Help with fruit in first mead.

[SS4Luck]

So I'm getting ready to undertake my first brew and have a few questions; especially about fruits and amounts.

I have (1) 6 gallon carboy for primary and (2) 3 gallon carboys to split into for secondary. I plan on doing 3 gallons straight mead, honey water yeast and age. The second one I would like to add lingonberry, black cherry and cinnamon to both for color and flavor. I have 71B for yeast, 18lbs of local raw honey from my neighbors hives and 10 lbs of lingonberry and Traverse City black cherries frozen in my freezer waiting to be called to duty.


My main question is how much would you guys add, and primary secondary or both? I was planning about 4" of cinnamon stick in the secondary, and heavier on the lingonberry than the cherry, at least in the secondary.


I'm always open to suggestions as well!!

 

[Deafmeadmaker]

Let me test my understanding. You are going to make six gallons of traditional mead, then after fermentation in the primary rack to two 3 gallon carboys. One will remain a traditional and the second carboy will have lingonberry, cherry and cinnamon.
Sounds pretty straight forward.
A four inch stick of cinnamon is fine for the secondary along with the fruit. I'd recommend a straining bag for the fruit. Getting fruit peels stuck in your pump and filter is no fun. Trust me on that one.
Frozen fruit will yield more juice, which is good for what you want to do. Here's one of the recipes that came up when I searched for cherry meads.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=245547
Use the amounts he used as a guideline for the quantity you are making. Scale it down for a 3 gallon carboy like you're using.
It wouldn't hurt to take a look at similar recipes and see the amounts of fruit they used.
Other than that, it looks like you're on the right track. Keep us posted.

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi SS4luck - and welcome.
But I think that you have already "decided" to add the fruit to the secondary - otherwise you would not be able to ferment 6 gallons and set aside 3 to be a traditional honey mead - You would have needed to add the fruit so that it ferments when you pitch the yeast. By definition the primary fermenter is the bucket or carboy into which you pitch the yeast. The secondary is the carboy into which you rack the fermenting liquid usually when the gravity has dropped to about 1.005 or so and much of the very active fermentation has slowed down.
Regarding the amount of fruit to add - my personal preference is to use the expressed juice from the fruit in place of water - and so avoid the addition of water. Period. Water dilutes the juice- and so dilutes the flavor: wine (or mead) ain't beer - BUT if all you want is a hint of the fruit then 3 lbs of fruit per gallon of wine may be enough.