Pineapple Mead

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newbrew86

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So I'll be making a 5.5g batch of grandmas apple pie for my first mead this week. I'll have 10lbs extra honey so I'm planning two more meads.

Was planning on doing a pineapple mead, where I do 5lb honey, water, then 1 pineapple diced into large chunks. Will these end up sinking like oranges would in JAOM?

Will pineapple end up being cloudy? I could see that happening and was wondering if I should add pectin enzyme during primary fermentation? Maybe 1/2 tsp before adding yeast?
 
Put the fruit in the secondary. The fruit will sink if put in a mesh bag and in the end it should be mostly pulp that comes out of the mesh bag. Pineapple pulp is stringing and pineapple fruit has LOTS of liquid in it but the acidity is high as well as sweetness. It should end up pretty clear with out the need for enzyme. If you have 1 pineapple then it sounds like you are doing a 1 gal batch or two at most. You will not get much pineapple flavor if 1 pineapple for a 5 gal. I used 5 once and got some pineapple flavor but when I used 7 pineapples it was really good.

Hope it turns out well

Matrix
 
Matrix4b said:
Put the fruit in the secondary. The fruit will sink if put in a mesh bag and in the end it should be mostly pulp that comes out of the mesh bag. Pineapple pulp is stringing and pineapple fruit has LOTS of liquid in it but the acidity is high as well as sweetness. It should end up pretty clear with out the need for enzyme. If you have 1 pineapple then it sounds like you are doing a 1 gal batch or two at most. You will not get much pineapple flavor if 1 pineapple for a 5 gal. I used 5 once and got some pineapple flavor but when I used 7 pineapples it was really good.

Hope it turns out well

Matrix
Click to expand...

Thanks friend, I'll be doing a 1 gallon batch for 1 whole pineapple. How big would you reccomend i make the chunks? just bite sized chunks? Also, if I put fruit into the secondary, when they drop should I wait a month or so, then re-rack into my 5gallon bucket, then back into my carboy for aging? I'm not sure if it would still bubble at all and not too positive when I can bottle without having exploding bottles lol

also sorry for a dozen questions but where can i find tinier mesh bags? any idea?
 
Why treat this melomel as if it were JAOM? If you simply measure the gravity of the fermenter and it is below 1.000 and stable for some weeks then you know that the yeast has converted all the sugars in the melomel.
The USDA
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2019/2
suggests that about 10 percent of the pineapple by weight is sugar (all fermentable) So if you add 1 cup of chunked pineapple (165g) you probably have added about 16 gms of sugar. Rule of thumb is about 400 g = 1 lb and 1 lb of sugar will increase the SG of 1 gallon by 40 points (1.040) You would need about 25 cups of chunked pineapple to raise the gravity by 40 points...
What I would do (in contrast to Matrix4b), is determine how much pineapple you have by weight, send it through a juicer or blender, add some K-meta (to inhibit spoilage) then add pectic enzyme to help break up the pectin. Twenty four hours later you might pour the pineapple mush into a straining bag and tie the end with sanitized (clean) nylon thread and push the bag and its contents into your secondary. Rack the mead onto the bag and tie the bag through your bung to the top of the carboy. Leave the pineapple in the fermenter for as long as you think it will take for all the flavors to transfer to the mead. Then haul the bag out using the thread.

If you know the weight of the pineapple you have blended and divide that by 10 you know the amount of sugar you have added and you therefore know the increase in the SG that you have added. Simply measure the gravity every two or three weeks until , as I say, the gravity is below 1.000 and is stable. You can bottle then or when the mead (melomel) is crystal clear and you should have no bottle bombs.
Not sweet enough (because too dry)? then you stabilize the mead (with K-meta AND K-sorbate) and then add either more honey or pineapple juice...
 
