@fuzzibubbles1 No. The flowers contain natural yeast which you could wash off. You are also likely to wash out the goodness from the flowers. Don't forget that you need to strain the liquid before bottling it so that will get rid of any bugs.
@Cooking0the0art Once you have an elderflower tree you won't easily get rid of it, the tree grows very vigourously and the flowers are abundant. You can see them at the start of the video. They are quite easy to harvest, have a look around you and look up "Sambucus nigra". Avoid the green parts of the plant, and unripe berries, as they have toxins.
thanks very much for the recipe. it was my first time making it and worked great!also made some with black lace elderflower, which turned out smashing,and made it a lovely pink colour.
Hi, just re read your reply to my comment and have seen you are planning on making blackberry champagne. Just wondering will you be posting a video on it as i would really like to try it.
2nd part:.. disgorging the bottle and the fill it up with liqueur d'expédition. My other question is how to fortify the champagne from it's natural 4-6 v/v% to 10-12 v/v%? Thank you in advance!
Hi! I'd like to make my own elderflower champagne, and have some questions about it, so if you could help me...
So you said there are natural yeast in the elderflower, thats clear. They eat up all the sugar and produce CO2 and ethanol. Thats also clear. These little fellows go to the botlle for a secondary fermentation. On this video your champagne is christal clean. What happens to the dead yeast and other colloid parts, beacuse i don't think you are...2nd part below. (or on the top) :)
@snelly69 It is easy to make it alcoholic. The longer it is left in the bottle, the more it ferments, so the more alcoholic it becomes. I've got 12 bottles I made last year waiting to be used and they should have a higher alcohol contents as a result of their being left to ferment for 8 months.
I live way far South and on the wrong continent to pick elderflowers BUT I wonder if one could use honeysuckle, which has natural sugars and a wonderful scent. The nectar is nice to taste too. Just wondering if anyone might know or have any ideas. Thanks in advance!!! :-)
My mother used to make elderberry wine, thus introducing me to the evils of alcohol at an very very early age.... The house smelt like a brewery for many weeks. I have tasted elderflour wine (from another source) and it is fantastic. There is also a reference to elderflour wine in the Scots ballad 'The Laird o' Cockpen' '....Mistress Jean she was maakin the elderfloor wine etc etc. '(I don't know why I'm telling you all this really...)
This is not champagne, A nice cordial maybe but not wine! i did this recipe purely as experiment and took the ABV readings. it turned out to be 2% alcohol, therefore, cant be classed as a wine / champagne
oh can i ask 1 more question please?..sorry to be a pain..how long does it take to go from the cloudy yellow colour to the nice clear champagne colour?,as im using clear bottles and can see sediment forming in the bottom of the bottles already just after a few days,so im presuming as more sediment forms the clearer the champagne becomes yes?..thanks very much for your time,,all the best,,wayne.
@uksniper1 the sediment starts to form straight away and were I making champagne in the way the french traditionally do, I would have the bottled tipped up so the sediment falls to the nexk. This is then frozen and as it's mainly water, a frozen column will grow out of the rim which is them removed. However, I don't bother with any of that! The time it takes to clear of dediment varies but I've seen much of it settle within a couple of weeks.
thanks loads for the reply mate,,ill give it a few weeks an see what happens,as mine is very yellow in colour,so i was getting worried something had gone wrong lol..thanks again,wayne.
hi mate,i got mine on the go today,but ive noticed a load of tiny beetle thingies in the champagne,i shook the flowers before starting the process,but they seem to have snuk in,does this matter at all?..cheers,,wayne.
@uksniper1 Not sure what the beetles are but they probably won't survive long in the fermentation bucket. And they'll all go once you strain the liquid before bottling it.
@dukestt mid to late spring, depending on how north you are (the more north, the later) The window of opportunity to pick elderflower is not great, often just a couple of weeks. Pick the flowers when they are pungent and yellow. Don't wait around to pick them or your'll miss them
Too make it more alcoholic add more sugar... id say around 4.5 kg in total. This will bring it up to wine strengths. Also, while as jonathan says the Elderflowers are covered in thier own yeasts it would be better to use a shop bought yeast as they are far more likely to convert more of the sugar to alcohol. Wine yeast would be fine but you can in fact get champagne yeast (not sure of the practical benifits)
I make elderflower champagne most summers, If you want it to be more alcoholic just boil the sugar, water and other ingrediants and keep boiling for at least 30 mins. Then when your fermenting them add more yeast.....the more yeast and sugar the more alcoholic it will be. Most my batches are about 8-10% alcohol.
don't be put off by what he said about only using champagne bottles, i always use 2ltr fizzy drink bottles. just keep an eye on them for a few weeks and let the gas out of any bottles that look like they are bulging. also you can start drinking in arfter 2 weeks not 6. enjoy!
hi,great vid,,ive been told this is around 4 percent alcohol mark,including a river cottage episode saying this too,,and in that they used warm water ,so does using warm water make a difference in the alcohol percentage?..cheers,,
@uksniper1 alcohol level depends on when you drink it. You can start to drink it within a couple of weeks at which point the alcohol level is minimal. Leave it to the following year and the alcohol level increases.
