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Balloon Wine
Hi, several years ago somebody gave me a "simple" recipe
involving placing a balloon on a bottle of your wine recipe.
After the balloon goes through a process and inflates and deflates
you're supposed to have drinkable wine.
I lost this recipe and I really would like to have it back, if anyone has
a success story with this can you please share it with me.
Is that a prison based recipe?
Do you recognize it as such, cmanley542? (Cheers, mate)
Is it possible the balloon had something to do with the "breathing" of the wine? I wouldn't have thought that there would be expansion of gases.
I don't know if its from prison or not. I had it scribbled on a piece of paper and I was sure that there was something to do with the wine expanding the balloon. Sorry, I may be mistaken.
I think the baloon is just a cheap airlock, no different than putting a stopper and plastic airlock in a carboy.
I found a link to some guys discussing baloon wine, it sounds now like the baloon is used as an indicator of gas reabsorbtion?
http://homemadewine.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14
Yeah, I remember seeing the same recipe. As you mentioned, the ballon is a cheap airlock. The trick to waiting for the balloon to deflate is more just a matter of waiting a bit to drink the wine. I think that most of the gases in the balloon escape into the atmosphere just as if they would if you inflated the balloon yourself and tied it off. I think the reabsorbtion of gasses is a bunch of bunk.
Good point. You're probably right. I still think it sounds like a prison recipe.
I actually remember this when I was teenager. I think that one of my parents' friends gave them the recipe. I guess their friend tried it, but I remember thinking the same thing about being a recipe you might try in prison.
So, what's the going rate for bottles and balloons in prisons? 
But anyway! Thank you for the link. I was just looking for something simple to experiment with. I'll let you know what I come up with 
Cheers!
So, what's the going rate for bottles and balloons in prisons?
A bottle is 4 packs of cigarettes and a magazine.
A baloon is another pack of cigs and an extra helping of mashed potatoes.
Forget it. I need my taters!
But look at this. There is a recipe for balloon wine on this site and I did not find it on the search but I did find it when I was reading through all of the topics.
lookie
http://www.brewingkb.com/wine/simple-ea … e-347.html
I feel like a dumbo, but anyway it was fun chatting here on this topic. thanks alot.
If you don't have an airlock, then a balloon will work just fine to keep bacteria out of the wine as it ferments. As far as reabsorption goes, yes a certain amount of CO2 is forced into the solution until the saturation point is reached. After the balloon has deflated, then it is a very good idea to siphon the wine off into another container leaving as much of the sediment behind as possible. I recommend balloon vinting in one gallon plastic milk jugs as a small party balloon will fit over the mouth without need of a rubber band. Just remember to degas the wine before drinking(stirring vigorously) or better yet treat it with potassium sorbate and a crushed campden tablet(potassium metabisulphite) and let the wine clarify over the span of a month or so.
I am making some this way right now. You dont need any special recipe, just any wine recipe. There is nothing different about using a balloon versus a standard airlock, except the airlock DOES let air out, but not in, but a balloon kinda keeps it there.
I'm not sure what happens to the gases (CO2) in the balloon, but it does deflate after awhile, so maybe the wine does reabsorb it.
Here's my general recipe I used (I varied it a bit with other bottles):
I used gallon glass bottles.
--Fill half the bottle with crushed grapes.
--Add 2 pounds of sugar (per gallon bottle)
--Fill the rest of bottle with water until it gets about 3/4 full
--Add Campden tablet (I know people that dont use this though)
--Wait 24 hours
--Add pectic enzyme (optional but helps get more juice), and wait 1 hour
--Add yeast (about 1/4 packet will do)
--Put paper towel over hole with rubber band (do NOT use balloon yet, the yeast needs oxygen to reproduce)
--After 5 days, strain juice from bottle into new clean bottle. Either discard pulp/grape skins or add more water, sugar etc and try to get some more wine from it.
NOW YOU PUT THE BALLOON ON. (the bottle with just juice)
Deflate the balloon first.
The balloon will inflate itself, then eventually deflate.
This is about where I stand on mine right now.
Ive had one bottle's balloon deflate (maybe 3 weeks from start date), I tasted the wine and it was high alcohol and good tasting. It was kind of dry, so I assumed the yeast had used all the sugar, so I added a little more sugar, and sure enough the balloon inflated again. 3 days later it deflated, I have added more sugar but the balloon did not inflate again this time. This may mean that the alcohol content is too high for the yeast to live in anymore, so I assume it is now done.
Hope this helps - I'm just experimenting myself!
I always thought that should I end up in prison, I'd enjoy a special status as a maker of alcohol.
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