Raspberry Melamel (Bronze Medal winner at 2010 Great Arizona Homebrew Competition)

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Bigbeavk said:
Does this mead need to be stirred any to degass? I just got a 5 gallon batch started! Thanks so much for the recipe!

I don't know what the op did, but I degassed 2x a day for the first three days and then once a day through the 7th day as well as providing SNA.

Mine went completely dry and ended at .999 after 12 days. I racked to secondary and put a co2 blanket on it for bulk aging.
 
Made a 3 gallon batch today, no real issues to report. Subbed raspberry honey that LHBS had plenty of. Seems to be a straight forward recipe.

Raspberry Melomel.jpg
 
My raspberries have pretty much lost most of their color should I rack them out of the mead or wait for primary fermentation to complete first. This is my first mead I would assume just let the primary finish but I wanted to be sure.
 
My raspberries have pretty much lost most of their color should I rack them out of the mead or wait for primary fermentation to complete first. This is my first mead I would assume just let the primary finish but I wanted to be sure.

It shouldn't matter, just keep punching the cap down into the liquid if you don't rack for a bit.
 
I'm from AZ and had to check this out when I saw the name. I've only made a few batches of cider, but I may give this or JOAM a try. Where do you get decent priced honey in AZ?
 
I've been ordering bulk honey from Miller's in California. Even with shipping, it turns out to be a pretty decent price per pound for quality honey.
 
How would you describe the finished product and how long do you have to age it? Never had a melamel. I'm a cider guy. Deciding if I want to try this or joam.
 
I made this recipe a year ago. The yeast stalled out at ~1.010, so I didn't sorbate and backsweeten. Well it looks like the yeast fermented a little bit in the bottle -- not blowing any corks, thankfully. I cracked a bottle last night, and it was lightly carbonated, and AMAZING. It was tasty right out of the gate, but a year's aging and the light carb, it was super good.
 
It's been over a year since the last post, but hopefully someone is still around to answer a quick question!

My apartment is often too hot for me to use the D47 yeast ... Normally between 20-25 degrees (70+ Fahrenheit). Can I use a different yeast and get the same flavour? What do you recommend?

Thanks!
 
It's been over a year since the last post, but hopefully someone is still around to answer a quick question!

My apartment is often too hot for me to use the D47 yeast ... Normally between 20-25 degrees (70+ Fahrenheit). Can I use a different yeast and get the same flavour? What do you recommend?

Thanks!

If I remember right, D47 likes fermentation temps between 60-68F. If you don't have an area at that temp, or a ferm chamber, can you setup a swamp cooler for primary fermentation?

I too have issues with ambient temps for primary fermentation and use the carboy in a water with ice bottles swamp cooler method. Once it's hit FG and it stable I put it in the coolest place in the house and bulk age at ambient.
 
I ended up using EC-1118, just because I'm not able to keep the temp low enough. Except, I'm not sure if i messed it up or not.. because it's day 2 and nothing seems to be happening.

Here's what I did (variation from the original recipe)

6.6 lbs of clover honey (3 kgs)
3 gallons of water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 thawed bag of mixed field berries (600g)
juice of 3 lemons, and 3 limes

I mixed it all up together, then rehydrated the yeast, then pitched it... except, i used the wrong bung size, and pushed the bung into the carboy! Oops...

So I had to dump the entire contents into another carboy, which really agitated the entire mixture. My question is: Do you think this ruined the fermentation??? It's day 2, and there is a thin layer of foam on top, but NO bubbles or action in the airlock. Help!
 
Great thread!!!

Any problem with doing the primary in a bucket and then racking to a carboy once the berries lose their color?

Thanks.
 
NHowell16 said:
I ended up using EC-1118, just because I'm not able to keep the temp low enough. Except, I'm not sure if i messed it up or not.. because it's day 2 and nothing seems to be happening.

Here's what I did (variation from the original recipe)

6.6 lbs of clover honey (3 kgs)
3 gallons of water
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 thawed bag of mixed field berries (600g)
juice of 3 lemons, and 3 limes

I mixed it all up together, then rehydrated the yeast, then pitched it... except, i used the wrong bung size, and pushed the bung into the carboy! Oops...

So I had to dump the entire contents into another carboy, which really agitated the entire mixture. My question is: Do you think this ruined the fermentation??? It's day 2, and there is a thin layer of foam on top, but NO bubbles or action in the airlock. Help!

I doubt it ruined anything. My batch fermented very gently with a barely visible krausen and still finished at .999. You should be able to see some visible sign of fermentation by 72hrs.
 
