# Recipe Help



## Propolis30 (Aug 25, 2005)

My grandmother just gave me about 5 gallons of blackberry juice and wild grape juice that she juiced from her garden. It's all frozen and there are probably 20 midsized freezer bags. She didn't label any of them and the juice all looks the same color. Any sugestions as what to make? My thought was to mix it all together and maybe add a little honey or water as required to make a 5 gallon batch of......whatever you would call it.

Grape Berry Melomel?

[ March 27, 2006, 01:04 PM: Message edited by: Propolis30 ]


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Pymo-mel  . Make it! I love blackberry mead, the acids set off a somewhat sweet mead fantastically IMO. I'd skip the water and add honey to desired gravity. Juice typically is around the 1.040 range but can vary a good bit. Lalvin RC-212 makes a great red-fruit mead and gets a lot of color from the pulp (if any). Personally I'd make a big mead to lay down a few years with that fruit, just my preference.


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## Propolis30 (Aug 25, 2005)

Thanks Ben!!! If I were to use Red Star Yeast what type do you think would be best? I have every kind they make on hand. Or would you not recomend at all?


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

You know I've actually never used Red Star, tho as noted they have comparable and even some identical strains to Lalvin, WL and Wyeast. I'd have to check my records on Red Star strains to give you specifics, but I'd recommend checking their website for strain traits. A red wine strain for burgundies would be fine I'm sure, try Pasteur Red for some fruitiness and complexity IMO.

If it were my recipe (and this is total personal preference, you could make a lot of great meads to YOUR taste with this juice) I'd shoot for a 12-14% alcohol tolerant yeast with some fruity notes and build the must to 14 to 16% potential alcohol or even a little more to leave some residual sweetness (which brings out the berry flavor and complements the acidity of the blackberries). Depending on how the juice was prepared you might consider lightly sulfiting the must even tho it's frozen, or just pitch hydrated healthy yeast and making sure the ferment kicks off quickly by aerating a bit and keeping at 70 degrees or so (not too cool).

Or try a more aggressive strain, Cote des Blanc or Montrachet, and make your must more like 20% potential alcohol. You'll get an 18% monster, but lay it down for 5-10 years and it'll make a teetotaller get up and dance with joy at first sip







.


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## Propolis30 (Aug 25, 2005)

Great and I'm all out of honey!!!


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