Homemade Grape Juice Concentrate? -- We had WAY too many grapes!

[@superviro]

I leave for 3 months and when I come back, you've become a Viking!

[@PHMHarpGuitars]

I've been gone for 2 weeks and I'm surprised too. I should have seen this coming

[@Mezox13]

He does look real good doesn't he

[@samanthalockhart8976]

I love muscadine wine!! Southern heart strings are being pulled 💗💗 can’t wait to see what exactly y’all do with it. Yummy!!

[@sebasti3n]

Just wanted to thank you guys. After discovering your channel by accident, you made us want to brew a simple mead. Turned out so good that we bought a few one gallon fermenters and started brewing seriously. Our first mead turned to something like a very high quality white wine using Quebec blueberry honey. Thanks again, you made this pandemic less boring

[@Rose-jz6sx]

That sounds delicious!

[@dr.catmilk]

Perfectly timed pop lol

[@sandys.1891]

If you do fruit juice extraction regularly you might want to invest in a "Stainless Steel Fruit Juicer Steamer" which I purchased on Amazon specifically for this use. It will pull out more of the juice from the fruit than just cooking on the stove. It also can pasteurize the juice and makes bottling super easy. I appreciate your videos I've learned just enough to be dangerous in the brewing department now. 😄

[@mandolinman2006]

Good thing there's nobody else at work today. I was rolling! If you want more, let me know. I have like 100 pounds left. If you think that sugar amount is high, it's worse if I let them get fully ripe. I tend to not do that since they fall to the ground when I go to pick them. That and they lose that muscadine twang. That said, I've tried since that were over half green and found them edible. The key to the humorous note is, I did all this late at night after I got home from work and spent like 2 hours picking. I had quite a few repeats and some that probably shouldn't be seen by others due to colorful language.

[@buffalojoe78]

It’s all good, my dude. I think we all have some colorful language for this past year.

[@danieldanielson2650]

The grapes probably dont lose their twang. It's rather that sugar masks and dominates pretty much every other taste, be it sour,bitter and so on. My first apple wine went dry which i dindt know. I first thought some sort of bacteria took over because it realy wasnt drinkable but quite strong. Then out of curiosity I threw some - actually quite a bit - sugar in there and i was totally surprised how good it suddenly tasted.

[@FundiFe]

i made muscadine wine this year! thank you 2 sooo much for your knowledge and humor!

[@b9brutality]

Great vid!!!!! You guys are so fun to watch, thank you!

[@philwfacts5649]

Really wish you would bring back brew talks, it was the highlight of my Wednesdays

[@michaelpthompson]

Looks delicious! Can't wait for the possibilities.

[@terrycuyler5659]

Thanks this will help me with my plans to make a blueberry concentrate that I will use to make a blueberry melomel.

[@FaewoodMead]

This is a FANTASTIC idea! I bought a 5 gallon pail of grapes and like... panicked getting ready to turn it all into a pyment haha. I need a pressure cooker though, def don't have that essential piece.

[@bobnewkirk7003]

In regard to the Kombucha: If your friend didn't send you the SCOBY (or you didn't have one already) they are really easy to grow yourself. I have had a live culture on my counter for almost 3 years now, I grew it up from a store bought bottle and some sugared tea. There are some special considerations along the way, but a quick KZbin will give you all the extra info you need. As Homebrewers you will have more than enough experience to maintain the culture, my only advice is watch the pH and seal; the 2 biggest issues are mold (pH too high, ie Basic) and fruit flies getting in and reproducing. Good luck :D

[@FrankMcCusker129]

You guys are awesome!

[@M4st3r0fN0n3]

So the in-laws have about 10 mulberry trees, we harvested like 50 lbs of berries from just one tree. Soaked, processed out the bad bits, and wound up with 35 lbs of berries and 9 gallons of the soaking liquid. Ive reduced the liquid in batches down to 3 gallons and for some reason, 2 of the half gallon mason jars decided to wild ferment. Hopefully cooking everything together clears that out. Long story short I plan on making two 1 gallon brews, 1 wine, 1 mead. But also just gobs of syrup and jams

[@nicholaskarako5701]

One jar of that grape juice concentrate would make a lot of all natural fruit juice sweetened jello shots I bet.

[@samanthalockhart8976]

Yes he pop at end!! Golden 🤣

[@Bobthebuilder.69]

We love Muscadine wine in the south!

[@anonymousperson2156]

Hey could you save the leftovers of that and use that for yeast nutrients Just an idea.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can. We composted it.

