How to Make Raisin Wine (Are Raisins Yeast Nutrient?)

How to Make a Raisin Wine and are raisins really yeast nutrient? Well, almost any fruit can be nutrient if you use enough. So many people have argued, cursed, yelled, thrown tantrums and called us liars over nutrients and raisins. Well, the truth is we don't really use raisins as nutrients. They do have SOME, but probably not enough nutrients to be truly a nutrient for yeast. Raisin Wine however, uses soooo many raisins that it's not only a nutrient, it's the only source of sugar and fermentables in the wine, well, there's half an orange too for brightness.
For years, winemakers, mead makers and home brewers believed raisins were nutrients for yeast. Well, they are, but not as much as people believed. An interesting fact though is if you're making wine, you already have fruit in there to be nutrient and if you're making mead, unless you are making a pure traditional mead, you have other things in there for nutrient already. We don't believe in adding extra additives to our brews, so we try to avoid lab made nutrients when we can.
Yes, we did a test of nutrients vs yeast, but that was really only to prove that nutrients aren't 100% necessary. So what will happen if you use raisins instead of nutrients in your wine? Well, you might have a bit more lag time (that's the time it takes the colony to build up before they start producing alcohol), you might have a slower fermentation (not necessarily a bad thing, as fermentation can add flavor, think sourdough in bread, the longer it ferments the more unique the flavors 'can' be). You CAN get off flavors, and sometimes they aren't all that great, but the good news is those off flavors can age out.
If you add nutrients, you might get a slightly faster fermentation and might cut a few months off the aging time. You also might get a metallic or chemical flavor in your brew. I can taste the difference and thousands of people have told me they can too.
Anyway, back to raisin wine. Raisin wine used to be vastly popular because raisins were cheaper than sugar. Today, it's the other way around, but raisins still give a lot more flavor to the wine than plain sugar does.
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Ingredients:
3 pounds Raisins
1 teaspoon Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast
1/2 an Orange Quartered
Water to a gallon
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[@CitySteadingBrews]

Okay... people seem to be taking this as us saying raisins are a great nutrient. No, they're not. They do offer a little, but that's about it. Now, add enough (literally fill the fermenter) and you do get some more of course. This was more or less a joke video, though the wine we made will be drinkable, probably.

[@claymore609]

I just realized we have the same plates, square red/black. Cool can wait for the review.

[@AskrNjordr]

Here's my question for you though. How Fermentable was it or nutrient rich compared to a similar amount of fruit? I imagine most people would consider the amount of raisins used normally, replaced with fruits would have a similar yield of nutrient.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@@AskrNjordr every fruit is a little different but it is fruit so... similar?

[@rogergibbs2937]

Made this and it is delicious, very slow to ferment due to the cold we here in Aust have been going through, but well worth the wait. Did back sweeten though.

[@Delldgm]

@@rogergibbs2937 , an aussie Yay! would love to know where and what brands of things you get and how you convert these guys recipes (they are by far and away the best videos for newbies to start with in my opinion) in to australian measurements and brands.

[@BobakMASD1]

Hi guys... Just caught this vid and was pleasantly surprised. My grandparents, and Mom & Dad use to make raisin wine (along with elderberry wine) WAY back in the day. With regard to the "raisin cutter" question I just thought I would share that my elders used to "smash" the raisins before adding them. This prevents the raisins from sucking up all the liquid and not extracting anything. When I say "smash", I mean they literally SMASHED them. Think of smashing a clove of garlic when cooking and you'll get the concept. Just thought I'd share what I learned as a kid in the 60's! Just thought I'd share...

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks! Helpful info.

[@caninedrill_instructor5861]

Thanks, I may take your information and Brian and Ms. Derica's recipe and see how it goes. After I invest in a little big mouth bubbler...

[@PaulSHelms]

Raisins are literally the sugars & other nutrients left in a grape after taking all or nearly all of the water out of them... sounds like a perfect nutrient source to me. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@aukedeboer191]

And the nice thing about (whole) rasins, is that they release their sugar slowly. Which is nice for yeast.

