Normally when I ferment with fruits like raspberries that have bitter seeds i just throw em in when I make the must and pitch the yeast, then rack em off in 30 days along with the lees. Now my question is that too long and am I potentially getting bitter flavor from the seeds. If I say only introduce the fruit in the last two weeks of the first month, will I still get the fruit flavor I'm looking for?
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Fermenting with fruit with bitter seeds
- Thread starter McJeff
- Start date
Good timing on this post! I just racked a one gallon raspberry vanilla mead into a new carboy and off of the fruit last night. It is about 1 1/2 month old. I tried a bit of it and, while it is a bit "hot", it is smooth finishing and I noticed no bitterness whatsoever. I dumped the pureed raspberries, must, and yeast into the carboy and away they went. No bitter taste. I think you would be okay adding them at the onset with no ill effects to the finished product. This is after all just my opinion based on my limited experience. Do with it as you will.
Sorry, I just edited my post as I had neglected to include this fact. The mead is 1 1/2 month old.;D
I had my raspberries in the primary for 3 weeks, until they had lost their colour. I don't think bitterness from the seeds is a big concern unless you crush them or somehow break them open.
Yeah, I made a raspberry JAO and left it in there for months, no bitterness. Unfortunately it kind of needed some bitterness, it turned out too sweet
If you've run something through the food processor and are worried about cracked seeds causing bitterness, I'd suggest you leave the fruit in no longer than two weeks.
If you've run something through the food processor and are worried about cracked seeds causing bitterness, I'd suggest you leave the fruit in no longer than two weeks.
Another easy way is to crush the fruit, add some pectinase to it overnight, make up the must and pitch the yeast but only let the pulp stay in for a couple of days or 3 if you are getting a bitter flavor, press the fruit in a strainer bag and let the primary continue. WVMJ
yeah im goin to do alot of freezing so ill have fruit to work with next winter. I did just start using those pulp bags for the hoped mead i did. So many little cheats im learning by trial and error.
Been aware of this possibility for ages, but it's why I don't blitz fruit, at most do the freeze and thaw thing, then just chuck it in.
I'd have thought that maybe a bag to keep it together so it's easier to remove might help, but I don't bother as you still have to punch the bag down instead of the fruit.
It's been my experience that as long as the seeds aren't broken up (puree'd or something similar), I haven't noticed bitterness, but I do routinely sweeten many of my batches to about the 1.010 to 1.020 sort of area.
Maybe it's something that stands out in dry batches ?
I'd have thought that maybe a bag to keep it together so it's easier to remove might help, but I don't bother as you still have to punch the bag down instead of the fruit.
It's been my experience that as long as the seeds aren't broken up (puree'd or something similar), I haven't noticed bitterness, but I do routinely sweeten many of my batches to about the 1.010 to 1.020 sort of area.
Maybe it's something that stands out in dry batches ?
my next fruit mead im goin to try using a bag just make racking that much easier and hopefully have less loss.
It's one of those things we forget.......
A commercial place making X number of bottles will already allow for racking and other processing losses, whereas we home producers worry about it.
if I make a gallon (imp i.e. 4.55 litres), it would, in theory, equate to 6 bottles, which would be fine if I got 6 bottles every time, but I don't.
You lot working in US gallons get less. I try to keep my losses down to 1 bottle volume, but that can often creep to 1.5 bottles so your already reduced bottle volume must be annoying.
I do understand thats one of the reasons that a base 5 gallon batch seem more popular.....
I've got a few 5 gallon jars now and am thinking of converting, after all, I can alway bulk age in 1 gallon jars and then just bottle a few at a time......
I just need to remember to number the jars so I know which is which etc......
I also find it annoying that the cost seems to increase so much when we want to make relatively small batches.......
yup exactly and 5 gallon batches are so much easier in a bucket! I have like 20+ 1gallon jugs that ill break batches down and bulk age that way.
I don't actually have a 5 gallon glass carboy. My home brew shop stocks them but the owner keeps talking me out of getting one ???
my process is i ferment in a plastice bucket then rack to a glass carboy, either a 5gallon if i want to age it the same or into 5 seperate 1gallon carboys if im doing diff stuff.
