Golden Raisins - Sulfites and Sanitization

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by stealth, Oct 30, 2013.

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  1. stealth

    stealth Pooh-Bah (2,023) Dec 16, 2011 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah

    I brewed a sour blonde ale that I want to pitch onto golden raisins this week. All the raisins I find contain sulfites (which give the raisins the color from what I understand). My question is two fold - will my brew be OK if I soak the raisins in water to get any removable sulfites off, and is it an acceptable sanitation practice to soak them in vodka for 24 hours or so before racking my brew on top of them?

    Thanks!
     
    #1 stealth, Oct 30, 2013
  2. sjverla

    sjverla Initiate (0) Dec 1, 2008 Massachusetts

    I have absolutely no practical insight into your conundrum, but soaking the raisins in water then vodka seems redundant. I have no idea how sulfites dissolve or are otherwise purged, but I would think vodka could handle that if it's possible at all.

    Good luck!
     
    #2 sjverla, Oct 31, 2013
  3. telejunkie

    telejunkie Savant (1,107) Sep 14, 2007 Vermont

    sulfites are to prevent fermentation on the grapes, hence why wines contain sulfite to prevent further spoilage as well as oxidation. I would say disregard the sulfites, I can't believe they would be at a concentration which you could notice them (unless the grapes taste like you're eating a sulfur stick) since sulfites need to reach a certain threshold to be perceptible. If for some reason you do notice them at first, they will dissipate with age. There is a plethora of info on sulfites if you get into winemaking.
     
    #3 telejunkie, Oct 31, 2013
  4. ryane

    ryane Initiate (0) Nov 21, 2007 Washington

    Im with telejunkie on the sulfites

    however why do you want to use golden raisins? they are pretty much flavorless and will just be a sugar source? if you want some real flavor from grapes either use something like muscats or get an alexanders concentrate kit from a homebrew store (barbera is my fav)
     
    #4 ryane, Oct 31, 2013
  5. stealth

    stealth Pooh-Bah (2,023) Dec 16, 2011 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah

    Thanks for the responses! After posting here I read a bunch on the mead and wine forums, too, and figured there wasn't much 'harm' from them in the end.

    I did a rinse of the raisins with some hot water, anyways, and got a lot of junk off the raisins, then chopped them in half and soaked them in vodka overnight.

    I added them mostly just for the sugar source and maybe a tiny bit of 'raisin' flavor. This is an experimental brew and golden raisins with a sour blonde sounded interesting :slight_smile: I did a berliner weisse with riesling grapes this summer, though, that really had a nice wine-like profile.
     
    #5 stealth, Oct 31, 2013
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