Strawberry Jelly Mead

[Arpolis]

Here is a one gallon tester of something I have wanted to try for a while now. I like Strawberries and have really wanted to do a mead with it and I have been reading about Jelly wines turning out really well so I thought I would mix that up.

So I picked out some Strawberry Jam that had no corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup in it. I have heard of people using strait corn syrup in other things and that stuff makes pure rocket fuel by itself. It is "Welch's Natural strawberry". Ingredients are: Sugar, strawberries, Fruit pectin, Citric acid, red grape juice concentrate & natural flavors".

I am planning the recipe as follows:

2lb local honey
1lb Strawberry Jam
1 tsp black tea (Earl grey)
2 tsp pectic enzyme
1tsp yeast nutrient
1/2tsp yeast energizer
Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast.

I will mix all but the yeast in primary and let sit for 24 hours to let pectic enzyme do it's thing. Then pitch yeast after rehydrating it. Let this run dry and clear over the next 30 days. When fermentation finishes I will throw this in the fridge to help it clear faster. Once clear I'll rack it to a new container and add in Camden and sorbate to stabilize and add in another 1lb of strawberry Jam to back sweeten. That will probably cloudy up so I will let it chill in the fridge till it looks good & then bottle from there unless additional racking is needed.

I'll bet it will be hot and young like most meads at first but I'll save the bottles and test them once every 4 - 6 months and see how it goes.

So after mixing it up the OG is at 1.100 exact so expecting over 13% ABV here.

Feel free to comment, criticize or share experiences if you have tried anything similar and would like to throw your experience out here.

 

[Meadiator]

Subscribed! Can't wait to see how this turns out

 

[fatbloke]

No reason why it shouldn't work, but I suspect you should mix the must, use double that amount of pectic enzyme and let that do its thing for a couple or 3 days before pitching the yeast.

You might want to think of an additional source of strawberry flavour for secondary/tertiary.....

 

[Arpolis]

No reason why it shouldn't work, but I suspect you should mix the must, use double that amount of pectic enzyme and let that do its thing for a couple or 3 days before pitching the yeast.
You might want to think of an additional source of strawberry flavour for secondary/tertiary.....

Ok so I will let this go a bit farther before pitching yeast and up the amount of pectic enzyme. I want this baby clear so will give it every shot I can.


For the secondary are you saying I just need to add additional strawberry flavor? Because I plan on adding another lb of jam to secondary already. Or are you saying I need a different source of flavor for secondary? My only concern is that back sweetening with the jam will still cause that pectin haze I am trying to prevent now. Any thoughts?

 

[saramc]

If you add more jam/jelly in secondary consider dosing it with a decent amount of pectic enzyme before you add it. You may have a better chance of preventing a pectin haze this way. I made a black raspberry jam mead this way but simply used 24 oz jam per gallon and then added honey a day later (to allow the jam to incorporate in must) to hit the target OG. Aged for 9 months and this one is all mine, and is berry delicious.

 

[kingboomer]

I'm subbing too. I've been wanting to try a jam wine/mead for some time now.


-Kingboomer

 

[fatbloke]

Ok so I will let this go a bit farther before pitching yeast and up the amount of pectic enzyme. I want this baby clear so will give it every shot I can.


For the secondary are you saying I just need to add additional strawberry flavor? Because I plan on adding another lb of jam to secondary already. Or are you saying I need a different source of flavor for secondary? My only concern is that back sweetening with the jam will still cause that pectin haze I am trying to prevent now. Any thoughts?

Either. People forget that primary fermentation can kill off a fair bit of the fruit flavour in more delicately flavoured fruit, and to get plenty of strawb flavour people often put more fruit in secondary and then back sweeten some. So that way or as you already allude to.....more jam.

Just remember if its more jam, you may need to redose with pectic enzyme (just keep an eye on it and see how it goes).

 

[fatbloke]

If you add more jam/jelly in secondary consider dosing it with a decent amount of pectic enzyme before you add it. You may have a better chance of preventing a pectin haze this way. I made a black raspberry jam mead this way but simply used 24 oz jam per gallon and then added honey a day later (to allow the jam to incorporate in must) to hit the target OG. Aged for 9 months and this one is all mine, and is berry delicious.

Hum? We got some good mixed fruit jam from last year. I might have to work your numbers into grammes per litre and give that a go......

What starting gravity did you go for Sara ?

 

[Goofynewfie]

I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while, but seeing if I could add peanut butter also. peanut butter and jam mead always sounded good

 

[Meadiator]

I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while, but seeing if I could add peanut butter also. peanut butter and jam mead always sounded good

I like how you think! I think peanut butter is a little oily and clumpy, so I dunno how that would affect things...

 

[nitack]

I like how you think! I think peanut butter is a little oily and clumpy, so I dunno how that would affect things...

I think peanut butter is almost all oils, which will not dilute in water and getting it to ferment might be near impossible. I'd go with an extract or try adding unsalted roasted peanuts.

 

[saramc]

Hum? We got some good mixed fruit jam from last year. I might have to work your numbers into grammes per litre and give that a go......

