I have never tried a "hobo" wine, but I know that it's supposed to be
stronger than regular wine and it can be fortified. What, other than
costs and fortification, makes "hobo" wine different than the average
bargain wine in a jug? What kinds of corners can/do they cut to make it
cheaper?

Wine Enthusiast wrote:
> I have never tried a "hobo" wine, but I know that it's supposed to be
> stronger than regular wine and it can be fortified. What, other than
> costs and fortification, makes "hobo" wine different than the average
> bargain wine in a jug? What kinds of corners can/do they cut to make it
> cheaper?

Ummmmm.... you have to be a card carrying hobo, for starters LOL

and you're going for alcohol content, not flavor, so sugar is king, and
the yeast better be mighty alkey-tolerant.

HIC

Gene

Hobo wine is made for alcohol only. Taste is irrelevant. It is not aged
and usually it is not even cleared. Ferment the cheapest thing you can
find. Road side fruit or store discards are best. Use sugar as needed.
Ferment for a few days. Do not worry about secondary fermentation,
clearing, bulk aging, or bottling. All are unnecessary wastes of time and
money. Just drink it at the end of primary before it has time to oxidize.
Great stuff for a buzz. Terrible for the head and stomach.

Ray

"Wine Enthusiast" > wrote in message
...
>I have never tried a "hobo" wine, but I know that it's supposed to be
>stronger than regular wine and it can be fortified. What, other than costs
>and fortification, makes "hobo" wine different than the average bargain
>wine in a jug? What kinds of corners can/do they cut to make it cheaper?

oh, YUM YUM. I"m glad I learned what Hobo Wine is and won't consider
taking a hit when my uncle offers it. phew.

I learn alot in this NG. Some things to do, some things to avoid.
DAve

Ray Calvert wrote:
> Hobo wine is made for alcohol only. Taste is irrelevant. It is not aged
> and usually it is not even cleared. Ferment the cheapest thing you can
> find. Road side fruit or store discards are best. Use sugar as needed.
> Ferment for a few days. Do not worry about secondary fermentation,
> clearing, bulk aging, or bottling. All are unnecessary wastes of time and
> money. Just drink it at the end of primary before it has time to oxidize.
> Great stuff for a buzz. Terrible for the head and stomach.
>
> Ray
>
> "Wine Enthusiast" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I have never tried a "hobo" wine, but I know that it's supposed to be
>> stronger than regular wine and it can be fortified. What, other than costs
>> and fortification, makes "hobo" wine different than the average bargain
>> wine in a jug? What kinds of corners can/do they cut to make it cheaper?
>
>

Ray Calvert wrote:
> Hobo wine is made for alcohol only. Taste is irrelevant. It is not aged
> and usually it is not even cleared. Ferment the cheapest thing you can
> find. Road side fruit or store discards are best. Use sugar as needed.
> Ferment for a few days. Do not worry about secondary fermentation,
> clearing, bulk aging, or bottling. All are unnecessary wastes of time and
> money. Just drink it at the end of primary before it has time to oxidize.
> Great stuff for a buzz. Terrible for the head and stomach.
>
> Ray
>
> "Wine Enthusiast" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I have never tried a "hobo" wine, but I know that it's supposed to be
>> stronger than regular wine and it can be fortified. What, other than costs
>> and fortification, makes "hobo" wine different than the average bargain
>> wine in a jug? What kinds of corners can/do they cut to make it cheaper?
>
>
Not cleared? I found a couple of them in the store, but they don't look
cloudy. The quicker bottling and no care for secondary fermentation
would be a good explanation for some of them having metal caps like they
use for malt beers...Carbonation?

> Not cleared? I found a couple of them in the store, but they don't look
> cloudy. The quicker bottling and no care for secondary fermentation would
> be a good explanation for some of them having metal caps like they use for
> malt beers...Carbonation?

What I was describing was true hobo wine not ponk which is cheap low quality
wine. True hobo wine )or jungle juice in the army) is make by hobos and
drunk by hobos. It is not sold in the store. Hobo's do not have time to
wait for it to clear or age. They are making alcohol and as soon as the
alcohol is in there, it is drunk.

I have had similar wine in villages in parts of SE Asia where it is ilegal
to make wine and they will make rice wine in crocks buried in the field
where the local law will not find it. They do not even rack it off the
must. They will dig it up and drink it out of the crock with comunal straws
shoved down into the fermenting rice. Bloddy awful but you drink it to be
polite as they are quite proud of it.

