Curious about young Raspberry Melomel flavor at racking.

**Ace_Club** · 12-06-2009, 03:40 PM

Hey all,

Just racked a raspberry melomel made from the following recipe:

(for 3 gal)
7 pounds honey
3 pounds Oregon Raspberry puree
3 tsp yeast nutrient
Wyeast 4783 - Rudesheimer

O.G. 1.080
S.G. (at racking) 1.002

Brewed: 11/14/09
Racked: 12/05/09

Used the Ken Schramm no heat method from The Compleat Meadmaker (a great book, btw).

This ended up a little drier than I was hoping, which is okay, but the issue I ran into is that when I tasted it, it tasted very much like Robitussin. Now, I know that it is very young, so I'm not worried as I plan on bulk aging it for 3-6 months and then bottle aging for about the same. However, I am curious as to what is causing it. I made a blackberry melomel a year or so ago and don't remember getting the same flavor at racking. Is it something to do with the raspberrys?

Anybody else experience similar flavors at racking?

bubbachunk · 12-06-2009, 03:50 PM

No it is the alcohols produced from fermentation and will reduce with age.

**Ace_Club** · 12-06-2009, 03:55 PM

Thanks for the reply bubba.

I understand that the alcohols have something to do with it, but I've never noticed this type of flavor in any of my beers, or in the Blackberry Melomel that I made. Which is why I'm curious if the raspberrys add to the flavor or if others have experienced it with other types of meads/melomels.

bubbachunk · 12-06-2009, 04:09 PM

You said it was drier then the blackberry yes? If so the sweetness in your previous mead could have hid some of the harsher notes of a young mead.

I have had this in nearly every mead, and in a choc RIS that was around 9%

**Ace_Club** · 12-06-2009, 04:29 PM

No, the blackberry mead was a very dry mead. This one was supposed to be a little sweeter, but finished out drier than I expected it too.

flyweed · 12-06-2009, 09:16 PM

Did you taste that Oregon Puree before adding it? I am not a big fan of their purees. I have used the blackberry and raspberry purees from them with not very good results. They are very bitter, and very "dry" to the taste with out alot of flavor. I prefer frozen or fresh fruit now over those puree's...good luck with it and keep us posted. You could always sweeten with some 100% raspberry juice or something simliar. I won't use those puree's again unless I am making a flavored beer. I made a blueberry mead and it has been in the keg now for over a year, and it still tastes like cough syrup. The remaining keg is going to get dumped for a new mead I am starting.

Dan

jcobbs · 12-07-2009, 03:44 AM

Give it time. I just today bottled a gallon of pear nectar wine that I started in June. Last summer you could taste it with your eyes closed and swear it was Nyquil. Now it's quite nice and on its way to being even nicer.

**AZ_IPA** · 12-07-2009, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielwhitted

but the issue I ran into is that when I tasted it, it tasted very much like Robitussin.

That's exactly how mine tasted ~3 months after I made it. Now, it's been bottled 10 months and it's starting to taste awesome!

I really need to stash a sixer away to make sure I have some another year from now!

malkore · 12-07-2009, 09:37 PM

there's a lot of acid in the raspberries...that give them that tartness we love.

give it time, it'll mellow a lot after a year.

**Randar** · 12-08-2009, 01:24 AM

Question on this type of recipe. I have seen some profess a preference to adding a second (or in some cases all) batch of fruit when transferring to secondary or right before bottling as a way to establish more of the fruit flavor on top of the base mead.

Do I have the reasoning for doing so stated correctly?

I have a batch of fruit puree and a vintner's 96oz can of whole berries and will probably be adding one at primary and the other at some time later (can you tell I have no idea where I am going with this thing?)...

Any suggestion?