Berry Cobbler Mead?

[Brann_mac_Finnchad]

I'm planning on starting a mixed berry mead within a couple of weeks, and am toying with the idea of trying to make it taste like berry cobbler.
I've heard of adding 'oat water' to ciders as a possible way to get the flavours in there, but has anybody done this with a mead? How could I get the flavours I'm after?

I'm trying for a medium-sweet, average ABV mead (higher is nice, but flavor is more important). Probably use 3 pounds or so of honey (generic); 3 pounds of mixed berries, juiced (I'll add about the same in the secondary); vanilla bean, probably in the secondary; and water to a gallon
Anything that I'm missing (other than oat water)?

 

[MasterJeem]

i've heard of people using some cinnamon and brown sugar with good results. oat water would be good, as well!

you're going to want a yeast that isnt going to tear up those flavors. i would personally use lalvin d-47. it made my apple pumpkin cyser pretty good and i can taste everything i've added

 

[Brann_mac_Finnchad]

I was thinking about the brown sugar--maybe as a backsweetening, or in the secondary?
Completely forgot about the cinnamon though, and I'll take the yeast under advisement--I was planning on lalvin 71-B.
How much oat water would do the job?

 

[MasterJeem]

i wouldn't know anything about how much to suggest for you to use. maybe experiment and taste a bit first. i've never done anything with oat water so your guess is as good as mine. and yeah, i'd add the brown sugar to the secondary. i'm guessing this is for a one gallon batch? if you're going for a sweeter mead, you may want to add a good bit of brown sugar because the 3lbs of honey is going to have a lot eaten up by the yeast.

 

[MasterJeem]

where did you get your recipe for your pina colada mead? i'm wanting to do one this summer

 

[Brann_mac_Finnchad]

I can add more honey if I need to. And, yes, it is a 1 gallon batch.

The pina coloda mead was out of my own skull, and I didn't take as many notes as I should have. I believe I have some info though.

 

[Brann_mac_Finnchad]

Notes of Rough recipe I used is as follows.

I have 2/3rds a (very ripe) fresh pineapple, 4 banannas, a mango, and part of a coconut (including juice) divided into two gallon jugs containing about 1.5 gallons of water, 3 pounds of honey, and half a container of orange juice concentrate.

I believe I used Red Star Cote des Blanc yeast. And I later added the Juice and zest of two limes (too much lime), and 1 vanilla bean to it in the secondary, along with another 1/2 pound of honey--caramelized--in 2 cups water.

I would modify this by the following:

1 very ripe fresh pineapple, pureed. Make it maybe 2 pounds
4 pounds honey, 1/4 should be caramelized
1 container orange/pineapple juice concentrate or equivalent
about 1.5 gallons of water
Maybe a different yeast

In the secondary add
6 banannas with skins
2 mangos, pureed
toasted shredded coconut (unsweetened), don't know how much
Juice and zest of 1 lime (key limes may be an option too)

And add 2 vanilla beans in tertiary

 

[MasterJeem]

Did you come up with that yourself?

 

[Brann_mac_Finnchad]

Yes, with the flavour advice of friends (i.e. am I missing anything?)
I'm still debating on whether I want to fortify it with dark rum.

 

[MasterJeem]

I was considering the rum idea from the get go, but you could always add that anytime. Sorry for highjacking the thread with this, but I very much wanted to make something like this this summer. I have a 6-pack of coconut milk is need rid of.

 

[Brann_mac_Finnchad]

As was I--it was in the original notion.
No problem with the hijacking.
Unfortionatly I didn't put enough coconut in mine--I can't taste it at all. Don't see why you couldn't use the milk, although if I needed to get rid of it I'd probably cook some kind of curry or something.

 

[MasterJeem]

Yeah... Well curry, while delicious, doesn't get me drunk. Lol

 

[Brann_mac_Finnchad]

lol--you don't want to do a curried mead?
I bottled the tropical melomel today--the lime flavour has mellowed like I hoped.


Back onto the original topic--does anyone else have ideas on getting that toasted crust flavour in the mead? I think I've heard of some kind of malt doing it too--I think it was Victoria, or something.

 

[Brann_mac_Finnchad]

Okay, I finally started this on Wednesday...

Mixed Berry Cobbler Mead
3 pounds honey
3 pounds frozen mixed berries, thawed
Pasteur Red yeast
Water to 1 gallon
3 cups Oat Milk (recipe below)

Secondary
Cinnamon
Vanilla beans
Brown sugar
More berries

Heat honey and mix with about ½ gallon of water to dissolve. Pour this through the berries in a chinois and mash the berries, getting as much out as possible. Pitch yeast

Oat Water (or Oat Goop....
1.5 cups rolled oatmeal boiled for 40 minutes in 12 cups of water. After the heat was turned off I added 2 tbsp of Madagascar Vanilla black tea to provide vanilla flavour and tannins. I meant to toast the oats in a dry pan until golden brown, but forgot. I also shouldn't have added the tea leaves to the oatmeal, since I doubt I got much out of them.

7-25-12; OG is 1.110. The oats create a very smooth mouth feel....plus they should add extra fermentables