[@flabbergastednut]

Brian: "This is nuts!" No Brian, those are raisins. ;)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Haha, someone has jokes :)

[@torjones1701]

dammit... stole my line! :)

[@TheWookiee89]

i would have used a hand blender to "process" the raisins to give the yeast better access to the sugars inside the raisins also more viable drink at the end

[@rickn8or]

I'm in the "Raisin-Chopping" camp also. I have a 1-pint Black & Decker food chopper that I use when the wine recipe calls for two ounces of raisins. Throw them in there, with a little water and blend the fool out of 'em. With a recipe like this, I'd do the same thing with my Cuisinart. In fact, I do this whenever I'm using for-real fruit in a batch. And thanks for trying this; I haven't found a raisin wine recipe I liked until now.

[@LatinDanceVideos]

Yes. Other recipes out raisins in a blender

[@aukedeboer191]

@@LatinDanceVideos I made a nice wine without cutting up the raisins. The wine becomes more fruity and does not taste heavily like raisins. The nice thing about raisins is they release their sugar and nutrients slowly. As the sugar rate in you must gets lower the raisin will release more sugar due osmosis.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yeast are microscopic. Raisins are loaded with damaged cells. Cutting makes little difference really.

[@aukedeboer191]

@@CitySteadingBrews My wine gets clear more easy if I don't cut up my raisins. I did make wine with cut up raisins once, and it stayed hazy.

[@frogjunk]

What did you sanitize in? Some sort of non-colored holding receptacle?

[@lucasthijssen9844]

I am from Italy and came across your channel. Amarone and Recioto are passito wines of the valpolicella region, near Verona. Passito means made with dried grapes. They are very good wines, very expensive, and with hich alcohol content. Probably, after the secondary fermentation you will have reached a 15% alcohol content.

[@MrBigMSG]

I knew this day would come. Even as an experiment, you've lost your mind. I'm good with that. In fact, I like it.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Bwahaha!

[@ddfelix4829]

Mudder's Milk: all the protein, vitamins and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15 percent alcohol.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I tried to find a clip to use but alas...

[@Toph_Not_E-Bender]

Some of the best dessert wines are essentially raisins. Botryris wines aka noble rot wines are caused by a fungus that grows on the grape that causes it to shrivel up on the vine (famously Sauternes wine). Many other great dessert wines around the world are from dried grapes, whether being dried on hot rooftops or in hay bales in the mountains. I see ZERO issue with making a "raisin" wine at home. Great idea CS!

[@hantms]

Wait what? What did you guys sanitize things in????! We need to know! I can't sleep for sure tonight not knowing HOW it was sanitized!? A tub of some kind? What color was it? I have SO many questions.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

haha

[@bearhudson1045]

this was a truly fun vid. thank you, i need this one today. hope it turns out good. thanks for making these great vids.

[@nathanielsizemore8594]

Give your chickens the spent raisins. Lol

[@smoochysmoochy7267]

I Love This Episode Blyan. I VE run into the same problem with Just so much smoosh fruit in jar u cant even get a reading. So I m Bad😮I use My Fruit press😊 And No Vinegar Brews HAPPENED YET😂❤😘

[@richardk5246]

I just bought a winemaking book from 1968, "Winemaking with canned and dried fruit" by C J J Berry from the UK and it has a raisin wine recipe in it, I only read the recipe yesterday and here you are doing a raisin wine. I'm very new to the world of brewing, so new in fact that I've only ever done one brew and I was inspired to do it by your good selves. The universe has just thrown me another weird synchronicity as a good friend in catering just gave me some huge 6lb 10oz catering cans of Gooseberries that are about to go beyond their best before date but I have no idea what to do with them. I wondered if I could make wine from them? The ingredients on the can say Gooseberries, sugar and water, nothing else. The book has a recipe for gooseberry wine made from canned gooseberries but I'm having problems following it. The recipe says to throw the syrup away and just use the fruit but it just seems such a waste, especially as it says to add sugar to it . I'm at a loss. I think I'm in over my head to be honest. I might end up making pies. Lots and lots of pies. Long comment over. Thanks.

