Adding fruit on start of fermentation vs end of fermentation

[ghast]

Hello everyone,

I've been recently transitioning from brewing beer to making mead (done a few braggots), so i'm still a newbie.

So, I wanted to know if adding fruit or fruit juice before pitching the yeast will be different if I added it about three weeks after fermentation already started. I know it will restart the fermentation, I don't have any problem with it, i'm just wondering if flavorwise there is a big difference because if there isn't any impact I definitely would prefer adding it at the start.

Thanks, and cheers!

 

[Colin MacKay]

Hello everyone,

I've been recently transitioning from brewing beer to making mead (done a few braggots), so i'm still a newbie.

So, I wanted to know if adding fruit or fruit juice before pitching the yeast will be different if I added it about three weeks after fermentation already started. I know it will restart the fermentation, I don't have any problem with it, i'm just wondering if flavorwise there is a big difference because if there isn't any impact I definitely would prefer adding it at the start.

Thanks, and cheers!

From what I understand/have done and been told to do is mostly best to add solid fruit in secondary. Just make your mead as normal untill your ready to rack and then put in your fruits at that point. I may be wrong but that's what I did with my strawberry mead and it turned out fantastic. Good luck!

 

[CKuhns]

It really depends on what flavor profile you are looking for.

Adding fruit in primary up-front is perfectly acceptable. I find that its a little harder to balance the fruit flavor with the honey when done this way. But if you are looking for the fruit flavor to be a little more predominant then all up front works just fine. If you are looking for the honey to come through a little more and the fruit to be somewhat milder then adding the fruit to secondary allows you to taste it every day or two until you hit the profile you are looking for. If you are looking for the fruit flavor to be the "star" of the show then fruit in primary and secondary is the way to go along with perhaps some juice or puree.