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Dandelion WineCountry Wine · Dry

Dandelion Wine

E
by @essesser
13%
ABV
1.095
OG
0.996
FG
4.5 litres batch · target 13% ABV
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About this recipe

Easy homemade dandelion wine recipe for one demijohn (1 gallon). Two litres of petals, oranges, lemon and patience. The lawn finally pays rent.

Ingredients

dandelion petals2 l
sugar1.1 kg
water4.5 l
oranges2
lemon1
campden tablet1
yeast nutrient1 tsp
sachet Lalvin 71B1

Method

1
Pick the flowers on a dry sunny day and pluck the petals free of all green
2
Pour boiling water over the petals in a sterilised bucket, cover, and steep 2 days, stirring daily
3
Strain through muslin into a clean bucket, squeezing gently
4
Add the sugar and the zest and juice of the oranges and lemon, stir until dissolved
5
Add a crushed campden tablet and leave 24 hours
6
Add the yeast and nutrient
7
Ferment 5 to 7 days
8
Transfer to a demijohn and fit an airlock
9
Ferment out for 2 to 5 weeks
10
Rack off the sediment
11
Age a year, it needs it
Tools for this brew: scale it to your batch size, work out ABV from your readings, or correct a warm hydrometer reading. All free.

Brewer's notes

Tradition says pick on St George's Day, 23 April, but any sunny spring day with a lawn full of open flowers will do. Petals only, every scrap of green is bitter, and yes, plucking two litres of them takes an afternoon and stains your fingers yellow. Skip any lawn that has been sprayed or is popular with dogs. Drunk young it is frankly medicinal, at a year it turns into a golden sipping wine, and it is strong, so sip it.

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