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Mango melomel

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mikespens

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Feb 12, 2006
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I everyone. I'm new to Mead making but have about 10 batches of different types of beer under (or over :eek:) my belt. My question is this. I've searched for a mango recipe and have yet to find a simple one for my 1st batch of mead. I was thinking of using frozen mangos since every type of canned mango has syrup :is this good? Bad? Does it matter? Should I put the fruit in the initial must or wait until the 1st racking? I plan on making a 5gal. batch. Any help would be appreciated.
 

Riadfodig

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Nov 27, 2005
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Welcome to GotMead!

You'll have to get more in depth info from someone else here, but the basics of mead aren't too hard. This isn't from experience, but just like you thought, I doubt canned mangos in syrup would be a good idea (since the syrup is mostly sugar anyways). I've heard about frozen fruit being used a lot around here with good results, so I would go that route. Most of the fresh fruit flavor will come through if you add the fruit after the first racking, but there isn't anything wrong with adding some in the beginning as well (that I know of). I don't know of any recipes off hand, so I can't help you there.

Good luck with the mango mead!
 

mikespens

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Feb 12, 2006
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Thanks Riadfodig, for the feed back. I'm looking to make a more sweet than dry mead.
 

Riadfodig

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Nov 27, 2005
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Well I'm taking a break from studying right now, so I'll do some searching and try to put together a quick recipe for you. I assume you know the processes involved with sterilization and such, so I won't go through that. A recipe for a mango melomel on the GotMead site (not the forums) indicates a total of 3 mangos for 1 gallon - two in primary and one in secondary - and notes that, "the final product wasn't easily recognizable as mango, though it did have a rather pleasant flavor." Now, I honestly have no idea what a complex mead or wine tastes like compared to a bland non-complex mead or wine. This is because I have only before tasted a white wine and two champagnes, and no mead older than 2 months. I'm working on the last one, but that's beside the point. I think the flavor of fermented mango as well as the flavor of fresh mango would be great in this.

5 gallon batch - sweet mango melomel
18.5 pounds honey
Water to 5 gallons total volume
Pectin enzyme as per directions
Mangos!
D-47 yeast

For primary go for, say, three pounds of mangos (previously frozen and thawed). You can use fresh mangos here but I know I would have a hard time keeping out of them. Frozen should be just fine, and probably a lot easier to get.
Once primary fermentation has just about stopped, rack off of everything and back onto another 3-5 pounds of mangos. Again, I'm just guessing on the amounts. If it looks like it's way too much, it probably is. Go with your judgment (or wait for someone else to pipe up!). Taste it periodically. If after a week or two you think the fresh mango flavor needs to be stronger, rack and add more fruit. Another option would be to add 100% mango juice. This is a nice way to boost the fruit flavor for just about anything.

Have fun with your mead... just try and remember patience. I know I probably ruined my first batch or two because of impatience. One of them tasted like rocket fuel but I drank it anyways, it tasted more like something to do shots with than anything you would drink normally! Now I know that a little (LOT) time would have made it less vodka-like. Good luck!
 

Oskaar

Got Mead Partner
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Dec 26, 2004
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OK, a couple of things with mangos.

I've made single source mango melomels before (I live in So Cal so we get several varieties of mangos here) and mixed fruit mango melomels (with peaches and nectarines).

I don't use pectinase. If you're using mangos, peaches, pears, nectarines, etc. just be prepared to let them sit for a while and clear. The fruit turns to mush and is just a mess. I don't worry about it. Pectinase will not help clear your must if you have not heated/boiled it to a point of setting the pectin in my experience. If you're worried about clearing you can use some grape tannin up front to help clear, usually about .3 - .5 tsp per gallon is sufficient for flavor, structure and to help clear.

I stripe peel about 1/3 of my mangos (use a potato peeler and take about four stripes per side off the fruit to get a little astringency from the skins) and completely peel the rest. I just dump the seeds in the fermentor with the rest of the must. I generally go 3 - 4 lbs of fruit per gallon of final volume so for a 6 gallon batch my minimum would be 18 lbs of mangos (if I'm just using mangos) and 24 lbs or more at the top end.

