a Cabernet Sauvignon for example without using grapes. Im thinking all the tadtes in a dark red like plum, dark cherries and perhaps Blueberries. Just curious what you think. Have a great day!
@CitySteadingBrews for sure, I was just thinking it could make a fun video. How close can we get sort of thing. Maybe a little dark chocolate also, just a very little.
6:21 could you try making a brew hit 12% or more ABV with just fruit? Maybe use the 2gal buckets, juice them or cook off some of the excess water? Perhaps you could use powdered freeze-dried fruits. I would be very interested in something like that
Hi after watching tor Chanel years ago. I have wine I made and corked 4 years ago that I bottled and corked now it has alot of sediment in it. ( Yes I only racked it once back then). Is it still good to drink?
Should be fine as long as they aren't moldy or anything. Check for smell, if it smells vile, I probably wouldn't drink it. But, it could be amazing too.
I know it's an off topic question for this video, but I've just purchased star san to use for the first time. I'm using now for the first time and it is creating a fair about of foam. I know it's supposed to be a non rinse sanitizer. Do you have any advice for dealing with the foam?
@CitySteadingBrews Awesome! Found your channel a month or so ago. Instantly had a love for the hobby and watching you guys go through the process. Love the content!
I've got 13 gallons of blueberry wine making now. It's 15% abv and I'm gonna back-sweeten it soon. "Tis nom nom" - George Washington I'd like yall to make General Washington's favorite: "Cherry bounce"
my recent batch started with a gravity of 1.122 and 5 weeks later its at 1.010, that should be around 15% but is the starting gravity so high that it might kill or stall the yeast
I have a type of berry that I’m worried about PH the question I have is a do you have a video explaining pH how to raise or lower your pH if not, how do you raise or lower pH quick answer is good I understand but I’m not exactly sure how to raise her lower
Yes,do a 5 gallon batch! I lnow, and you know that things scale up for brewing but some may need to see it. Use your original notes to do the batch but scale up to 5 gallons.
Are you thinking that every berry tastes similar to wine? Because I might agree. But if you've ever fermented apples, pineapple, mango, etc this is totally false!
The skins in the fruit add delicious flavors and tannins. Juice is less problematic with fermentation and airlocks. I bought a juicer for exactly this reason and I still add some of the solids to my brews, just a whole lot less than using whole fruit.
🤤That looks amazing! 💯 I'm hoping I can create something quite similar with some of my self-harvested fruits from this year 🤞 I was lucky enough to forage ~20lbs of wild Riverbank grapes this year and actually planned on using a 3lb bag of frozen wild blueberries in secondary after seeing some the other day at Kroger 😁 I'll likely chaptalize mine as well... Probably with some really clean white pure cane sugar like Domino™ just to bump up the SG a bit without adding much flavor Although, I was also considering maybe using some of the locally made raw honey I have if I don't need to add much But I think I'm going to need a bit more than would be financially responsible to use that $$$ farmers market honey 😅 I'll just have to find out when I finally get to them though, they're in deep freeze waiting for me to finish some other ferments first 😄 Now I'm even more excited for it than I already was, this will be the first I've made by pressing my own juice tho so it's going to be a lot of work too 🤷♂😆 --🧿RuneShine, Michigan's Norse-Druid Alchemist 🧪🥼🔬
![[Full] 4 ต่อ 4 Celebrity EP.920 | 3 พ.ย. 67 | one31](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KwiW2M_kAg4/mqdefault.jpg)
3:16 I watched the blueberry wine video just now, and you Did add Fermade-O to the must.
Edited for punctuation
I'm catching on... I call BS
Wild blueberries is also known as bilberries. Its my personal favorite to make bilbemel or blueberry melomel
Well, here's where it gets weird. Yes, in Europe bilberries are wild blueberries. But in the US, there are native bilberries and European blueberries that volunteered into the wild (the Americas have no native blueberries), so now we have wild blueberries as well. We even have a few farms in New England that have 'preserved' fields of 'wild blueberries' that are, as advertised, fields of blueberries that escaped captivity and started growing wild for generations. There is one quick way to tell the difference: if the berry has a purple-red interior it's a bilberry, if the interior is a greenish-white it's a blueberry.
This is the first I’ve heard of bilberries.. I thought huckleberries were wild blueberries.. I harvest them from my farm in Pennsylvania each year.. I’ve made several batches of wine from them each year.. this year the Lord blessed us with huckleberries, elderberries, and blackberries.. it looks like I have my work cut out for me..
