Okay, brain is perkin' with questions.

[Talon]

Okay, now that I'm messing with my own recipes, this is for those of you who do the same thing and have more experience in this matter;

When making your melomels, do you start your recipe with a specific amount of honey to make a traditional exactly as you like it and then add in the fruit as you would per your own proceedures?

Eg: For my 5 gallon vanilla, I want to take the base recipe and make it a sweet orange vanilla. Would I use the base 18 pounds of honey and then add the fruit to it? Or would I use simply a gallon of honey and as much fruit as I want and hope it comes out sweet?

Ultimately, I'm looking for a way to ensure that it comes out the way I want it the first time.

An even better question would be should I just experiment and really find out what works best for me?

Talon.

 

[Jmattioli]

That is where the hydrometer will help out. If you know that 18 lbs will create the sweetness you desire in a traditional mead then if you are adding fruit juice you can put in less honey to get the same OG. If you are adding the juice in a secondary or different time than the OG reading then keep the OG reading the same and add the juice sweetened up to the same OG with honey. This will increase your volume but be equivalent to starting it all at the same OG.

With fruit instead of juice it more a matter of approximation up front. Until one gets the feel for it you may have to rely on holding back some honey and then feeding the must honey in small quantities and monitoring SG as it nears completion. Keeping good records will of course make your next attempt more precise as to starting amount and the formation of a fairly accurate recipe.
Joe