Big Batch recipe check.

[BerserkerBrewer]

Hi all,
I just got 10 (yes 10 ) 54 litre(14 US gal.) carboys given to me!
going to make a Cherry melomel in the first one.

here's my recipe. just think like feedback on quantities before throwing in a lot of money to brew.

24 lbs of cherries, destoned and frozen
50 lbs of honey
50 litres natural spring water ( local spring)
3/4 cup yeast nut. added in stages
1/2 cup of critic acid
1/4 malic acid
3 pkt of champagne yeast rehydrated
8 madagasgar vanilla pods
1/4 cup Mahlab
pectolase

primary will be 12 lbs cherries
40 lb honey
40 litres of the water

secondary
12 lbs cherries
10 lbs honey
water to fill.

thinking of racking after onto 4 vanilla pods and topping up with final water addition,
racking after 2-3 months adding vanilla to taste and mahlab as needed( amount of mahlab would be helpful, never used this before)
racking for 4th time and and may add medium oak chips to give complexity of flavour.
rack again after a month and then till clear every 3 months
bulk age for 9-12 months
bottle and wait 6 months to start drinking ( it is 75 bottles ...lol)

any advice, tips and comments welcome.

 

[Double_D]

I use 20g of yeast per 5 gallon. It stresses the yeast less. Even with the additions of yeast nutrient and energizer.

I've followed some experiments along the line of what's on the other end of this link:

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=2469

 

[Arpolis]

With that much honey and cherries you are looking at a total gravity in the 1.130 - 1.136 range. So you want a 18% ABV cherry mead? If so rock on. I would probably hold off on 10lb of the honey and every couple days add a couple pounds and step it up to the higher gravity as it ferments. That will help to further lesson the stress on your yeast.

Haha, scratch what I said. It is late and I did not even read your whole post. Your primary and secondary additions split this up well. Like I said before. Rock on!