[@richardk5246]

@@stanervin6108 Thank you very much Stan. I still have the cans of Gooseberries so I will give it a go. Thanks again.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not true... needs to be more like pH 4-5

[@richardk5246]

@@CitySteadingBrews Thank you. @Stan Ervin I think I have to side with @CS Mead and More on the subject of brewing, they have so much knowledge. I literally know nothing. Not saying you don't but I really do trust these guys, they're great. Maybe you should do a collaboration. or failing that have a wrestle off. Only joking!! I'm in over my head here. Thanks for the advice.

[@AdamFranklin500]

It’ll be interesting to see how this experiment turns out over time

[@armedbear529]

...what was it all sanitized in? I must know.

[@vieworama8188]

As a chef using oranges for savory and desserts, I wouldn't leave the white parts of the oranges inside, the essential oil are very bitter and it sticks to your tongue. The flesh is also pretty tasteless after juicing them, and it ferments quickly leaving an unpleasant smell, I would only use the juice and zest.

[@realistic-location9213]

After watching a dozen or so episodes from this channel I've noticed that they talk about sanitizacion a lot. It actually reminds me of gun channels. And I'll tell you what I mean. When you're watching most gun channels they go out of their way to demonstrate that a gun has been cleared constantly. Almost sarcastically in the same way that these guys talk about sanitize ation sarcastically. I think it's funny.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yeah they do talk about it a lot... kind of like it's important or something :P

[@realistic-location9213]

@@CitySteadingBrews nope, that can't be it.

[@MrKongatthegates]

soak/simmer the grapes, then put in a blender. then make wine out of that!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

For dried fruit, that's not really necessary as yeast are microscopic and get all the sugars anyway.

[@alatobca]

Wait, what did you sanitize your gear in?

[@necropasha]

Raisins are amazing fermentation nutrients. They have been used that way historically, and I had always great success with them. Also there are recipes where you sort of cut the raisins into smaller chunks, mash / boil them and use that for fermentation (after filtering of course.) Raisin wine is a thing.

[@ravendon]

Raisins are grapes without water. If you make wine with grapes, then they must be pretty decent food and nutrients for yeast.... You may want to smash or cut the raisins so they don't suck up air and water and become buoyant. Also, removing the raisins removes the food source for the yeast, so you are terminating most of the fermintation possible.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Raisins are not a viable nutrition source. The amount needed is so much that it's a but ridiculous :) as we showed. Even grape wine makers add nutrients to their wines today. Can yeast ferment without additional nutrients? Yes, but they can stall, cause off flavors, etc. as for removing the raisins... fermentation ends when the sugars are consumed or the alcohol tolerance of the yeast is reached.

[@infoscholar5221]

Fun vid. The fruit to fluid ratio is interesting....it makes me ponder that the first alcohol was probably drunk off old porridge-like mashes in ancient settings, by the women responsible for the cooking, maybe they thought of it as a curative or pain reliever.

[@alexthomas6602]

I think that would be cool to have a brew from just stuff you can forage

[@JarlGrimmToys]

I intend to make some blackberry wine from foraged blackberries. Got a bunch yesterday and froze them but need more, just got to wait for more to ripen.

[@Bob_Belcher]

@@JarlGrimmToys We got some blackberries in our backyard most years. I might go back out there soon to check for some

[@stanervin6108]

@@JarlGrimmToys One of my most delightful (and delicious) wines was a 4 gallon batch of blackberry wine that did a wild ferment and went on for at least two months. Very slow. But I was patient and didn't bother it. Bottled up, corked, and aged in the basement. Five years later I opened a bottle for a tasting of some 30-odd summer fruit wines. It came in second place behind crabapple wine. Wish that I would have saved some of the wild yeast in the lees. That was early in my foray into wine, mead, and beer experimentation. As in before I wrote anything down. Before owning a hydrometer. Back when I would scavenge empty bottles from the dumpster behind the steakhouse for cleaning up and reuse. Bought corks from the mom 'n' pop hardware store. BTW, that wine was very clear purple-black and was as strong as a good port, about 19-20% abv. 🍷🥂

[@papertiz]

Elderberry wine is great!