When doing these kinds of mels, I always go in a large fermentation bucket so I have plenty of room to aerate, add nutrient and stir the living crap out the must. You'll also want to punch down the cap of fruit that forms several (6 - 8 or more) times a day. I don't normally mention this part, but at the mead festival several people asked me about melomels, and two of my Zinfandels that I brought, and what I do with the fruit that floats to the top. I don't normally think about this because I make wine and punching down the cap is just part of the regimen, so I just do it by rote. Thanks to Ken Schramm for pointing to me and asking me how many times a day I punch down to set it in my mind that it is part of the process, and not just innate behavior.

I made a peachy-cot (peach and apricot) mel and used R2 yeast by Lallemand, it was great. But, for mango I prefer 71B or D47 with a preference for 71B.

So digging back a ways here's my six gallon recipe:

18 - 24 lbs fresh or frozen mangos - (if fresh 1/3 stripe peeled, 2/3 completely peeled, all halved and seeded)
10 lbs orange blossom honey
6 lbs alfalfa honey
3 tsp grape tannin
H2O to 6 gallons
71B yeast (up to 4, 5 gram packets rehydrated in Go Ferm as per Lallemand spec)
6 grams DAP in must prior to inoculation

Place about half of the seeds in a sanitized grain bag and place in fermentor. Cover with a sanitized cloth and secure with a rubber band.
Balance your must to about 30 brix (1.13+ SG)

Punch down fruit and stir several times daily.
Add 6 grams DAP into must at end of lag phase (when the must just starts to foam from yeast activity)
Aerate/Oxygenate daily
Remove seeds after 5 days and seal the fermentor, and cap with an airlock
Swirl the fermentor daily to keep yeast suspended as much as possible

Let the yeast run to completion (somewhere around 1.030-1.037 SG, or 8.0 - 8.5 brix)
Rack to secondary
Rack again when stratification is obvious and it is looking like its clearing.

Be patient it will clear with time.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar
 

mikespens

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 12, 2006
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Thank you so much Oskaar! This is just what I was looking for. Like I said I'm new to mead brewing but I've been reading alot of your postings. You really know your stuff....again Thanks!
 

Medsen Fey

Fuselier since 2007
Premium Patron
Please forgive me for reviving this ancient thread, but I am preparing to make a mango melomel and I want to have my plan ready when the mangos on my tree get ripe in a few weeks. I was contemplating other yeast choices and I read the description of QA23 on the Lallemand site
Enoferm QA23: Successfully ferments highly clarified must
Enoferm QA23 was selected in Portugal by the University of Tras os Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD) in cooperation with the Viticultural Commission of the Region Vinhos Verdes. It is used for Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Chenin blanc, Colombard and Semillon for production of fresh, fruity, clean wines. It enhances aromas of terpenic varietals through its beta-glucosidase activity and is an excellent thiol converter making it a complementary yeast for developing varietal Sauvignon blanc passion fruit character. Enoferm QA23 has a low nutrient requirement and will ferment juice with low turbidity at low temperatures (10°C). It is classified as a Saccharomyces cerevisiae bayanus.

Since Mangos contain lots of terpenes, I am wondering if QA23 would be a good yeast to use. Has anyone tried it with a Mango batch?
 

UDV

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 20, 2008
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This might not be completely related. So I am apologizing for thread-jacking.

I was able to find Frozen Mango pulp in my local supermarket. Goya makes it in one pound batches, so it may be an option for those who can't get fresh mangos. I currently have a one gallon batch of this finishing up, so I don't know what it will come out like. I literally throw it in the primary almost frozen to try to see what it would turn into. I ended up using half a pound with 3 pounds of cheap generic clover honey.

It made no mention of preservatives on the package, and had a best-buy date that wasn't much longer in the future which sort of rules out preservative on the package.
 

brd_hef

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 14, 2010
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sulphur springs, texas, USA
Mel Yeast

For Melomels of most fruits I have found 71B to be the most flavorful fermentor.
Also, 6 months to a year is the best. Make a big batch and you'll see, it becomes dangerously smooth and tasty
 
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Noontime

NewBee
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Dec 28, 2018
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I know this discussion is REALLY old, but I have input on the use of QA23 with mango melomel. My wife and I did a side-by-side test of QA23 and 71B yeasts, with no other variables. They were both very good, backsweetened to about 1.010 SG and 12% alcohol. We also let each sit for a year before evaluating. We drank through these over a few years and the following observations held. BIG differences in the wines and amazing how much impact the yeast has. The QA23 had a big juicy fruity and wonderful aroma, and a more astringent flavor; we're guessing it came from the skins and that particular yeast. It was very good and fruity, but had a very interesting bite to it. The 71B was more flat on the nose, but the flavor was a bit more fruit forward and bright.; definitely a little closer to traditional fruity mango flavor.
 