@@brewmaster212 Huckleberries are a different species than blueberries and bilberries. They do look very similar, however. Huckleberries are red to purple inside, like bilberries, and the easiest way to tell the difference is from the seeds and leaves. The leaves of huckleberries have a resin on them that exudes from the plant; blueberries and bilberries do not. If you have sticky leaves, you have huckleberries. The seeds of huckleberries are crunchy, the seeds of fresh blueberries and bilberries are soft. Also, a huckleberry will have slightly larger seeds that number no more than 10 per berry, while blueberries have smaller seeds and will have between 20 and 50 seeds.
However, particularly in North America, the names huckleberry, bilberry, whortleberry, and blueberry are often used interchangeably. So whatever you have growing wild on your property, call it what you want and enjoy the wine!
Smiling!
Today I started my first Kombucha in about 2 years. Didn't think I had a SCOBY but found a bottle in the back of the cabinet that still looked good, in the tea I stored them in. Didn't think they would last that long but not only did they last but multiplied about 15 times. Looks good, smells good, nothing growing on it looking back at me. Smiling!
Something to do while waiting on the cider and wine to ferment.
73
Gonna have to try this recipe we have a elderberry a little over a year old that came out fantastic and have a new batch fermenting now appreciate the both of you and the knowledge you pass on thank you .
Glad we can help!
I've got to go back watch that blueberry episode again. I haven't made a blueberry-only wine yet. I made a "Black & Blue" from berries last year that came out well.
Gorgeous looking! A good reminder for me too...I've got 10L of blueberry mead, made with blueberry blossom honey that's totally ready for bottling. It's almost 10 months old. I back sweetened it like half a year ago. 🍷
Excellent timing! I went into my brewing cupboard this evening and found a small bottle of blueberry wine that also happened to be exactly a year old 😀 It was dark, rich, very dry, and delicious 😋
Nice!
I officially have an experiment going on...
Was attempting my first concord pyment and put 2 1/2 lb of honey in like I was making regular Mead and... surprise surprise 😅 1.130.
I watered it down to 1.124 ( I marked it down as 1.120 because, HOPE 😆)
I was really worried that my 8-month-old bread yeast would not be able to handle it, but since it was so full I put it on a lipped pan.
Well, it's a good thing I did 😅
The next morning it was just spraying foam out the airlock!
Once I got everything cleaned up and airlock refilled I put it back on the tray and let it do its thing.
Day 4 and it's still chugging 😅
It's either going to be extremely strong or extremely sweet, and I don't really care which one!
I'll keep you updated
After a full watch, I am totally jealous! Congratulations 🎊
Was cleaning out a kitchen cabinet last weekend, found some yeast, Flieschmans, that I bought about 6 or 7 years ago. For s.... and giggles I mixed a little water and sugar to see if it was still good. It is one of the most active fermentations I have ever made. Apple cherry cider.
It's good stuff!
Happy Anniversary!
Today is my one year anniversary of home brewing.
I had stumbled onto your Easy Homemade Wine from Juice Recipe video and it inspired me to try making my first wine! It actually didn't taste great but not terrible. It was pretty much like you said it would be. I actually still have a bottle of it left that I'm saving for Thanksgiving. Hopefully it tastes better after sitting a year!
When I started I invested in all the equipment that you recommended. Hydrometer, auto syphon, StarSan...etc.
Then I tackled a bunch of the wines you had videos for. It gave me confidence so I started experimenting on my own but always stayed current with your videos and used them for reference if i was unsure. Still do.
Kept a journal because you really stressed the value of it in one of your videos.
Built my own fermentation cabinet by repurposing an antique ice box and using cheap Amazon plant warmer pads.
To date, I have brewed 25 different brews, made Hard Cider by the 5 gallon bucket and recently branched out to using wild berries native to Washington State such as the PNW Red Huckleberry, Wild Blackberry and Himalayan blackberry. Btw... Peach is my nemesis! Such a hard profile/taste to capture!
Thank you for being such great teachers and not making us noobs feel dumb like other brewing channels do.
Awesome! Happy we could help!
Living here in Plant City I'm well acquainted with Keel Blueberry wine and I'm a fan. I guess now I need a 5 gal fermentator.
My solution to the floating ferm bag issue is to weight it down. I use my glass pickle weights which work really well. Sometimes the bag still ends up floating as the bag balloons as the fruit breaks down and leaves space for CO2 buildup. Still, I find cleanup easier. 🍷
Well then... Ive already got a few gallons of blueberry mead + 2 more blueberry mixed with other fruit aging. Now i have to watch this wine video and make a gallon of it just because i know (based on trying your other recipes) that i will love this too. Its a good thing i had plans on drinking and sharing my bb meads with friends.