[@papasmurf9146]

I cut my raisins ... based on one of your earlier videos. In this case, I would have been tempted to put in half the water and use an hand blender (before the orange went in) on the raisins.

[@andygeorgiou2846]

Don’t underestimate water guys

[@givemeabreak8784]

Someone used raisins as a yeast in a mead 👍👍 . Instead of yeast he used a cup of raisins 🤔🤔

[@CitySteadingBrews]

They still used yeast. Wild yeast on the raisins.

[@robertperson670]

I wonder if you guys have any thoughts about making a wine from "exotic" fruits, like starfruit or dragonfruit. Id be curious. Maybe a comparison between whole fruit like this video vs a pureed fruit/juice would be interesting in regards to fermentation.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We had a starfruit tree in our yard. It produced a lot of fruit. We tried starfruit.... pretty bland and boring. I made a wine from it. Badly. It tasted like grapefruit and I hated it. Long story short, we cut down that tree, and put in beauty berries, mulberries, beans and an elderberry in it's place. I don't like starfruit. Dragonfruit? We got one to taste... bland and boring, can't see it coming through in a fermentation to be honest.

[@ll3174]

@@CitySteadingBrews how about paw paw fruit I hear it’s pretty good

[@BlackKitten0069]

I made this wine exactly... I was able to use the raisins more than once and it's really really good.

[@CambrianTurkey]

Heh this video is awesome. When I first started, I saw your Viking Blod video, and got inspired to make my own. I couldn’t find your video at the time so I googled a recipe. It called for you to make a raisin mead (12 lbs honey, 5 lbs raisins or something like that) let that ferment, then add the mashed cherries after it stopped fermenting. SUPER strong like yours in this video. Barely taste the cherry. Now I know it probably needs more time, I’m glad I saved some for later! Keep on doing good work!

[@nargyle4382]

I know we aren't supposed to talk about raisins/dried fruit being nutrients anymore, but, while I am very modern in my mead making (nutrient schedules, daily aeration, correct fermentation temps, misc powders), I've noticed that when I ferment with large volumes of dried fruit, the fermentation is incredibly fast and active. For example, I'm currently making a 5 gallon bucket mead out of dried plums (5lbs) and black currants (1lb). The fruit takes up about 1/3 the bucket. In 72 hours, with 3 packs of D47, goferm rehydration, and daily nutrient feeding (fermaid O day 2, fermaid K day 3), I'm currently sitting at an SG of 1.014. The original gravity was 1.07 not including the fruit which, because it was dried, may have put the OG as high as 1.1. That's insane, and it only happens like that with dried fruits. Dried fruit meads can take days instead of weeks to ferment dry. There's more nutrient there than people think, if in sufficient quantity.

[@wumpscutx1]

You are a brave man Brian, that wine looked like a toilet after a person has eaten to many raisins.

[@michaeljanes7086]

Two observations. Before they were raisins they were grapes. And the other thing I've wondered about is Ice Wine which is made from frozen dehydrated grapes picked in the dead of winter. Wouldn't these grapes basically be raisins and I would think you could make a "Copy Cat" ice wine from raisins.

[@dewayneshondee4335]

Been making raisin wine for 15+ years. Even have several bottles that are stored for over 10 years.

[@robertjeffery3237]

Shoulda put it in a bucket... 😊

[@CitySteadingBrews]

There's always one.

[@robertjeffery3237]

CS Brews wine press, Brian. Wine press...

[@elricthebald870]

BUCKET !!! 😜 🤪 Awesome experiment. 👍 Looking forward to see the result. And even if it fails it's still a great experiment. And it does clearly proof raisins DO contain nutrients.

[@michaeldirienzo3749]

You are a great team

[@JohnCunningham-iz1js]

It's much easier to cut the raisins and boil them for about 20 mins then cook on medium heat another 10 mins drain juice produced by raisins let liquid cool then start wine making process...

