Help with Strawberry Pizzaz

[timbudtwo]

So I just pitched the yeast on my first mead the other day, using the Strawberry Pizzaz recipe. For mine I did 18 lbs strawberries and 17 pounds honey in about 6 gallons of water. Pitched with kv-1116.

I have a couple questions though. I have been brewing for a couple years and it appears that the process is quite different for mead.

1. What is the issue about leaving it on top of the lees? With brewing I leave my beer on top of the yeast for quite some time intentionally. Once fermentation is complete, do I need to get it off the muck asap?

2. I put the fruit in primary. I intend to take it out after fermentation is complete. Should I leave some fruit in for the duration of aging? I plan to make it a sparkling melomel, so I will probably age it in a bucket for about a month and then rack it into a keg to age until I am ready to carb it.

I am more concerned with flavor than I am with clarity so I will probably not muck about with finings on my first run.

Thanks

 

[saramc]

With wine/mead you do not want to expose your must to gross lees (that first layer of thick pulpy sediment that drops) because they will contribute off flavors. Some define gross lees as any lees 1/4" or more, I apply that rule but per gallon. Sometimes you have gross lees drop more than once. Fine mesh containment bags work wonders. Then you downgrade to fine lees and those can hang for a while. For fruit based meads, I rack off fine lees serially approx every 2 months until lees no longer drop. This typically takes 4-6 months. With strawberries the seeds are a PITA and you want them gone sooner, rather than later.

Adding more fruit once you have reached FG is done by many, as it will contribute more sugar, more flavor. In fact some split entire amount of fruit between primary and secondary containers, 60/40, 75/25, you name it; and others add all of the fruit once in secondary container.

And finings are simple, SuperKleer is used by many; but if you used pectic enzyme up front, and given adequate time for degassing you should clear just fine. Remember even a 10F temp drop once wine is essentially lees free and degassed will usually push the must over the clouds and clarity happens in a matter of days, 3-7-10-14. Nature works, it really does if you do not try to rush it.

Can you provide the link to your recipe, please?

 

[timbudtwo]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/group-brew-strawberry-mead-156994/

The recipe is in that thread.

When I brew beer, I do BIAB. So I put all my strawberries in a voile bag, so I shouldn't have too much of a problem with lots of small crud at the bottom.

I didn't use any pectic enzyme. I will look into superkleer if its super easy.

I am not going to be adding any more fruit in. So should I pull the fruit out once I reach FG?

 

[saramc]

The fruit may give its all before you hit the SG the recipe note suggests for racking to secondary container, just depends. It starts to take on a white color, some may appear gray....a sign it is time to remove from primary. Can range from 3-5-8 days, in my experience with strawberries at least. I know the recipe does not list p. enzyme, but believe me when I say you REALLY want some enzyme on board, fining later may not deal with it.