Would be cool IF u backsweaten it and did a new test to see if its a better "fit" then the dry one. I made blueberrywine but more at the "dessertwine" path and it was also the best thing i ever made!
I wonder if this would be equally good (yet totally different) with some back-sweetening. Will definitely have to try this.
Wild blueberries 🫐 have a more intense flavor. Less juice per berry. Better flavor.
Cranberry wine is a favorite for thanksgiving. An idea for next. Good for Christmas too.
I do like this new tasting format. 👍
Thanks! Happy to hear it.
Your pronunciation of côte de blanc is very good now! 😂😊
Need to update your best of the best list 👍🏻 once again great video and information ☘️
Thanks! Yeah, been a while.
@ yes it has sorry now I have more time since my daughters wedding and it’s time to make your S’more mead recipe and I have the meadow foam honey ☘️
You guys just reminded me that I forgot to add pectic enzyme to my last wine lol
The interruptive computer that shall not be named lol. Reminds me of that one person that always knows everything, has a related story and has to have the last word.
I’ve only tried brewing your Spiced Metheglin, which was a big hit at two years old . I live near California wine country and have been wary of trying to brew your wines but this one getting 11 is very tempting. I still remember your brewed Sangria episode and that is also tempting. Which would you say is better?
They are too different to really compare that way. One is sweet the other is very dry. Both great, just very different.
Another great video guys. Thanks for all the tips. I tried this same recipe with honey instead of sugar and half a cassia cinammon stick in secondary with the oak. Blew (or should I say blue) my mind. Please say hello to the computer that shall not be named 😁
Can you make a video about why i keep seeing people on forums and reddit making tomato booze?
Also do you guys have a garden? have you ever fermented vegetables? I fermented a ton of peppers, garlic and cilantro this year and it came out awesome! Nice turnover on vegetable ferments too, about a month.
I honestly don't know why people make tomato brews. Not my thing. You can use vegetables etc, but... they tend to be very niche brews, and honestly, not far off of tomato ones. We used cilantro in a mead as an extra flavor, but, other than that... we haven't.
I hope you had a happy Halloween!
Now, you mentioned oaking. Can you use wood chips or pieces to achieve that subtle flavor aspect in your brew? Like maybe add in secondary fermentation? If not, what would be your suggestion? My first ever batch of traditional mead is, roughly, halfway through fermentation. I’m also thinking about starting my second batch of mead, but I’m trying to decide if I want to stick with traditional or possibly adding something to it.
That's exactly how we do it.
Awesome video as always! I'm wondering if we could make a wine made from non-grapes, meaning something close to a Cabernet Sauvignon for example without using grapes. Im thinking all the tadtes in a dark red like plum, dark cherries and perhaps Blueberries. Just curious what you think. Have a great day!
It won't taste the same no, but you can make good wines with various fruits.
@CitySteadingBrews for sure, I was just thinking it could make a fun video. How close can we get sort of thing. Maybe a little dark chocolate also, just a very little.
6:21 could you try making a brew hit 12% or more ABV with just fruit? Maybe use the 2gal buckets, juice them or cook off some of the excess water? Perhaps you could use powdered freeze-dried fruits. I would be very interested in something like that
Depending on the fruit it's going to take over 20 lbs most likely. Almost not worth it today.
yeah, i'm making this batch with the one year marker as my main tasting now...
Hi after watching tor Chanel years ago. I have wine I made and corked 4 years ago that I bottled and corked now it has alot of sediment in it. ( Yes I only racked it once back then). Is it still good to drink?
Should be fine as long as they aren't moldy or anything. Check for smell, if it smells vile, I probably wouldn't drink it. But, it could be amazing too.
I know it's an off topic question for this video, but I've just purchased star san to use for the first time. I'm using now for the first time and it is creating a fair about of foam. I know it's supposed to be a non rinse sanitizer. Do you have any advice for dealing with the foam?
Don't even worry about the foam. Not a worry.
@CitySteadingBrews Awesome! Found your channel a month or so ago. Instantly had a love for the hobby and watching you guys go through the process. Love the content!
Yall should try Olive Oil wine, if you think it’s possible.
It's not really a thing. Oil doesn't ferment, it just spoils.
Darn. Maybe just olives then?
