When do you add fruit and how?

[ByCandleLightWinery]

I have yet to make my first mead - I was waiting until after the holidays to go pick up a free carboy from some distant relative before I started. I've been kind of hanging around here trying to figure things out before I do. I'm experienced with cider and wine. Beer is my husband's thing.

So I had read on a post that you are suppose to add the fruit in the secondary. How do you get it in and out in a mess bag? Or do you not do a mess bag? Or am I assuming it is still whole and not just juice?

For instance, I have some strawberry wine ferementing at the moment. They were topped, washed, and frozen by my mother, which I started in the primary fermenter about a month ago, and have since then moved to the secondary. If I had wanted to use those strawberries as a mead, how would I have done it?

 

[TheRabidKumquat]

Fruit in primary vs secondary seems to be done on an individual's preference. Both have their pros and cons, and so it seems many meadmakers will add fruit in both primary and secondary.

Primary will give better structure and mouthfeel, in addition to some nutrients the yeast will need during fermentation.
Secondary fruit addition will preserve more of the fruit's flavor as you would know it.

You would be able to essentially treat it the strawberries the same way if added to secondary in the mead as you had in the wine.

I never use any sort of bag for my melomels, and every time I make one with really messy fruits, I swear that my next one I'll use a bag to reduce the clogged siphons and the headache of skimming out all the fiberous stuff

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I'm one who likes to add fruit to both primary and secondary, and sometimes to tertiary as well. I like the aded depth of flavour I get by doing it that way. Sometimes I'll skip adding fruit to secondary completely & wait till a mead/melomel is crystal clear (after a couple rackings) & has no lees, then rack it onto fruit in tertiary. I've left melomel on fruit in tertiary as long as 6 months with really good results. Part of the fun is finding out what you like & what works best for you. Regards, GF.

 

[ByCandleLightWinery]

I never use any sort of bag for my melomels, and every time I make one with really messy fruits, I swear that my next one I'll use a bag to reduce the clogged siphons and the headache of skimming out all the fiberous stuff

Ah. I was wondering how to fit fruit in a bag thought the tiny neck of a carboy and then get it back out again without squeezing it.

 

[jezter6]

For me, when I do fruits, I secondary with fruit in a bucket. Since it's not going to be in long (for me about a month to 2 months is fine) and it's not really going to clear - I see no reason to worry about aging it in a carboy.

That way, I don't have to worry about the fruit bits during cleanup. I mean really - what's a month in a bucket really matter? It's just too easy, I couldn't see doing it another way unless I was using only juice.

 

[bwomp313]

I know that at this point the alcohol will probably take care of any of the little bugs hanging around on the fruit but still safe is better than sorry; when you add the fruit to secondary/tertiary do you sanitize it in any way?

 

[SpaceInvadingMonkeys]

when you add the fruit to secondary/tertiary do you sanitize it in any way?

I usually freeze it overnight and then let it thaw. I am fairly certain the ABV will kill anything leftover but freezing it breaks down the cells some so you can impart flavour faster!

 

[jcobbs]

I did a blueberry kind of quasi-acerglyn/melomel that got rave reviews at Christmas. I put about a pound of frozen home-grown blueberries in a gallon primary, along with about 1 1/2 cups ruby red grapefruit juice. Instead of honey I used 40 oz of Golden Eagle Syrup, a cane syrup/corn syrup/honey blend sold here in the Deep South. Also a cup of sugar if I recall. After it started to clear I racked it to secondary over about 1/2 lb more blueberries and about 1/2 cup blueberry syrup. Left that about a month and racked to tertiary for about month to clear. Once it fermented out dry the grapefruit seemed a little tart, so I touched it up with about an ounce of wine conditioner and bottled in 375ml cobalt blue bottles with a nice label. I got folks already putting in their requests for next Christmas.

So the short answer is--I used fruit in both primary and secondary and got good results. (I guess I could have said that to begin with, but then I wouldn't have gotten to brag on my wine)