Super Berry Melomel and 71b attenuation

[cody6173]

Ok so I've been all grain brewing for several years but just recently started attempting meads. I've got 1 traditional under my belt and started a batch of super berry melomel 2 weeks ago. Batch was made pretty much per recipe:

21 lb wildflower honey
96 oz black currant juice
6 lbs strawberries
4 lb blackberries
4 lbs blueberries
4 lbs raspberries
3 gal water
SNA on day 1,2,3 and 5
10 g of re-hydrated 71b

Didnt take a o.g. reading since I'm assuming with such a large amount of fruit it wouldn't have been very accurate. Took a hydrometer reading today, 2 weeks after pitching and I'm showing a s.g. right around 1.000. Inputting ingredients into beersmith my O.G. should've been in the 1.170-1.180 range. So that's putting me up over 23% abv which doesnt seem right considering the 71b alcohol tolerance is only 14% abv. Could the fruit still be throwing my gravity readings off? Fermentation was extremely active but somehow I doubt I achieved an extra 9% abv over the yeast's stated tolerance.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I bet that was a colorful fermentation!

Beersmith's estimate of OG is almost certainly inaccurate. The PPG of honey as well as the gravity of various fruit juices can be highly unpredictable.

 

[madscientist451]

Some of your sugars are still in the bottom of your fermenter along with the fruit pulp. Your estimated gravity of 1.170 included all the available sugar in the fruit but its unlikely it was all dissolved into the must.
With 18 lbs of fruit, I'd definitely mix up some more honey and water and add it to the fruit after you rack off the current mead. I'd add about 2.5 gallons of water/honey for the second run.
I'm hoping to hear how this tastes, I have a stash of Black currant juice and was going to make something similar.

 

[cody6173]

Some of your sugars are still in the bottom of your fermenter along with the fruit pulp. Your estimated gravity of 1.170 included all the available sugar in the fruit but its unlikely it was all dissolved into the must.
With 18 lbs of fruit, I'd definitely mix up some more honey and water and add it to the fruit after you rack off the current mead. I'd add about 2.5 gallons of water/honey for the second run.
I'm hoping to hear how this tastes, I have a stash of Black currant juice and was going to make something similar.

The sample sure tasted amazing. I had kinda planned on a fg in the 1.030-1.040 range for a little sweetness. I'm thinking I'll probably let it sit as is for another week or 2 to allow for more fruit breakdown and then rack to seconday. For adding additional honey and water to the fruit after racking, would that be for a separate batch or would you blend that back into the original later on?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Did you freeze, mash, and/or puree the fruit?

Fruit contains sugar, but also water. Extracting more juice will not increase the gravity/sweetness/alcohol level if the s.g. of the juice is less than that of the honey must.
Since we don't know the gravity of the honey must or the gravity of any of the fruit juices there's no way to know how much any fruit juice still hiding may influence the mead's measurements.

If you want it more sweet, I'd think about step feeding and tasting after each step so you don't overshoot your target taste profile.
1.030-1.040 is not a "little sweetness" in my opinion

Cheers

 

[cody6173]

Did you freeze, mash, and/or puree the fruit?

Fruit contains sugar, but also water. Extracting more juice will not increase the gravity/sweetness/alcohol level if the s.g. of the juice is less than that of the honey must.
Since we don't know the gravity of the honey must or the gravity of any of the fruit juices there's no way to know how much any fruit juice still hiding may influence the mead's measurements.

If you want it more sweet, I'd think about step feeding and tasting after each step so you don't overshoot your target taste profile.
1.030-1.040 is not a "little sweetness" in my opinion

Cheers

I partially thawed frozen fruit enough to mash it

 

[madscientist451]

The sample sure tasted amazing.
For adding additional honey and water to the fruit after racking, would that be for a separate batch or would you blend that back into the original later on?

Glad to hear about the initial taste results!
My suggestion for a second use of the fruit would be to make a separate batch, but you could do some blending if you wanted to. Maybe change it up for the second run on the fruit and shoot for a 5-7% ABV "craft" mead....