Waterless Mead

[MightyMosin]

I've never made a waterless mead and have been kicking the idea around. Outside of the large amount of fruits needed and accepting a smaller batch result, the concept seems simple enough.

Getting the OG will be a slight bit of a guess unless I get a spectrometer to really get the amount of sugars in the selected fruit(s). Depending on the fruit used, the possibility of wild yeast and spoilage seems like it might be higher than a mead I normally make.

I'm thinking a "cheater" fruit for a first waterless mead might be watermelon. The outside should be able to be sanitized nicely so that cutting into it won't introduce outside elements into the fruit itself via the knife. The fruit carries plenty of water on its own and is currently readily available and pretty inexpensive.

I don't know what kind of YAN I will get from the fruit but I am currently assuming that I can calculate nutrients as a traditional and not end up with too many nutrients.

Any suggestions?

This is currently in the mental kicking it around phase and I still need to look around for more info/gotchas.

 

[Raptor99]

I make country wine, i.e. wine made with fruit other than grapes. What you are describing sounds like a country wine recipe using honey rather than sugar to raise the OG. It works better if you freeze your fruit for a few days to break it down, then thaw, mash, and add pectic enzyme and Kmeta. Wait 24 hours, then check the SG and add honey as needed to reach your desired OG. You might end up with a majority of the sugar coming from the fruit rather than the honey, depending on your target OG.

Fruit provides some YAN depending on variety and environmental factors. Assume a fairly low YAN from the fruit, e.g. 30 PPM, and add the required YAN according to your calculations. Or if you ignore the YAN in the fruit and just calculate it as normal, I don't think it would be a problem.

You can read more about making a country wine here: Country Fruit Winemaking

 

[Srimmey]

You can also just buy good quality juice. It’s expensive but straight forward. Apple juice, cherry juice and mango are all easy starting points. I’ve contemplated pineapple, Concord grape juice and orange too but no personal experience.

I would stay away from melons, unless you are using very high quality it can just end up tasting like feet. If you can buy em fresh from a farm, that’s your best bet.

I find the less sweet juices are also better to use since more honey can be added without breaking 16% abv. Personal fav is a mix of sweet cherry and tart cherry juice. The juice mix usually hits around 1.03 so I can easily add honey up to 1.095-1.100. Just beware the PH, it’s stalled more than 1 of my primary fermentations.

 

[MrClint]

I use flavored tea such as Jasmin Green, Rooibos Blood Orange or Berry Hibiscus. Aside from interesting flavors and aroma, this also seems to add some mouth feel due to the tannins in the tea.

 

[bernardsmith]

I
Getting the OG will be a slight bit of a guess unless I get a spectrometer to really get the amount of sugars in the selected fruit(s). Depending on the fruit used, the possibility of wild yeast and spoilage seems like it might be higher than a mead I normally make.



This is currently in the mental kicking it around phase and I still need to look around for more info/gotchas.

The USDA publishes nutritional information, including sugar content, for all fruit and vegetables. It's not going to be 100 percent accurate - but the figures are good approximations. You could certainly use the USDA figures as good "rules of thumb" for any fruit you juice or any fruit you buy. As home winemakers we are not subject to different taxes based on the specific ABV of the wines we make, so better than reasonable/reliable
approximations are never required

 

[MightyMosin]

I would stay away from melons, unless you are using very high quality it can just end up tasting like feet. If you can buy em fresh from a farm, that’s your best bet.

Thanks for that tip... Toe Jam isn't the kind of jammy drink I would want.

As home winemakers we are not subject to different taxes based on the specific ABV of the wines we make, so better than reasonable/reliable approximations are never required

I get that. It's my personal nature where I try to be as exacting as I can be... within reason, of course.

You can also just buy good quality juice. It’s expensive but straight forward. Apple juice, cherry juice and mango are all easy starting points. I’ve contemplated pineapple, Concord grape juice and orange too but no personal experience.

I have used juice when doing Cyser and Pyment and have had great results. I'm just thinking of going to that next step of the raw fruits and expanding the personal experience. Cost and availability will be a big factor and juices can often be great for those, especially when specific fruit isn't in season.

I make country wine, i.e. wine made with fruit other than grapes. What you are describing sounds like a country wine recipe using honey rather than sugar to raise the OG.

I guess it basically is making county wine and I don't know why the obviousness of that escaped immediate attention. Thanks for the link.