Cherry meas

[Srimmey]

Good day!

I am just getting back into mead making and have been wanting to try a Cherry mead recipe.

I was thinking of making 1 or 2 gallons using either LV1118 or D47 yeast. The biggest question I have is, should I use raw cherries or should I replace the water with 100% black Cherry juice.

My biggest desire is to avoid making something that tastes like Cherry cough syrup. Otherwise I was contemplating using a few vanilla beans for extra flavor.

 

[Lampy]

I used frozen/thawed sweet cherries in my cherry mead and it initially had a cough syrup flavor, but after a few weeks that disappeared and it resembled a light red wine more. I also included some blueberries for more fruity and tannic character.

 

[Srimmey]

I used frozen/thawed sweet cherries in my cherry mead and it initially had a cough syrup flavor, but after a few weeks that disappeared and it resembled a light red wine more. I also included some blueberries for more fruity and tannic character.

Thank you!

What did you use for a yeast starter and a yeast feeding schedule?

 

[Raptor99]

Tart cherries have a better flavor. So far I have been using tart cherry concentrate.

 

[Lampy]

I repitched some yeast from a previous batch (Cider House Select). I am not precise with nutrient (oops!) because I believe I have a "volumetric eye".
I was also step feeding with sugar to try to kill the yeast with a high ABV, but that didn't really work out.

These are my full notes for that batch:

5/28/22 Cherry Mead
• Morning: About 2700 mL H2O with 1300 g honey, nutrient, CranPine + Blueberry repitched yeast, and about 1 lb mushed pitted cherries. OG 1.103 before fruit. Evening: airlock active
• 5/30: aerated 2x daily and added a bit of dissolved nutrient this morning. Evening: no activity
• 5/31: tasted, seems dry. Adding 100 g sugar with 60 g water.
• 6/1: 100 g sugar + 60 g H2O
• 6/2: removed fruit and cold crash
• 6/3: Racked to secondary with 0.9 lbs blueberries and 1.15 lbs cherries. Reserved about 750 mL. FG 0.995
• 6/18: removed fruit and cold crashed
• 6/20: racked to carboy for aging
• 6/28 tasting: smells very boozy, medicinal flavor is mellowing out, tastes like fruity red wine.
• 7/6: still boozy, smells fruity and tastes like red wine. Maybe a hint of honey.
• 7/17: added 1 crushed campden tablet
• 7/18: ½ tsp K sorbate
• 7/19: dissolved about 150g honey into sampling of mead then mixed into and bottled
• 7/20 taste: some tannin, sweet, some fruit notes, but not juicy

 

[DBhomebrew]

I am not precise with nutrient (oops!) because I believe I have a "volumetric eye".

As long as you regularly calibrate, an eyecrometer can be highly accurate.