Field Berry Mead (Melomel)

Well, I was considering my next meading attempt (as you read, I was considering maple). I was just looking for lunch tomorrow in the basement freezer when I came across three ice-cream containers of last year's berry harvest (blue, rasp, and straw). There's probably about 1.5-2 pounds of each. Not enough for fruiting a full batch on their own, and I don't have any smaller fermenters currently available.

Does anyone have any opinions on the mixing of the berry flavors? I suspect the color would come out to a reddish purple, with the purple of the blueberries overpowering the red of the others, most likely. I'm confidence that blue and rasp can be mixed easily, but i'm wondering if anyone has ever tried this with strawberries, as well. They have a very strong flavor, and I'd be concerned with it clashing with the other berries.

Well, the berries aren't getting any fresher, and the bee farmer's (hee hee.. milking their wee little teats) been giving me deals recently, so I figure there's nothing to lose.

I'm pretty new to this, but I'd guess that mixing them probably would add to the complexity of the flavor. It would probably a pretty original recipe. If I were you, I'd do it.

I think blue and rasp berries have a much stronger taste in a fermented beverage than does strawberries. I don't think there would be any harm in mixing the 3. Color will likely be a light purple/blue. Blue berries contribute significant color to the mead while strawberries have very little effect on the color.

Craig

CBBaron said:

Blue berries contribute significant color to the mead while strawberries have very little effect on the color.

Craig

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Really? In my experience, and maybe it's the local berries, but the blueberries we have around here tend to be large, but with a medium purple juice. The local strawberries are about the size of a walnut and have a juice so potent that lasts for days on skin, and you can just throw away any clothes that get stained.

In any event, the Field Berry Melomel is in it's 2nd week in the primary, burbling away pleasantly. I'm just trying to gauge the perfect time to rack it off the fruit so I don't end up too tannic from the berry skins.

I know in wines i've made blueberry's color definitely sticks around better than strawberry.

I have a strawberry bananna mead in bottles and the is absolutely no color left from the strawberries.

The blueberry apfelwein I made is very blue tho.

You may have some good baking strawberries that are much more flavorful and darker in color than the usual ones purchased at the grocery. However I think that the coloring in the blueberry skin is much more potent than the strawberry and it seep out of the skins while fermenting while the strawberry color for some reason disappears. Maybe why the strawberries seem to have much less intense flavor after fermentation also.

Craig

Interesting. I'll keep you all posted on the final colour.

Had I seen this thread sooner, I would have posted a reply. I made a mead a couple of years ago using blue, black, rasp and strawberries. I got the idea from a pie my wife made in one of her experimenting moods. The pie was equal parts each berry, but then again, in pie, you eat the berries. I tried to experiment and split the batch in half in secondary, where I was adding the berries. One half was equal berries and the other was more of two berries and less of the other two. Well, I did that, and had great fun and they were cruising along happily until I pushed a sword off a shelf over the glass carboy with half#2 and suddenly my carpet was quite pinkish.

Anyway, to make a long story short, the other half finished, got bottled and has been sampled several times by several people. It has a very dark purple color and a quite complex flavor. It's a little dry for my tastes but my wife likes it. I will probably try my experiment again in the future to see what happens.