I had posted my question under General and it was suggested I go to the Mead section, which I didn’t relaize existed. I am new on the forum, not to wine and mead making, just the forum.
I am wondering if anyone has added blackberries or a concentrate to their mead, and at what stage. I use from 12 to 15 lbs of either Wildflower or Blackberry honey, non pastuerized, and pure for my normal 5 gal batches of mead. I bring my honey up to Canada from WA state. I have some Fireweed in stock at present, but will wait until down the road to use it for a mead.
I am impressed with this forum, as everyone seems to really know their onions about many topics. It’s great to be here.
I generally freeze the berries and add to secondary. Freezing allows you to extract more juice and stunt any contaminating bugs. The high alcohol in secondary also aids in this. Overall, I find this gives a better representation fruit flavor with less contamination risk as compared to primary additions.
If you want more mead centric information, check out gotmead.com. That is the best forum for mead.
Thanks for the info. A friend has frozen berries, so will scrounge/barter a few one pound bags from him. I have been thinking I would soak the berries in the product that destroys anything foreign which the locals do with grapes, like bacteria and maybe wild yeasts. This may not be required, but I always like assurance. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I plan to get the primary going the end of next week.
Well, I have finally gotten the courage to make this mead in the morning. I keep babbling about the blackberry concentrate I have, but there is only about a cup. A friend has given me 3, 2 lb bags of his frozen berries, which I will add all or part of, after the primary. I don’t have a clue how much. I also have a very expensive blackberry jam, I thought, grasping for straws, into the primary. All my meads have been experiments, with great outcomes. This particular batch, I would really like to turn out fantastic. I have a yeast my wine making shop gave, me, after I told him I desired a fairly strong mead but with some sweetness to it, not much, but not totally dry.
I will start in the morning weighing out 13-14 lbs of Wildflower honey for the 22l(5 gal)batch. Any last minute advice would be more than appreciated. Please???
Well, I think I may have blown my last batch of mead. It started out in the primary, perfectly. After about 2 1/2 weeks, I added 2 1/2 pounds of mashed frozen blackberries. The mix appeared to be quite healthy, but slowing down after, 4 days, so, thinking something was a bit haywire, racked it off to a 5 gal. carboy. In the past, this procedure normally stalled, but then the old airlock would start bubbling. This is my first effort with adding blackberries. It’s been a day and a half, and I sit, gazing at the carboy, and not a bubble, nothing. I am wondering if I have blown 15 lbs. of honey, and given birth to a dud? Any suggestions out there?
How does it taste? What is the starting and current gravity? What yeast did you use?
My guess is it is done fermenting, but I need more information to help you.
The starting SG was 1.090 Just checked today, and SG is .995. Taste is not bad. Certainly not ready to put on my fish and chips. Initially, I added a Lalvin D47. This was determined by my local winemaker’s supply shop, as I didn’t want the finished product, too dry. My intent was to easily taste the blackberry influence, after bottling and aging. This yeast seemed to expire in short order, based on previous experience with the Lalvin 1118. So, then I added mashed frozen blackberries, and it was somewhat active with the 1118, but in my mind, short lived.
Procedure in the past has been the addition of a sulphite, and pottassium sorbate, which is normal practise for my wine making. After that, I add Kieselsol with a gentle stir, then Chitosan, after a short wait. A gentle stir, and then I plan to wait for maybe a month, then bottle.
I am quite pleased with the taste, at this point. Any guidance from here on into the process would be much appreciated. Thanks, Reg