In regards to pectin, would a good rule of thumb be that the mushier the fruit, the less pectin?
I honestly don't know if that is true.
I've got 13 gallons of blueberry wine making now. It's 15% abv and I'm gonna back-sweeten it soon.
"Tis nom nom"
- George Washington
I'd like yall to make General Washington's favorite: "Cherry bounce"
3:16 Ooooh, yes, you did, Brian ! You've forgotten 😊
Hmm?
Howdy all! Happy November!
The first 11!! Great job guys. Blueberry wine is one of my favorites
I scored some prickly pears and I wanna try to make mead outta them but I'm not sure how much for a 1 gal batch any ideas guys?!!??!
Sorry, no experience with them.
My wife has been encouraging me to ask now for 5 or 6 months now. How is your father? We have not seen him in a video in quite some time.
He is fine, he just chooses not to be on camera anymore.
@@CitySteadingBrews We miss him.
my recent batch started with a gravity of 1.122 and 5 weeks later its at 1.010, that should be around 15% but is the starting gravity so high that it might kill or stall the yeast
At 1.010 it's nearly dry already so I wouldn't worry about a stall too much.
@@CitySteadingBrews thanks for the info
I have a type of berry that I’m worried about PH the question I have is a do you have a video explaining pH how to raise or lower your pH if not, how do you raise or lower pH quick answer is good I understand but I’m not exactly sure how to raise her lower
We have shown it a lot recently in recipe videos but use potassium bicarbonate or potassium carbonate or calcium carbonate to increase pH.
@@CitySteadingBrews
Thank you very much.
I haven't watched yet but how is your blueberry blue and mine is red 🤔
Different berries I guess?
@@CitySteadingBrews doesn't blueberries make a red wine..???? after crushing etc. the juice is red 🤔
Couldn't tell you. Maybe the skins?
You guys have reached your peak. It's time to slow down
Nah.
Yeah, Alexa needs to get with the times and use AI judgment to keep quite lol
Cronometer not chronometer
Oops.
@@CitySteadingBrewsThings happen...
Yes,do a 5 gallon batch! I lnow, and you know that things scale up for brewing but some may need to see it. Use your original notes to do the batch but scale up to 5 gallons.
We do not need 5 gallons of anything. Sorry, we won't be doing this. It's literally just scale ingredients up.
@CitySteadingBrews 😀 Just being an enabler for Darica. She really seemed to be excited for the idea. 😀 Looking forward to your next mead brew.
Ever considered making a Doppelbock?
We don't get into specific styles past "dark beer" really.
@ Rats. I was curious about your thoughts on this one specifically. Oh well.
Every fruit that ferments comes out tasting like grape wine. It's weird.
Are you thinking that every berry tastes similar to wine? Because I might agree. But if you've ever fermented apples, pineapple, mango, etc this is totally false!
Beauty berry wine is different had to add cinnamon and lemon give it more flavor.
It's the Matrix man.... the same reason so many things taste like chicken 😱🤯🤔😂
What to know when fermenting fruit: Don't bother. Ferment the JUICE.
There are good reasons to use the fruit. Juice is okay but fruit is far better most of the time.
The skins in the fruit add delicious flavors and tannins.
Juice is less problematic with fermentation and airlocks.
I bought a juicer for exactly this reason and I still add some of the solids to my brews, just a whole lot less than using whole fruit.
🤤That looks amazing! 💯
I'm hoping I can create something quite similar with some of my self-harvested fruits from this year 🤞
I was lucky enough to forage ~20lbs of wild Riverbank grapes this year and actually planned on using a 3lb bag of frozen wild blueberries in secondary after seeing some the other day at Kroger 😁
I'll likely chaptalize mine as well... Probably with some really clean white pure cane sugar like Domino™ just to bump up the SG a bit without adding much flavor
Although, I was also considering maybe using some of the locally made raw honey I have if I don't need to add much
But I think I'm going to need a bit more than would be financially responsible to use that $$$ farmers market honey 😅
I'll just have to find out when I finally get to them though, they're in deep freeze waiting for me to finish some other ferments first 😄
Now I'm even more excited for it than I already was, this will be the first I've made by pressing my own juice tho so it's going to be a lot of work too 🤷♂😆
--🧿RuneShine, Michigan's Norse-Druid Alchemist 🧪🥼🔬
You guys have made blueberry wine, blueberry mead, and blueberry cider, which one out of the three is your favorite? 🫐
Hmm. Mead or wine I would say. Derica would likely say wine and cider or all three!