Additives?

[Deadroachdancing]

I'm thinking about using different fruit and spices for my next batch of mead!

Is there anything specific I should look out for? I've never used fruit or anything before, so I'm worried about mold or bacteria taking over.
Are there specific washing procedures to do before hand?

 

[noblesquirrel]

The big thing is to keep the cap wet, keep the yeast happy/healthy. Most wine yeast will out perform anything wild. That being said, make sure you freeze the fruit to help break down the cell walls.

 

[fatbloke]

Plus with many spices, less is more. It's easy to over do many of them so keep them to a minimum.

you can always add a little more, but once in a batch, its a bugger to remove.

whole spices are easy to remove, ground/powdered less so......

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

whole spices are easy to remove, ground/powdered less so......

/\ I went on a tour of Moonlight meadery and his Cinnamon mead is actually cloudy because the cinnamon he uses is so fine.

 

[fatbloke]

/\ I went on a tour of Moonlight meadery and his Cinnamon mead is actually cloudy because the cinnamon he uses is so fine.

Exactly.......

if he'd used sticks or just broken pieces, a strainer in the bottling line would likely sorted that but powdered spices can be a f****r to remove especially if they "hang" in solution like stubborn yeast........