[@nakhshin6717]

Can we keep them out of refrigerator?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We did. It's canned so it's preserved.

[@prasannadhopate8513]

I have a question. I believe grape juice can be fermented "straight" to yield ABV as high as 13 % .Which means the initial gravity of a plain grape juice should be at least 1.09. Then how is it your concentrated juice has a gravity of only 1.08?

[@mandolinman2006]

Some grapes juices have added sugars.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Most store bought juices are 1.050 or so. The actual gravity of the juice largely depends on how much they are concentrated. It can vary by grape type too.

[@Vykk_Draygo]

Sugar content depends on grape varietal, and when they are harvested.

[@paulswift9807]

A question what is wine or Mead that is made from golden syrup up because golden syrup is sugar without the glucose

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Wine and it totally contains glucose and fructose.

[@franksimmons1952]

I watched this video and was intrigued by the fact that these are Muscadine grapes. My grand father had several muscadine vines in his back yard and we kids loved to go out when they were ripe and pick them and pop them in our mouths. I have alwase loved the different flavor of this grape and was surprised to see it used in commercial wine making here in Florida. I went to the Lakeridge winery and tasted it and fell in love with it. You now have five jars of the concentrate,. I for one would love for you to make a Mead with one jar and compare it to the commercial Southern Red of Lakeridge and the Vintners Red of San Sebastian Winery in St. Augustine. I know that both of these should be available in Publix in your area. Let me know since I want to try making a mead with these grapes, but don't have the set up yet to do it. I thing that you have made a pymet with some other grapes before, but the muscadine grape has such a different taste that I would like to know what you think of it.

[@Mezox13]

Does this not create non fermentable sugars

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

There is a traditional fruit concentrate in Belgium made from apples, pears and/or dates I like to use in my cooking. It’s also used as a spread instead of jam. It’s been boiled down so much it isn’t liquid any more. I plan to use it in a wine or mead some day because the flavour is very different from fresh juice, I’m pretty certain there are some unfermentable sugars in there too and I’m curious as to the result. Once my financials improve I’d like to send you some and perhaps you might consider adding it to a brew. I know the change in your diet will keep you from eating it but it might provide you with some fun and perhaps a nice drink if you use it in a process that eats up all or most of those sugars. Up to seven years ago I had grape vines, apple trees and a sour cherry tree in the garden where I lived. A lot of the fruit ended in concentrates. I didn’t brew at the time due to circumstances pertaining to my life partner at the time. Thanks to this video, I might make concentrate out of bumper crops friends and neighbours give to me. For defrosting I use the following hands-off trick: place the fruit in a basket that fits my Instant pot (or a pot on a rack). Add a cup of water in the bottom of the pot and set the IP to zero minutes. While the pot is doing its thing, I can go do something else... Works wonders. The fact that the IP is closed makes the fruit defrost faster. 😊

[@billwilliam20]

Have you guys made orange wine?

[@petermaguire2632]

What about using it to make balsamic vinegar?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sure, but that's a whole other topic :)

[@johnwarren1518]

Just wondering have you aged mead in a used bourbon / whiskey cask? What would be your thoughts on this?

[@elijahkaehler9369]

Assuming u can do this with most fruits???

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Pretty much, yes, though the results will vary.

[@rql8543]

Speaking of Kombucha... I'd love to see you guys attempt a "Hard" Kombucha. Mostly becasue, I've been trying for months but its always comes out too sour.. I know you guys have the brains to figure it out!!!

[@rql8543]

My only tip if you try it: Boil (sterilize) the batch after 1st ferment (Tea to Booch ferment) before transferring to 2nd ferment (Booch to Hard Booch) becasue if you leave the SCOBY yeasts and bacteria alive, the 2nd ferment yeasts take too long to start (battling over resources with 1st ferment yeasts).... kinda defeats the point of having Kombucha in the 1st place, but you can add "live" kombucha after 2nd ferment to kick start the good bacteria.... but as I say, I have not had a successful / tasty batch yet... but I am also a Noob

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Lets work on regular kombucha first :)

[@blakeb9792]

Oh, one other thing. Have you ever tried steam juicing? Works really well, but it does take forever to extract all the juice. You know you’re done when the fruit is grey and no more juice comes out

[@dmil5122]

Hello to you both. I live in the philippines and have not been able to acquire starsan. What are your thoughts on using sodium metabisulphate to sanitize your gear? Also, what are your thoughts on Camden tables which are essentially sodium metabisulphate as a stabilizer? I know you try going pretty much natural as I do but I would love to see a video on alternative sanitization. As always, great video and information. Your " basic " mead recipe is amazing. Have 3 gallons patiently going.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

They aren’t cleaners... they will harm fermentation. Better to just use boiling water like you do for canning.