@rockstar7268 leave it to brew longer! We still have some left over from the batch made in this video last year and it will have a much higher alcohol content than the first bottles we drank a couple of weeks after making it.
@rockstar7268 Boil the elderflowers to kill off the wild yeast then add to bucket add 2 of sugar per Gallon and add a t sp of yeast and allow to ferment until it stops naturally.
To get the "champagne" effect, ie the fizz, you should now let it ferment in champagne or cava bottles. Cork the bottles (and wire down the corks. There's no problem with it being cloudy. This will sink to the bottom of the bottle as a sediment. There's no problem with that.
a lot of people say to use plastic bottles and de-gas if there is too much pressure , would you agree? also what would cause slime to build up in the bottle? atb
Plastic bottles are a bad idea. You would have to degas them constantly (if they hadn't ruptured beforehand. Stick with champagne and cava bottles. They are designed to take the pressure.
@jonathanwallace I always use plastic soda bottles. Easy to tell when ready as they get firm. I have never had one burst. It takes enormous pressure to burst them and the end result would be a split bottle not glass everywhere. The screw top means you can release the pressure gradually too.
One thing to watch out for is that if the water company adds flouride to the water, you may find that it does not ferment. Don't throw away what you have made but use it instead as an elderflower cordial.
It does not fizz before bottling it. It only fizzes after a few weeks in the corked bottles. The fizz builds up under the pressure of the closed bottles. So don't worry if after 2 days before bottling it doesn't appear to be doing anything. As long as you added the sugar at the start of the process fermentation will be getting underway.
Once you have bottled it, leave in a cool dark place. Direct light and heat could lead to a few unfortunate explosions! I put mine in our garage. It's coolish and quite dark.
Leave to stand in cool dark place or warm light place?? Does it matter? I've tried my first batch after watching your video. Many thanks for the inspiration.
Do you rinse the flowers before steeping to get rid of bugs?
fuzzibubbles1 2 months ago
@fuzzibubbles1 No. The flowers contain natural yeast which you could wash off. You are also likely to wash out the goodness from the flowers. Don't forget that you need to strain the liquid before bottling it so that will get rid of any bugs.
jonathanwallace 2 months ago
can i use other flowers or fruits in stead of elderflower
Cooking0the0art 4 months ago
where can u get elderflower from please
Cooking0the0art 4 months ago
@Cooking0the0art Once you have an elderflower tree you won't easily get rid of it, the tree grows very vigourously and the flowers are abundant. You can see them at the start of the video. They are quite easy to harvest, have a look around you and look up "Sambucus nigra". Avoid the green parts of the plant, and unripe berries, as they have toxins.
EdMcF1 2 months ago
where can u get elderflower from pleaSE
Cooking0the0art 4 months ago
thanks very much for the recipe. it was my first time making it and worked great!also made some with black lace elderflower, which turned out smashing,and made it a lovely pink colour.
meabhyxxx 8 months ago
@meabhyxxx Glad you found it useful. Later this year I'll have a go at making red champagne using elderberries and blackberries.
jonathanwallace 8 months ago
@jonathanwallace
Hi, just re read your reply to my comment and have seen you are planning on making blackberry champagne. Just wondering will you be posting a video on it as i would really like to try it.
meabhyxxx 6 months ago
Oh and one more. When it's ready it's a "dry" champagne or "sweet"?
saxerjr 10 months ago
2nd part:.. disgorging the bottle and the fill it up with liqueur d'expédition. My other question is how to fortify the champagne from it's natural 4-6 v/v% to 10-12 v/v%? Thank you in advance!
Zsombor from Hungary
saxerjr 10 months ago
Hi! I'd like to make my own elderflower champagne, and have some questions about it, so if you could help me...
