need a little help with a cranberry mead

[jonfrog]

I started a cranberry mead about 3 weeks ago and it has started to clear.
I used 100% organic cranberry juice.
there is still some slight fermentation going on. originally the recipe that I read stated that it can take up to a month before racking to secondary.

my question is that once i have racked to mead into another 1 gallon carboy what should I do?

should I let it sit for another period of time and then bottle it?
should I top it off with more honey and water?
should I just bottle it now if it is clear?
how long should age in secondary, or should I let it age in bottles?

any help is appreciated thanks.

 

[JJack887]

Always rack at least one for extra sediment to drop out. Then bottle if clear. Personally, I don't bulk-age. I would top it off if there is too much headspace, and you want to have a full 5 bottles. I bottle age.

 

[jonfrog]

Thanks,

I'll make sure to rack it once at the very least. how long do you typically wait to bottle from secondary.
should i let it sit for the same amount of time i did in primary, or just for a week?

 

[JJack887]

Allow a few days for any sediment to drop. If it's clear, bottle it!

 

[fossilcat]

Here's my Cranberry mead I made last January with notes. Maybe it'll be of some help to you. It's a fan favorite.

1 Gal Aztec Blood
1/10/16

64oz cranberry juice
1/2 teaspoon of Pectin enzyme
added to juice 1 hr before adding to must.

3lbs Raw Mesquite honey
1qt = 3lbs
1qt hot water from tap to help dissolve honey.

1 tsp of potassium carbonate at inoculation
Resultant pH: 3.4
1/17/16: added additional 1/2 tsp of potassium carbonate

OG: 1.138
1/13/16: Gravity: 1.126
1/14/16: Gravity: 1.120
1/15/16: Gravity: 1.098
1/16/16: Gravity: 1.090
1/17/16: Gravity: 1.070
1/22/16: Gravity: 1.046
2/06/16: Gravity: 1.014

Lalvin K1- V1116
Rehydration for 5 gm of dry yeast:
6.25 gms of GoFerm
5 gm of Lalvin 1116 yeast
Heated 4 oz of water to 110 and added GoFerm
Cooled to 104 and added yeast.
Cooled slowly to must temp (cold bath).
Must temp was 62
Pitched yeast at about 5:30pm

Lamp on primary. Temp: 59-62; mostly 61.

SNA:
.9 gms Fermaid K and .9 gms DAP (with urea). Added at inoculation
.51 gms Fermaid K and .51 gms DAP (with urea). Added 1/14/16 @ 7am; Gravity: 1.120
.31 gms Fermaid K and .31 gms DAP (with urea). Added 1/17/16 @ 9:30pm; Gravity: 1.070

DeGass 3x/day starting 1/12/16 @ 7am
Last time degassed: 1/16/16 @ 9:30am; Gravity: 1.090

Secondary: Racked 2/6/16; Gravity: 1.014
Boiled .75oz of dried hibiscus flowers for 15min
Simmered for 15 min and cooled in frig.
Strained into carboy; racked over strained flowers.
Did not add the 4oz of honey - gravity high enough. (recommended in original recipe)

Tertiary: 2/20/16; Gravity: 1.014
Topped off with mesquite traditional.

Bottled on 4/9/16.

 

[jonfrog]

thanks man! Where were you when i first started!

I don't have access to mesquite honey where I'm at. Any suggestion on replacements?

the hibiscus sound delicious, but i think I'm going to wait for my second batch to try it.

 

[fossilcat]

A day late and a dollar short, huh?

Even though, like I said, this is a favorite in my family, I'm going to change a few things this time around. It fermented much slower than what I was used to, even though I used the Lalvin 1116 yeast. I used that yeast because I figured all that cranberry juice would create a hostile low pH environment but 1116 should be able to handle it given it's rep as a stalled ferment restarter. It did, for the most part, but in the end it didn't ferment to it's alcohol tolerance.

Also, it was tart, which is a good thing, but it also had a slight bitterness that could be improved upon.

So to address both fermentation issues I'm going to reduce the juice in the primary and add fresh cranberries in the secondary. The alcohol should extract a more cranberry taste along with the tartness acquired in the primary. I'm also going to step feed. I think both approaches will help the yeast feel happy about fermenting all the way out.

I think the slight bitterness may have come from the hibiscus. So I'm moving the extract to the primary for mouth feel and a more integrated taste. Then in the secondary, I'll wait a month or so after I remove the cranberries to add the hibiscus. Waiting a month should help stabilize the cranberry taste so that I can taste test how long to leave the hibiscus in. I'm also switching to Jamaican Sorrel, heard they had a better gentler hibiscus taste.

So that's all I know (or think I know) about cranberry mead so far.

 

[jonfrog]

I might try to use actual cranberries. they are grown near where i live so the groceries are typically stocked with fresh cranberries from the farms. how much juice do you think to use and how much cranberry?
also I was thinking of using orange juice with the cranberry juice, thought?
hope to hear how this turns out for you.

 

[fossilcat]

I'll be making a 2 gal batch this time with half as much juice per gal. In secondary I plan on about 1.5 lbs per gal of fresh frozen/thawed cranberries.

RE orange juice: Sounds like a good taste mixture. I wouldn't use as much oj as cranberry though, maybe half. Everything's an experiment, though. Take good motes and adjust accordingly next time.

 

[jonfrog]

I was thinking of just adding OJ into secondary to top off the mead that is lost when racking, but I think I will try to be a little more diligent with the amount I use and try to not use more than what you have suggested.

another thought was to make myself another batch of joe's ancient orange mead and add the actual cranberries in secondary and see what happens.

 

[jonfrog]

Just racked my cranberry mead last night. Gave it a taste and I'm very pleased with the flavor so far. I'll be bottling it probably within the next couple weeks and aging for a few months.

a little bit of cough syrup flavor in the after taste but its almost non existent.

any ideas on the length of time I should age it to get rid of that flavor?

 

[JJack887]

As long as possible.

 

[Northerngal]

I would add orange zest in secondary, without the pith, rather than orange juice. I use a veggie peeler for easy removal.

It will add the hint of orange without all the bitterness associated with fermenting OJ. Best of luck!