Spring Melomel receipe
  • BenvarineBenvarine
    Posts: 1,606
    Who's got an easy Melomel receipe for me. Made my first mead, bottling Monday, and I want to start another right away. Rank amateur at best, so I am easing into it. I would love to use some local fresh fruit, what is good for the Missouri or Midwest region to use?
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    somebody else wanna take this, or should i.........

    ok, well, we don't have much spring fruit 'round these parts. i suggest making a mead right now and doing everything normal, then in april when the elderberry's bloom, grab some of this big, pretty flowering umbels and cram them into the secondary
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    leave them in there for a few weeks, then rack off into a tertiary and let it ride
  • BenvarineBenvarine
    Posts: 1,606
    Elderberry flowers? What sort of taste can I expect? Also, you will have to send me your honey contact. We have a guy in our park with hives, but he is not sure he will have a gallon or not. Also, what do you need to be careful of regarded honey? Isn't there something done to store bought honey sometimes? I could be wrong.
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    storebought is heavily filtered crap. just don't use it. i know several peeps you can get bulk, fresh honey from, won't be a problem

    elderberry flowers give more fragrance than flavor, but it tricks you into thinking it is flavor. its just intensly floral and good.
  • BenvarineBenvarine
    Posts: 1,606
    I was extremelly late in getting the honey I wanted. We have a bee keeper who uses one of our parks, and I wanted honey from those boxes. I have 9 lbs. Is that good for a 3g batch? If so, I will need to buy a 3g carboy, no big deal. I don't drink much mead, so smaller batches would be fine with me. I see elderberry in my LHBS, I think I will try that. Any idea of quantities to use for the smaller batch? Still one pack of yeast? Nutrient? Etc? Based on our last posts, seems like I should make it soon, then add elderberry in about three months when I rack to secondary right? Should that be glass at that time? Leave for a few weeks, then rack off into glass again and let set for another three months. Sound right?
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    if you purchase elderberry flowers, i will punch you in the throat.
    they grow everywhere and will be flowering in the next few weeks!

    as far as nine pounds goes.....i would still just probably do a 5 gallon batch. it will be drinkable much sooner, and only around 8% abv (i think) so you can sparkle it.

    start it fermenting tonight and then in a few weeks add an elderberry tincture to top up the carboy. done and done.

    to make elderberry tincture, just steep the flowers in some hot (not boiling) water for awhile. taste as you go. maybe take a half hour or so, but whatever feels right.
    than sparkle that bitch up at bottling time!
  • BenvarineBenvarine
    Posts: 1,606
    What's with the big words? Tincture? How much elderberry do I need? How do you sparkle your melomel? I think it will be melomel right?
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    i think just a mead with elderflowers would be a methylglin (spiced mead)
    if you used the berries instead of the flowers, it would be a melomel. berries come ripe around july.
    you would sparkle it the same way as anything else, add fermentable at bottling time, or just put into a keg and have it on draught.
  • FuzzyFuzzy
    Posts: 49,784
    what do the elder berries taste like? i know they grow all over up here.
    The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828
    If you use the flowers..... shouldn't you call it "younger berries"????
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • C_BC_B
    Posts: 89,020

    if you purchase elderberry flowers, i will punch you in the throat.
    they grow everywhere and will be flowering in the next few weeks!


    Best recipe advice ever. EVER!
    "On it. I hate software." ~Cpt Snarklepants
  • JayrizzleJayrizzle
    Posts: 90,680
    ceannt said:

    If you use the flowers..... shouldn't you call it "younger berries"????



    Thanks Ceannt!
    image
  • ceanntceannt
    Posts: 53,828

    ceannt said:

    If you use the flowers..... shouldn't you call it "younger berries"????



    Thanks Ceannt!


    :)
    Never attribute to malice, that which can adequately be explained by stupidity.
  • BenvarineBenvarine
    Posts: 1,606
    I added steeped, hand picked elderberry flowers to my mead last night, which makes it metheglin now. I used the tea to top up the carboy, stirred it in well and checked the SG. It is at 1.024. That seems really high still. I stirred and added yeast nutrient a bit over a week ago before racking. Any thoughts on how to proceed? Wait and check again? Add champaign yeast. I used wyeast sweet mead yeast this time, wanted to try something new. I would like it to dry out, it tastes sweet.
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    toss in some champagne and aerate slightly.
  • BenvarineBenvarine
    Posts: 1,606
    Champaign yeast for anyone reading along.
  • FuzzyFuzzy
    Posts: 49,784
    Benvarine said:

    Champaign yeast for anyone reading along.



    no! pour in some bubbly. class things up a bit.
    The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake
  • BenvarineBenvarine
    Posts: 1,606
    Not champaign, Cristal.
  • frydogbrewsfrydogbrews
    Posts: 44,679
    Benvarine said:

    Not champaign, Cristal.



    cristal the stripper? i know she's usually slippery, but i don't think she will fit on the bottle.
    maybe other way around though
  • FuzzyFuzzy
    Posts: 49,784

    Benvarine said:

    Not champaign, Cristal.



    cristal the stripper? i know she's usually slippery, but i don't think she will fit on the bottle.
    maybe other way around though


    don't use stripper yeast. you'll end up with highly carbonated shame juice.

    C_BThym
    The pinnacle of lame and awesome in one singular moment. -Lake