Disgusted and appalled by the thought of Nick’s pods and sods wine? Then make it a ‘Ruby Brews-day’ (or whatever day you choose) and ferment some of this surprisingly tasty pink beetroot booze.
First, chop up 3lb of your finest beetroots (in my case, secretly dig up Nick’s beetroots) and boil them using water from a full 1 gallon demijohn. Remove from the boil when they start to soften, but don’t turn them into mush. This should take around 35-40 minutes.
While the beets are busy boiling and stinking out your house, tip 3lb sugar, 1oz bruised ginger, the juice of a lemon, 6 cloves and the remaining water from the demijohn into a sterilised fermenting bucket.
Strain the boiled beets through a muslin cloth over your bucket mixture, then stir to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture is cool, add yeast and nutrient, cover and leave in a warm place, giving it a stir each day.
After three days, you’ll need to strain the mixture through muslin into an opaque demijohn and fit an airlock. When it clears, siphon into dark bottles. It’s important to try and use dark or opaque bottles and fermenting jars as the beetroot wine will turn a foul brown colour if exposed to sunlight, a bit like a Gremlin from one of those Gremlin films.
If you can’t get your hands on any opaque bottles, make like a park-bench tramp and wrap them in paper bags.
This booze should be ready in 6 months. Enjoy!
Beetroots used: Boltardy and Bietola tonda di Chioggia
Yeast used: Young’s All Purpose Red
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For more great drinks recipes…
Our book, ‘Brew it Yourself’, contains lots more easy booze recipes – from wines, ciders and beers to liqueurs, infusions and cocktails and even another idea for those beetroot – a Russian kvass. Available from most good book shops and Amazon.
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To download a FREE beetroot wine label template, click here
[…] Beetroots are packed with flavour, sugar and ruby red juice. And they ferment into a very gluggable vin de betterave. Follow Rich’s basic beetroot wine recipe here. […]
I am a beer fan myself and am always looking to improve the way it tastes, so do you think the introduction of the beetroot is a good idea. At moment using potato peal and parsnips
Hi Tony, I’m not sure it’ll do anything to improve the taste of your beer, but it’ll certainly turn it pink!
Let us know how you get on.
Nice! I’ve done a red apple wine recipe that calls for beets as coloring, and it’s one of my all time favorites. I’ll be curious to see if the color on mine fades with time.
Awesome blog, and a pleasure to read. Keep up the great work!
Hi guys just a quick question once it’s stop fermenting and ready to be bottled up,do we have to add a campden before its bottled. Also im Nearly ready to bottle the pineapple wine I copied from your site the other month.
Hi Steve.
It’s advisable to add a campden tablet, but not essential. They can help stabilise the wine, just be careful you don’t hand your wine out to anyone with a sulfite allergy.
Best drink it yourself!
Thanks Rich good job I don’t have a allergy for sulfite because I’m going to drink it myself,aswell as the beetroot wine Im doing at the moment.
Sorry should of said pineapple wine im doing at the moment, it will be in bottled up in a few hours.
Bottled this last night! Very impressed, with a beautiful, bright colour! Thanks!
Thanks Tom, let’s hope it tastes as good as it looks!
I have made some beetroot wine, expecting it to be a lovely red color , taste strong but the color is sort of a whisky color with a red hew,,,, how do I clear it?
Hi Jacqueline
My advice would be to store it somewhere cold, preferably in a shed or outhouse. With any luck, it should clear naturally.
Let us know how you get on.
Cheers!
Rich
Hello. I would like to buy some beetroot wine. Can you help me with an online shop? Thank you!
Hmm, I don’t know of anywhere that sells beetroot wine. One of the reasons we make our own 🙂
Hi, Do I peel the Beetroot, I was given them by a friend they are quite large so do I cut them up.
I have printed the labels Thank You
Kind Regards
Denny
Hi Denise. Yes. Peel, chop, cook, strain, ferment, drink, repeat.
Hope it goes well!
Cheers
Rich