Pineapple Meads - An Update
It has now been almost 4 months since the Pineapple Mead phase of my life began and I thought it would be a good idea to report my results. I'll summarize the meads I've made, their current status and the things I've learned along the way.
My first Pineapple Mead was started on 3-11-2012 and formed the basis of this thread (see posting #1). Its history can be traced by reading the first dozen or so posts in this thread. I used 3 pineapples and enough honey to take the starting SG to 1.124, desiring a medium-sweet mead.
PLEASE NOTE: All starting SG's are given with the fruit already added.
To my surprise, it fermented from a starting SG of 1.124 to complete dryness; the Lalvin 71B-1122 I used ate all of the .124 of available sugars and did it
in 11 days. That mead, now four months old, seems to be maturing reasonably well; it tastes young and is as dry as can be but it has a lovely, almost banana-like nose and a delicate, floral flavour. It's SG, as of today, is 1.000
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Then I started a second Pineapple Mead ("Maui Melomel"), also outlined in this thread (posting #13). I tried to compensate for the pronounced fermentation of the first one by adding more honey and more pineapples (7 pineapples, this time). It had a starting SG of 1.142, an attempt on my part to compensate for the dryness of the first one.
This mead may turn out to be a sherry. The problem was that it fermented much faster than the first one, blowing its way through the 1/3 and 1/2 sugar breaks
in about 18 hours!! I was completely unprepared for this possibility; I was used to checking my SG and pH levels once every day or so (which is perfectly satisfactory with a 'normal' fermentation) and was amazed by this kamikaze fermentation rate.
Even worse, I continued my feeding and oxygenation regime for the full three days, as prescribed in the NewBee Guide before I realized that that might not be appropriate (see posting #18 - that's "eighteen", in case the site has inserted a smiley) and by then it was, unfortunately, too late. Also, like the first one, it fermented to a lower gravity than I expected, even with the compensating starting SG, ending up at 1.010.
That mead is now about 10 weeks old and already has a slight sherry-like cast to it, although it is not overwhelming; in fact, I'm not sure it's really even whelming <|;-}>>>. It is darker in colour and more intensely flavoured. I am going to let it age for a year or so and I must say that it tastes pretty good at this time, the faint sherry cast giving the mead an almost 'smoky' flavour (I don't know how else to describe it). I cannot say that I expect much from this mead, though I continue to hope, but if it doesn't become a great mead, it may yet become a good pineapple-sherry mead for sipping, cooking, barbecue sauces, etc.
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Now we get to the third Pineapple Mead ("Pineapple Mayhem"); the one I made following Altricious' excellent advice (see posting #21). This one was made with the same basic recipe shown in posting #1 with several important differences:
1) I increased the honey and the pineapple even more; I took the starting gravity to 1.160 and used 16 small pineapples in it (about 2 gallons of cored, peeled, finely chopped pineapple). I was determined to come out with something medium-sweet or sweet this time; can you tell?
2) I based the feeding regime on one that Chevette Girl recommended and which I adapted somewhat. That regime is basically:
a) Calculate the total DAP/Nutrient at about 1 tsp per gallon
b) Calculate the total Energizer/Fermaid-K at about 3/4 tsp per gallon
c) Add 1/2 the Energizer/Fermaid-K at pitch
d) Add 1/2 the DAP/Nutrient at the end of the lag
e) Mix the remainder of the DAP/Nutrient and the Energizer/Fermaid-K together
and add 1/6 of the mix with each feeding (assuming 2 feedings per day)
NOTE: Step 'e' is based upon a 'normal' fermentation and should be accelerated
if the fermentation is faster than 'normal'. Basically, all the feedings should
take place by the 1/3 sugar break. Aeration should stop after the 1/2 break.
3) This time I monitored the fermentation with care, using all the things I learned (and the advice I got) during the previous attempts. I checked it every 6 hours or so. Per Chevette Girl's excellent advice, I accelerated the feeding and aeration to match the drop in gravity through the 1/2 sugar break and racked it off the fruit after about 9 days, when the fruit, after being rinsed in water, no longer tasted particularly flavourful.
This mead is WONDERFUL!! At this time, it is about 5 weeks old and, even young, it is really promising; in fact, I'm having trouble staying out of it! It has a pronounced pineapple flavour and shows every sign of being ... well ... booty-kicking, to put it in technical terms.
Its only problem is that it is sweeter than I expected; I started with an SG of 1.160, as I mentioned and, based upon the voracious fermentations I experienced with the first two, I thought it would settle at about 1.025 or so. Instead, it settled at 1.060. I can only speculate that the pineapple has some enzyme or component that, beyond a certain level, suppresses the yeast's ability to ferment. I tried cutting a sample of this, adding about 1/3 filtered water and it was nothing short of awesome ... without any real aging at all.
There is another really surprising aspect to this third Pineapple Mead ... well, two, actually. First, there is a sort of smoky layer, about 1-1/2" thick at the top of the mead, as it sits in the carboy. This layer is not opaque nor is there a sharp division between the crystal-clear mead below it and the 'dark' layer on the top.
Second, there is another layer, very close to the colour of the mead, about 1/3 of the way from the bottom of the carboy. In fact, the colour is so close that it is hard to discern unless you are looking at it from slightly above or below the plane of division of the layers. This division, unlike the dark layer on the top, is quite sharp; as sharp as the division between oil and water, though it is so faint that it is, as I said, difficult to discern unless one looks closely. In fact, these layers are interesting enough that I thought I'd show them to you; you can see them at:
http://www.gotmead.com/forum/album.php?albumid=43
I set this carboy up today to rack the mead (last racked on June 10th) and will try to sample each layer tomorrow, if I can, using the racking cane as a pipette, and will report any difference in taste that I can detect in a subsequent posting.
In the meantime, I want to say
Mahalo! to TAKeyser, Altricious, Matrix4b, and ESPECIALLY to Chevette Girl, whose guidance and sage advice gave me many formerly-missing links and important insights that have made these Pineapple Meads possible.
And
Aloha to All!
P.S. - Y'know? ... I've sampled all three of them (about 1 oz of each) while composing this post and I have to say ... they are
all pretty damned good. In fact, I really wish you guys were here in my living room, so we could all share a glass or two ...
Again;
Aloha!