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Itsjayy225

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 12, 2023
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Mississippi
I know this discussion is REALLY old, but I have input on the use of QA23 with mango melomel. My wife and I did a side-by-side test of QA23 and 71B yeasts, with no other variables. They were both very good, backsweetened to about 1.010 SG and 12% alcohol. We also let each sit for a year before evaluating. We drank through these over a few years and the following observations held. BIG differences in the wines and amazing how much impact the yeast has. The QA23 had a big juicy fruity and wonderful aroma, and a more astringent flavor; we're guessing it came from the skins and that particular yeast. It was very good and fruity, but had a very interesting bite to it. The 71B was more flat on the nose, but the flavor was a bit more fruit forward and bright.; definitely a little closer to traditional fruity mango flavor.
So which would you say is better? Does the qa23 do a better job at giving a big fruit bomb flavor with mango, or is the 71b better with the mango flavor
 

Squatchy

Lifetime GotMead Patron
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Nov 3, 2014
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So which would you say is better? Does the qa23 do a better job at giving a big fruit bomb flavor with mango, or is the 71b better with the mango flavor
Didn't you ask this yesterday on Facebook? The guy above hasn't been around for years. Look next time before resurrecting a dead thread. 71 B is not even close to the QA23. I've made meads with over 40 different yeast strains. As I said. QA23 is the best in my estimation. And I have made mango meads several times all the same, with the only change being the strain. Maybe you might want to split your batch in half and use two different strains. That's how you learn the nuances of the different strains.
 

Itsjayy225

NewBee
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Aug 12, 2023
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Didn't you ask this yesterday on Facebook? The guy above hasn't been around for years. Look next time before resurrecting a dead thread. 71 B is not even close to the QA23. I've made meads with over 40 different yeast strains. As I said. QA23 is the best in my estimation. And I have made mango meads several times all the same, with the only change being the strain. Maybe you might want to split your batch in half and use two different strains. That's how you learn the nuances of the different strains.
No i never asked this on facebook? But im new to this and dont know if a person has been around or not, i believe i asked this question on this thread the same day i posted a new thread asking about the differences, and i would have liked more than one opinion on the subject as i see some people prefer 71b over any for fruit meads just wanted some insight man
 

Squatchy

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No i never asked this on facebook? But im new to this and dont know if a person has been around or not, i believe i asked this question on this thread the same day i posted a new thread asking about the differences, and i would have liked more than one opinion on the subject as i see some people prefer 71b over any for fruit meads just wanted some insight man
I appreciate that. You don't know me but I won second place in a very big year-long competition called Mead Maker of the Year. I have also won tons of other medals/trophies. So, along with that, I have made several podcasts here with the crew. On 9/5/17, You can listen to a series of continuous education on how to make mead using the most modern science and adjuncts. I've made well over 300 gallons of all kinds of mead. Many times I have made side-by-side meads with everything the same except for the yeast strains. Once, a friend of mine and I made 33 one-gallon batches like that. In order to teach us what the differences are from one strain to the next. I have taught at conferences the same thing. I, and my friend made 16 batches (I think) and let the whole conference site and blindly taste all the different meads, and then we revealed all of the strains after everyone had taken notes.

Everything I teach is science-based, and I have personal experience with all of that. Otherwise, I won't comment on something if I have no personal experience.

Grab a pen and paper and go listen to the podcast. You will know if a couple of weeks, then what it would take years to learn on your own. You're right. You can't trust anything on the web or in the FB groups
 
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Itsjayy225

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Aug 12, 2023
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I appreciate that. You don't know me but I won second place in a very big year-long competition called Mead Maker of the Year. I have also won tons of other medals/trophies. So, along with that, I have made several podcasts here with the crew. On 9/5/17, You can listen to a series of continuous education on how to make mead using the most modern science and adjuncts. I've made well over 300 gallons of all kinds of mead. Many times I have made side-by-side meads with everything the same except for the yeast strains. Once, a friend of mine and I made 33 one-gallon batches like that. In order to teach us what the differences are from one strain to the next. I have taught at conferences the same thing. I, and my friend made 16 batches (I think) and let the whole conference site and blindly taste all the different meads, and then we revealed all of the strains after everyone had taken notes.