bernardsmith said:
Why treat this melomel as if it were JAOM? If you simply measure the gravity of the fermenter and it is below 1.000 and stable for some weeks then you know that the yeast has converted all the sugars in the melomel.
The USDA
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2019/2
suggests that about 10 percent of the pineapple by weight is sugar (all fermentable) So if you add 1 cup of chunked pineapple (165g) you probably have added about 16 gms of sugar. Rule of thumb is about 400 g = 1 lb and 1 lb of sugar will increase the SG of 1 gallon by 40 points (1.040) You would need about 25 cups of chunked pineapple to raise the gravity by 40 points...
What I would do (in contrast to Matrix4b), is determine how much pineapple you have by weight, send it through a juicer or blender, add some K-meta (to inhibit spoilage) then add pectic enzyme to help break up the pectin. Twenty four hours later you might pour the pineapple mush into a straining bag and tie the end with sanitized (clean) nylon thread and push the bag and its contents into your secondary. Rack the mead onto the bag and tie the bag through your bung to the top of the carboy. Leave the pineapple in the fermenter for as long as you think it will take for all the flavors to transfer to the mead. Then haul the bag out using the thread.

If you know the weight of the pineapple you have blended and divide that by 10 you know the amount of sugar you have added and you therefore know the increase in the SG that you have added. Simply measure the gravity every two or three weeks until , as I say, the gravity is below 1.000 and is stable. You can bottle then or when the mead (melomel) is crystal clear and you should have no bottle bombs.
Not sweet enough (because too dry)? then you stabilize the mead (with K-meta AND K-sorbate) and then add either more honey or pineapple juice...
Click to expand...

Well I'm not sure the goal is to get all the sugar directly from the pineapple, just get the flavor out of it. That said maybe I should use storebought pineapple juice without preservatives, add pectin enzyme and kmeta and use the juice in the secondary?
 
If you want only the flavor then why not ferment your mead to whatever level you would normally (I ferment dry, but that's me), aging, (that may mean waiting several months, racking every 60 days), stabilizing the mead when crystal clear with K-sorbate and k-meta and simply adding pineapple juice. The unfermented juice will sweeten the mead and will flavor it...
 
bernardsmith said:
If you want only the flavor then why not ferment your mead to whatever level you would normally (I ferment dry, but that's me), aging, (that may mean waiting several months, racking every 60 days), stabilizing the mead when crystal clear with K-sorbate and k-meta and simply adding pineapple juice. The unfermented juice will sweeten the mead and will flavor it...
Click to expand...

well i'm really new to brewing, i've yet to make anything so that may explain me doing things incorrectly

that said, you're saying i should just use pineapple juice to back sweeten/ flavor the final product and use sorbate to keep it from fermenting the newly introduced sugar?
 
I would use a fermentation bucket. Since you only have 1 gal of liquid to work with, I would use about 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks or for those that are metric 2.5 to 4 cm.

For the primary, do it with out the pineapple, the sediment will drop out of it, mostly in 2 weeks or so. Rack on to the fruit.

Then leave it for about 3 weeks to a month, remove fruit, rack off of sediment.

Let Settle til clear. Rack and mix in 1 teaspoon of Postasium Sorbate, leave sit for 2 days or so, then backsweeten to taste.

This will cloud it up again, just let it settle out and rack off of the sediment when it reaches 1/4 inch or so, or 1/2 cm or so.

I recommend 1 oz of oak chips or cubes, lightly toasted at the end in for 1 to 1 1/2 weeks. This will vastly smooth out the Mead.

When it is clear you are ready for bulk aging or bottling and bottle aging.

To be certain no bottle bombs then take a hydrometer readings and when you have no change for 3 readings in a row (one per week) then it has stopped fermenting enough to bottle (or bulk age)

Age in the bottle or carboy for at least 6-8 months, a year if you can wait.

Then you are golden (both in color and metaphorically)

Matrix
 
Matrix4b said:
I would use a fermentation bucket. Since you only have 1 gal of liquid to work with, I would use about 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks or for those that are metric 2.5 to 4 cm.

For the primary, do it with out the pineapple, the sediment will drop out of it, mostly in 2 weeks or so. Rack on to the fruit.

