Elderflower Champagne recipes

[Nige69]

Followed the River Cottage recipe and tasted it today - turned out like syrup, really thick and very sweet - checking other recipes on the net and no 2 seem to be the same? The River Cottage recipe has the least amount of water by far to the amount of sugar?

Have we done something wrong??

Thinking of trying the following as a compromise to 3 I found, this time ignoring the River Cottage version:

25 Elderflower heads
1 Kg sugar,
3 lemons
4 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar
12 litres of water.

The method in all recipes seems similar but again an important point it seems which is not mentioned in the River Cottage method was the regular stirring during fermentation.

Your experiences and suggestions would be very welcome,

Cheers, Nige.

[danmon_81]

i too have just tasted mine for the 1st time...and it way too sweet...i'll defo use half the sugar next time!!!...How could i reduce the sweetness?? water it down?

[Nige69]

Help from the experts needed me finks!

Glad it is'nt just me then!!

[vicky]

I've had to add extra lemon juice to mine - much better!

[Nige69]

any help please?

[Rhona]

I knew I didn't want mine too sweet so didn't use half the amount of sugar. Mine didn't really ferment much in the barrel but looks as though it is doing in the bottles, thank goodness!

I'm about to go and raid neighbour's elderflower for more heads to do one last batch.

Nige, have you made elderflower cordial? Might be fine if you use it like that?

[Nige69]

Cordial heh.mmmmmmmmm.......not done that before

I knew I didn't want mine too sweet so didn't use half the amount of sugar. Mine didn't really ferment much in the barrel but looks as though it is doing in the bottles, thank goodness!

I'm about to go and raid neighbour's elderflower for more heads to do one last batch.

Nige, have you made elderflower cordial? Might be fine if you use it like that?

Never made it before but OH suggested diluting it. Anyway - took the plunge and made another batch today - will let you know how it goes..........here's hoping

[amandaandherveg]

My neighbour gave me a recipe for Elderflower Champagne that I was going to give try this week - 12%!!!!!!! Phew!!!!

[Brewer-again]

sweet river wine !!

One of the problems with the river cottage method is that it may not start fermenting. On his prog one did and one did not.

If you have a sweet drink I would make up a starter of one litre, white wine yeast and cordial/liquor (day one). Then when it has started to froth add more liquor to it (day two). Let this froth then add all the rest of the sweet stuff to the ferment and leave it under air lock till it stops plopping.

I think you will find it tastes like a much nicer dry and perfumed drink brewed this way.

This is a method of starting stuck or not started wines/brews. keep every thing clean and closed to air while working

[helly]

Hi Doe s anyone know whots the latest that you can pick elderflowers for making Champs
cheers

[finefencer]

Hello all....the big thing here is that you are relying on the wild yeast to do the fermentation....if the wild yeast is poor it won't ferment because the volume of sugar is to high.....my advise would be to buy a satern type yeast put some of your brew into a half filled bottle, put in your yeast....plug the neck of the bottle with cotton wool, and when the yeast is working nicely pour it back into your brew...cheers

[newbieveggie]

Hi everyone
I'm am a total novice to this brewing lark, but I spoke to a friend of mine who made elderflower champagne when he was a lad and he put it into a coke bottle and it exploded !. So my question is if I make it in a bucket, when do I transfer it into bottles and what type of bottles ? do I have to use demi johns ? Then how long after that can I taste it and how long does it keep ? I really want to make some this year so I am trying to accumulate knowledge now.
Hopin' you can help.
Michelle
x

[cwipnip]

turned out like syrup, really thick and very sweet

the reason it is too sweet is either not a long enough open (not in bottles) fermenting time so the yeast doesnt all convert the sugar to alcohol, or you have too much sugar so the yeast converts it into alcohol then gets killed by the alcohol.

so i would uses as hydrometer to work out when it has stopped fermenting and also use a high alcohol tolerent yeast (gets up to around 20%)

i tried it using dried elderflower heads and i bottled it too soon and in the middle of the night a beer bottle with it in exploded, which then punctured a plastic bottle soo then i had glass and about 1 litre of of elderflower champagne on my carpet

[Brewer-again]

champers ??

So you ferment out the elderflower wine, till it starts to clear, stops plopping.

Then add a controlled 1/2 teaspoon of sugar per pint and seal it in a suitable bottle which can take the pressure. Lemonade, cider, discarded champagne bottles? you get the idea.
Then it has to ferment again in the bottle and clear again, so don't rush.

[cwipnip]

although the bubbling might have stopped there still might be lots of yeast, i used a tonic water bottle which can take lots of pressure and it ballooned see i depressurised and a beer bottle with it in exploded