What starting gravity did you go for Sara ?

1.095 was my OG

I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while, but seeing if I could add peanut butter also. peanut butter and jam mead always sounded good

use peanut butter flour, PB2 is one brand. I used it in a raspberry pb&j wine (in special interest wines). Oil was no issue what so ever.

 

[Arpolis]

A week has passed and this baby is rolling on great. I have degassed daily for the passed several days and I am counting that this will be fermented dry in another week. I will check gravity then and if at leasty at .998 then I will place this in the fridge and allow to clear. Once clear I will rack to new jar and add in a second does of pectic enzyme, sorbate, camden and 1 lb of strawberry jelly for back sweetening. I will probably add in half and then check gravity and add more and keep checking. I do not want this over 1.016ish. The jelly should not take it that far but I will just be carefull with it.

I know pectic enzyme does better after the camden has dissipated out a bit so should I stabilize and add jelly then hit it with the enzyme after a day or do you all think it will be fine putting it in all at once?

 

[saramc]

I know pectic enzyme does better after the camden has dissipated out a bit so should I stabilize and add jelly then hit it with the enzyme after a day or do you all think it will be fine putting it in all at once?

I would let the enzyme work on the jelly alone for at least 24 hr before adding it, to give it a head start on things. You could also opt to snag a bit of the stabilized mead, stir jelly into it until dissolved, add P-enzyme, wait 24 hours and then feed it into your otherwise stabilized batch.

 

[Arpolis]

Ha! That's why I ask around for ideas. I did not even think of trying to add the enzyme to the jelly before pitching it. I had it stuck in my head that it will all be added to the secondary directly. I will give that a shot then. Thanks.

 

[Arpolis]

Ok 12 days have passed and the Jar was getting some serious sediment at the bottom to collect. I checked the gravity and this bad boy is bone dry at .994. That makes this approx. 13.9% ABV. I have thrown this in the fridge to help it further clear. I expect it to stay there for the next 17 days. A couple days before I get ready to rack off the sediment I will take 1/2 cup of the must and mix in with my remaining lb of strawberry jam. I will introduce 4 tsp of pectic enzyme and let that stew at room temp. Then I will rack onto the Jam and allow the mead to sit for a few weeks and then throw this back in the fridge if I think it needs some help dropping sediment. Finally once satisfied with the clarity I will bottle and age it there. I'll taste it young just for the knowledge of how it faires young but expect this will be many months down the line before it is really going to start to shine.

 

[Arpolis]

I gave the mead a taste last night to see how it is. I plan to actually have the second dose of strawberry jam soaking in the pectic enzyme today and rack on top of that in the next couple days.

In the jar there is a nice rosey red color but in a shot glass it is barely pink. Even dry there is a little bit of strawberry flavor but as with most mead recipes this tastes a bit hot. This is turning out very promising but will need to be properly aged for full effect I bet.

 

[SouthernGorilla]

Thanks to this thread I now know that pectic enzyme needs more than the hour suggested on the label. And that it probably takes more enzyme than recommended also. I bet that knowledge would have improved my current blackberry bochet tremendously.

I'm curious as to how you think this compares to a strawberry mead made with berries instead of jam. Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits. I'd be interested in trying this variation if you felt there is some advantage.

 

[Arpolis]

The main advantage I have seen so far is racking loss. I am loosing much less to racking then I would normally. The taste is good and I do not think fresh strawberries would impart much better flavor.

The only reason there is as much care to the pectic enzyme in this batch is because when making Jams you add additional pectin then what is naturally in the fruit. So fresh strawberries would have probably 3 times less pectin needed to break down compaired to jam of equivalent volume. But still for any fruit mead/wine I like 12-24 hours of rest time before pitching yeast to let the enzyme do its thing.

 

[SouthernGorilla]

So the process of making jelly probably helps break down the fruit which leaves less residue to settle out of the mead. I bet that effect could be duplicated with a pressure cooker. Then you don't have the added pectin to deal with. I'm going to try that with my next fruit mead. I'll put the fruit in my pressure cooker for an hour or so then let it soak in pectic enzyme overnight. Sound like it might work?

 

[saramc]

I'll put the fruit in my pressure cooker for an hour or so then let it soak in pectic enzyme overnight. Sound like it might work?

Whew, one hour in pressure cooker? IMHO that would be excessive cooking of the fruit. Apples do not even need that much time when making sauce, nor a roast for that matter. There really is no need to cook the fruit when making wine, unless cooking is required to make it safe to consume as needed for some elderberry cultivar, red perhaps; or we choose to cook pumpkin/squash to help convert sugars, etc.
You should consider freezing/thawing for a total of two times (one time even helps immensely), dosing with enzyme, wait at least 12 hours (24 preferred), dose with k-meta, wait at least 8 hours and then finish assembling your must. The action of the double freeze/thaw, plus the pectic enzyme will usually macerate the fruit and increase juice yield substantially and then the process of fermentation will take care of the rest. Process has not failed me yet for soft fruits/berries/stone fruits. Consider using a mesh bag to contain the fruit while in the primary, especially if working with super small seeds like those of blackberries, just make sure the weave of the bag is fine enough to contain the smallest component; makes your work so much easier.

