Can someone Sanity Check my Recipe please?

[beerninja]

Hi guys. I have some extra room in my brewing system to do a 5 gallons of mead. I've decided on a mead with Black Currants, Blackberries, and Blueberries. Please look over the recipe i have in mind and make sure i'm not crazy.....I'm looking for it to finish Dry with a high ABV, but plan to back sweeten it to taste.


15Lbs Wildflower honey
64oz Black Currant Juice
5Lbs Blackberries
5Lbs Blueberries.
add Spring Water to bring up to 5 gallons.

I'll be using white labs Champagne Yeast to really make sure i get as much Alcohol out of this as i can then back sweeten when it's time to bottle next year.

what do you guys think? what should i change? add?

 

[TandemTails]

Without knowing your experience level with mead, I've got a few questions / comments:

1. What vessel are you planning on brewing this in during primary fermentation?. I always like to have at least a gallon or two of headspace available for fermentation expansion, co2 foam during SNA, etc. For example, I'll use a 6.5 gallon big mouth bubbler for a 5 gallon batch of mead.

2. Do you plan on doing a staggered nutrient addition plan with regular degassing/aerating? If so, see question 1 about fermentation vessel size

3. With that much fruit, you're going to have some racking losses when you rack to secondary. To eliminate headspace, make sure you either overcompensate by making a slightly larger primary or you top off with some other mead when you rack to secondary. I like to brew a slightly larger primary so I have the least possible headspace when i rack. Again, I'll do primary in a 6-7 gallon brew bucket and then rack to a 5 gallon glass carboy for secondary.

Other than that, your recipe sounds good. The blackberries might end up turning to mush and cause racking problems but i've done blueberries without any issues.

 

[beerninja]

Without knowing your experience level with mead, I've got a few questions / comments:

1. What vessel are you planning on brewing this in during primary fermentation?. I always like to have at least a gallon or two of headspace available for fermentation expansion, co2 foam during SNA, etc. For example, I'll use a 6.5 gallon big mouth bubbler for a 5 gallon batch of mead.

2. Do you plan on doing a staggered nutrient addition plan with regular degassing/aerating? If so, see question 1 about fermentation vessel size

3. With that much fruit, you're going to have some racking losses when you rack to secondary. To eliminate headspace, make sure you either overcompensate by making a slightly larger primary or you top off with some other mead when you rack to secondary. I like to brew a slightly larger primary so I have the least possible headspace when i rack. Again, I'll do primary in a 6-7 gallon brew bucket and then rack to a 5 gallon glass carboy for secondary.

Other than that, your recipe sounds good. The blackberries might end up turning to mush and cause racking problems but i've done blueberries without any issues.

1. I'll Ferment in my big mouth bubbler. it's 5 gallons ill use a blow off tube into a gallon jar with water

2. I do plan on staggering the nutrition which is going to be tricky because at the end of next month i go back overseas for work, for 6 months. so really i just need to remind the wife. it will eventually be transferred to a 5 gallon carboy maybe after a month in the primary depending on fermentation. then moved every other month with a crushed camden tablet to help clarify it.


3. I plan on having all the fruit in a fine mesh bag to make racking it easier after the primary is done.

 

[TandemTails]

1. I'll Ferment in my big mouth bubbler. it's 5 gallons ill use a blow off tube into a gallon jar with water

2. I do plan on staggering the nutrition which is going to be tricky because at the end of next month i go back overseas for work, for 6 months. so really i just need to remind the wife. it will eventually be transferred to a 5 gallon carboy maybe after a month in the primary depending on fermentation. then moved every other month with a crushed camden tablet to help clarify it.


3. I plan on having all the fruit in a fine mesh bag to make racking it easier after the primary is done.

Awesome. Looks like you're in good shape then. I've found that the SNA is usually done within a week (when the 1/3 sugar break is reached). After that I just swirl the carboy once or twice a day to break up the fruit cap.

Sounds like you'll have plenty of time to do everything necessary to the mead before you head overseas. You'll probably want to rack to secondary before you go so there won't really be anything your wife will need to do.

 

[Arpolis]

I agree it looks good. The only thing I do differently with blueberries is add a little citric acid and it perks up the blueberry taste. Since blueberry is a mix you may not do this. But may think about it when back sweetening. If it feels like it is missing something. Probably a little citric acid to taste.

 

[beerninja]

I agree it looks good. The only thing I do differently with blueberries is add a little citric acid and it perks up the blueberry taste. Since blueberry is a mix you may not do this. But may think about it when back sweetening. If it feels like it is missing something. Probably a little citric acid to taste.

thanks! ill keep that in mind