Cherry mead from Trader Joes Tart Cherry Juice

[meadmaker1]

OK. With all that I've heard, I think I'll go with this instead.

Trader Joes Tart Cherry juice (not from concentrate) 32oz X2
Trader joes Cherry juice (from concentrate) 32ox X1
3 pounds of honey. (Still up for debate)
water to 1 gallon. (if needed)
12 oz frozen dark cherries
71B-1122 yeast
1/2 vanilla bean in secondary.

So I've got a variety of cherry sources. I've seen suggestions for both more honey and less honey. The only thing that was constant was "no water!" I think three pounds of honey will be about 32 ounces, so I might not need any water at this point to get my gallon batch.

I've got everything I need except an empty carboy to put it once I get to secondary. So I think I'll make it in April, especially if there is another WOTM thread then.[/QUOTE


This is the quote I forgot to include lol

 

[Bodenski]

So I started this today. Starting gravity (before I threw in the frozen cherries) was 1.044. No water needed. I also added an over-ripe banana on the suggestion of @Jericurl. I purchased some goferm to help with the hydration and to really kick the yeast off well.

Other things I added were 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme, along with some yeast energizer and nutrient (along with a Campdem tablet on account of the frozen fruit/banana). Tomorrow evening provided that the temp is OK I'll pitch the yeast.

On a side note, I've purchased two different 100% juices recently from Trader Joe's. One was the tart cherry, and the other was a cranberry. I really enjoyed the tart cherry just as it was out of the bottle. The 100% cranberry juice is, well, *way* too tart! I bought it to help top off my cranberry & crabapple wines. I tried drinking some of the leftover, and couldn't hardly stomach it. I enjoy my back sweetened cranberry wine, but even it needs some time to mellow! The straight cranberry juice I don't think I'd use for brewing a no water wine/mead. I do want to make another cranberry wine, but it's going to be a 3 gallon batch next time as opposed to the one gallon I bottled today.

 

[wineforfun]

So I started this today. Starting gravity (before I threw in the frozen cherries) was 1.044. No water needed. I also added an over-ripe banana on the suggestion of @Jericurl. I purchased some goferm to help with the hydration and to really kick the yeast off well.

Other things I added were 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme, along with some yeast energizer and nutrient (along with a Campdem tablet on account of the frozen fruit/banana). Tomorrow evening provided that the temp is OK I'll pitch the yeast.

On a side note, I've purchased two different 100% juices recently from Trader Joe's. One was the tart cherry, and the other was a cranberry. I really enjoyed the tart cherry just as it was out of the bottle. The 100% cranberry juice is, well, *way* too tart! I bought it to help top off my cranberry & crabapple wines. I tried drinking some of the leftover, and couldn't hardly stomach it. I enjoy my back sweetened cranberry wine, but even it needs some time to mellow! The straight cranberry juice I don't think I'd use for brewing a no water wine/mead. I do want to make another cranberry wine, but it's going to be a 3 gallon batch next time as opposed to the one gallon I bottled today.

So what was your starting SG after the cherry and banana addition? 1.044 is way low.

 

[Bodenski]

So what was your starting SG after the cherry and banana addition? 1.044 is way low.

It was 1.144 actually. I didn't recheck, since I had a family emergency and I'll be gone for several days. So I put it in the fridge (I hadn't pitched the yeast yet) and I'll end up pitching it early next week.

 

[wineforfun]

It was 1.144 actually. I didn't recheck, since I had a family emergency and I'll be gone for several days. So I put it in the fridge (I hadn't pitched the yeast yet) and I'll end up pitching it early next week.

Ok, that is better. When I saw 1.044, that threw up some flags.

 

[Noontime]

I've never heard of mahlab, sounds interesting Jericurl. I will have to get some and experiment. It sounds like it is a common ingredient for you to use in your meads?

 

[Bodenski]

Update: I had to leave town suddenly, so I put the bucket in the fridge for almost a week (prior to pitching yeast) while I was taking care of family. I pulled it out Sunday night, and pitched the yeast last night after hydrating with GoFerm. The SG had fallen to 1.140 prior to pitching. I'm hoping that's because of dilution with the juice from the frozen sweet cherries and not because something already started fermenting the sugars. I'm aerating as much as I can without spilling juice in the house! Taste right now is wonderful. I can't wait to see how it comes out.

 

[Mortalpawn]

At 1.140 you may finish just a bit on the tart side depending on your yeast performance as this would put the FG around 1.029-1.030. I recommend using a TONSA-2 nutrient schedule with Fermaid-O which should finish the bulk of fermentation in less than two weeks.

 

[Bodenski]

At 1.140 you may finish just a bit on the tart side depending on your yeast performance as this would put the FG around 1.029-1.030. I recommend using a TONSA-2 nutrient schedule with Fermaid-O which should finish the bulk of fermentation in less than two weeks.

I am hoping for a little on the tart side. I already added all the nutrients before pitching the yeast. (I had forgotten I had planned on doing a planned addition. Oops!) Last time I used the 71B it went to 15.5% before it stopped. I have no idea where it will go this time. I'd be happy if it finished at about 1.03. But like all things the yeast don't seem to read the instructions!

I stirred it this morning before work. Lots of gas being released, so lots of fermentation going on! I will check the SG in a day or so. I used to check every day, but I have found that doesn't really change what I do

 

[lilvixen]

@Bodenski, how did this turn out?

 

[Bodenski]

@Bodenski, how did this turn out?

This has been sitting in my basement for the last several months bulk aging. SInce you asked, I just took a little taste.

FInal ABV was 15% (higher than I wanted), and the current SG is 1.014. Taste is still pretty hot, and I don’t get a lot of the cherry flavor yet. I think I plan on adding a little more honey to bring the SG up a tad more, and I feel this is going to have to age for a while before I can appreciate the cherry flavor. (I also think now I should have left the vanilla bean in longer. I think it had a month on the bean.

(I took the bean out early since I had another recipe using a vanilla bean that was way too bitter. I was worried I had a bad couple of beans so I didn’t leave it in here past a month. I don’t taste any bitterness at all in this, but it will certainly need some time to mellow and I’ll have to see then if I can appreciate the vanilla.)

I have no idea yet if this is something I’d make again. If I do, I’ll certainly use less honey to start with and Back sweeten. I haven’t had much luck with the yeast just stoping when it gets to it’s supposed tolerance!

 

[Keith1940]

Not a chemist but I think that the cough medicine flavor is not in fact caused by the cherry but is caused by the yeast's production of phenols and phenols are (I think) created when you ferment in high concentrations of sugar, at higher rather than lower temperatures and with a too small colony of yeast. One possible solution is (and this is touted by the Groennfell Meadery) is to begin with a low SG must and each day add more honey (and juice) as the yeast ferments what you provided. Basically, you are creating a starter and you are continually feeding the starter. Their assumption is that you are in fact growing your yeast colony and as you grow the colony fewer and fewer off flavors will result (in the opinion of Rick at GM, you cannot over-pitch yeast (he recommends 5 packs of yeast for a 5 gallon batch ) and you cannot over-feed yeast nutrient (1 oz of nutrient for the same batch).

I have only used one pack of yeast in up to 7 gallons of wine. My wine has always fermented properly. Is 5 packs for a 5 gallon batch overkill?

 

[BernardSmith]

Hiya Keith1940 . I dunno. I think that one pack works well if the ABV is not high and if you are fermenting certain fruits. But pitching too few cells will result in off flavors such as yeastiness...