# Pear Melomel Recipe?



## Ken914

I've been given about 35 pounds of local pears (after cleaning). I just robbed the hive of the last honey for the year.

Anyone have a Pear Mel recipe?


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## J-Gee

On a small scale,I have blended perry with mead,but on a larger scale,considering the price of honey,I have been reluctant to ferment them together due to possible clarity issues. "Making Wild Wines and Meads" has a recipe that uses honey and sugar.If you use the recipe,I'd be curious as to how it works for you.


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## fatbloke

Ken914 said:


> I've been given about 35 pounds of local pears (after cleaning). I just robbed the hive of the last honey for the year.
> 
> Anyone have a Pear Mel recipe?


No recipe per se, but if you do the "freeze/thaw" method on the pears, then just let the juice run out naturally as it defrosts (perhaps use some ascorbic acid/vitamin C to prevent too much/any oxidation), then the pulp can be pressed. Then just add your favourite honey to bring the gravity up to a level that you're happy to ferment at.

You can always just reserve a couple of pounds of the fruit to add in after the ferment as finished, to retain more of a fruity flavour.......

regards

fatbloke


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## Ken914

J-Gee said:


> On a small scale,I have blended perry with mead,but on a larger scale,considering the price of honey,I have been reluctant to ferment them together due to possible clarity issues. "Making Wild Wines and Meads" has a recipe that uses honey and sugar.If you use the recipe,I'd be curious as to how it works for you.



I haven't been able to find my copy of that book since I returned from overseas. It was in a box of bee books that is... somewhere. 

Do you mind posting it?


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## J-Gee

Ken...
per gal.
4 1/2 lb.ripe pears
1 lb.sugar
1 lb.honey
juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 tsp. tannin
1 tsp.yeast nutrient
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1 campden tablet(optional)
1 pkg.yeast
chop pears into 1" pieces and cover with the sugar
mix honey into 1/2 gal of water and boil
pour honey/water mix over the pears
add the other ingredients,except yeast and let stand for 24 hours
add yeast,ferment,etc.

if you desire any spices(cinnamon/nutmeg,etc.),add to mixture
before boiling and remove before adding to the rest of ingredients.


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## J-Gee

Ken...
I think I would do some tweaking on this recipe(fruit,etc.), and use the the hydrometer for proper S.G.,as well,but this recipe is what is called for in the book.


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## fatbloke

Myself, I'd remove the sugar and increase the honey to 2 or 2 1/2 pounds. Not boil the honey/water and use a campden tablet, then ferment as normal......


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## J-Gee

I couldn't agree more. Keep us updated,if you would,Ken.


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## Ken914

Team, here is the direction I went:

o 1 gallon of filtered, unpasturized, wildflower honey*
o 35 pounds steam juiced pears (approx 3.5g of juice) into bucket with honey
o 5 crushed campden tablets

- Stir until completely mixed. the steam-juice will be warm enough to help the honey dissolve.
- Cover and allow to cool to room temp.
- Check SG
- Add honey to desired point (1.085 or whatever you like). To add honey, take some must and warm (NOT BOIL) in a sauce pan. Add mixture to primary; stir; recheck SG.

o Water to 5.5g
o 5 tsp of acid blend**
o 5 tsp of yeast nutrient.
o 2.5 tsp of pectic enzyme.

- Wait 24 hours.
- Recheck SG and pH. Adjust as necessary.
- Pitch yeast (Lalvin D-47)***

- Monitor fermentation and once at about 1.010, *rerack off the gross lees*. Lalvin Yeast company reports about D-47, "When left on lees, ripe, spicy aromas with tropical and citrus notes are developed." This is not something I want in my delicate pear mead.

I'll keep this thread updated as I go. 


(I've got an extra 5 pounds of pears to use as an FPAC.)

_____________________________
* The gallon of wildflower honey is approximate, as it was poured directly out of my honey bottling bucket.
** I think 5tsp acid blend is a little low for a 5g batch, but I'd rather add a smaller amount and recheck than overshoot with my initial dose. 
*** I decided to use Lalvin D-47 yeast, as it's supposed to be ideal for meads that use a yeast nutrient. 

Note: Most honey is about 12 pounds per gallon, but density varies a bit. Also, some honey from overseas has a higher moisture content (less sugar). It's important that you adjust your recipe to the SG you want, not just assume.


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## fatbloke

Well, it doesn't look bad at all.

The only thing I might do differently, is freeze thaw the fruit, or mill and press. I never, never, heat process white or green fruit as you end up with a cooked flavour.