Everything I teach is science-based, and I have personal experience with all of that. Otherwise, I won't comment on something if I have no personal experience.

Grab a pen and paper and go listen to the podcast. You will know if a couple of weeks, then what it would take years to learn on your own. You're right. You can't trust anything on the web or in the FB groups
Okay thank you, I appreciate the reply and will definitely go check out the podcast, you clearly know a lot more than the average person, id not known you had so much experience in the strains but now that i do ill take your word for it. Thanks again
 

Squatchy

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Okay thank you, I appreciate the reply and will definitely go check out the podcast, you clearly know a lot more than the average person, id not known you had so much experience in the strains but now that i do ill take your word for it. Thanks again

Hi. I'm not boasting at all. But I know of no one who has done that as much as I have. I know many of the strains as if they were a friend
 
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Itsjayy225

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Hi. I'm not boasting at all. But I know of no one who has done that as much as I have. I know many of the strains as if they were a friend
Just finished up on the 9/5/17 podcast, i heard a part in there that you actually didnt use to like K1v lol which is the yeast im actually starting with, sinceee amazon said qa23 would take a whole month to come in, still have 2 weeks before it arrives but my peach and berry mead are currently cold crashing at around 35° for the next few days, i also didnt hear in the podcast on which yeast you personally use the most, so is qa23 your favorite as of recently? Or? But.. none the less was still good info!
 

Squatchy

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Nov 3, 2014
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Just finished up on the 9/5/17 podcast, i heard a part in there that you actually didnt use to like K1v lol which is the yeast im actually starting with, sinceee amazon said qa23 would take a whole month to come in, still have 2 weeks before it arrives but my peach and berry mead are currently cold crashing at around 35° for the next few days, i also didnt hear in the podcast on which yeast you personally use the most, so is qa23 your favorite as of recently? Or? But.. none the less was still good info!
So I learned to really like K1V after I found better uses for it. I don't have a "Favorite" that I use all the time. I have come to be very familiar with many different strains. I always seek to pair the best yeast to the honey profile primarily. I also then consider the other adjuncts in the mead to help me dial in deeper. When I make mead. I decide first what I want to make. Then, I decide what honey will best fit the bill. Then, I consider the different strains that I know work well with that particular honey. Lastly, I look at the third consideration and then decide based on all those factors. Many times I would make 5-gallon batches of the same thing. To figure out the best honey/yeast combinations. I've done that with maybe 40 kinds of honey. 30 some yeast strain. 9 different expressions of oak. 6-9 different species of wood that are not oak. 4-5 different vanilla beans. 5 different kinds of Cocoa nibs with several different levels of toast levels. For several years every time I made a mead I was doing several trials so I could learn the differences.

This is the dues you have to pay to start winning consistently at mead competitions. I got tired of that and hardly ever enter a mead in a comp anymore.

I had a 2 week part 1 and 2 podcast on how to select yeast strains. You might enjoy that.
 
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Itsjayy225

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 12, 2023
10
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3
Mississippi
So I learned to really like K1V after I found better uses for it. I don't have a "Favorite" that I use all the time. I have come to be very familiar with many different strains. I always seek to pair the best yeast to the honey profile primarily. I also then consider the other adjuncts in the mead to help me dial in deeper. When I make mead. I decide first what I want to make. Then, I decide what honey will best fit the bill. Then, I consider the different strains that I know work well with that particular honey. Lastly, I look at the third consideration and then decide based on all those factors. Many times I would make 5-gallon batches of the same thing. To figure out the best honey/yeast combinations. I've done that with maybe 40 kinds of honey. 30 some yeast strain. 9 different expressions of oak. 6-9 different species of wood that are not oak. 4-5 different vanilla beans. 5 different kinds of Cocoa nibs with several different levels of toast levels. For several years every time I made a mead I was doing several trials so I could learn the differences.

This is the dues you have to pay to start winning consistently at mead competitions. I got tired of that and hardly ever enter a mead in a comp anymore.

I had a 2 week part 1 and 2 podcast on how to select yeast strains. You might enjoy that.
Ohhh okay i get it, so you were saying qa23 is your favorite strain for mango mead if you were to make it, i picked k1v because i saw that its good for stone fruit as well as has the kill factor in it, and I’ve definitely been checking out lots of the podcast shows, if you never pointed it out i would have never known ab the podcast
 
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Squatchy

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K1V is a very good all-around strain, and it is also an excellent strain for Mango
 
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