[@dmil5122]

@@CitySteadingBrews can you check out "brewbitz homebrew shop" the video is called " how to sterilize homebrew equipment" and give me your thoughts on it? Is this hokum? Thank you. I have been boiling my equipment since starsan is not available here and have deformed a couple of air locks by not paying attention to what I was doing. Again, thank you both. Your videos are inspiring.

[@dr.arunbhatp.2021]

Very nice content. I have a suggestion/idea for wine/mead. Have you heard of betel leaves? It is a heart shaped leaf with a strong pleasant aroma & sharp taste with tingling sensation at the end. It's also called as Paan Leaves. In india it is usually consumed after food; known to aid in digestion. It has spicy version where betel leaf is chewed along with arecanut(betel nut) and lime. Makes the mouth red. Sweet version is betel leaf coupled with fennel seeds, rose petal jam(Gulkand). I was thinking wine made from betel leaves, fennel seeds and rose petal jam (Gulkand) might be a good idea, (if leaves are available at your place)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I've heard of betel nut? Same thing or no?

[@dr.arunbhatp.2021]

@@CitySteadingBrews Betel nut is also called as arecanut (obtained from tall palm kind of tree) which usually paired with betel leaves (obtained from vines) & they are not the same thing. Betel leaves (a.k.a paan leaves) are heart shaped leaves with a unique superb aroma & taste(peppery, floral, minty) Its unlike anything you have ever tasted. If you can get hold of the vine, you can grow at your place.

[@justinrinehart3579]

Sees Brian pull out his phone to use the calculator. Memories of teachers telling me I wont always have a calculator intensify.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yep, I think of that too!

[@directx3497]

It’s almost a year, what happened to the concentrate? Did you guys make a payment?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It didn't work out. Long story.

[@directx3497]

Sorry to hear that. Sounded great lol

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@@directx3497 It happens :)

[@thenordicthirstofnorsepaga8694]

Hey guys didnt know where to put this I went on Amazon to order more starsan and it says it can no longer be Delivered to my area because it’s a hazardous material I live in North Carolina

[@Fenixsweden]

Thank god i didn´t eat while watching this, :P That sound? While pouring the grapes? Eeeww! XD

[@CKNonsense]

Have you ever thought about making your own balsamic style vinegar?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes but it takes years to produce!

[@CKNonsense]

@@CitySteadingBrews I know. You basically need to start it, store it somewhere and forget it or something :D

[@CKNonsense]

And it takes a long time to barrel age, doesn't it?

[@williammentink]

@@CKNonsense I heard it takes 12 years.

[@tracychesnutt3660]

My standard comment is sweet! Evidently I'm correct. 😁 Has there been a kombucha video yet? Might be fun! (Except for the scobie thing)

[@MegaWesje]

I told you home-made Kombucha is lovely :-)

[@gertballyhead]

I can't believe y'all haven't done a scuppernong wine yet

[@jassonford7269]

You also could’ve made a killer jam

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Soooo many seeds.

[@nathanielsizemore3946]

When you label them, don't forget to note the specific gravity.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We did.

[@kaku_zato]

just sanitized with hot water? no TRBOS? :O

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can but... it’s all sanitized anyway.

[@donaldbower4097]

Looks good, are you guys going to make wine with it

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We talked about uses in the video... wine is just one, but yes.

[@donaldbower4097]

Sorry, video was stuck loading, so thought of this before watching the video

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@@donaldbower4097 no worries!

[@MrAaronPotter]

How do you think that juice would turn out as a grape jelly? :D

[@blakeb9792]

I feel the same about these seltzers, they suck. All of them. Reminds me of ZIMA. There are so many things that I can think of that are better. Like almost every drink ever lol

[@uscitizen898]

You can "sort of" speed up that process of boiling the grapes down by using smaller amounts of grapes in the pan. Is it more time consuming in the long run if you have a lot of grapes? I guess that's questionable. We bought a property that has an orchard and a vineyard. Talk about TOOOOO many grapes! Yup...I think we can safely say we might be harvesting at least a 1000 pounds or more....unless the birds help out. ;-)

[@chefntoast]

Ya had me at moderate squeezing

[@aaronsautter4872]

We just put the fruit through a food processor and then use our fruit press.

