Dandelion Wine

[berryman]

I know this is a beer making forum and I am a beer drinker and beer brewer, but we have a wine section on here so here goes. Years ago my Dad made a lot of different kinds of wine and I helped him but he was the Man that made it and I just helped and drank the finished product. I have a daughter that is very interested in making wine and I want to help her. I told her that her grandfather use to make some kick-ass Dandelion Wine, I still remember the basics but am fuzzy on some things, mainly on what yeast to use to keep it somewhat sweet and not too dry. I have Dandelions and lots of them, it's that time of year. I'd like to make a 5 gal. batch......Any input would be appreciated.

[Inkleg]

Que a lengthy, well explained and full of information mashani post right about.............

[berryman]

Que a lengthy, well explained and full of information mashani post right about.............

Ha Ha yes I am expecting that and looking forward for it..

[Inkleg]

Que a lengthy, well explained and full of information mashani post right about.............

Ha Ha yes I am expecting that and looking forward for it..

So am I!!

[FrozenInTime]

I sprayed my dandy lions with some 2-4D recently, don't think I will have enough to try but would love to see a good recipe for dandy wine.

[berryman]

I sprayed my dandy lions with some 2-4D recently, don't think I will have enough to try but would love to see a good recipe for dandy wine.

2-4D does away with dandelions and fast, about the next day, I don't really like them on my lawn but I do like the greens but you have to get them young or will be bitter. I think I like them better then swiss chard, but have to be picked early. They do make me mad on my lawn though...

[FrozenInTime]

I sprayed my dandy lions with some 2-4D recently, don't think I will have enough to try but would love to see a good recipe for dandy wine.

2-4D does away with dandelions and fast, about the next day, I don't really like them on my lawn but I do like the greens but you have to get them young or will be bitter. I think I like them better then swiss chard, but have to be picked early. They do make me mad on my lawn though...

Yea, my front lawn, I go crazy if I see a dandy or any other weed there. The rest of the place... not possible to keep weed free. Well, I could but I have way too many feathered critters running around pecking at every little thing in the side/back yards. I could grab some from there if they survive the hungry critters. I've thought about making some tea from them, I hear it's good. IF anybody needs some, I would happily send you a large packed full of dandy lion seeds to spread around (your neighbor's) yard?

[The_Professor]

Que a lengthy, well explained and full of information mashani post right about.............

.....or a completely uninformed The_Professor YouTube post:

[bpgreen]

I sprayed my dandy lions with some 2-4D recently, don't think I will have enough to try but would love to see a good recipe for dandy wine.

2-4D does away with dandelions and fast, about the next day, I don't really like them on my lawn but I do like the greens but you have to get them young or will be bitter. I think I like them better then swiss chard, but have to be picked early. They do make me mad on my lawn though...

Of I remember correctly, if you don't get the greens become the dandelions flower, they're bitter. But you can still use then after trust if you boil them. They taste a lot like cooked spinach that way.

As an aside, and it's probably obvious, but just in case, don't use any part of the plant if you've already applied any weed killer. I use a weed hound (not sure they still sell them) and pull them out by the root.

You can also roast the root and use it as a caffeine free coffee substitute. It tastes more like chicory than coffee to me, but some people think chicory is an acceptable coffee substitute.

[mashani]

I don't know if this is "informed" or not LOL.

Because I usually make dandelion saison by making candi syrup from the dandelions. Which I could describe the process for, but Dandelion wine is pretty much sugar and dandelions anyways, so your kind of doing the same thing. You can invert the sugar with acid (which all the citrus typically added to dandelion wine will give you), or just with heat, it's just a different process, acid is faster/easier. Inverting the sugar just makes it easier for the yeast to digest it, otherwise it still will, but it has to use energy producing invertase enzyme to do it itself.

For wine, I think I would go "quarts to pounds" as in every quart of dandelions = 1# of sugar, especially if you are picking off the flower completely from the green (more on that below).

I tend to like Montrachet yeast in stuff like this. It is a "killer yeast", as in it is actually very intolerant of other organisms, and might leave a bit of body and sweetness behind you make it strong.

For syrup for saisons, I use the whole dandelion head (including the green), just not the yellow part of the flower only. I know that some people say this will make your beverage unpalatable / bitter, but it doesn't have this problem in beer/saison - your making bitter beverage anyways - and it adds extra nuttiness to the result.

But for wine, especially if you add a bunch of citrus, it might matter, so you may want to spend the time popping the yellow out of the green, there is a way to do it, once you figure it out it's not that bad... but yes actually it is, which is why I don't do it and make beer LOL.

I might add raisins too along with citrus.

I think the raisins and citrus are more or less something you would want to do "to your tastes".

[FrozenInTime]

Okay, I might have to try this. Googled and came up with a couple sites with nice sounding recipes.

Site 1

Site 2

A few more came up but these 2 show more than enough to make me happy.

Disclaimer, I have not made it, yet, and have no idea if those are good recipes or not. (Sure gonna try some!)

[berryman]

I tell you what, getting enough dandelions and cleaning for 5 gal is not easy. I don't know if it is the right or wrong thing to do, but we have been putting them in the freezer for now until we get enough. Almost there and will pick a fresh batch tomorrow and maybe Sun and make it Sunday. I went to my LHBS today (always an expensive outing) and got some Yeast energizer, Potassium Metabisulphite, and Potassium Sorbate and some more Montrachet yeast. This wine making thing is different then when I used to help my dad make it back in the late "70's.