Racking

[Aquavitae]

So it appears to be time for me to rack my intended blackberry mead onto the berries.

I have a bag of frozen blackberries. How long do I let them sit together in secondary? Is there anything I need to do to the berries before I rack? They are commercially packaged.

Thanks all!

 

[paraordnance]

Dump the frozen berries in, wait 10-12 hours to thaw, then rack on top. Wait 5-7 days on berries, then rack to clearing vessel

 

[fatbloke]

Dump the frozen berries in, wait 10-12 hours to thaw, then rack on top. Wait 5-7 days on berries, then rack to clearing vessel

That's one way.....

If the ferment has finished, I'd just dump the berries in, rack on top of them and add some sulphite, just in case there's any wild yeasts in the fruit.

Then just leave them. I look for a lightening of the colour of the fruit skins, but that can sometimes be harder to spot with "black" fruit. So probably a month (presuming there's no air space above the liquid/fruit).

Or sometimes I just put the fruit in loose and wait for it to drop - still with the sulphite though.

 

[Matrix4b]

Personally, I like to puree and use a screen to clear out the seeds. Many say that all you really need to do is let them thaw and sqush them to burst the berry bubbles so that the mead has access to the inside.

I also would put them in a mesh back for ease of removal. Just a large mesh bag with plenty of room in it, not tightly packed.

Steralizing the fruit is not neccessary. After all at this point your must is about 9-10 percent alcohol, that will take care of any possible spoilage organisms. Many times such fruit is packed with a preservative, and if you are looking for more fermentation after the addition the preservative will prevent it.

Matrix