[@Nudgeworth]

CAPTAIN CAAAAAAVE MAAN!! I remember that show, I had completely forgotten about it. Thank you for the reminder

[@armedbear529]

Hi, I’m Someone. You should have put it in a bucket.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You're... like 5th to say that... soooooo last week, lol.

[@armedbear529]

CS Brews First!

[@MandalorV7]

What about using other dried fruits in brews? When I was making a blueberry, maple mead, I did put some dried blueberries in. Not sure how it effected taste as I am still letting it age.

[@VETOTHEGWEDO]

Derica's perma-frown is awesome! Happy, Sad, Disapproval, Mad, we don't know! Stay on you're toes people!

[@waynekerrgoodstyle]

A raisin is a dried grape, so therefore you can make wine from them. Infact you can make a fermented drink out of any plantlife...I can't gaurantee it will taste good 🤣 but it can be done.

[@paulallerston3771]

Raisin wine/mead is great... raisin & date wine is also great... time heals all brews. ;)

[@tazzyhyena6369]

I would have probably soaked the raisins in boiling water first to keep them from soaking it all up and to sterilize them because I am a little paranoid with fermented products

[@message3381]

LMAO, I love you guys, but this is a little silly with no room for a decent amount of water...lol

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It’s a to gue in cheek vid as we said!

[@ianspurgeon1714]

I love to watch you guys after a hard day at work. Gives me some great ideas and I get a smile on my face when I see a notification. Y’all keep up the videos you’re doing great. 👍🏻😁

[@AskrNjordr]

I want to say great video but what I really need to say is Great Videos! I have been jumping around your channel nonstop for over a month now and finally got all of my resources to make my own Mead. Oct 12th I started my own Cyser or two, 13th a monster of flavors as a test, and then on the 14th I made a Blackberry Melomel. I already have many ambitions with Mead but I need to pace myself and give it the time it needs. Pyment later today! A project with my mother of her own flavor choices and then I am making a "standard" Mead with 3 pounds honey, some raisins, and water in a gallon vessel. Thank you for the content you are making, great perspectives from both of you and a wonderful hobby.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thank you so much! It's so nice to hear things like this. Glad we can help!

[@Eistier]

i'm glad youtube recommended me this video; sweet old memories... when i was younger (of legal srinking age and poor) i had made raising wine in empty 1.5l soda bottles using aquarium tubing as blow off tubes and cutting the raisins up with scissors. It worked and, at least in my memory, tasted good; thought i'm going to label it rather unlikely that i'll repeat that exact execution.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Actually, Vin Santo or raisin wine is pretty great!

[@tomymathew9351]

This is a wonderful "lesson"! How are you doing? You make me laugh sometimes and I love your jokes and expressions! I'm successful in making wine as per your ideas! It is always successful!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Glad you liked it!

[@mustavertwang]

so glad I found your channel greetings from England.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Welcome!

[@helloskymoon]

SUN-MAID RAISIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY CHILDHOOD SNACK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@comesahorseman]

This just might be worth trying with golden raisins. Hmmmm...

[@sommer7808]

I made something like this before and I remember that I blended my raisin with some water and that worked wonderful

[@ranthropologist]

I'm commenting this only partway through the video (I know, bad idea, but I'm excited!) because I wasn't sure if you knew something important! The reason Kosher wine is usually/historically sweet is because Ashkenazi Jews, living in the cold climate of Central and Eastern Europe, couldn't get fresh grapes to make wine with, so we made it with raisins, just like this! Well, maybe not *just* like this, but you get the idea.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

There's nothing saying raisins can't make a dry wine though....

[@HumorousDefect]

I just finished 25 gallons of Raisin wine and 10 gallons of dried cherry wine. I collected these raisins and cherries over time from commodities. 20 pounds of raisins and 4 lb of dried cherries it turned out really great. I drink it every day as it's my only wine I have now I had not seen this video till now. You guys are great

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Awesome!

[@maryanngeorge4672]

Will you be able to put a video with the actual recipe. This is just random

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@@maryanngeorge4672 are you asking us? If so, it's right in the video and description.

