balloon wine recipe???

[superdown]

  my dad was talking about balloon wine does anybody know about it ?                                                                                                                                                                                                         thanx,superdown

[ken2222]

I suppose the "dandelion" wine I make qualifies...after blending the ingredients and straining the pulp the mixture is poured into liquor bottles(any glass bottle with a screw on cap) a balloon is stretched over the end and stored like that in a dark place with room above to let the balloon expand and contract...when totally limp, about 6 months, its READY! Sound familiar?

[jvs]

When I started making wine, I made what is known as Balloon Wine.  Balloon Wine refers to the use of a large Balloon for keeping a artificial atmosphere in the wine making vessel, usually a gallon jug or bottle, instead of using a regular fermentation lock.  It is a cheap, but effective way of starting out. 
 
There isn't anything wrong with using a balloon if you are only making a gallon, but balloons are single use.  For a few bucks, you can buy a fermentation lock and use it over and over and over again.  There is also a chance that the balloon can break.  When that happens, the batch is basically shot - unless you have another balloon ready at the instant something goes wrong.  Any air leakage into your bottle or jug can lead to oxidation, which ruins any batch of wine.

If you are trying your hand at wine making, just to see if you might like the hobby, using a balloon may be the way to go.  Wine Hobby shops are usually listed in the Yellow pages or on the Net and will have plenty of fermentation locks and other supplies available, should you want to jump in with both feet.

I see no advantage in using a balloon instead of a fermentation lock for gallon jugs, when you consider that you have to search for a balloon big and sturdy enough to last up to 5 weeks with alot of Carbon Dioxide inside.

Wine making is fun and can be challenging.  Practice makes perfect, and using a balloon can be a starting point for some.  But for various reasons, I would recommend using fermentation locks. 

[ken2222]

maybe its my recipe that makes a difference  I dunno...but I've never had a balloon "malfunction"....But I also store my "hooch" in 1/5 bottles so the volume of "gasses" would be smaller....party size balloons are cheap and available....pretty colors and interesting shapes for conversation...

I'll dig up my recipe if you want it but depending on where you are...dandelion flowers are short lived!

[Ranger J]

Years ago, we used to make wine out of a large can of frozen grape juice, 1 cup of sugar, a package of dry yeast and enough water to not quite fill a 1 gal. Glass jug.  You would mix the ingredients by shaking them up in the bottle and then (this will show how long ago I did this) what was then a dime balloon was put over the top of the jug.  As the sugar fermented it produced carbon dioxide gas, which blew up the balloon.    When the balloon filled up and then through leakage of the gas through the balloon went down you were ready to use the wine.  We would take a large plastic straw and stick it on a piece of clean aquarium hose and try to draw the wine from the middle as you wanted to avoid the scum on the top and the other leavings on the very bottom of the bottle.  If you wanted to be really fancy you could strain the wine through a coffee filter before drinking. Enjoy!
RJ

[ken2222]

my dandelion wine recipe really should be classified as a Liqueur.....you REALLY have to be careful of that stuff! 

[superdown]

Wow there is alot more info than i thought.. If any of you guys are willing to share your recipes that would be a great starter for me. If any of you can get an easy recipe just to try for the first time. And any hints or secrets are much appreciated.

                                              Thanx
                                                  Superdown

[jvs]

my dandelion wine recipe really should be classified as a Liqueur.....you REALLY have to be careful of that stuff! 

I have made Dandelion wine only a few times.  I make mine a Sanghria, with a little lemon and orange in the recipe.  Dandelion Wine can be wicked tasting if you dont add a little citrus.  I like the hobby and I like dandelion wine, but I got tired of getting all of those flowers for just one gallon of wine.  I never attempted making 5 gallons of that stuff.  The way I make it, it takes alot of flowers for only a gallon.  Right now I only make dandelion wine about once every decade.

You are right though, you have to be real careful with Dandelion Wine.  I know quite a few people who thought they could handle it and gulped a nice size glass right down.  Everything seemed ok, until they stood up.  Then for some strange reason it was bedtime.

