BeerRunner
Well-Known Member
The fortified type, not just lots of Mulberries.
I got 'em falling over my back yard. May as well use some of nature's bounty.
I got 'em falling over my back yard. May as well use some of nature's bounty.
...They're sweet to eat but they didn't impart much flavor to the mead...
I made some mead from mulberries two summers ago. They're sweet to eat but they didn't impart much flavor to the mead. They'll need some acid additions for sure.
...Hmmm...I'm guessing that the best way to pick these things is going to be off of plastic tarps spred out under the tree. At least, this way, when they drop of their own accord, I'm sure that they will be fully vine ripenend.
?...
...BTW - I'm not sure what you mean by "fortified," unless you mean boosting the SG with sugar...
Pogo
By fortified, I mean made like "real" Port wine; high OG fermented to 7% or so, then add Brandy to around 18% to stop fermentation, leaving a sweet dessert wine.
Looking around the internet, I'm thinking around 24 pounds of mulberries, 9lbs sugar (maybe honey), a 46oz can of Alexander's grape concentrate, pectic enzyme and acid blend. That's a 4gal recipe, based on a Jack Keller 1gal Mulberry recipe. I scaled up to 4 rather than 5 because of the size of Alexander concentrate. Jack says use an 11oz can of Welch's concentrate. I want to use a "real" wine grape.
Wine Maker magazine says to use Everclear to fortify. It will dilute the flavor less than a low-ABV (relatively speaking) Brandy.
I'm guessing you used white mulberries? They are pretty much just sugar and water. The red and black varieties have significant acid and lots of flavor.
You're probably doing it anyway but you'll want to freeze the fruit first. It help break it down for fermentation.
I'm pretty sure I used the black variety - at least the color of my hands for the next two days looked pretty black! I may have not used enough of the berries but whatever the reason, I was disappointed in the mead.
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