So I started a 5 gallon version of this recipe 9/2 with an OG of 1.100. Adjusted honey/raspberies/lemons/limes proportionately and followed Highest nutrient addition.... fermented in bucket, aerating 1x per day for the first 2 days until the SG fell below 1.06. Otherwise everything else the same.

Yesterday, 9/7, SG was 1.014, and today the airlock is not bubbling! Doesn't this seem like an extremely fast fermentation? Leaving for 1 week vacation next Friday... is it safe to let everything sit under airlock in the bucket until I get back?
 
I am thinking about making a 3 gallon batch of this this weekend. How does aeration an degassing work with a 3 gallon carboy glass carboy? This will be my first true mead. I have 2 gallons of JAOM and 2 gallons of Joe's pyment also.

Would going with 6 lbs. Orange Blossom honey and 1.5 clover make a big difference or should I just do 7.5 lbs clover and save my orange blossom for something else?

How well controlled does fermentation temps need to be? I just use water bath with ice bottles which maintains around 65-70 most of the time. My ambient house temps measure 72-77 on my carboys. Does it need a constant temperature throughout the entire fermentation or just primary? Would want to let sit at normal house temps after a racking or two if possible. The water bath eats up so much space.

Rookie questions for this batch, I just ordered the compleat meadmaker today.
 
How would you describe the finished product and how long do you have to age it? Never had a melamel. I'm a cider guy. Deciding if I want to try this or joam.

I've had this aging since April. I tried one fresh and WOW...it's extremely hot. Almost undrinkable. I'm letting this sit at LEAST a year before I dip into it again.
 
Is there any other options than D47 to make this? I can usually keep my beer in the range 70 and below in a water bath, but occasionally it gets to 72 degrees when I am gone all day at school and work. Can D47 cross above 70° at any point after primary fermentation or does it need to stay below 70° until bottled? I am holding off on this until I understand it better.
 
Started a bath of this recipe last night. Seems yummy. Hope it turns out because I've brewed about six batches of mead and haven't liked any of them. Check out hymiesbrew on YouTube
 
Is there any other options than D47 to make this? I can usually keep my beer in the range 70 and below in a water bath, but occasionally it gets to 72 degrees when I am gone all day at school and work. Can D47 cross above 70° at any point after primary fermentation or does it need to stay below 70° until bottled? I am holding off on this until I understand it better.

71B-1122 wouldn't be a bad option. Once fermentation is done, temperature isn't as much of a concern during bulk aging.
 
Day 21: SG 1.000. Dark red, opaque. Strong citrus after taste.
389812_10100178221909061_1228719092_n.jpg


This should clear on it's own over the next few months, right? Should I add pectinase and/or a clearing agent?
 
Day 21: SG 1.000. Dark red, opaque. Strong citrus after taste.
389812_10100178221909061_1228719092_n.jpg


This should clear on it's own over the next few months, right? Should I add pectinase and/or a clearing agent?

About to start a batch of this myself but price of honey makes me really paranoid about messing it up. How did yours work out? Did you need the pectinase?
 
About to start a batch of this myself but price of honey makes me really paranoid about messing it up. How did yours work out? Did you need the pectinase?

Day 42 now. Last SG was 1.0 a few weeks ago... tasted great then (although maybe too much citrus aftertaste)! Still bulk aging for now. It has cleared a little with some accumulated lees since this photo... but not much. Still a long ways from being able to read a newspaper through it.

I was thinking about adding pectinase and/or other clearing agent (bentonite, sparkaloid) in early november if there hasn't been much improvement. I would like to stabilize with potassium sorbate and sulfite in late nov or early december... as well as back-sweeten just a little bit. The last mead i made was too sweet. What are others thoughts on this plan?

I wanted to drink a bottle or 2 for xmas/new years! I don't mind if mead is a little "hot" tasting...
 
I wouldn't backsweeten past 1.010 unless you like sweet. The raspberry and lemon/lime add some perceived sweetness.

I don't think pectin enzyme works post-fermemtation, but sparkolloid should work if you get impatient.

Hope it clears for you by the holidays!
 
Hey. I'm in AZ too. Where do you get your honey and cider from? Do you belong to ASH?
 
I've been getting my honey from Miller's in California. Price per pound shipped is actually extremely competitive for quality honey.

There's a bee keeper in Flagstaff that supplies many of the AZ LHBS with honey, but I haven't got ahold of him to see what his bulk price is.

I belong to ASH but don't go to many club functions.
 
Cool. Thinking about joining ASH. Do you get cider or juice from anywhere local?
 
Hi all, I am a rookie and have a few questions.

