Is Pineapple Mead Truly Possible?

[Briatta]

So the boyfriend has his heart set on having a pineapple mead. Of all the research I've done so far, most comes back with either horror stories of other people's failed attempts or posts that never give updates. I really haven't found enough 'successful' information to attempt a test batch. I did have a thought today though while at a kitchen supply store picking up some supplies. (And I apologize in advance if this is some sort of mead brewing blasphemy. LOL) Has anyone ever tried just making a plain mead and back sweetening it with one of those Torani-style pineapple flavored syrups? Do you think it would be possible to get enough pineapple flavor out of it without it being overly sweet or chemical tasting? I have no idea what the syrup actually tastes like so I'm really tempted just to buy some to find out. I'm sure it won't go to waste whether it ends up in a mead or not. Anyone ever try this?

Thanks in Advance

 

[passedpawn]

Not a mead, but perhaps you can get some information here:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/tepache-200053/

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Make a straight show mead & add fresh pineapple to secondary and/or tertiary. Pineapple is high in acids, 1 of which is ascorbic (vitamin C), which is also an antioxidant. It will help protect your mead from oxidation. Let it sit on the fruit for a month or so, you may need to add more fruit, depending on your taste. When your desired flavour profile has been reached, remove the fruit & let that mead (melomel at this point) clear & age for a while. Bottle & age some more, then enjoy.
Regards, GF.

 

[bernardsmith]

Never tried making pineapple melomel, but Briatta, what are the horror stories? Would it be possible to turn the idea of a mead on its head and instead aim for a pineapple wine made with honey, so rather than have the honey as the base aim for pineapple as the base and then increase the sugar content of the pineapple with honey. The difference would be that this would use less honey and far more pineapple....

 

[Arpolis]

Yeast just seem to hate pineapple in general and something about it goes wrong very easily. I think what gratus suggests is the best bet for pineapple mead. Make a solid traditional and just rack onto fresh pineapple.

 

[ozinkent]

If this works, could u add coconut and make pinacolada??.. Intusted now! ��

 

[NZ-beekeeper]

Yeast just seem to hate pineapple in general and something about it goes wrong very easily. I think what gratus suggests is the best bet for pineapple mead.

That's very interesting. To make a sourdough starter (which is of course the beneficial use of wild yeasts), one method is to use pineapple juice with flour, and the wild yeasts seem to go nuts on that.

 

[Matrix4b]

I have a Pineapple Lime Mint that I brew, now in it's second batch. I do brew a show mead first, or at least do the primary with honey only with some lime zest. Then I rack it to the secondary on pineapple and lime juice and home made mint extract.

My friends call it "Sunshine in a bottle"

Matrix

 

[Curtis2010]

I have a Pineapple Lime Mint that I brew, now in it's second batch. I do brew a show mead first, or at least do the primary with honey only with some lime zest. Then I rack it to the secondary on pineapple and lime juice and home made mint extract.

My friends call it "Sunshine in a bottle"

Matrix

Details on the pineapple?

 

[Briatta]

I have a Pineapple Lime Mint that I brew, now in it's second batch. I do brew a show mead first, or at least do the primary with honey only with some lime zest. Then I rack it to the secondary on pineapple and lime juice and home made mint extract.

My friends call it "Sunshine in a bottle"

Matrix

Oh, that definitely sounds interesting. I'll have to ask him if that's a flavor combo he'd be interested in. Heck, I might do it for myself regardless.

The answer to my original question seems to be, "Yes, as long as you rack a 'completed' show/traditional mead over some pineapple."

I can live with that.

 

[Matrix4b]

Ok, Details from my mead log:

Primary:
Pineapple Lime Mint- Primary was 12 pounds alfalfa honey, 2 tablespoons of Lime Zest, 2 packets of Lavin D47 yeast, 1 tablespoon of Yeast Energizer, 1 tablespoon of yeast Nutrient. Also 4 gal of water. Starting gravity is 1.090 which is about what I have been getting with 12 pounds of honey in 4 gal of water. I have 8 pineapples cut down to their bases in the freezer ready for this one. Need to get Limes for 4 cups of Lime juice. I have the Mint already.

