flyweed

Recipes 

__________________
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

bienaime

Recipes 

I tought we were starting on the 28th, did not run out to buy anything

jaxn

Recipes 

Just got 17lbs of frozen strawberries from Kroger. It was almost $40!!! SWMBO was less than impressed, but I assured her it would be worth it.

__________________
Primary:
Clover trad'l mead, Orange Blossom trad'l mead, Joe's Quick Gape Mead, Pliny the Bastid

Secondary: Basic Sparkling Cyser, Wildflower Mead, Habanero Mead, Strawberry Pizzazz

Keg: Amarillo Pale Ale, Bourbon Barrel Porter, Centennial Blonde Ale, Cider, Jalapeño Blonde Ale

Bottled: Joe's Ancient Orange

On deck: Prickly Pear Mead, Hefty Braggot, Pliny the Bastid, Chocolate Mead

Kittyfeet

Recipes 

I'm in for 3 gallons, but I'll be starting a week or two late; we're moving this weekend.

jrss13

Recipes 

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.

YoMomma

Recipes 

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?

jrss13

Recipes 

Excellent. Thanks for the advice. I will definitely use them whole. I can't wait to get this started

BBBF

Recipes 

Mashing them is a mess and you'll lose 1/3rd of your batch to sludge. I prever to cut them in half and toss them all into a grain bag.

jaxn

Recipes 

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.

Thanks.

__________________
Primary:
Clover trad'l mead, Orange Blossom trad'l mead, Joe's Quick Gape Mead, Pliny the Bastid

Secondary: Basic Sparkling Cyser, Wildflower Mead, Habanero Mead, Strawberry Pizzazz

Keg: Amarillo Pale Ale, Bourbon Barrel Porter, Centennial Blonde Ale, Cider, Jalapeño Blonde Ale

Bottled: Joe's Ancient Orange

On deck: Prickly Pear Mead, Hefty Braggot, Pliny the Bastid, Chocolate Mead

YoMomma

Recipes 

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