Ok...looks like we'll do this this weekend. I am going to be putting mine together Saturday afternoon..and will pitch yeast by about 5pm or so on Saturday. I will input my initial measurements at that time.
Dan
__________________ 5 gal secondary: Strawberry Mead
1 gallon secondary: Blood orange Mead
1 gallon secondary: Grape Mead
On Tap: Blackberry Blonde Ale
On Tap: Apple/Cherry Hard Cider
I'm in but have never done fruit in a mead before. I picked up frozen strawberries last night. Do I just let them thaw and then pitch? Or do I mash them or blend first. Sorry if this is a dumb question. Also. I am doing a 1 gallon batch... so I'm doing 3 lbs of honey and just under 3 lbs of strawberries.
I have brewed this 7+ times, did it three different ways, and whole berries are the way to go. IMHO You can mash them, however, they are a pain to rack underneath when they are fell apart. As the yeast eat the sugar in the berries they become very soft and evenb lose alot of there color. Also, Keep the temp down around 65F-68F ambient, this is to help control your ferment. So the answer is.......up to you. Its always up to the brewer but in my experience whole is the way to go. Also freezing the berries break the cellular structure holding them together, hence making them softer and juicier. Did I answer your question?
So I had some time last night and decided to get started early. I have a few questions:
1. After adding 17 lbs of strawberries (just shy of 2 gallons in my carboy), there was the 18 lbs of honey (1.5 gallons), leaving space for only 3.25 gallons of water. Is that enough water? Seems like A LOT of sugar.
2. I didn't take an OG reading. Those are pretty useless when using fruit, right?
3. When using campden tablets, are you supposed to wait a day before pitching yeast? I thought this was the case but couldn't find anything on my initial search.
Yes wait 24 hours before you pitch as camden will kill your yeast fast. I used the camden as to deter any wild yeast from interfering with my batchs. I typically use fresh picked berries right from the farm, so there is no telling whats on them. LOL
1/3 honey to 2/3 water usually gives you a reading of 1.150 on your hydrometer. Strawberries will drop your SG to about 1.128 or so being they do not have a high concentration of sugar in them. So your right one the money or real close. I highly suggest you get a hydrometer or using one on every batch. Its the only real way you can reproduce a winning mead.
When taking your specific gravity when using fruit, use a turkey baster and syphone below the cap. This leaves the chunks behind. YMVV
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