It's the same with apples and kiwi fruit.

Steam extraction is good, but only really suits red and black fruit, where any cooked taste is less of an issue.....


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## J-Gee

Ken...did you get this batch started?


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## Ken914

Yes, I got it started. This batch started with some difficulty so I added yeast energizer and a brew-belt to warm the bucket up. I don't know if that's common with honey or not.

It's almost a month in. After about 10 days in the primary fermenter, I reracked to a glass carboy. A week later, I reracked off the gross lees because D47 can leave an aftertaste, it was a beautiful honey-gold wine.

After noting that the wine appeared noticeably darker, I popped the airlock to taste it. There appears to be a trace of sweetness, but I didn't check the SG. For something that's only a month old, it's really good. I swiped a glass with the winethief and enjoyed it on the back porch. I think it'll be delightful cold.

I have no explanation for the darkening of the wine over the last two weeks, but it tastes good. I'm very happy so far.


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## J-Gee

It sounds very nice.I'm sure that you will continue to enjoy it even more.
If you get a chance,post your SG readings.


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## Ken914

J-Gee said:


> It sounds very nice.I'm sure that you will continue to enjoy it even more.
> If you get a chance,post your SG readings.



I will this weekend.

I'm still astonished by the color. It's dark like sun tea, not golden like the batch of peach next to it. The fruit was not oxidized when I steam-juiced it.


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## Ken914

I worked on the wine a bit. SG is 1.020, fermentation is now stuck.

I tried cooling it down to patronize the D47. I also tried warming it up. Acid was a little low, so I brought it up to about .65. I've added yeast starter (1tsp/gal).

I finally broke down and added a new yeast starter of Red Star Champagne.

No luck at all. This batch isn't gonna budge for me.

Any suggestions?


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## J-Gee

The last time I used D-47 with pear,it fermented from 1.085 to.1.000 within 6 days at 70-72 F. I used nutrient and energizer as part of the starter.I'm not sure what to suggest to kick start it since the champagne yeast and starter didn't do it.


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## Ken914

Well, I waited for the mead to drop lees and reracked it. I began a new starter of RS Champagne detailed here:

http://home.comcast.net/~mzapx1/FAQ/StuckFerm.pdf

I tossed the starter Sunday evening. Today, it's bubbling slowly!! I'm going to keep this recipe in my binder!


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## J-Gee

How did the fermentation do?


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## Ken914

Very well, thank you. I'm letting it set until Saturday, then going to see if I can cold-crash it to help drop the lees before racking.

I bought a new carboy at a fleamarket, so now I have something to rack it into. Everything else is full.


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## J-Gee

I'm glad you had a good fermentation It sounds like you will be enjoying several glasses on the porch next summer.


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## Ken914

I think my initial concerns about acid being low were valid.

I've bumped up the acid a little bit. Going to let it rest for a few months and see how I like it.


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## wood1954

I think you're right about the acid, the 6gal batch I'm making was so flat i added 4 tblsp of acid blend to get it up to .70% TA. I think it is really going to taste good when finished, good luck with yours.


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## fatbloke

Just read the thread, and a few ideas came to mind so.......

Right, to start, the pears.

Pears, like apples, are already acidic. Not quite so much, but if you test some pure juice you'll know what I'm on about.

Now as pears, like apples (or even kiwi fruit for.that matter), should be considered "white" fruit. Which means that you should not heat process in any way. Because any heat treatment will cause it too have a "cooked" flavour which removes a lot of the "fresh" taste (I understand it reduces the acid). Hence its often best to just freeze the fruit and thaw it, then press it to get the best quality juice.

Oh and of course, heat issue can also trigger pectin clearing/haze problems.

The seemingly stuck ferment could be lack of nutrient, high ability/low pH, yeast having reached its tolerance, too low a temperature, etc etc. One of the current thinkings, is that no acids should be added during the ferment, as it can swing a marginal level to the too low area that causes a stuck process. Plus, acid blend has a mix that doesn't always suit the ferment i.e. the best mix I've found for traditionals is from Ashton & Duncans book (out of print) "Making Mead", which is 2 parts malic to 1 part tartaric. I'd guess it would also suit Apple and pear based brew......

Just my tuppence worth of course.........


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## docanddeb

I pulled my 20# of pears from the freezer yesterday. The thawing has begun. Wow, as I stir and smash, it is just turning into mush.... PERFECT!! I found a soda can size pear nectar in my cupboard and added that too. It will take a day or too to get to room temp. Pectic enzyme will be added... double dose. I'm excited for the Pear Melomel to begin. I think the honey will add a nice background to it. This is my first batch... first time I had enough free pears given to me to bother with. I'm hoping for a couple gallons of finished Melomel!

