medium sweet mead...maybe

[nelsongg]

First, I'm going for a medium sweet mead base using the following:

15lbs orange blossom honey
add water to 6 gal
10 grams lalvin 71b w/starter
SNA
The extra galllon is for topping up later.

After primary, I am debating spliting the batch into one gallon jugs and adding various fruits/juice/puree to each, leaving the sixth gallon plain for topping up. If I add fruit, I'll need to punch it down daily.

Questions: When I remove the fruit, can I use this strainer http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=24071&catid=685 or will it oxygenate the must too much?

Would I be better off using puree and juice rater than whole fruit in one gallon jugs?

Thanks,
Greg

 

[MedsenFey]

Unless you plan to stabilize and backsweeten, you're going to need more honey. For a 6 gallon volume, you are going to need to get above about 18 pounds for the yeast to finish sweet (if you manage the fermentation properly). 71B will consistently go to about 14% ABV which equate to a gravity around 1.105. You need to start with the gravity a little above that to finish sweet.

 

[ithacabrewing]

I would go with whole fruit over juice or puree. I buy frozen fruit put them right in my 1 gallon jugs and rerack directly onto them. My suggestion would be to let the 6 gallons ferment out to 1.00 in primary and then rerack onto fruit, this will impart the most fruit flavor. Although if you want semi-sweet you may have to settle with less fruit flavor. I agree with MedsenFey, your going to want more honey to get a semi sweet mead. For two seperate batches I used 3 lbs of honey each getting an OG of 1.1 and they both totally fermented to 1.00. For one batch I used EC-1118 for one batch (which fermented very rapidly) and K1V-1116 for the other (which slowed considerable at 1.01 but eventually did ferment entirely). Good Luck.

 

[KenSchramm]

Yeah, you're going to need more honey. Considering the volume you may gain when you add fruit, you may want to go for 5-8 lbs.

I'd say that strainer would be fine as long as you make sure you remove it slowly and without a lot of agitation. I'm assuming you'll be putting it in before you add the fruit, and then removing it and racking into glass when the fermentation subsides.