Adding fruit to bulk aged mead

[Peter D Day]

I want to add fruit or fruit juice to some traditional mead I have been bulk aging for eight months. The mead is crystal clear and I was getting ready to bottle it. Problem is I'm not a fan of the taste at all and want to add fruit or fruit juice to change the taste. Anyone see any potential problems with doing this? Thank you.

 

[Maylar]

Do you want it sweeter as well?

 

[Peter D Day]

If it is sweeter that's ok but its not my goal. Just trying to make it more drinkable for me.

 

[Maylar]

So if you stabilize what you have with potassium sorbate and add either fruit or juice you'll get the flavor of the fruit plus the sweetness of the added sugar, and your alcohol level will drop a bit from dilution. Or if you don't stabilize it the old yeast will probably wake up and start fermenting it again. After 8 months it's hard to say how much viable yeast are left or how long it'd take.

 

[Hilltop Honey Farms Mead]

Long story short, if you are planning to bottle and drink within a relatively short period of time, either juice or frozen concentrate would work well. If you're planning on storing, and some hungry yeasties wake up, you may have some bottle bombs.

 

[Peter D Day]

I totally get the bottle bomb potential if I add more sugar in the form of juice or fruit and why it would be important to drink it in a relatively short period of time or stabilize the yeast with potassium sorbate. I'm thinking I'll just bottle it as it is right now and if it still doesn't taste to my liking in a year or so I can always spike it with fruit juice as I drink it. Thoughts...

 

[CKuhns]

"I'm thinking I'll just bottle it as it is right now and if it still doesn't taste to my liking in a year or so I can always spike it with fruit juice as I drink it. Thoughts..."

Sorry for the few week lag in replying from your last post. That is exactly what i would do. You might be pleasantly surprised in a year or so. (I have had a few come around pretty well.)