Frozen Fruit

[ChillyP]

Okay so I have about 11 gals fermenting on a simple Mead. I was wondering if anybody has ever used frozen fruit in the secondary? I was thinking about using Peaches. Okay here the recipe:

24lbs Wild Flower Honey
1 tbsp Acid Blend
California Ale Yeast
Super Ferment (Yeast Nutrient)

Now I was going to use a Cornie Keg for the secondary, in about a month give or take, and I was thinking about adding some frozen Peaches.

1) Do you think the Peaches should receive like a vodka bath or be heated?
2) Do you think I'll need to add some Pectin because of the fruit?
3) Any other things I might be missing?

Thanks all.

 

[Pumbaa]

1) Do you think the Peaches should receive like a vodka bath or be heated?
2) Do you think I'll need to add some Pectin because of the fruit?
3) Any other things I might be missing?

1. cant hurt but I would think the ETOH you already got would kill off most nasties

2. always thought pectin was something you wanted to avoid in terms of brewing / wine making

3. dont forget when ya add the fruit you'll be adding a bunch of sugar (the fruit) and will get another round of fermentation going so you'll probably want to rack off the fruit to a clearing tank for a while

 

[Yooper]

I thaw frozen fruit and add a little campden. You should add some pectic enzyme, or it will never clear. Don't heat up the fruit, or you'll set the pectin (think jelly).

 

[ChillyP]

Thanks.

I knew that heating the fruit was a bad idea.

1) Would the Campden be needed? A second fermentation wouldn't bother me and I'd being using a cornie keg to do the secondary and would leave the headspace (only put 3 gals in then blend with the other 2 gallons)


Thanks for the help again. Hopefully I'll remember this in a month,

 

[Pumbaa]

You should add some pectic enzyme, or it will never clear. Don't heat up the fruit, or you'll set the pectin (think jelly).

ahhh ok now I see what he was asking, not pectin but the enzyme to get rid of it

 

[Yooper]

Right. You do need the campden- because you need to sterilize your fruit. You're not boiling it, so you may have wild yeasts and bacteria on it. I would thaw the fruit, and add a crushed campden (dissolved in some water, or your must that's fermenting) and let that sit 12 hours. Then dump it into your secondary. You will restart fermentation, but you said that's ok. I wouldn't do this in a corny though- (if that's what you're saying), you'll never get the peaches out. I'd put the peach stuff in a nylon bag, tie it, and put it in a bucket and pour the campden/must solution over it. Then rack the whole batch into a primary bucket. The peaches will be a pulpy, goopy mess and should be removed after about 7 days. (Otherwise, the fruit will rot). If they are in a bag, you can just pull it out. Don't squeeze (again, it would NEVER clear) and let it drain. Then dump the fruit, and rack to a secondary vessel.

 

[ChillyP]

I'd put the peach stuff in a nylon bag, tie it, and put it in a bucket and pour the campden/must solution over it. Then rack the whole batch into a primary bucket.

So will adding the Campden to the must not cause the yeast to die? I wanted it to peaches to ferment a little in order to balance out.

 

[Yooper]

So will adding the Campden to the must not cause the yeast to die? I wanted it to peaches to ferment a little in order to balance out.

Wine yeasts are not susceptible to campden tablets- however, they can slow yeast growth if the so2 is too much. That's why I would add the campden to the fruit, along with some must that's already been fermented a bit (so you're not watering down your mead) and wait 12 hours before throwing it into the rest of your must. That 12 hours is not critical, but allows excess so2 gas to escape.

(Or it could be so4 gas- I always get that mixed up after I've been drinking).

 

[nardonir]

will the fruit really rot if it is never exposed to oxygen? I had fruit sitting in mead during secondary fermentation for months. After bottling and aging for a year, it tasted fine. I did notice that the peaches looked the nastiest of all the different fruits that I used. I also used frozen fruit...

 

[ALPS]

will the fruit really rot if it is never exposed to oxygen?

I doubt it. The alcohol, and perhaps lack of oxygen, will prevent any rotting. Haven't you ever soaked cherries in Everclear?

Cillyp--I'd wait until the mead had finished fermenting completely. Leave the peaches in the bags to thaw and squish them up a bit. Use a funnel to add the fruit to a carboy and rack to mead on to it. The alcochol will sanitize your fruit for you. Rack off the fruit when you get the flavor you desire. Even when using pectic enzyme, this will take a long time to clear.

 

[feedthebear]

Fruit left long enough will completely dissolve. It isn't rotting, but it might impart flavors you don't want

 

[ChillyP]

Cool thanks all.

 

[skou]

I've used frozen fruit quite a few times, and I like it better than a canned puree. Anything that has been canned, has also been heated. That will set the pectins, and you're going to get pectin haze.

What I do, is I put the fruit in a zip-lock bag, and freeze-thaw it a few times. A few cycles, and everything is broken up. Also, I pretty much use cranberries or blackberries.

I just put the fruit in the secondary, when the alcohol content is pretty high, and that takes care of nasties.

steve