So you said there are natural yeast in the elderflower, thats clear. They eat up all the sugar and produce CO2 and ethanol. Thats also clear. These little fellows go to the botlle for a secondary fermentation. On this video your champagne is christal clean. What happens to the dead yeast and other colloid parts, beacuse i don't think you are...2nd part below. (or on the top) :)
saxerjr 10 months ago
would it be hard to make it alcoholic?
snelly69 1 year ago
@snelly69 It is easy to make it alcoholic. The longer it is left in the bottle, the more it ferments, so the more alcoholic it becomes. I've got 12 bottles I made last year waiting to be used and they should have a higher alcohol contents as a result of their being left to ferment for 8 months.
jonathanwallace 1 year ago
I live way far South and on the wrong continent to pick elderflowers BUT I wonder if one could use honeysuckle, which has natural sugars and a wonderful scent. The nectar is nice to taste too. Just wondering if anyone might know or have any ideas. Thanks in advance!!! :-)
Landotter1 1 year ago
@Landotter1 Try it! :)
neovictorius 1 year ago
can you substitute elderflower for something else? thanx good video
slashdude44 1 year ago
@slashdude44 Try Rhubarb Champagne Google it
GSimpsonOAM 1 year ago
My mother used to make elderberry wine, thus introducing me to the evils of alcohol at an very very early age.... The house smelt like a brewery for many weeks. I have tasted elderflour wine (from another source) and it is fantastic. There is also a reference to elderflour wine in the Scots ballad 'The Laird o' Cockpen' '....Mistress Jean she was maakin the elderfloor wine etc etc. '(I don't know why I'm telling you all this really...)
gruntlesnoot 1 year ago
making it in a few weeks, very excited, great vid mate!!!
theproducegarden 1 year ago
I wonder what it tastes like without allllllllll that sugar.
williamwzl 1 year ago
This is not champagne, A nice cordial maybe but not wine! i did this recipe purely as experiment and took the ABV readings. it turned out to be 2% alcohol, therefore, cant be classed as a wine / champagne
karlbecalfie 1 year ago
Thank ye, i might have to subscribe because of this
kazesamurai1000 1 year ago
oh can i ask 1 more question please?..sorry to be a pain..how long does it take to go from the cloudy yellow colour to the nice clear champagne colour?,as im using clear bottles and can see sediment forming in the bottom of the bottles already just after a few days,so im presuming as more sediment forms the clearer the champagne becomes yes?..thanks very much for your time,,all the best,,wayne.
uksniper1 1 year ago
@uksniper1 the sediment starts to form straight away and were I making champagne in the way the french traditionally do, I would have the bottled tipped up so the sediment falls to the nexk. This is then frozen and as it's mainly water, a frozen column will grow out of the rim which is them removed. However, I don't bother with any of that! The time it takes to clear of dediment varies but I've seen much of it settle within a couple of weeks.
jonathanwallace 1 year ago
@jonathanwallace
thanks loads for the reply mate,,ill give it a few weeks an see what happens,as mine is very yellow in colour,so i was getting worried something had gone wrong lol..thanks again,wayne.
uksniper1 1 year ago
hi mate,i got mine on the go today,but ive noticed a load of tiny beetle thingies in the champagne,i shook the flowers before starting the process,but they seem to have snuk in,does this matter at all?..cheers,,wayne.
uksniper1 1 year ago
@uksniper1 Not sure what the beetles are but they probably won't survive long in the fermentation bucket. And they'll all go once you strain the liquid before bottling it.
jonathanwallace 1 year ago
@jonathanwallace
thanks for the reply mate,,cheers ok nice 1
uksniper1 1 year ago
@uksniper1 If they're cochineal beetles,you're in luck! You will by now have lovely red champagne!
gruntlesnoot 1 year ago
What time of year is the best time for picking the flowers or does it not matter.
dukestt 1 year ago
@dukestt mid to late spring, depending on how north you are (the more north, the later) The window of opportunity to pick elderflower is not great, often just a couple of weeks. Pick the flowers when they are pungent and yellow. Don't wait around to pick them or your'll miss them
jonathanwallace 1 year ago
@rockstar7268
Too make it more alcoholic add more sugar... id say around 4.5 kg in total. This will bring it up to wine strengths. Also, while as jonathan says the Elderflowers are covered in thier own yeasts it would be better to use a shop bought yeast as they are far more likely to convert more of the sugar to alcohol. Wine yeast would be fine but you can in fact get champagne yeast (not sure of the practical benifits)
navcrowds 1 year ago
I make elderflower champagne most summers, If you want it to be more alcoholic just boil the sugar, water and other ingrediants and keep boiling for at least 30 mins. Then when your fermenting them add more yeast.....the more yeast and sugar the more alcoholic it will be. Most my batches are about 8-10% alcohol.
darshface 1 year ago
don't be put off by what he said about only using champagne bottles, i always use 2ltr fizzy drink bottles. just keep an eye on them for a few weeks and let the gas out of any bottles that look like they are bulging. also you can start drinking in arfter 2 weeks not 6. enjoy!
benshorey007 1 year ago
can you use beer bottles for the brew?
