Using fruit preserves in mead?

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Philistine

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I'm wanting to make a lingonberry melomel, but whole lingonberries are near impossible to find (I have found one seller, but the cost w/shipping may be prohibitive). Can I use preserves to make a melomel? I'm guessing the added sugars in the preserve will have to be taken into account.
 
I personally think that you will have a hard time if not a bad time with preserves. If not for the actual preservatives in the mix, it would be the pectin.

Well, let me back up and ask what kind of preserves are you seeking to use? Like a jam? If so, see my initial response. It would be handy to see a list or a picture of the ingredients.

I can't remember exactly what to avoid off the top of my head, but I know someone will chime in with the names.

You see, in jams you add pectin to get it to jelly (or jam) up. In wine and mead we want to break down any pectin with enzymes and other cell lysis processes, like freeze-thawing cycles. You essentially want to extract any juice for fermentation, where the jam wants to coagulate it up for spreading on bread.

If the fruit is just canned, it may be fine as is. It really depends on what the preserving process is. Or more importantly the ingredients used in the process.

I probably got a little more long winded than you were wanting. But, maybe it will shed some light on if it is or is not a good idea for the preserves you were contemplating using.

If you are really hard up for some of the lingonberries and it is your only source. Perhaps a small experiment would be in order? Cram in a bunch of pectic enzyme into the jar, see what happens! Observe. What's the worst? You will have to toss the jar out?
 
If you looked up jam and jelly based wine recipes, there's no reason why you can't just use the method, technique and ingredients, just sub the sugar for honey, the jam/jelly of your choice and make sure you check the predominant fruit acid in the flavour you choose so that any acid additions are sympathetic to the fruit.....
 
I personally think that you will have a hard time if not a bad time with preserves. If not for the actual preservatives in the mix, it would be the pectin.

Well, let me back up and ask what kind of preserves are you seeking to use? Like a jam? If so, see my initial response. It would be handy to see a list or a picture of the ingredients.

Yes the pectin. I'm doubtful that peptic enzyme can deal with a preserve (which is made on the use of pectin).

What I was considering was some Lingonberry Preserves I've bought from Amazon in the past. The ingredient list is: Wild Lingonberries, Sugar, Pectin, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate.

Now that I look at the ingredient list I see potassium sorbate which is a nono for yeast.

The lingonberries I'm considering are IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) from Olsen Fish Co. But I have yet to call them to inquire about shipping.
 
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If you looked up jam and jelly based wine recipes, there's no reason why you can't just use the method, technique and ingredients, just sub the sugar for honey, the jam/jelly of your choice and make sure you check the predominant fruit acid in the flavour you choose so that any acid additions are sympathetic to the fruit.....

I'll have to research that. I did not know you could make wine with jam and jellies.
 
I have done a strawberry jam mead. It cleared perfectly. I just used finnings and pectolase, then left it a week or so. I have also added some black current jam to a wine and that cleared perfectly, too. I intend to make an all jam wine soon, too. So what I am saying is, it is possible.
 
I have done a strawberry jam mead. It cleared perfectly. I just used finnings and pectolase, then left it a week or so. I have also added some black current jam to a wine and that cleared perfectly, too. I intend to make an all jam wine soon, too. So what I am saying is, it is possible.
Well done, my point exactly. Just that if you used a commercially made jam or jelly you would have to check the ingredients for any preservatives that yeast don't like, like potassium sorbate.....

Sometimes you see various sulphites that might be manually dissipated with a lot of stirring once it's at the watered down stage, or they might have just used ascorbic acid - which is fine. Yeast don't care how much vitamin C is in the must, as longs as it doesn't make the brew too acidic/pH too low.......
 
fatbloke said:
Well done, my point exactly. Just that if you used a commercially made jam or jelly you would have to check the ingredients for any preservatives that yeast don't like, like potassium sorbate..... Sometimes you see various sulphites that might be manually dissipated with a lot of stirring once it's at the watered down stage, or they might have just used ascorbic acid - which is fine. Yeast don't care how much vitamin C is in the must, as longs as it doesn't make the brew too acidic/pH too low.......

Well, I didn't really care about what was in it, as it was mostly for colour towards the end of the brew. So I just melted it down in a little warm water, then added.
 
I did a strawberry Jam mead before and it was solely pointed at all the flavor focused on the Jam. Here is a link to the thread I started.

strawberry jam mead

Breaking down the pectin is difficult it seems but as long as you use decent pectic enzyme the issue is less of a haze and more that you have a TON of sediment. I have even played with some products that use sorbate as a preservative and if the only Jam you can find has some do not fret. Lots of care to the must, lots of O2 introduced and a big yeast starter of good strong yeast strain can ferment those Jams.
 
As for you pectin haters. I made a 1 gallon mead using 20oz of Currant Jam. Added pectic enzyme to the jam itself a couple weeks before starting and had 0 haze issues. Pictures to come if you don't believe me.

If you have an IKEA near you, they sell a Lingonberry concentrate which may be perfect for your situation. I was planning on doing it myself but I drank all the juice.
 
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