[@Hin_Håle]

Do people not know that raisins are dried grapes? Grapes! Yes, I would have: 1. Cut the raisins or, better yet, run them through a meat grinder. I think it releases more of the sugar directly into the liquid and helps the yeasties out a bit. 2. Used a bigger bucket and made a bigger batch to start with. Having cut the raisins would probably help when squeezing the bejeezus out of them but I think it's just unavoidable that you're going to lose a lot of luquid to those dry, little buggers. 3. Only used the juice and the outer rind of the orange. The white stuff just makes everything bitter. I love these kinds of experiments. Many a wonderful invention started with someone scratching their chin and saying "I wonder what would happen if...".

[@CitySteadingBrews]

'sigh', I did it the simplest way to prove it can still be done.

[@jsaucee1]

Just realized at the end of the video how much I liked the background

[@townsville69]

You could try putting all the raisins and some water in a blender. Whip it into a slurry and then pitch the yeast.

[@wongahbee4074]

Hi, can you please advise whether I can make wine with my left over dried fruits which I used for baking? Please share your recipe for the dried fruit wine if you have any. Thanks

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sure you can.

[@LycaonsMemories]

god i wish i could post this in the local brew channel.... to bad they banned me for calling out a troll who always asked "did you use raisins for nutrients"

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Haha, join the club. I've been banned from a lot of online forums for saying "You don't need sorbate".

[@yiohanessbach2407]

Commenting about the orange wine, done it twice , went pretty ok , one with fresh squeezed and later from concentrated juice..for any recommendations or any kind of tips I can provide ,plz kindly send me a mail and'll get back to u..thanks for all the brews and for being kinda my mentors to this new world! Greetings from Hellas ;)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I'm not sending you an email. We use the comment section of our channel to answer questions and give advice. So if you want to share anything, this is the place to do it.

[@Knife_Collector]

Can someone tell me why some of my containers have the foam to boil over? I just made several containers, and some foamed about 1/4 inch and then went down and started bubbling, and some boiled over out of the container for most of the night,, you could hear the foam and bubbles escaping. Same amount of yeast, sugar and juice, just different type juices. The worst one was pineapple. All juices had the same ingredients. Now I have a mess in the pan the containers are in.. all this said, will the boiling over affect anything?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Some brews are just more active than others.

[@DinksDinersArtbox]

I'm making raisin vinegar /water/raisiins.. stir stir stir. looking forward to salad dressing.

[@keithmcauslan943]

I kept expecting you at the beginning, to say, Raisins are dried grapes, and no one has ever made wine from grapes....... Oh, yes ALL traditional wines are made from grapes. Yes I would have cut up the raisons. The skin of a raison is a protective layer, keeping it intact is going to limit the sugars from coming out. I suspect you did not come anywhere near the expected gravity. So yes the yeast has eaten all of the available sugars but that is no where near all of the sugars that could have been processed.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Dehydration breaks up cell walls though... it's fine. Obviously yeast fermented the sugars :)

[@philwfacts5649]

This is straw wine? Right? During prohibition wine makers would sell a brick of grapes. It would have wild yeast and it would say “ this is for education, under , do not add 5 gallons of water and let it sit for 5 weeks, do not consume” I just thought it was funny

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It is. Straw Wine, Passito, or Raisin Wine all mean the same thing really. Yup! Heard that prohibition thing before, lol.

[@jimmieburleigh9549]

Isn't sunmaid raisins sun dryed? So wouldn't there be a bunch of wild yeast on them.? My train of thought was thinking why not top it off with water and maybe a couple cups of the raisins. I bet those raisins would make a awesome bread pudding or a fruit cake.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Could have used the wild yeast yep.

[@toddjohnson5692]

My dad once made a 'wine' that was called 'jungle juice'. It was basically raisins and any overripe fruit you could buy for cheap. I think his ended up with bananas and peaches and plums.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It’s still very much a fruit wine, yep.

