Bluespark

Recipes 

I was given some fantastic frozen raspberries(10lb) and asked if I could make wine with it. After posting in the wine forum it was suggested to do a mead instead, so I am. I've found many conflicting opinions about primary vs secondary fruit additions and seeds vs no seeds. After much debate, this is my recipe:


-16 lb clover honey( no other variety available this time of year unless I want to sell my left kidney on the black market to pay for it)
-nutrient and energizer (recommended amounts)
- I cup strong black tea
-lalvins 1122 yeast
-filtered water to 5 gallons
-10lb raspberries, frozen, thawed and de seeded
-pectin enzyme

Combined all but the last two ingredients last night, aerated, rehydrated and pitched yeast, currently bubbling happily through the airlock. Can't for the life of me remember the SG.

Plan is to thaw, deseed, add pectin enzymes to the raspberries when I'm ready to transfer to secondary. Rack onto raspberries. Leave in secondary until the pulp is done, then rack again.

The goal is a semi sweet mead with a strong fresh raspberry flavour and nice color. Any glaring flaws you can see? Suggestions?

Bluespark

Recipes 

Looking at my notes, it was 17lb honey.

This is fermenting nicely. SG was 1.090.

For those who add fruit in secondary, how can you do this in a carboy? Is it advisable to have a bucket as secondary?

RebelliousVanilla

Recipes 

I just racked some mead onto blackberries today. I am using a 1gal jug just to test this out but anyways I juiced them first with my juicer which removed the seeds. I noticed a lot went to the bottom of the jug already and am wondering if I should have just used a mesh sock to keep all that crap from doing that. I guess time will tell.

StevenM

Recipes 

just use a racking cane or auto siphon to split the horizontals (get the good from between the sediment and the floaties

paraordnance

Recipes 

De-seeding raspberries? Why in a world would you do that. I done couple raspberry melomels they turned out great with seeds and all.

Bluespark

Recipes 

I've heard the seeds can cause bitterness?

WVMJ

Recipes 

If you leave the seeds in to long seeds can cause bitterness, more common in blackberry. If you want a strong raspberry taste you are going to be disappointed, you might want to add a few more pounds of berries, and toss a few strawberries in there to give it even more of a fruity smell. WVMJ

__________________
Elderberry Winemaking with WVMountaineerJack

Bluespark

Recipes 

Update. The base mead smelled great and tasted decent all by its self. When gravity fell to 1.010 I racked it onto the thawed raspberries, which has some pectin enzyme added. I decided to add with the seeds.

Turns out its 12lb of raspberries, not 10.
I didn't have a bucket, so I resorted to using a carboy. I reserved the extra must to add back in once I rack it off the fruit. It currently looks like this:

TheBrewingMedic

Recipes 

Looks great, I've always used carboys for melomels, just because I don't have any buckets. I use an autosiphon and rarely ever have any issues with cloggage or even getting the broken down fruit out, usually a few good shakes over a fine strainer and it all comes out, then I let it drain and use that sample for testing/tasting.

__________________
Watch and Listen to your Mead....It will tell you when the next step is.

Matt3989

Recipes 

I've got a blackberry mead fermenting right now, I've never done mead before, but I got some honey at a good price so I figured I'd give it a shot. the blackberry melomel is only one gallon, so I'm not too concerned if it doesn't turn out perfect.

How long is too long to leave the blackberries in?