Secondary
I used 8 pineapples, 2 more than last time I made this. The Pineapple I also did not puree. Me and my apprentice chopped into small 1/2 to 1 inch chunks. Then tossed into the mesh bag. Also lots of fluid was released in the freeze/thaw cycle of the fruit. So it turned out very yellow and opaque. I also got as much of the liquid out as I could. This ended up with an even smaller amount of pulp and residue. What I got out of it was about a double fist sized amount of pulp that looked like a wet yellow rag. Bright yellow. Pure Pulp. So, yeah, about 2 gallons of fruit to a double fist size of pulp, Pineapple has LOTS of water, almost as much as a watermellon. So the color of the mead was a bright yellow that was mostly opaque.

PLM Monster- Pineapple Lime Mint part 2 (big batch)
This one I racked and backsweetened with 6 pounds of alfalfa honey and 1/2 gal of water. This will easily make 6 1/2 gallons of this most popular mead. Sunshine in a bottle is one description that I had of it. The liquid from the pineapples has made this rather large volume. Dispite the volume, the yeast did a really good job of eating the sugar. This was a very low gravity prior to backsweetening it, This may end up being very potent. Clearing, oaking, final clearing and bottling is needed.

That's at least part of it.

I oaked it with light toasted oak and it is ready to bottle now.

Recipe

4 gal of water
8 whole pineapples (cut out core and exterior, then freeze and thaw, cut in to 1 inch chunks)
12 pounds of alfalfa honey (6 more for backsweetening)
2 packets of yeast
1 tablespoon of yeast energizer
1 tablespoon of yeast nutrient
4 cups lime juice
1/2 cup of mint extract (home made, reduce to 4 tablespoons if using commercial)

Do the primary with just honey, nutrient, energizer and water and zest.
When you rack to the secondary (preferably in a brew bucket) rack onto the mint, lime, and pineapple. Leave on fruit for 1 month, then strain the mesh bag you put the fruit in and discard the pulp.

Backsweeten with 1/2 honey and 1/2 water when you rack to the tertiary. Rack until clear once every 2-3 months, then oak for 2 weeks on 1 oz of light toast oak chips. Then bottle when clear. Then age 6 months to a year.

Done.

Hope this helps.
Matrix

 

[Curtis2010]

Matrix,

For secondary you juiced the pineapple. Did you then add both juice and pulp to secondary?

Thanks much for the details.

 

[Bent-Brewer]

So just tossing this out there (no clue if it has been said before or how relevant it may be to the process): the stem and flesh of pineapple contains a compound called bromelain, which breaks down protein structures. It may explain why yeast doesn't do well with pineapple during the fermentation process.

 

[JR88]

first attempt with anything like this, used 1 gallon mason jars DIY drilled holes in lids and pill/bottle/cap water/airlock haha works too haha,

Pineapple Chunks/juice no preservatives, whole chunks went in, prior Flour/rasins/wheat/rye yeast starter/nutrient/all usual malts/grains etc, brown sugar/coffee/spice and Lemon Balm haha.

What on lord earth is this concoction going to turn into? haha. first 3-7 days major activity, just god awful/foul CO2/sulfur/hydrogen sulfide smell etc, damn near knocks you over get whiff of airlock etc haha, that has dissipated now starting to smell better unbelievably better nicer malty/spicy alcoholic smell on day 12...how long should I go with it? still some activity.

 

[Matrix4b]

Matrix,

For secondary you juiced the pineapple. Did you then add both juice and pulp to secondary?

Thanks much for the details.

None in the Primary. Just chopped into 1 inch squares or so and put in a mesh bag in a brew bucket. The juice I mentioned earlier is from the freeze thaw cycle. I kept all the liquid from it and put it in.

Matrix