[@Fenixsweden]

Gotta say, i absolutely LOVE the animations and extra little things you are putting in the videos now! It´s fabulous!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@hantms]

I have a question on temperature during primary fermentation of a wine or mead: how does a very high temperature affect things? I live in a tropical country and unlike in the USA it's not common to have central air conditioning here that you keep running all of the time. Looking at the thermometer in my kitchen right now it's... close to 90 F. How does this affect things? Would it be something you would be interested to try, by leaving a fermenter in the garage or another non air conditioned area? My impression is that fermentation starts quick and is very vigorous, but perhaps the the longevity (or perhaps alcohol tolerance?) is reduced.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I don't like it to be over 80, but that's me. If you can't keep your house that cool... well, the trick I have figured out is a large tub of water, enough to go halfway up on the fermenter but not over the top or enough to float it. Then get towels and soak them in the water, wrap around the fermenter. The evaporation of water will cool them. You will have to wet the towels once a day or maybe more, but it should keep the temp down enough.

[@hantms]

@@CitySteadingBrews Very happy, the end result turned out okay! :) Original Spgr was 1.115, end Spgr 1.022... So that's very sweet by my standards but probably just fine, all things considered? Around 12% abv and sweet tasting. It's also extremely clear, in 2 and a half weeks. I just racked it into a smaller 5 liter bottle. But with some ice and lime juice (and maybe a dash of sparkling water) it's kind of lovely. (Is that a thing by the way, adding a bit of lime to mead, in the glass?) Thank you so much for everything you do, this is the most I've learned in my life since leaving school. :)

[@sebsefyu]

If i drop 25 raisins into mead as nutrient in primary will yeast completely dissolve it into yeast cake? I don't want to rerack for 25 raisins. If not then i won't use it? Thank you in advance.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Raisins aren't nutrient. They also don't break down very much.

[@SnarkNSass]

Lol 👍 I made "Raisin Jack" twice. (See comment on tasting video). I didn't use anything but raisins, rapid rise yeast and a good heap of sugar. It was one of the highest proof Porch Wines I ever made. The first batch never cleared but I didn't let it sit bottled in the fridge very long. 2nd batch was way less "thick" and almost see thru...it's so dark! I ended up splitting the batch into multiple jars because of that thirsty raisin problem. I simmered the raisins to rehydrated them and I think it caused ALL the sugars to release better. It was crazy high proofed. I have never figured out a way to check alcohol content besides just tasting it. Apparently raisins are a staple wine ingredient in prison.😳 😂 All of my Porch Wine making is a mad scientist experiment. I've trial n errored all of it. Maybe one of these days I might get some better yeast and even one of those air bubble dealys!😂 ✌🍷

[@jasongurganus9860]

I put raisins in my day old mead and it went crazy bubbling with the yeast

[@susanngeorgia2024]

I bet you could have gotten away with out adding any yeast. My uncle brews and told me that the white film on the outside of fruit like on the skin of grapes, raisins, plumbs, ect is actually wild yeast.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sure. Wild yeast is in honey and on fruit. Buuut, it’s unpredictable that’s why we use commercial yeast.

[@Skulltap]

That's a lot of wanna be grapes. Wonder if it will be similar to a pyment when all is said and done, only really tannic. I was surprised that went so crazy with that much head room, guess after they absorbed all that water that head room disappeared.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Pyment needs honey.

[@jdhiv4]

Bread yeast can go up into high teens or 20's % no alcohol consistency in that type of yeast designed for bread. Learned that when I made Joe's Ancient Orange Mead.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

True enough.

[@jasminhill6748]

Did you ever notice that the raisins were losing color? It kind of looks like it in the video but it may just be me. I am making a small batch of mead and noticed that my raisins are turning white...

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Now that you mention it... they do lose some.

[@gutsandgrittv5076]

Raisins with strawberries next time might be fun!

[@klaysmith9675]

Why not run those raisins through a juicer to get the rest of the liquid out of them?

[@popeye1313]

You said Headroom is really not a concern but in the case of making this raisin wine it's still fermenting a little so is that why you're not concerned and let's just say if it wasn't fermenting would Headroom be an issue

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It’s not something to fear, but you should keep an eye on headroom. If it’s done fermenting and degassed you want as little headroom as is practical.

