So I'm getting ready to bottle my first batch of mead this weekend. I'm working through my next batch recipe and want to back sweeten with some honeycrisp apples. I understand HOW to do it, my question is, "How long does this type of back sweetening typically take?". I know it will be to my taste, but I'm wondering how long do I let it sit before I take that first taste? Also, how much do you add to ensure a proper back sweetening? Is it just trial and error? Or do you start with a standard amount, weight?, and move up for more sweetness? TIA!
Back Sweetening with Fruit Question
- Thread starter shadz78
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MX1
Texas Ale Works
an option I came across last night while watching some youtubes is to take a juice made from the fruit you want to use and reduce it down by 2/3 or so into a concentrated syrup and use that, just an idea
Sorry I do not have any input for your actual question..
Sorry I do not have any input for your actual question..
You pour yourself a measured glass of mead, add some juice, try it, add more juice if necessary, try it and repeat till you reach desired sweetness. You then scale it up according to your batches size and you're good.
Then you pasteurize it.
I'm not using juice. I'm going to place the cut up apples into a food safe bag and allow it to sit in the mead.
MX1
Texas Ale Works
you will get some apple flavor, but not sure it will actually back sweeten
MX1
Texas Ale Works
Well they will go hand in hand I think, sweetness will impact flavor, I would drop the apples to get the flavor you want, then back sweeten to taste.
But I am new, so I may be wrong....
But I am new, so I may be wrong....
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If you are going to toss in apple chunks, you might want to have them chopped in a bowl ahead of time and use some pectic enzyme on them to allow it to start breaking it down better and also to help prevent the pectin from clouding your mead.
You would use ~.62 gram per pound of fruit or 1.55 grams per gallon of juice.
Once the apples start to break down I would probably press them some to extract as much of the juice as possible. You could press them before going into the carboy or you can retrieve them out later and give them a press after you think the alcohol has extracted as much as you're going to get.
If you use apple juice or chunks to back sweeten, you will have to make sure that your mead is stabilized so the yeast don't use that sugar to ferment more.
Using juice, you will certainly change the flavor as well as sweetening. It may be impossible to get the apple flavor profile and the sweetness balance that you want. As you add juice or chunks you will also be adding water. If you were previously at the yeasts alcohol tolerance, you may drop the ABV enough to allow them to start fermentation again which is why the stabilization will be so important.
I would agree to the idea of concentrating the juice might be a good idea so you can get the flavor you want while not diluting the ABV as much and then add some other sugar type (erythritol, sugar, honey, etc) to get the sweetness you need if more is desired.
You would use ~.62 gram per pound of fruit or 1.55 grams per gallon of juice.
Once the apples start to break down I would probably press them some to extract as much of the juice as possible. You could press them before going into the carboy or you can retrieve them out later and give them a press after you think the alcohol has extracted as much as you're going to get.
If you use apple juice or chunks to back sweeten, you will have to make sure that your mead is stabilized so the yeast don't use that sugar to ferment more.
Using juice, you will certainly change the flavor as well as sweetening. It may be impossible to get the apple flavor profile and the sweetness balance that you want. As you add juice or chunks you will also be adding water. If you were previously at the yeasts alcohol tolerance, you may drop the ABV enough to allow them to start fermentation again which is why the stabilization will be so important.
I would agree to the idea of concentrating the juice might be a good idea so you can get the flavor you want while not diluting the ABV as much and then add some other sugar type (erythritol, sugar, honey, etc) to get the sweetness you need if more is desired.
Davedrinksbeer
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Last time I made a apple mead I went to Meijer and bought a couple cans of orchards frozen concentrate apples and threw that in for more apple flavor then I added my Sugar/water syrup for sweetness. I try to raise the gravity up too 1.020 to get a semi sweet flavor.
