Cherry / blackberry melomel

[chickabeelane]

Wanted to make a straight cherry mead, but I didn't have enough cherries in the freezer, so this is the result. Started this on Thursday. Any comments, queries or conundrums welcome.

3 gallon batch

3 lbs. 8 oz. dark cherries
14 oz. wild blackberry juice that was squeezed through a jelly bag
1/2 cup tart cherry juice concentrate
6.6 lbs. clover honey from a local producer
4.4 lbs caramelized clover honey
2.5 gallons water
3 bags black tea, 2 bags vanilla black tea steeped in 0.5 gallons boiling water
2 tsp. pectic enzyme

Combine the lot and dose with 3 campden tablets. Wait 24 hours then pitch with yeast (k1-v1116).

OG 1.100
24 brix
Potential alcohol 13%-13.5%

Pic of happy must roughly 18 hours in:

 

[fatbloke]

Well I'd leave it 48hrs after the campden tablets, aerating it twice a day for both days, then pitch yeast.......

Otherwise you could experience extended lag......

 

[vNmd]

Sounds delicious. Question: are you going to backsweeten? I did a sweet cherry melomel. It tasted unbelievably amazing part way through, but in the end lost most of the cherry flavour. I have done only a few single fruit batches. Am interested in finding out how this turns out.

 

[chickabeelane]

Aerate twice a day to help get rid of the campden tablets, or to dissolve O2 for the yeast?

 

[chickabeelane]

Sounds delicious. Question: are you going to backsweeten? I did a sweet cherry melomel. It tasted unbelievably amazing part way through, but in the end lost most of the cherry flavour. I have done only a few single fruit batches. Am interested in finding out how this turns out.

I prefer dry meads, but I found, like you, that a lot of the flavor is lost, hence why I added the tart cherry concentrate. I am hoping that it will extend the cherry flavor a bit better than the dark "sweet" cherries I have been using.

 

[fatbloke]

Aerate twice a day to help get rid of the campden tablets, or to dissolve O2 for the yeast?

Just re-read the original post...... k1v1116 ? If so I wouldn't bother sulphiting and leaving 24 hours, I'd just mix it and pitch.

Then the aeration would be at least once daily for yeast development.

It doesn't matter so much if you have to approximate some. Its not easy getting an accurate gravity with the fruit. So maybe aerate for the first 1/4 to 1/3 of the ferment. ...

 

[chickabeelane]

Just completed primary fermentation, specific gravity dropped from 1.100 to 1.005 in a little over four days! Racked into secondary carboy yesterday. Sorry in advance for the terrible picture. It looks like a bad photoshop job, but is actually my camera's flash lighting up a white towel.