[@tyronecrossmanphotography2713]

I've been making this and it's really nice!

[@GOzHARd901]

Wait raisins are dried grapes, the ingredients for wine are grape juice and yeast...so yeah by definition raisins, water and yeast ought to do it. Heck blend the water and raisins in a blender first then go, as grapes are crushed first...

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Satire... yes.

[@DB-thats-me]

Just checking, there’s more to come on this experiment? 🤔 Why? If it works, I’m giving it a try! 😳

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes. Still sitting in conditioning phase.

[@Hawaiian_Shirt_guy]

9.25 straining the wine off the fruit throw a pillow case is a time-honored tradition in hillbilly winemaking.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not sure what the pillowcase does.... there's far better methods!

[@redbeardthepink4809]

If I understand the various sides of the debate properly, the anti-raisin people seem to be saying that raisins aren't a suitable substitute for a yeast nutrient like Fermado or Fermax. I have no idea if that's true, it's just what i hear them saying.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup, we say that too.

[@redbeardthepink4809]

@@CitySteadingBrews yeah, I mostly hear y'all talk about using them for flavor, which is also why I like using them in some stuff ☺️

[@jdhiv4]

What about CO2 purging the air out of the squeeze bucket n glass fermenter before you dumped back in?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not really needed since the brew is giving off tons of co2.

[@loremipsur3813]

I make raisin wine every year and I would hydrate the raisins overnite and mash them the next day, extract all the juices and then start fermenting it. Worked all the time. And yes....good ol bread yeast stayed faithful.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sounds great!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have videos on raisin wine.

[@drkaustubhwagh9779]

I am doing the same recepie of active bakers yeast with black raisins,raw honey, lemon zest and juice, black cherry plum, together with cinnamon powder . Today is day 1

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Please don't use 3 lbs of raisins in a gallon....

[@drkaustubhwagh9779]

I had to open the lid a bit. I also count take specific gravity reading

[@marinemike01]

Hopefully you used a bucket. lol

[@yashbhaskar3951]

It’s similar to passito wine 🤔

[@connissia]

You're showing your age with that Tootsie Pop and Captain Caveman clips. 😉😁

[@CitySteadingBrews]

:P

[@billybass6419]

I was a correctional officer when I was young. The convicts (I think) would put one box of raisins (about 12oz I believe), a couple cups sugar, and a pack of bread yeast in a gallon of water. Quick and easy. Anyway, how did it come out?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We just published this video recently, and it will take some time to "finish" completely.

[@billybass6419]

@@CitySteadingBrews Can't wait.

[@PacesIII]

We used to just make raisin jack. Not the freezer type. 5 gallon carboy, 10 pounds of raisins, 10 pounds sugar, 3 packets bread yeast. Fill with enough water to bring up to 5 gallons and you get some pretty decent wine in about a month. Rack it off and enjoy, as long as it's done.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

That’s just raisin wine :)

[@PacesIII]

@@CitySteadingBrews Yes. Yes it is. And it's darn delicious.

[@LevidelValle]

I think some species would help the flavor, like clove, anise, nutmeg or cinnamon.

[@johnboardman5852]

I think you should have shuck the bejesus out of it...

[@m.d.1532]

I'm excited about this experiment. Did you use distilled water or filtered water?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Filtered. Distilled has all the minerals removed... fermentation likes those.

[@andyn3532]

Also to be honest mate there's more raisin than alciohol hic

[@mutehowl]

Why wouldn't raisins work? Grapes make wine already and raisins are just dried grapes.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It's a rhetorical question :)

[@dinadaughtry8993]

Those raisins will look like the grapes that they where made from when they rehydrate

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup

[@craigslistposter25]

I just saw this video and its funny cause I had made a dried plum and raisin wine with cinnamon today. It smells so good I hope it tastes just as good when its done.

[@MegaKenroy1]

How'd your wine turn out?

[@craigslistposter25]

@@MegaKenroy1 It turned out good its on the sweet side but I like my wines sweet.