[superdown]

  well i started my balloon wine last night 3 1gallon jugs grape juice 1 package of yeast in each and 1cup of sugar in each then put a kids heavy duty punching balloon on each with tight rubber bands i'll keep them around 70 degrees farenheight for 4-6 weeks strain and try it when the balloons have completly deflated for the last time. any thoughts ?          ,thanx superdown

[jvs]

One pack of yeast would have been enough yeast for 5 gallons.  So you are way over-loaded on the yeast. 

I usually put 3 quarts of juice in a gallon jug then I put sugar in it until it the juice lever comes up between the 'shoulder' and the 'neck'  of the jug, which in some cases can be 2 1/2 to 3 lbs of sugar.  Using less sugar than this can lead you to extremely dry wine sometimes.  Stuff that can suck your eyeballs in.

I usually only put 1/4 teaspoon of dry Wine Yeast in each gallon jug of juice, instead of mixing the yeast with warm water first. 

 

[superdown]

i am thinking i made a mistake with type of yeast also i used bread yeast (dry wine yeast) this is really the very first time i have tried this so i have basically no info to work with so should i just toss this out or will this just be less than perfect batch 

[Ranger J]

I think we just used one packager of regular dry yeast per gal.  The kid's punching balloon may be a little too stout to blow up???Also it may take a day or two or three for the 'bugs' to start working on the sugar.  Can't remember rightly as it has been at least 30 years ago that I made my last batch.  I think the fermentation time is between 1 & 2 months.
RJ

[jvs]

You made no error in using Bakers Yeast.  I use that type of yeast also, when I dont feel like running to the Wine Hobby Shop for a packet of Wine Yeast.   As long as the expiration date is way off, using bakers yeast is a good way to start the hobby.  It will give you something to base any changes you make and how the wine turns out after those changes.

Using a whole packet of yeast in a one gallon batch is a waste of yeast, imo.  One packet can do five gallons of mix and it can take literally forever to settle and clear one gallon when it is done fermenting.  I use 1/4 teaspoon of dry wine yeast pre gallon of mix.

If your fermentation hasn't started by now, odds are it wont, and you will have to start all over again.

If it has started, it could take any where from 3 weeks to up to 10 weeks (or even longer) to ferment, depending on your sugar content and the strength of the yeast.  Since you used so much yeast and so little sugar to begin with, I think your wine will easily be done fermenting by the first week of May and may be drinkable by September 1st after settling.  (maybe sooner)

[superdown]

well my balloons are really big after 24 hours and the liquid looks very active lots of foam and by the way is it bad for the yeasty foamy mixture to get up in the balloons? thanx, superdown

[jvs]

This is one problem when you use Balloons instead of Fermentation Locks.  Normally, if bubbles go up into your balloon and stay there, there is no problem.  But since almost all balloons have a coating of some kind of powder in them to keep them from sticking together on the inside before you blow them up, you can never be sure if any of the powder got down inside your wine.   Possibly one thing you never thought of before.

I think the powder they use now is Talc, but years ago they used Asbestos powder inside balloons.  In either case, your balloon can not be used again for anything after this batch is done fermenting.  Which, in my way of doing things, is a good thing.

If you have foam up inside your balloon or fermentation lock, it comes down to one of two things....
Too full or too much yeast. 

We all know which one it is in this case.  You should never have more than approximately 3 qts of liquid in a gallon jug and you certainly dont need more than 1/4 teaspoon of yeast per gallon.  A wine hobby purist grows and crushes his own grapes and only uses the yeast that is already on the grape as his only fermentation aid.  But since you and I are not the purist that some guys turn out to be, getting the right combination together is important.

For your information:  There is Low Foaming Wine Yeasts available.

[superdown]

thanks for the info by the way everything should still be suitable for consumption ?

[Buckskin]

Hmmm, this sounds interesting.  Never thought of making wine.  So how do you do the dandilion wine?  They should be sprouting all over my lawn soon.

[jvs]

thanks for the info by the way everything should still be suitable for consumption ?

Only you can answer that question.  No one else.   

So how do you do the dandilion wine?  They should be sprouting all over my lawn soon.

Only use Dandelion Flowers, no stems and no green parts.  I suggest you do a search of the web for 'dandelion wine recipe'.