ElanTamara 1 year ago
@ElanTamara No, don't use beer bottles. They will not stand the pressure. Use champagne or cava bottles
jonathanwallace 1 year ago
hi,great vid,,ive been told this is around 4 percent alcohol mark,including a river cottage episode saying this too,,and in that they used warm water ,so does using warm water make a difference in the alcohol percentage?..cheers,,
uksniper1 1 year ago
@uksniper1 alcohol level depends on when you drink it. You can start to drink it within a couple of weeks at which point the alcohol level is minimal. Leave it to the following year and the alcohol level increases.
jonathanwallace 1 year ago
i want to make it alcoholic!! how is this done??
rockstar7268 1 year ago
@rockstar7268 leave it to brew longer! We still have some left over from the batch made in this video last year and it will have a much higher alcohol content than the first bottles we drank a couple of weeks after making it.
jonathanwallace 1 year ago
@rockstar7268 Boil the elderflowers to kill off the wild yeast then add to bucket add 2 of sugar per Gallon and add a t sp of yeast and allow to ferment until it stops naturally.
karlbecalfie 1 year ago
where do I buy empty champagne bottles and cork?
terobaau 1 year ago
@terobaau any homebrew shops sell everything!
rockstar7268 1 year ago
@terobaau get all your friends and colleagues to keep their cava bottles.
jonathanwallace 1 year ago
it doesn't say if you used hot or cold water? i know it should noot be boiling as it will kill the yeast but is it at least warm to melt the sugar?
eaaaaaa 2 years ago
Cold tap water is used. Don't use warm or heated water.
jonathanwallace 2 years ago
Are you married? I'll marry anyone that could make fizze drinks! LOL
ChoChoquota 2 years ago
my is fermenting for the second time can i bottel it now it is very clowdy dos this mater
tmanonit 2 years ago
To get the "champagne" effect, ie the fizz, you should now let it ferment in champagne or cava bottles. Cork the bottles (and wire down the corks. There's no problem with it being cloudy. This will sink to the bottom of the bottle as a sediment. There's no problem with that.
jonathanwallace 2 years ago
There is virtually no alcohol in it so it can be drunk by children.
jonathanwallace 2 years ago
Good job,...surprised ! Is that surely non alchoholic, so that kids can drink it ?
Thanks
stepkoki 2 years ago
a lot of people say to use plastic bottles and de-gas if there is too much pressure , would you agree? also what would cause slime to build up in the bottle? atb
bullcross 2 years ago
Plastic bottles are a bad idea. You would have to degas them constantly (if they hadn't ruptured beforehand. Stick with champagne and cava bottles. They are designed to take the pressure.
jonathanwallace 2 years ago
@jonathanwallace I always use plastic soda bottles. Easy to tell when ready as they get firm. I have never had one burst. It takes enormous pressure to burst them and the end result would be a split bottle not glass everywhere. The screw top means you can release the pressure gradually too.
GSimpsonOAM 1 year ago
One thing to watch out for is that if the water company adds flouride to the water, you may find that it does not ferment. Don't throw away what you have made but use it instead as an elderflower cordial.
jonathanwallace 2 years ago
It does not fizz before bottling it. It only fizzes after a few weeks in the corked bottles. The fizz builds up under the pressure of the closed bottles. So don't worry if after 2 days before bottling it doesn't appear to be doing anything. As long as you added the sugar at the start of the process fermentation will be getting underway.
jonathanwallace 2 years ago
I have left the flowers ect to ferment, am now bottling up but the mixture isn't fizzy, is this ok?
ewarmisham 2 years ago
How do I know if it has fermented, is it supposed to be fizzy before I bottle it up!?!?
thunderrabbit123 2 years ago
Once you have bottled it, leave in a cool dark place. Direct light and heat could lead to a few unfortunate explosions! I put mine in our garage. It's coolish and quite dark.
jonathanwallace 2 years ago
Quick question.
Leave to stand in cool dark place or warm light place?? Does it matter? I've tried my first batch after watching your video. Many thanks for the inspiration.
Nathan - Newcastle Upon Tyne
Brown969 2 years ago
It depends on how you make it but if you do it in the way I do in the video, the alcohol level is negligible.
jonathanwallace 2 years ago
Wonderful stuff. Making my first batch this year, how strong is the stuff. Have scanned the web and get all sorts of answers - from 5% to 12%
biggingerdude 2 years ago