[@franklincone4636]

Good day I have a question because of yall I started making mead so I jumped in with both feet started on the 1st joined all kinds of groups and all that ... now my question is yall get a lot of hate on social media people saying yall dont know what yall are talking about why? Should I be worried as I followed "my first mead recipe " yall put out everyone saying it could make me sick

[@CitySteadingBrews]

There's a lot of hate out there in the world. There's a lot of people that want to think mead making is difficult and "not for everyone", but in reality it was done by the women of the house, as was beer and right IN THE HOME. Nothing fancy, no specialized gear, they just did it and it was dead simple. Many out there want to keep secrets, or whatever, but we just make mead and teach others how to brew. Some don't like that we do it so simply, and I say, you can do it however you like. This hobby can be as simple as you like to as complex as you like. Sick? No. Anyone who tells you that brew will make you sick has no idea what they're talking about. If anything, all the chemicals many suggest have a higher likelihood of making some people sick. Just remember, no matter what you do in life, there will be people telling you you're doing it wrong. Thousands of people tell us all the time how much they love the brews they made as a result of learning from our channel. I'd call that a pretty good body of experience to say you will be fine. Sorry you're getting such varied opinions, but, one thing I will tell you... try it. The dangers of homebrew are few and very far between. If it smells noxious, don't drink it. If it tastes awful enough to make you retch, don't drink it or swallow. That's pretty much it. FYI, I've only dumped out two or three brews and they were my own mistakes, and it was obvious there was a problem. That's a few out of hundreds and hundreds. We've stored our meads and wines for years, no problem. We've never had one explode either. I say try it whichever way you prefer, and make your own decisions based on that. Just remember, you can ALWAYS make it more complicated but that doesn't always mean it will taste better.

[@AdamFranklin500]

Its haters being A holes. They see the success of City Steading and the fact they prove that all those chemicals and crap are not needed and the chem loving mediocre brewers get jealous and butthurt so they decide to turn on people like Brian and Derica. Its quite sad and pathetic really. In my honest opinion City Steading is all you need for helpful advice that WILL improve your brewing skills. The other brewers and brewing channels can quite frankly go fornicate with themselves. I have had dozens of extremely successful brews thanks for City steading, i strongly recommend go through all their videos and you’ll see for yourself. You’re always gonna get people that like to sh*t on other people because they lead sad, uninteresting lives.

[@paulallerston3771]

I've been brewing for almost fifteen years using methods identical to Brian and Derica and I can honestly say I've never had or known a brew made by natural methods make me sick. As has already been said, many, many brewers out there peddle the idea that homebrewing has to be complicated, mysterious and difficult, with chemicals and additives to make it "safe". I call BS. The fewer ingredients you can use, the better your brews will be, and the less likely they will be to make you ill. Follow Brian's methods and I guarantee you'll never drink a better brew.

[@franklincone4636]

I've watched every video they have put out that's why I followed their recipe for my first mead I love this channel

[@franklincone4636]

Thanks for the insurance I truly believe I'm following the right people

[@fgconnolly4170]

is no one talking about the fact that the *grape* juice came out brown?

[@mandolinman2006]

Probably just a combination of it being concentrated with the lighting and camera distortion. That particular cultivar of muscadine is a purplish black. The straight juice is a reddish purple and, if cut, more like a ruby red.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Also cooking it takes some of the red away.

[@fgconnolly4170]

@@CitySteadingBrews okay thnx

[@mrmcgrundle9925]

I have steadily noticed the Norse symbols Brian wears. Brian, You wouldn't happen to follow the old ways do you? Or you Derica?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not exactly no. Just both of Norse heritage and rather proud of it and quite interested in it.

[@kjcayote930]

Steamer juicer would have worked. Easy. Just saying

[@CitySteadingBrews]

That’s just another THING to have to oeep around but it would work.

[@fgconnolly4170]

Do you make jam? If you do can you make a video on it? if not... *DO*

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We don't really... but if we do it would have to be a sugar free version and it'd be on our Homemade and Healthy Channel.

[@aaronsautter4872]

Why not just let the fruit thaw out before cooking, instead of freezing your fingers trying to break it up?

[@davepeterschmidt5818]

Oh man, don't dump hot stuff into plastic! Lots more nasty stuff will leach out of the plastic when it gets hot.

[@philanderson2]

GRAPES OF WRATH............bad!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Just a joke.