Nutrients: I went out looking for the nutrients mentioned in the FAQ but came back with a package called "yeast nutrient" Ingredients: DAP, vitamin b complex, magnesium sulphate. When the faq says "At inoculation - 4.5g Superfood (or Fermaid-K) & 4.5g DAP" should i use 9 grams of my yeast nutrient?

Mixing: Is the procedure to just put it all in the carboy and mix it? No starting the yeast, no heating the honey?

Thanks for the tips
 
I'm thinking of making a batch of this. I'm wondering if i should add the lemon and lime at the beginning of fermentation or after. I'm thinking the acidity might hurt the fermentation in some way. Would this matter?
 
I'm thinking of making a batch of this. I'm wondering if i should add the lemon and lime at the beginning of fermentation or after. I'm thinking the acidity might hurt the fermentation in some way. Would this matter?

After I added the lemon and lime to the primary, I indeed did read that it can hurt the fermentation by changing the pH. However, I had no problems with fermentation. While I did not measure pH, it must not affect it enough to stop lavlin D47. It went very quickly with daily aerating and adding nutrients as described in the FAQ.
 
Hi all, I am a rookie and have a few questions.

Nutrients: I went out looking for the nutrients mentioned in the FAQ but came back with a package called "yeast nutrient" Ingredients: DAP, vitamin b complex, magnesium sulphate. When the faq says "At inoculation - 4.5g Superfood (or Fermaid-K) & 4.5g DAP" should i use 9 grams of my yeast nutrient?

Mixing: Is the procedure to just put it all in the carboy and mix it? No starting the yeast, no heating the honey?

Thanks for the tips

#1. I think the nutrient guidelines listed in the FAQ were written with those specific brands in mind. There is no guarantee that it will work with other brands. With that said, I have adapted it in the past to work with different brands of yeast nutrient and yeast energizer and everything turned out fine for me.

#2. I add all ingredients except the yeast. I prepare yeast per instructions on the back of the packaging. Typically something like add a small amount of warm water (~100 degrees) and part of the must and/or sugar to the yeast in small bowl. I then wait ~30 mins until the mixture starts foaming and then add it to the must.

#3. I never boil my honey, as there is no reason to and it can only change the taste. I put the containers of honey in hot water beforehand so that it pours and dissolves more readily. If I add water, I also heat (not boil) the water to help dissolve the honey. However, it is not pertinent that the honey be dissolved in the water before fermentation.
 
Thanks for the tips, I have this in secondary now, hope it goes well

I guess it sits in secondary for 60 days now?

Also it's recommended to bottle it with dextrose. I have glucose syrup, same difference?
 
Thanks for the tips, I have this in secondary now, hope it goes well

I guess it sits in secondary for 60 days now?

Also it's recommended to bottle it with dextrose. I have glucose syrup, same difference?

yes, i think it will work. most people seem to use dextrose, but the yeast should eat up the glucose to produce CO2 and carbonate.

my FG today (started in september) was 1.000. we plan to backsweeten to ~1.010, stabilize with k-meta and sorbate, and clear with bentonite. still opaque red. tastes too sour. at this point if i made it again i would probably cut the lemons and lime in half... we'll see how it tastes later on.
 
Thanks for the tip. I have been reading recently about D47 producing fusel alcohol when it ferments over 70F, hope mine turns out ok...
 
Mine is coming up on almost a year old at this point. I think I'm going to give it another taste and think about bottling. Since it went totally dry at .999 I'm debating if I want to bottle still, or highly carb like a champagne to around 4 vol. I have plenty of 375 & 750ml belgian bottles (thx RR & lost abby). I'm kinda bummed that I only made 3 gallons and will probably only do 5+ gal for all future batches of meads.
 
Thanks for the tip. I have been reading recently about D47 producing fusel alcohol when it ferments over 70F, hope mine turns out ok...

I too have read about that. FWIW- I used to live in an apartment where I could not control the temperature and it would commonly get to 80 degrees during the day in the summers. I remember at least one time where I was using D47 and I did not have any problems with fusel alcohol or off-tastes... but maybe I was just lucky.
 
Mine is coming up on almost a year old at this point. I think I'm going to give it another taste and think about bottling. Since it went totally dry at .999 I'm debating if I want to bottle still, or highly carb like a champagne to around 4 vol. I have plenty of 375 & 750ml belgian bottles (thx RR & lost abby). I'm kinda bummed that I only made 3 gallons and will probably only do 5+ gal for all future batches of meads.

How'd it taste? I liked mine at 1.000 SG, but the citrus was a little overpowering. The limes I used were really big. The citrus taste was better after sweetening (aside from the sulfite taste). I am also debating adding some raspberries and letting them sit on raspberries for a few weeks. They're out of season now though...
 
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