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Tropical Fruit/Coconut-Spice Mead

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  • Tropical Fruit/Coconut-Spice Mead

    I have just put this one on - fermentation underway--- A little unusual but I have developed this from many old mead recipes and the use of coconut young juice is a result of previous success with coco nut and pineapple. Cheers - critiques welcome DAW


    DAW’S MELOMEL/Metheglin


    (Tropical Fruit/Coconut, Spice Mead)




    For 23 liters (6 US gallons, 5.1 Imperial gallons)


     20.5 lbs Fresh then Frozen Tropical Fruit (Dragon Fruit – 3.5 lbs, Papaya 5 lbs., Mangos 6 lbs., Fresh Pineapple 6 lbs., 4 fresh Passion Fruit, 2 Fresh Persimmons, 2 Fresh Star Fruit.
     1 100 oz tin of Tropical Fruit (papaya, guava, passion fruit and pineapple).
     8 - 13.5 oz cans Young Coconut Juice
     17 lbs Honey (1 gallon of honey weighs about 12 lbs – 8 fl oz or 1 cup of honey weighs 12 oz – ¾ of a pound
     5 teaspoonful Pectic Enzyme
     5 teaspoonful Yeast Nutrient
     5 Campden Tablets crushed
     Yeast Red Star Premier Cuvee (Davis #796)
     5 teaspoonful Tartaric acid - 1 gram/l before fermentation Tartaric acid and balance the mead with citric acid – 0.9 grams/l adds 1.0 g/l T.A. – or Brew Heaven Prepared acid blend nutrient mixture and adjust after fermentation. If you use the Brew Heaven prepared mixture cancel the nutrient and Tartaric acid above.
     1/8 teaspoon Tannin
     1 VANILA BEAN, 3 CINOMEN STICKS, ROOT GINGER - three thin slices, cloves, nutmeg or cardomen or your choice or none
     2 ¼ tsp of Bnnt -0.5 g/l slurry during fermentation, 0.5 g/l Bnnt slurry and at least one racking to remove settled crystals and 0.25 g/l Sparkeloid dissolved in hot water and stirred into the top of the mead after the Bnnt has settled.
     Starting PH 3.00 – 4.00

    Procedure:

    1. Into the Primary fermenter at least 12 hours previously and after the cleaning and sterilizing of the primary fermenting vessel put in the frozen Tropical Fruit into nylon straining bags and let them thaw. Sprinkle the frozen tropical fruit with a 1 tablet of crushed Campden and mixed in warm water.


    2. Heat 12 liters of good water to 155 -175 degrees F; keep the heat as close to that temperature as possible – do not boil. Mix in the 17 pounds of honey slowly until it all dissolves do not let it stick to the bottom of the pan. Skim the foam and scum on top of the heating honey as it develops – approximately 30 minutes – DO NOT BOIL. After off the heat pour slowly over the thawed tropical fruit and juice from the tropical fruit in the primary fermenter. Let cool to approximately 100 degrees F.

    3. Crush Campden tablets stir then into the primary fermenter. Stir in the pectic enzyme, Tartaric acid, tannin and Bnnt slurry.

    4. Make sure your Yeast is at room temperature – if it has been in the fridge take it out 12 hours prior to use.

    5. Allow the mixture to rest for 12 hours at least until the temperature is at 70 degrees F. Mix in the other14 liters of good room temperature water and young coconut juice (not the milk or cream) – stir in well. Add the yeast nutrient per gallon to the primary fermenter. Let rest for 12 hours. Stir well and check the PH, Specific Gravity and temperature – adjust as necessary.


    6. Stir well and check the PH, Specific Gravity and temperature – adjust as necessary.

    7. Pitch the yeast (do not stir). Fermentation should be noticeable in 24 hours. Once fermentation starts stir twice daily until Specific Gravity reaches 1.030 – 1.020 (approximately 7 days). Remove the tropical fruit squeeze gently and discard them. Rack the Tropical Fruit Must into the secondary fermenter. Install air lock. Add Vanilla bean and cinnamon sticks or spices (optional) and let continue fermenting for another fourteen to 24 days until the SG reaches 1.000-1.005 (sweet mead) or lower depending on the yeast you are using (sweet or dry). When this SG has been achieved rack to a clean and sterilized primary. Check PH, and T.A (3.00 ph, .6 T.A.). Add 3 campden crushed, degas, add Bnnt, finings, adjust acid if necessary (citric –tartaric), stir and rack to clean glass carboy and attach air lock. Move to cool and dark storage for 2-3 weeks until clear. Rack again to clean carboy and again if necessary in two months. After 6 month’s bulk ageing bottle and cork. Or if necessary bulk age 1 year.