Then leave it for about 3 weeks to a month, remove fruit, rack off of sediment.

Let Settle til clear. Rack and mix in 1 teaspoon of Postasium Sorbate, leave sit for 2 days or so, then backsweeten to taste.

This will cloud it up again, just let it settle out and rack off of the sediment when it reaches 1/4 inch or so, or 1/2 cm or so.

I recommend 1 oz of oak chips or cubes, lightly toasted at the end in for 1 to 1 1/2 weeks. This will vastly smooth out the Mead.

When it is clear you are ready for bulk aging or bottling and bottle aging.

To be certain no bottle bombs then take a hydrometer readings and when you have no change for 3 readings in a row (one per week) then it has stopped fermenting enough to bottle (or bulk age)

Age in the bottle or carboy for at least 6-8 months, a year if you can wait.

Then you are golden (both in color and metaphorically)

Matrix
Click to expand...

Hey man, that's really nice of you to take the time to walk me through that , I really appreciate it!!

I ended up doing my first project last night, d47, 0.5lbs sugar, 1 gallon apple juice. just dry pitched the yeast, bubbling every 2 seconds 8 hours in! pretty excited

going to start a JAOM right now as I just picked up 6 gallons of indian summer apple cider for 18.59 with tax!

my 15lbs honey just came too so i'll start the pineapple mead (sans pineapple until racking) tonight!
 
The best way to get pineapple flavor, without using juice in place of water, is to actually roast it. Grilled pineapple in a mead is pretty awesome, too.
 
noblesquirrel said:
The best way to get pineapple flavor, without using juice in place of water, is to actually roast it. Grilled pineapple in a mead is pretty awesome, too.
Click to expand...

nice tip...

i have a competition smoker, was thinking about grilling on the cast iron grating, then moving to a top rack in aluminum foil to smoke for a bit with some oak woodchips...
 
newbrew86 said:
nice tip...

i have a competition smoker, was thinking about grilling on the cast iron grating, then moving to a top rack in aluminum foil to smoke for a bit with some oak woodchips...
Click to expand...

That sounds great. I'd probably go with some sort of fruit wood (apple or cherry), but either way, sounds good!
 
If you grill the fruit first (genius by the way) would you still freeze and thaw to break down cell walls? And if so, would you do it before or after grilling?
 
I grill pineapple all the time to infuse in tequila. My Grilled Pineapple Tequila is a sought-after item at my wife's work. I usually use 1 whole pineapple sliced 1/2 inch thick for grilling, and chop it up in 1 inch chunks for 1 liter of tequila, not sure how that would work for mead, but I can tell you the tequila is awesome! Not sure if I would add the wood flavor to it by smoking, or use wood in the secondary.

Grilling the pineapple caramelizes the sugars on the surface, and when cooled, they ooze goodness, and when added to alcohols like tequilas or vodka's produce some awesome tasting drinks! I can only think that it would make a great mead, in fact, I'm going to give it a go in a 1 gallon jug to start just to experiment. But rather than use it primary, I think it would be better served in the secondary.
 
JDWebb said:
I grill pineapple all the time to infuse in tequila. My Grilled Pineapple Tequila is a sought-after item at my wife's work. I usually use 1 whole pineapple sliced 1/2 inch thick for grilling, and chop it up in 1 inch chunks for 1 liter of tequila, not sure how that would work for mead, but I can tell you the tequila is awesome! Not sure if I would add the wood flavor to it by smoking, or use wood in the secondary.

Grilling the pineapple caramelizes the sugars on the surface, and when cooled, they ooze goodness, and when added to alcohols like tequilas or vodka's produce some awesome tasting drinks! I can only think that it would make a great mead, in fact, I'm going to give it a go in a 1 gallon jug to start just to experiment. But rather than use it primary, I think it would be better served in the secondary.
Click to expand...

