BlueBerry Melomel

JINKS · Aug 30, 2014

Been doing lots of research on how to create this masterpiece. I have a JAOM going now but I don't have the patience to wait to see how it turns out before I make another.

1 gallon batch.

12 oz frozen blueberries thawed and pureed in a blender.
3.7 lbs honey. 2 lbs unpasteurized/unfiltered and 1.7 lbs western family clover.
1 heaping tsp of yeast nutrient.
Heated this up to 170 and held for 20 min.
OG= 1.2
Cooled to yeast pitching temp and tossed in re-hydrated Lalvin 71b-1122.
Hoping to finish with a sweeter mead but I am willing to back sweeten.

Where can I go to find a calculator which would give me what fg range I can expect with this yeast.
Beersmith has no clue. Understandable as it is BEERsmith not MEADsmith.

BCalc has this at 33% if it ferments to a sg of 1.0 and my Hydrometer shows only a potential of 16% hence the confusion.

fuelish · Aug 30, 2014

Using http://www.gotmead.com/2014-04-16-20-10-09/mead-calculator.html , and , not based on your OG (are you SURE it was 1.2???...could be 1.12???maybe???) you're looking at a 17% or so abv mead using a 14% yeast....yeah, it'll be sweet

JINKS · Aug 30, 2014

fuelish said:
Using http://www.gotmead.com/2014-04-16-20-10-09/mead-calculator.html , and , not based on your OG (are you SURE it was 1.2???...could be 1.12???maybe???) you're looking at a 17% or so abv mead using a 14% yeast....yeah, it'll be sweet

Yea a solid 1.2
I spun the hydrometer like a top thinking air bubbles because everywhere said with 3.5 lbs honey i should be around 1.12 or so.
I found that mead calculator but I can't figure out what or how.
Beer smith lets you enter yeast and then does the attenuation calculations for you but mead seems to throw it way off. Says 22% abv from a 14% yeast so I was looking to find something more accurate.

yesferatu · Aug 31, 2014

This would be a good time to ask about heating.
I keep hearing conflicting reports on heating and raw.
Is there a clear answer on that?
I've always heated just before a boil for 20 min or so.
Is there any danger/benefit to cooking vs. raw?

JINKS · Aug 31, 2014

yesferatu said:
This would be a good time to ask about heating.
I keep hearing conflicting reports on heating and raw.
Is there a clear answer on that?
I've always heated just before a boil for 20 min or so.
Is there any danger/benefit to cooking vs. raw?

If you boil no need to heat for 20 min the boil sanitizes.
I didn't boil to sanitize I used prolonged heat exposure.
The reason I didn't boil is because it sets the pectin in the fruit.
Also I read somewhere that boiling honey has its own issues where you need to skim off the stuff that floats and I prefer to keep it simple.

JINKS · Sep 2, 2014

Just out of curiosity how late into the fermentation can you add pectic enzyme?

Arpolis · Sep 3, 2014

You can add it any time but it would work better 12 hours prior to yeast pitch or just wait till strong fermentation dies down and slows.

JINKS · Sep 6, 2014

Added today as it just got here. Next time will go in 12 hours prior.

JINKS · Sep 8, 2014

So it appears I forgot how to read a hydrometer. On another site it says that 1,100 = (1.100)
10 = (1.110)
20 = (1.120)
30 = (1.130)
40 = (1.140)
50 = (1.150)
60 = (1.160)
70 = (1.170)
So now what are the 5 marks between the 10 and the 20? I had thought that they were 1.12, 1.14, 1.16, 1.18 can someone please clarify for me?

JINKS · Sep 8, 2014

I read this at 1.24 so is it 1.124?

fuelish · Sep 8, 2014

JINKS said:
Hmmmmm, shall have to comment later....worked 12 hour night shift Sat night, slept 3 hours, cut grass for 3 1/2 hours, slept 2 hours, am not seeing/thinking clearly atm

BGBC · Sep 8, 2014

JINKS said:
I read this at 1.24 so is it 1.124?

Yes it's 1.124.

Major marking go from 90 (1.09), 100 (1.10), 10 (1.110), 20 (1.12).

Arpolis · Sep 8, 2014

The 5 tick marks are counted as twos and are the thousandth place on the hydrometer scale. At the top of the hydrometer it usually starts at 1.000 and has 5 tick marks above that which makes for reading a gravity as low as .990. The "10", "20", "30"... After the initial 1,000 are the one hundredth mark of the hydrometer scale. You notice that the "10", "20", "30"... Start over most of the way down the hydrometer with the mark "1100" separating the tens. That mark is what determines the tenth spot on the hydrometer scale. Most hydrometer a do not go over 1/10th. So on the high end of gravity you are always looking at 1.1XX.

It looks like your reading should be 1.124 in the above pic. But the reading should always be taken at the bottom of the meniscus of the liquid. That sort of crescent shaped curved point of the liquid line point. So that gravity may actually be like 1.126.

Hope all that was not too muddy and makes sense.

JINKS · Sep 8, 2014

Thanks for all the help(s) reading the dratted scale.

IJesusChrist · Sep 8, 2014

Add blue berries to secondary, not primary. Word of advice

JINKS · Sep 18, 2014

So I racked to a secondary today what do I do about the extra head-space created by the left behind blueberry and yeast lees?

RegarRenill · Sep 19, 2014

Add more frozen blueberries? Or use a "similar" wine to top up with...I usually make atleast a gallon extra with melomels, just to top up with...or, if it is ALOT of headspace a smaller carboy could work with the extra going into a smaller bottle... SWMBO is accusing me of hoarding bottles cause I'm cleaning and sanitizing 10oz, 12oz, 16oz, 17.9oz, 23oz, 32oz, 1L, 1/2 gal, 2L, 3L and 1 gal clear bottles whenever we empty one, lol. It sounds weird, but I almost ALWAYS have an appropriately sized bottle for extra with little to no headspace after topping up.

JINKS · Apr 19, 2015

Bottled today. Mellow but a little warming still.

Going to be amazing this fall.

gratus fermentatio · Apr 20, 2015

That's some gorgeous looking melomel Jinks, especially in those bellissima bottles. I'm groovin on the label too. Do you use a bottling wand? Some of those bottles seem to have a bit too much head space & others not enough. A spring loaded bottling wand will help keep a uniform head space when bottling.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/plastic-spring-tip-bottle-filler.html
Regards, GF.

JINKS · Apr 20, 2015

gratus fermentatio said:
That's some gorgeous looking melomel Jinks, especially in those bellissima bottles. I'm groovin on the label too. Do you use a bottling wand? Some of those bottles seem to have a bit too much head space & others not enough. A spring loaded bottling wand will help keep a uniform head space when bottling.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/plastic-spring-tip-bottle-filler.html
Regards, GF.

No I didn't use a wand, I should have though, just didn't cross my mind until i read your post.:smack:
It's not like I don't have one or two or three floating around.

JINKS · Apr 20, 2015

Out in the sunshine.

BlueBerry Melomel

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