apricot/blackberry melomel

[Shine0n]

This is for a 5 gallon batch

17.5lb clover honey
12lb apricot
4lb blackberries
2 packs 71-B
fermaid o yeast nutrient

I'm not sure if these two actually compliment each other and I've yet to start this but the blackberry is optional at this point.

if I get any negative feedback I'll go with option 2- 8lb peaches.

Thanks in advance for any insite,
B

 

[AkTom]

I think it sounds good. You might want to add the fruit at secondary.

 

[Shine0n]

I did an edit after reading and researching a few things, the extra 2.5lb honey will be added so with the sugars from the apricots and blackberry will have over the 14.5% abv the 71-B will give up at.
This will put me slightly above 15%.

I'm also going to add the fruit later on in the primary because I don't want to blow off all the aromas and flavors. I can still add more fruit to the secondary if needed for maximum flavors.

I want to do it this way to eliminate any unnecessary addition of chemo and also to avoid making rocket fuel by step feeding honey.
I did step feeding on a batch using 71-B and it maxed out over 18.5% and I could not find a medium to balance it.

I know this will be a high OG and with some research found 71-B can and does handle such with little to no I'll effects.

I'm making a starter this am with an og of 1.015 and feed it for 24 hours.

any upside to using pectic enzyme with this? I haven't used it before but read it helps with clearing later and also with breaking down the fruit to extract more juice.

 

[madscientist451]

Apricot and peach flavor is somewhat delicate and will be hard to detect if you use 12 lbs in a 5 gallon batch.
The flavor from fermented fruit isn't the same as the original fruit flavor.
One way around this is to make a base mead and when its done, rack on to the fruit. The fermentation will kick off again, since the fruit contains fermentable sugar AND water in the fruit will reduce the ABV, but if your base mead ABV is close to the upper limit of the yeast, you will end up with more fruit flavor and aroma.
Note that adding the fruit in secondary will take more time for the whole process to be completed.
However, fermenting the base mead without fruit eliminates some variables and you can exert more control.

 

[Shine0n]

Another 12 lbs will be added at 2ndary, you're right about flavors of fermented fruit vs real fruit flavor. That's why I mentioned adding it later in the fermentation when it's already close to abv max.
I'm not looking to completely cover the honey with fruit flavor but to compliment it, I know about peach and apricots not being a dominant flavor and that's the goal I'm trying to reach.
Slightly sweet, subtle notes of the fruit and not overly heavy either way if that makes sense.
I definitely want to taste the fruit and other additions of it will more than likely happen, I have room for it but I'll go week by week and tastings periodically to see what I like.

 

[JimRausch]

Thanks for the idea ShineOn! I just went on Jack Keller's site to look at some of his recipes, and based on that and your recipe, came up with a 1G batch recipe. The blackberries are coming in heavy around here, so I just need to get picking.
My plan at this point: 3 lb. blackberries, 2 lb chopped dry apricots, although I may just go with the LD Carlson extract. That works very well in my Apricot wheat. Not many Apricots grown in Maine. Pectinase and Camden the day before yeast pitch. 2 lb honey, wine yeast and stepped nutrient feed. May add more honey, or sugar depending on what the OG looks like.

 

[Shine0n]

I'd go with honey not sugar, in my past I've used it but it was more so to get drunk not so much flavor. Now I have evolved (matured) to a degree I'm after quality.

I went thru some of his recipes and he uses sugar alot, ALOT!
If he like it that's fine. lol I've never heard of him before you mentioned it, I guess the last year has been all new learning for me and meads. I've enjoyed them at renn fests but never until last year made any.

I've come a long way in a year, I'm very familiar with fermentation because I have a second job at a distillery. Very nice too!!!)

 

[footballbrewer]

This sounds really good. The blackberry melomels I've made have also aged nicely.

 

[Shine0n]

I'm trying to use the berries as a back note to the apricots and to help compliment them with a bit of tartness.
I keep wanting to go with stuff I don't see folks using together alot, I'm sure it's been done before but I haven't dug through enough threads to dig them up yet.

I've also decided to add the fruit to the secondary not primary, no other reason other than I've been doing toooooo much reading and I believe I'll be so close to the abv tolerance of the 71-B I shouldn't ferment but so much further. I hope!!!

 

[JimRausch]

I went thru some of his recipes and he uses sugar alot, ALOT!

