How much tart cherry juice?

I want to make a tart cherry melomel, and am looking for a ball park of how much juice to add to secondary. Thought I would make a clover show mead that I ferment to about 1.020, and then add juice and ferment down to maybe 1.015.

Your thoughts?

I've always substituted my water with what ever juice I was using at the time.
Just add enough until you achieve the taste you desire.

Off topic- I have access to tart cherry concentrate, cost $60 a gallon, and would love to use this in a upcoming mead and in future brews. Has anyone ever used concentrate? If so, how much? and How much water do you dilute it with?

235650 said:

I want to make a tart cherry melomel, and am looking for a ball park of how much juice to add to secondary. Thought I would make a clover show mead that I ferment to about 1.020, and then add juice and ferment down to maybe 1.015.

Your thoughts?

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I'd start with a quart in 6 gallons & go from there. Tart cherry juice is pretty tart, you don't want it to be too tart. It's easier to add more than to remove some. Regards, GF.

Native302 said:

Has anyone ever used concentrate? If so, how much? and How much water do you dilute it with?

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Reconstitute with water to make juice, follow the directions on the pkg, go from there.
Regards, GF.

No directions. Got a bulk 5 gallon pail, split with friends. I'll mix to taste and go from there

Native302 said:

Off topic- I have access to tart cherry concentrate, cost $60 a gallon, and would love to use this in a upcoming mead and in future brews. Has anyone ever used concentrate? If so, how much? and How much water do you dilute it with?

Click to expand...

I've used tart cherry concentrate a few times. A gallon is A LOT of concentrate. I believe they are usually around 68 Brix, so a gallon is equivalent to something like 80 lbs of cherries. Amazon sells quarts of concentrate for about $20.

I add the concentrate directly. I wouldn't reconstitute it into juice. All that water just dilutes your batch. When adding pre-ferment, just stir it into your cider, mead, or whatever. Using it in secondary, you have to be a little more careful about oxygenation, so stir it in gently. You might want to mix it with a little water first to make mixing it in your batch easier, but I haven't felt the need. The cherry concentrates I've used are just a little thicker than apple juice concentrate.

I've used 16-32 oz of concentrate per 5 gallon batch, depending on how much flavor I wanted.

Thank-you sir! That definitely helps out and I will use your advice wisely. It is 68 brix concentrate

Just my personal taste, but I like to add a little vanilla when I use cherry.

I believe you have to keep the concentrate refrigerated.

Well since you mentioned it I was going to do a cherry vanilla mead. You have now confirmed my recipe idea, thank-you. Yes it does need to be refrigerated.

235650 said:

I want to make a tart cherry melomel, and am looking for a ball park of how much juice to add to secondary. Thought I would make a clover show mead that I ferment to about 1.020, and then add juice and ferment down to maybe 1.015.

Your thoughts?

Click to expand...

Are you using Knudsen Just Tart Cherry or something similar? I like the idea of starting with a quart, or so, in 5 gallons and adding to taste. You can always add more. Everybody's taste is different, but I'd guess you'll use at least a half gallon in a 5 gallon batch.

I'm a big fan of blending (don't know why..). But what I would do is make a straight tart cherry juice mead, as well as traditional. After fermentation, blend to taste.