I have two melomels that have just finished their secondary fermentations: five gallons of black cherry, five gallons of blueberry/orange/vanilla. When last I tested them, they both had excellent body, and fairly complex flavor profiles (well, "complex" for half-fermented products anyway) with a solid fruit character, but now that their fermentations have finished that flavor seems to have vanished.
The black cherry melomel has virtually NO cherry on the nose, none on the tongue, and is generally lacking body, and tastes very....raw. I understand that some age will do wonders for the "raw" flavor, but I am concerned about it's lack of body and cherry character. I used a bit of both black cherries, and black cherry juice in the primary, and more cherries in the secondary, hoping for a more complex and varied cherry flavors, but alas it seems that hasn't happened. I am considering adding some black cherry juice concentrate, and some more crushed fruit, but as I do not want an overly alcoholic product, I am concerned with fermentation restarting and raising the alcohol level. Can I/should I/will I get results if I stabalize, then add the aforementioned cherries and juice?
The blueberry/orange/vanilla has a similar problem; the flavor profile is nearly one-dimensional. Although the nose is FANTASTIC (best aroma I've EVER encountered in a fermented beverage, no contest), it is difficult to detect the blueberry flavor, and the vanilla is absolutely nonexistant (the orange level is just about right thouth, so hey). I used a vanilla bean, orange zest, and both blueberry juice and whole fruits in the primary, and more blueberries in the secondary, as abve, shooting for more complex flavors. Unfortunately with this batch, sulfiting, then adding more flavor-adders isn't an option; I have intended this to be a sparkling mead from day one. So, what to do? Toss in more blueberries and wait? Also, I do not currently have access to a vanilla bean; is organic vanilla extract OK to use? Will there be a difference in the final flavor? While I care about the black cherry, THIS is the mead I really want to succeed. Being a newbie, any advice at all would be most welcome.
Oh, also, about sulfiting; I've googled, and searched the forums here, but I'm finding very mixed results. Is there a "proper" ammount of stablizing agents to use pre-bulk-aging and/or pre-bottling?
Thanks again.
-Surfrider
The black cherry melomel has virtually NO cherry on the nose, none on the tongue, and is generally lacking body, and tastes very....raw. I understand that some age will do wonders for the "raw" flavor, but I am concerned about it's lack of body and cherry character. I used a bit of both black cherries, and black cherry juice in the primary, and more cherries in the secondary, hoping for a more complex and varied cherry flavors, but alas it seems that hasn't happened. I am considering adding some black cherry juice concentrate, and some more crushed fruit, but as I do not want an overly alcoholic product, I am concerned with fermentation restarting and raising the alcohol level. Can I/should I/will I get results if I stabalize, then add the aforementioned cherries and juice?
The blueberry/orange/vanilla has a similar problem; the flavor profile is nearly one-dimensional. Although the nose is FANTASTIC (best aroma I've EVER encountered in a fermented beverage, no contest), it is difficult to detect the blueberry flavor, and the vanilla is absolutely nonexistant (the orange level is just about right thouth, so hey). I used a vanilla bean, orange zest, and both blueberry juice and whole fruits in the primary, and more blueberries in the secondary, as abve, shooting for more complex flavors. Unfortunately with this batch, sulfiting, then adding more flavor-adders isn't an option; I have intended this to be a sparkling mead from day one. So, what to do? Toss in more blueberries and wait? Also, I do not currently have access to a vanilla bean; is organic vanilla extract OK to use? Will there be a difference in the final flavor? While I care about the black cherry, THIS is the mead I really want to succeed. Being a newbie, any advice at all would be most welcome.
Oh, also, about sulfiting; I've googled, and searched the forums here, but I'm finding very mixed results. Is there a "proper" ammount of stablizing agents to use pre-bulk-aging and/or pre-bottling?
Thanks again.
-Surfrider