    NOTE: This will make more than the 23 liters; I like to have a little extra for the toping-up. Cheers! Use the ideas; it worked for me but each to their own.









    ADD Spices to a muslin or cheesecloth bag and tie it closed. Let the spice bag seep in the mead must during the primary part of the alcohol fermentation process. Check aroma and strength of the spice flavor for your particular flavor preference. After alcohol primary fermentation taste for spice flavor if OK discard the spice bag; if more spice flavor is desired let seep in the carboy during the secondary part of the alcohol fermentation process.

    Passion Fruit cut and quartered. Removed the seeds and gelatinous substance and let seep and ferment in must during primary fermentation process. (Sharp tart flavor)? How they do in wine? A winery along the West coast has a Passion Flower Fruit Wine – will have to try that some day. As long as these plants grow in your particular Agriculture Zone I understand that the plant produces many fruits. The flowers are terrific – fragrance like licorice. If you have to purchase these tropical fruits in the store they are very expensive.



    The Spices I Used

    1 whole cinnamon stick
    2 small chunks of Ginger root
    3 cloves
    ¼ of a nutmeg bean
    6 card omen seeds

    All tied in a cheese cloth and seeped during Primary

  • #2
    Bloody hell! that looks like an outstanding recipe - getting some of the ingredients might be a bit of a bugger!

    Erm, whats Bnnt ?

    regards

    fatbloke
    Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

    Some blog ramblings

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by fatbloke View Post
      Erm, whats Bnnt ?

      Bentonite
      N.G.W.B.J.
      Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
      Wine, mead and beer maker

      Comment


      • #4
        It is a type of clay (Wyoming USA for much of it) it is used in the drilling industry (Oil well drilling, water well drilling) to stop circulation loss while the drilling is underway. For wine making it is the best darn fining agent there is - you can purchase at your favourite retailer. This stuff is difficult to mix by hand ( a venturi system used in the oil patch and others to mix it smooth). By hand the normal stuff takes around a 1/2 hour to dissolve it and get it smooth - don't try to use an electric mixer - the better halves (wife's) will be very unhappy - it sticks to the beaters. Check out in general wine making - I just posted a possible new bentonite that may be much easier for us to mix. Anyway it is very much recommended that you include this fining agent in your regular home wine making recipes. See definition below.


        All purpose clarifier used in wine industry. Also useful in primary fermenter. Mix 2 1/2 teaspoons into 2 1/2 cups of boiling water, let sit overnight and mix into 5 gallons of wine.

        Cheers DAW

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by fatbloke View Post
          Bloody hell! that looks like an outstanding recipe - getting some of the ingredients might be a bit of a bugger!

          Erm, whats Bnnt ?

          regards

          fatbloke
          I would think you have bentonite there? I think you have a good selection of tropical fruit - probably better than ours? We get some good tropical fruit coming in here it is very expensive unless it has been on the shelf for a while and then it can usually be gotten for reasonable price. papayas and mangos are fairly common. pineapples nearly always, the young coconut juice comes to us through an Asian Grocery Store. I think that it is going to be great Starting SG of 1.114 am PH of 3.33- It's going to have quite a kick. I will put some photos together when the fermentation process further - into the secondary carboy - I am sure you do not want to see floating fruit bags and active yeast. Must say this this Red Star Premier Cuvee Yeast is outstanding for tropical type fruit -- I use it last year on the Pineapple/Coconut wine that I made and it was great. Cheers DAW

          Comment


          • #6
            This sounds delish. MUST get Ben to make some!!

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by BennyBoy's entourage View Post
              This sounds delish. MUST get Ben to make some!!

              Check out the other Mead Making Topic for posts on this site - photos and more details for making the Tropical Spice are there. It turned out extreemely well. It is now in the bulk ageing stage to be bottled in the Spring of 08. Try it I know you will enjoy it. If you look at the photos mentioned above you will notice how well it has cleared. Cheers DAW

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