So the process of making jelly probably helps break down the fruit which leaves less residue to settle out of the mead.

Jelly does not have any solids remaining, whereas jams/preserves would have solids intact. So simply think of jelly as juice + sugar + pectin and usually a bit of citric acid like lemon juice. Jelly is actually made by using either juice or whole fruit, and if using whole fruit it does start to break down during the heat application and is strained thru a 'jelly bag', much like our use of mesh straining bags in winemaking. You would definitely have less sediment/lees to deal with when making a jelly wine versus a jam/preserve wine.

 

[Arpolis]

OK so my second dose of Jelly was split between two jars with a small amount of water added to liquefy it along with 1.5 tsp of pectic enzyme added. That set a couple of days and now I have racked the strawberry mead on top of it. I added Camden and sorbate to keep further fermentation from happening. Gravity ended up being at 1.02 once it was all mixed up. I added 1 additional tsp of pectic enzyme to the must. It is now sitting in the fridge and looking good. We will see what settles out over the next month and check it again then.

 

[Arpolis]

Ok another update to give anyone an idea of what to expect if you try this. Or if you have tried a similar deal and have had different then lt us know.

It has been 24 hours and the middle of the Jar is this crystal clear, super red & just a beautiful looking strawberry mead. It looks so awesome I just want to dip in and start drinking now ... but I resist. Now at both the top and bottom it looks like there is a gel like substance both floating and falling to the bottom. I wonder if this is un-broken pectin? Or if it is strawberry flesh. I am leaning towards un-broken down pectin. I have removed the carboy from the fridge and will leave this at room temp for a while in the hopes that any active enzymes might work on this stuff or at least get it to all drop to the bottom. Let me know what you think.

 

[SouthernGorilla]

I'll PM my address so you can send me a sample for an unbiased evaluation.

 

[Arpolis]

I'll PM my address so you can send me a sample for an unbiased evaluation.

Send me some of your brew I'll send you mine

 

[SouthernGorilla]

If only I had enough to share. One-gallon batches just don't go very far.

I'm going to try this technique next time I do a berry mead. I think it may offer many of the advantages of the jam.

 

[Arpolis]

That looks like a cool method for making extracts. You can probably blend and make cool flavors easily with that. Strawberry mimosa extract? Hmmmmmmmm........

 

[kingboomer]

Any chance of a pic of the process?


-Kingboomer

 

[SouthernGorilla]

Any chance of a pic of the process?


-Kingboomer

Put the fruit/veggies/herbs/flowers/whatever in a steamer basket on top of another bowl/pan/tray inside a pressure cooker. The steam pushes the juice out of the fruit, the juice drips into the other pan.

 

[kingboomer]

Very cool, thanks man!

 

[Arpolis]

All bottled and done!

This batched turned out well. Now after adding the second dose of Jelly there was still a lot of sediment from unbroken pectin and fruit bits. So I barely got 4 bottles worth of mead out of the gallon. The color is not bad but not a nice dark red either. The great thing is that it is crystal clear. On the nose it is a lot of strawberry and an alcohol bite. I tasted just a little out of the siphon hose and it was very berry pleasant. Can't wait to age this some more and try these once every couple of months to see how it turns out. For your viewing pleasure here is a pic of the mead:

 

[saramc]

If only I had enough to share. One-gallon batches just don't go very far.

I'm going to try this technique next time I do a berry mead. I think it may offer many of the advantages of the jam.

For larger volume batch processing using steam extraction you can also consider buying a 'steam juicer'. Amazon frequently has them on sale and you can get a stainless steel one which will last forever.

 

[saramc]

All bottled and done!

Looks great! I know you will enjoy it.

 

[Arpolis]

I think the steam juicer or the pressure cooker extraction which looks like a similar process would be the way to go. The jelly could be used in primary because the yeast do a good job cleaning up the gunk and making a tight compact lees where in secondary the sediment was floaty/wobbly and difficult. So jelly up front and steam juiced berries for back sweetening next time?

 

[SouthernGorilla]

So jelly up front and steam juiced berries for back sweetening next time?

That sounds like a decent plan. Some friends offered us some jelly. If we can remember to get it from them I'll give this recipe a shot.

 

[Arpolis]

I opened up a bottle tonight to give it a try. On the nose I really smell the strawberry. When I taste it I don't really taste any of the young mead terribleness you get early on. The first thing that comes to mind though is STRAWBERRY JELLY! So it really tastes like the jelly. Surprise surprise. Now I have never had a fresh strawberry melomel so I would be interested to compare what one tastes over this. That may be my next venture and i'll make a gallon traditional and rack on top of 3lb of frozen/thawed strawberries.

 

[SouthernGorilla]

I'd bet fresh berries would still end up tasting like jelly. Just because it's still going to be sweet and fairly thick. But sounds like you might have the same "wonder what that would taste like" problem I have. I can't taste a batch or read a recipe without thinking of eighteen different variations I'd like to try. I wish I'd bought some jelly when we stopped at the store tonight. I have to try this... with some variations of course.