Ray

Ray Calvert wrote:
>> Not cleared? I found a couple of them in the store, but they don't look
>> cloudy. The quicker bottling and no care for secondary fermentation would
>> be a good explanation for some of them having metal caps like they use for
>> malt beers...Carbonation?
>
> What I was describing was true hobo wine not ponk which is cheap low quality
> wine. True hobo wine )or jungle juice in the army) is make by hobos and
> drunk by hobos. It is not sold in the store. Hobo's do not have time to
> wait for it to clear or age. They are making alcohol and as soon as the
> alcohol is in there, it is drunk.
>
> I have had similar wine in villages in parts of SE Asia where it is ilegal
> to make wine and they will make rice wine in crocks buried in the field
> where the local law will not find it. They do not even rack it off the
> must. They will dig it up and drink it out of the crock with comunal straws
> shoved down into the fermenting rice. Bloddy awful but you drink it to be
> polite as they are quite proud of it.
>
> Ray
>
>
Sorry about the terminology, but I thought it was called hobo/bum wine
because of some parody sites. Do you know the difference(s) in
ingredients and processes in "ponk" vs regular wine?

On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 13:24:41 -0500, Wine Enthusiast
> wrote:

>Ray Calvert wrote:
>>> Not cleared? I found a couple of them in the store, but they don't look
>>> cloudy. The quicker bottling and no care for secondary fermentation would
>>> be a good explanation for some of them having metal caps like they use for
>>> malt beers...Carbonation?
>>
>> What I was describing was true hobo wine not ponk which is cheap low quality
>> wine. True hobo wine )or jungle juice in the army) is make by hobos and
>> drunk by hobos. It is not sold in the store. Hobo's do not have time to
>> wait for it to clear or age. They are making alcohol and as soon as the
>> alcohol is in there, it is drunk.
>>
>> I have had similar wine in villages in parts of SE Asia where it is ilegal
>> to make wine and they will make rice wine in crocks buried in the field
>> where the local law will not find it. They do not even rack it off the
>> must. They will dig it up and drink it out of the crock with comunal straws
>> shoved down into the fermenting rice. Bloddy awful but you drink it to be
>> polite as they are quite proud of it.
>>
>> Ray
>>
>>
>Sorry about the terminology, but I thought it was called hobo/bum wine
>because of some parody sites. Do you know the difference(s) in
>ingredients and processes in "ponk" vs regular wine?

There seems to be a difference in Hobo Wine (something made and
consumed as soon as alcohol forms) and Bum Wine...

See Bum Wines he
http://www.bumwine.com/
The Anchorage Fishwrapper and Litterbox Liner Press

"Ponk" is simply lower grade wine. Nothing special about it. It's
just cheap, e.g., jug wine (which isn't all bad).

BTW: Friends from the UK call jug wine "plonk". Just wondering if
"ponk" is a regional difference in pronounciation.

Bryan


On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 13:24:41 -0500, Wine Enthusiast
> wrote:

>Ray Calvert wrote:
>>> Not cleared? I found a couple of them in the store, but they don't look
>>> cloudy. The quicker bottling and no care for secondary fermentation would
>>> be a good explanation for some of them having metal caps like they use for
>>> malt beers...Carbonation?
>>
>> What I was describing was true hobo wine not ponk which is cheap low quality
>> wine. True hobo wine )or jungle juice in the army) is make by hobos and
>> drunk by hobos. It is not sold in the store. Hobo's do not have time to
>> wait for it to clear or age. They are making alcohol and as soon as the
>> alcohol is in there, it is drunk.
>>
>> I have had similar wine in villages in parts of SE Asia where it is ilegal
>> to make wine and they will make rice wine in crocks buried in the field
>> where the local law will not find it. They do not even rack it off the
>> must. They will dig it up and drink it out of the crock with comunal straws
>> shoved down into the fermenting rice. Bloddy awful but you drink it to be
>> polite as they are quite proud of it.
>>
>> Ray
>>
>>
>Sorry about the terminology, but I thought it was called hobo/bum wine
>because of some parody sites. Do you know the difference(s) in
>ingredients and processes in "ponk" vs regular wine?

perhaps we should start rec.crafts.winemaking.hobo?

Rob wrote:
> perhaps we should start rec.crafts.winemaking.hobo?
>
Splendid notion!