Do you have a preference on tequila to use?
I love grilled pineapple and will probably give it a go. Mead and tiquila:D
 
Yeah, Sauza Reposado, 1 liter bottle. I've tried a bunch, and this has always worked out well. It's a bit hard straight, but blends well with the pineapple after sitting for at least a month. Skin and cut a whole, ripe fresh pineapple. Make sure it's ripe, the skin will have a yellow tinge to it, and will be soft. not sponge soft, just soft to the touch. Slice it in 1/2 inch slices, don't worry about the knots after you skin it, or the core, you won't be eating it. Grill the slices on a hot grill turning 90º to get good grill marks. Flip, and do the other side. You're looking for good grill marks, with the meat a golden brown. Cool on a plate, they will ooze a but, don't lose that juice, use it. Cut it into 1 inch chunks and put it in a plastic container for 4 weeks.

Sauza is a good middle of the road infusion tequila. I don't like using the good stuff for infusions, you'll wind up changing the flavor of a really good tequila that way. I don't use the cheap crap either, it tastes more like turpentine. I don't strain it when it gets to the bottom, I just toss the pineapple and start over with a fresh batch.

Here's my pineapple margarita recipe;
2 oz JD’s Pineapple Tequila
½ oz Light Agave Syrup
1 oz Orgeat
1/2 fresh squeezed lime (1/2 oz)
1 oz Grand Marnier or Orange Curacao
1 oz Sweet Sour mix
2 tsp crushed pineapple

Place in shaker with 1 ½ cup crushed ice
Shake well, and pour.

I make an orange tequila also, same tequila, use the zest (no white pith) of 2 large oranges, age for 1 month.

2 oz JD’s Orange Tequila
½ oz Light Agave
½ fresh squeezed lime (1/2 oz)
1 oz Sweet Sour Mix or Orange Juice
½ oz Orange Curacao
½ oz Grand Marnier

Place in shaker with 1 ½ cup crushed ice
Shake well, and pour.
 
JDWebb said:
Yeah, Sauza Reposado, 1 liter bottle. I've tried a bunch, and this has always worked out well. It's a bit hard straight, but blends well with the pineapple after sitting for at least a month. Skin and cut a whole, ripe fresh pineapple. Make sure it's ripe, the skin will have a yellow tinge to it, and will be soft. not sponge soft, just soft to the touch. Slice it in 1/2 inch slices, don't worry about the knots after you skin it, or the core, you won't be eating it. Grill the slices on a hot grill turning 90º to get good grill marks. Flip, and do the other side. You're looking for good grill marks, with the meat a golden brown. Cool on a plate, they will ooze a but, don't lose that juice, use it. Cut it into 1 inch chunks and put it in a plastic container for 4 weeks.

Sauza is a good middle of the road infusion tequila. I don't like using the good stuff for infusions, you'll wind up changing the flavor of a really good tequila that way. I don't use the cheap crap either, it tastes more like turpentine. I don't strain it when it gets to the bottom, I just toss the pineapple and start over with a fresh batch.

Here's my pineapple margarita recipe;
2 oz JD’s Pineapple Tequila
½ oz Light Agave Syrup
1 oz Orgeat
1/2 fresh squeezed lime (1/2 oz)
1 oz Grand Marnier or Orange Curacao
1 oz Sweet Sour mix
2 tsp crushed pineapple

Place in shaker with 1 ½ cup crushed ice
Shake well, and pour.

I make an orange tequila also, same tequila, use the zest (no white pith) of 2 large oranges, age for 1 month.

2 oz JD’s Orange Tequila
½ oz Light Agave
½ fresh squeezed lime (1/2 oz)
1 oz Sweet Sour Mix or Orange Juice
½ oz Orange Curacao
½ oz Grand Marnier

Place in shaker with 1 ½ cup crushed ice
Shake well, and pour.
Click to expand...

Just made this and holy **** is it tasty. thanks.
 
Yeah, I was a bartender in a dream I had a couple years ago, actually more like a nightmare. It's a ***** being retired, all this time on my hands and I spend it all with liquor.

Glad you liked it.
 

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