Acacia and Elderberry?

[Vikingarch]

Hey guys,

New mead brewer here and I currently have a couple batches going. I have a pound of dried elderberries and I recently got my hands on 4lbs of acacia honey.

I know that acacia is a light and floral honey, therefore would it not go well with elderberries? I was thinking I would add half the berries in primary and the rest in secondary. For yeast I would use 71B.

I have been reading recipes on here for a while and Im excited to get involved! Thanks for all of your help.

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi Vikingarch and welcome. Elderberry is a strong flavor and I would think that they would overwhelm any flavors you might get from the honey. Here iare another couple of options to consider that might allow the honey to shine:
Might you use wildflower or clover honey as the base and then back sweeten with acacia honey? Alternatively, might you make a traditional mead (fermenting only the honey) and then add the fruit to the secondary so that the alcohol pulls the flavors and colors from the elderberries and the yeast ferments the berries but at this point the fermentation should be less aggressive

 

[Vikingarch]

Thank you!

I am definitely going to ferment traditionally, but I would like to try to pair it with something in secondary that would compliment the natural flavor of the honey.

Seeing as its light and floral, my girlfriend suggested jasmine or even lemons. That way I may not have to worry about the elderberry overcoming the honey.