Secondary fruit addition

[displacedyoop]

My father and I are trying our first mead. Everything is going well:rockin:. We are waiting to add some blackberry puree to the secondary and I thought I would get some advice before going in and bungin everything up.

I was wondering if we should put the fruit puree into grainbags when we put it in there just to contain it a little bit. Also I was wondering if we should shake it to aerate it when we put the fruit in.

These are probably basic questions, i looked around couldn't find the answer, figured I'd start a new thread so when its finally ready it is delicious.

 

[jezter6]

If you're going into secondary, I'd recommend just putting the puree in and then racking to a clearing tank after a few weeks on the berry. No need for a grain bag, as that will make some of your puree inaccessable to the mead, and most things will settle out fine anyways. With puree, you're unlikely to worry about clogging the carboy. If you are, just put it back into a bucket for the secondary with fruit.

Don't aerate. Just let the mead find the blackberry and magic things will happen. No need to mess with it, as the more you try to mess with it, the more likely something non-magically bad will happen.

 

[malkore]

I agree. put the puree in secondary, then rack onto it. no stirring, no agitating. let it sit a few weeks, then rack to tertiary to start clearing the mead.

 

[vulture1963]

Depending on a bunch of variables, your mead's fermentation may start up again. If this is an issue, you might want to slow it down by using some potassium sorbate.

 

[displacedyoop]

tertiary...is that bottles?

 

[Matrix4b]

Basically a tetriary is just another racking like going from primary to secondary. I sometimes rack to a brew bucket and wash the carboy then rack it back. I agree that you may get more fermentation again with the added sugars of the fruit. Many people like dry blackberry or even sparkling. Me, I like it sweet. To slow fermentation even more, some say stop then a dose of potasium sorbate mixed in but not aeriated is in order when you add the puree. Me personally I am a fan of just using juice. I use a blender/juicer and then run that through a screen, freeze/thaw, treat with pectin enzyme to get more juice, then run through a screen again. Sounds elaborate but for me it is easier than having pulp eat up my liquids and have to through more out. Easier to clean up too as blender/juicers and screens can fit in my dishwasher and my carboy doesn't. The one strawberry I made I just put it in a nylon bag in a bucket. The bag was big enough so that I could put it in the bottom of the bucket, put in the puree, I just blendered it and dosed with pectin enzyme and then put the pulp in. I was then able to rack the mead into and on top of the puree with the bag still open and surounding the lip of the buckte. When finished I just tied the bag shut. All of it was mixing together nicely anyway and there wasn't much mead outside of the puree. It turned out to be a great batch.

Oh, Dose your puree with pectic enzyme to have it clear better. Best thing for fruit additions.