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Some guidance for a friend.......

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fatbloke

good egg/snappy dresser.....
GotMead Patron
Someone from one of the other forums has asked me about.........mead;)

Anyway, she has made a basic 5 gallon batch (currently fermenting for 2 days, started at SG of 1085), what she wants to do is to add some fruit as well, but.......

The fruit is small batches that have been put through a "steam juice extractor" and equate to 1lb of fruit (1lb of strawberries, 1lb of blackberries and 1lb of blackcurrants) - or 500mls of the extracted juice.

It seems that she wants to split the 5 gallon batch up into 3 x 1 gallon with fruit and leave the other 2 gallons as traditional mead.

The honey she's used so far, it basic raw wild flower stuff (a gift from a friend/colleague/apiarist I understand).

What is the way ahead ?

I'm thinking that she should be adding the fruit when it's moved from primary to secondary and then finish "as normal".......

Does anyone have any other suggestions/ideas ? as I don't want to screw it up etc, just "point her in the right direction" (she's a competent wine maker anyway, it's just that mead is something new to her).

TVM for any info

regards

fatbloke
 

BBBF

Worker Bee
Registered Member
May 19, 2008
587
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Chicago, Land of Corruption
Personally, I would let it ferment without the fruit and then rack onto the different juices. Not that I think it would be wrong to split them up sooner. I just find that I lose more mead while racking smaller carboys than I do in larger ones, so keep it all together until I rack off the gross lees.
 

fatbloke

good egg/snappy dresser.....
GotMead Patron
Personally, I would let it ferment without the fruit and then rack onto the different juices. Not that I think it would be wrong to split them up sooner. I just find that I lose more mead while racking smaller carboys than I do in larger ones, so keep it all together until I rack off the gross lees.
I think adding the juice to the secondary (or late in the primary) will work fine. Just remind her to use pectic enzyme given the heated juice ( in higher amounts since the alcohol will be present).
Thanks for the ideas both, very much appreciated, I'll be off over to the other forums to PM your suggestions/ideas. Hell, I might even just c&p your quotes for her (oh, I can feel the laziness just oozing out of me.....).

Then she can just make her own mind up with how she wants to treat the mead....


Again, TVM

regards

fatbloke
 
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