Debbie


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## brewski09

okay, what is this steam-treatment for juice extraction?


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## Ken914

A steam juicer is like a triple-boiler with a catch pan & drain hose. Fruit is steamed to extract juice and the juice drains into another container.

Check out this thread:

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f71/steam-juice-extracti-n-19975/

There are a number of different steam juicers. I bought mine on Amazon.


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## brewski09

Thanks, not so lost anymore


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## fatbloke

Ken914 said:


> A steam juicer is like a triple-boiler with a catch pan & drain hose. Fruit is steamed to extract juice and the juice drains into another container.
> 
> Check out this thread:
> 
> http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f71/steam-juice-extracti-n-19975/
> 
> There are a number of different steam juicers. I bought mine on Amazon.


Steam juicers are good, but only for "red" fruit (some of it's almost black as well) - but that's relative, "red" fruit is fruit that can be exposed to heat without ending up displaying a "cooked" taste. Think apples, kiwi fruit etc.

Hence steam juicers are good for black currants, elderberries, raspberries, etc, whereas apples, kiwi, strawberries and the like loose a lot of flavour, or at least suffer a change in flavour when exposed to heat. So it's normal that "red" (or black) fruit can be steam extracted, whereas white/green fruit would normally be just pressed, or possibly frozen, thawed and then pressed/strained (rhubarb is a good example, the best juice is from freeze/thaw/strain, pressing it tends to produce a cloudy juice that goes "gloopy"/gelatinous - dunno if it's a pectin issue or what).

Dunno if that makes it any clearer or not.....


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## Ken914

A quick "after action report" on the pear melomel. It's become the wine of choice for my friends, despite it being so young.

Of the five gallons I made, I have about a case left. I'm going to put a case in long-term storage. 

I think this recipe could go a number of different ways depending on the flavor of the honey you choose.


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## J-Gee

I'm glad that it meets expectations. Is it still fairly dark,in color? is clarity good? I'm planning on using honey with this years pear crop.


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## Ken914

It's darker than I would have expected a pear to be, yes. Not as dark as JOAM, though.

I think your choice in honey will really have an effect on this wine. The honey I used last year was from the cotton harvest last summer. Very light, very sweet. If I had used a pungent wildflower honey (like this spring), or goldenrod (last fall) the end result would have been dramatically different.


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## GTS

Ken,

What was your final SG?

Thanks.


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## J-Gee

This fall,I will base a pear melomel off of this thread.It looks like I have a bumper pear crop this year.I will use some wildflower honey on hand.I've used D-47 on the last couple batches of pear wine,but will use something different on this melomel.


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## saramc

I like to split my batch and add a vanilla bean (1 6" Madagascar vanilla bean per gallon) as it is aging, typically taste at around 10 days and decide when to remove the bean based on taste. I also use a variety of pears. One of my favorites.


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## J-Gee

I just got some beans.I'm going to add them to,at least a portion of 6 gal.that has been bulk aging for 2 years.I've always just used my own single variety,but I think I will have a couple other varieties available this year,as well..I especially enjoy pear outside,on a cold,snowy day.I look forward to trying some four year old pear this winter.


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## J-Gee

I recently started a pear melomel using wildflower honey. I ended up using D-47. Started @ 1.085, and transferred to secondary @1.000. I stuck fairly close to the recipe mentioned in this thread.It seems to be progressing nicely.


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## Ken914

GTS said:


> Ken,
> 
> What was your final SG?
> 
> Thanks.



GTS, 

I thought I answered this before... but I guess not. Sorry for leaving you hanging.

I fermented until dry... then backsweetened to taste using honey. If I pull a bottle, should I take a SG reading for you?

-K9


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## GTS

Ken,

That's OK. I was just curious as to the abv you ended up with. Just send me a bottle and I'll check it for you. 
Thanks,
GTS


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## J-Gee

Just wondering how the pear melomel is after an additional year?
I'm starting a batch today using goldenrod honey.I think I have D47, Montrachet,and a couple others on hand.


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## Ken914

It's been a while since I updated this thread.

I've been rather miserly with this wine, but I can say it's the only one that has ALWAYS elicited a positive response from folks.

I started a new batch today. The only thing I'm changing is not steam juicing the fruit. We'll see how it goes.


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## brewski09

Freeze juicing this time?


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