Fead flavor enhancers?

[usaf1199a]

Making a 5g batch of mead and about to go into the secondary carboy. Any ideas for any flavor enhancers for the secondary fermentation? Thanks!

 

[Arpolis]

How about lemon? Atek did a lemon mead we are calling Skeeter Mead and he added lemon to the secondary. I did mine differently. Check out this thread about it.

Skeeter Mead

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Depends on the variety of honey. If it's something tasty like orange blossom, I might go with orange and/or vanilla bean. If it's something sort of generic like alfalfa or "wildflower" honey, I'd go with black plums or almost any type of berries, huckleberries are in season here in MT.

Apricot makes a great melomel, so do cherries. I've been using bilberry juice in small amounts to enhance blackberry wine, I'm sure it would work well for a mead/melomel too.
Just about any fruit will work, it's really up to you.
Regards, GF.

 

[usaf1199a]

Thanks very much for the responses. I'm using traditional clover honey. I like the apricot idea. I was also thinking oranges. We will see...

 

[winvarin]

I am trying my hand at an apricot melomel in a week or so. I have a friend with an apiary who has harvested some honey for me. I'm just looking for a time to meet up with him.

What is your thought on fruit in the primary vs. secondary? I was considering going with the fruit in the primary as I want it to enhance the mead while still leaving the honey to be the featured flavor/aroma.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I am trying my hand at an apricot melomel in a week or so. I have a friend with an apiary who has harvested some honey for me. I'm just looking for a time to meet up with him.

What is your thought on fruit in the primary vs. secondary? I was considering going with the fruit in the primary as I want it to enhance the mead while still leaving the honey to be the featured flavor/aroma.

You get different results from fruit in primary vs secondary. In primary, you'll lose some of the flavour & aromatics from the fresh fruit & you'll get a more "wine-like" result from the fruit.

In secondary or especially tertiary, you'll get flavours more like fresh fruit. Just be aware that it's possible to restart fermentation if the yeast are still within their alcohol tolerance.

I like to do both. I put roughly 50% in primary & 50% in secondary/tertiary. I've tried it in 1 or the other & there are good results to be had both ways, but I like both the best. I think it adds some depth of flavour to a melomel. You get the fermented fruit wine-like flavour combined with the fresh fruit flavour, and both of those are combined with the honey. For me, balance is the key in melomels. Hope that helps.
Regards, GF.