Yes, he does. I was turned onto his recipe site by Yooper. I like it because, no matter what you may be thinking of fermenting, he has probably done it and has a recipe (or 3) for it. And his recipes are generally for 1 G batches which is what I do (yields 4 bottles which is just fine). I take one or two of his recipes and change it up, usually adding honey instead of sugar, and generally less water than he calls for.
I'm still picking blackberries and freezing them. I have the rest of the ingredients.

 

[JimRausch]

Weirdly enough, tonight I cracked open a bottle of commercial mead (Bartlett Winery in Gouldsboro Maine). It's pretty good- dry, light. But mostly I opened it because I wanted the clear bottle to reuse to bottle a peach wine in a couple weeks.

 

[Shine0n]

The sg this am is 1.070 so I've degassed and added the last round of fermaid o.

Now I'm off to West Virginia to ride some trains with my little man, I'll check Sunday when I return and see what I need to do.

 

[Shine0n]

I checked again tonight and I'm at .040 at 11 days in, not bad for a high OG

I'm not degassing anymore since Friday, should I continue until the sg is lower?

I have no way of chilling once the sg is low enough so I'll put it on the ac vent and let it settle some. I'm going to rack into a 5 gal bucket and rinse out my big mouth fermenter so I can put the fruit in easily and remove easily, and once in the secondary for 10 days I'll check and remove fruit when necessary and check again. If not enough fruit flavor I'll add another 8lb and see how she goes.

 

[JimRausch]

Started my batch this weekend. 1G batch- 2lb. honey, 3 lb blackberries, 2 lb. dried apricot. OG= 1.110. Pitched 1 pkt. Redstar Cote Des Blancs. I'll post a pic when I rack it to the 1 G jug.

 

[Shine0n]

Sounds good Jim, however...I've decided not to add the fruit yet because this is a very good traditional and I've recently came into some really good 5 gal bourbon barrels for CHEAP!
Once I rack this one out of primary I'm aging it on oak.

I do have the honey for another batch and will start again when the fermenter is free later this coming week.
Also this will give me time to get some more fruit.
Please post a pic soon as possible and I'll keep this thread alive in due time.

 

[JimRausch]

Started my batch this weekend. 1G batch- 2lb. honey, 3 lb blackberries, 2 lb. dried apricot. OG= 1.110. Pitched 1 pkt. Redstar Cote Des Blancs. I'll post a pic when I rack it to the 1 G jug.

Bottled today. FG= 1.017 which concerns me a little, but it's been in a 1G jug for 2 months now, and racked off lees onto metabisulphite 3 times. Stupidly, I never took an SG at racking times. So, as hard as it sounds to me, I guess 1.017 it is. 12.5% ABV, and the flavor is OK for prebottling. A little 'blackberry brandy' flavor, but not too bad, and surprisingly not sickly sweet. I'm going to store the bottles in a covered bucket in my cold garage for now, just in case the corks blow. And nope, I don't have any pictures. I'm not exactly a luddite, but I don't own a 'fancy phone'.

 

[Shine0n]

Glad it worked out for ya, .017 is semi sweet and I'm sure it compliments the berries well.
I unfortunately had freezer failure and lost more fruit than I'll ever tell folks. Let's just say it was over 300 lbs of various fruits.

I've been onto other projects now and boysenberry seems to be my favorite flavor atm. Also working on a 5 and a 1 gal bochet to fill the barrel up with and I have enough honey for 1 more 5 gal batch for the year.
This has been a fun fun fun ass year doing this and I've learned so much. I'll keep on posting what I'm up to but the fruit freezer thing kinda sucked the life out of me for melomels for the time being unless they go into a bochet. I'll see

 

[JimRausch]

I unfortunately had freezer failure and lost more fruit than I'll ever tell folks. Let's just say it was over 300 lbs of various fruits.

Oh , I feel for you man. So sorry. I bought 3 lbs of honey from my LHBS last week and am researching Bochets (lots of useful info. around here!) Will have to boil it down sometime SWMBO is away. She even complains about my brewing smells..... and I'm in the garage when I brew! I don't get no respect around home (spoken like Rodney Dangerfield).

 

[Shine0n]

My wife can't stand the smell of mine either. lol
One thing or the other always but I keep on doing what I love to do and she doesn't really bother me other than when the smells of one goes wrong. It happens!

Bochet is a wonderful smelling style of mead, I'm sure some nice dark fruit old compliment it but I need to get a handle on it by itself first.
I'll let you know how it turns out, so far it's all good stuff!