Apple juice in a melomel??

[Mister Z]

Two batches of mead, and not entirely happy with them. Trying to stick with a recipe from a pro and not monkey with it, but one ingredient is different, and I was hoping someone could tell me if it's a significant alteration.

I am making Curt Stock's Super Berry Melomel. OG 1.158 FG 1.030-1.040 estim ABV 15.8
21 lbs wildflower honey
12 lbs blackberry/raspberry/blueberry mix
6 lbs strawberries
96 ounces black currant juice
2.3 gal water
Narbonne yeast
Staggered nutrient/energizer additions

Got my local grocer to order R.W. Knudsen's Black Currant Nectar. It's organic / no preservatives. $5.50/qt.
Reading the label closer at home I see the ingredients are:
1. Filtered water
2. "Organic apple and black currant juice concentrates" (proportion of each is not specified)

I love apple juice, but I don't care for fermented cider products. They taste vinegary to me.
But I must admit I have never had a cyser.
By chance has anyone used this product in a mead? If so was there any cidery character to it?
This is an expensive batch, and I don't want to f... goof it up and make a vinegar berry melomel.
Any thoughts?
- Steve

 

[mmclean]

I have only used Knudsen's Black Currant Juice. Most whole food stores will order it for you.

I would pass on the Nectar if it were me.

 

[WVMJack]

YOu got the nectar instead of the juice. If you have tasted vinegar in cider it was probably vinegar and somebody isnt being clean enough. As for this batch, I think the black currants are a bit over the top, they are very strong tasting and would possibly dominate the other berries, especially the strawberries. A little black currant goes a long way. WVMJ

 

[BigBossMan]

You could try the Black Currant Nectar from CurrentC. They use organic agave syrup for dilution instead of apple juice. Straight black currant juice is powerful tasting stuff.

 

[loveofrose]

Vinters Harvest makes a wonderful Blackcurrant. It's on amazon.

 

[Chevette Girl]

Apple and grape juice end up in a lot of 100% juice preparations, they're pretty much filler. There probably won't be enough apple character that you'd ever notice it. I've topped up many different wines and a few meads with canned apple juice and nobody could ever tell.

 

[Mister Z]

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses! Mixed opinions, but that's cool. I didn't know Knudsen made 2 different currant juice products, and clearly neither did my grocer. Think I'm gonna have them re-order for me and stick to the recipe. Until I gain more mastery over fundamentals I need to rein in my compulsive need to monkey with every recipe I touch. It has caused me to make a few marginal beverages. Like when I went temporarily insane and brewed that Garlic Extra Special Bitter. Yeah, I really did that. Is there a home brewers equivalent to the ugliest dog pageant?
Again, thanx to all- I learn more every time I visit here
- Steve

 

[fatbloke]

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses! Mixed opinions, but that's cool. I didn't know Knudsen made 2 different currant juice products, and clearly neither did my grocer. Think I'm gonna have them re-order for me and stick to the recipe. Until I gain more mastery over fundamentals I need to rein in my compulsive need to monkey with every recipe I touch. It has caused me to make a few marginal beverages. Like when I went temporarily insane and brewed that Garlic Extra Special Bitter. Yeah, I really did that. Is there a home brewers equivalent to the ugliest dog pageant?
Again, thanx to all- I learn more every time I visit here
- Steve

Well, IMO you're getting "beer maker" with this i.e. over thinking and obsessive.

If you follow the guide with what you've got it'll still likely come out fine.

I've seen a few clips and reports on Mr Stocks meads, and while tbey might make me think WTF, he undoubtedly has a rep for making good brews.....

In any case, this is mead, not beer so there's more latitude for post-ferment tweaking. You don't have to get the mix so perfect that it comes out the fermenter perfect and ready to drink ! Cos that ain't gonna happen all the time your arse points downwards......

 

[WVMJack]

Lonza also makes a good black currant juice as well as others, your grocer might be able to get that one, or if there is a hippie store near you they should be able to get some. Have you ever tasted black currants, its strong, strong enough to overpower your other berries a bit, add a lot more strawberries. WVMJ

 

[Mister Z]

Good points, guys. Stock is a local (Minnesota) guy held in pretty high regard. I'll stick with the recipe, but I am going to scale it down to 3 gallons both due to cost and to minimize $ lost should it go "wonky." I have 4 gallons of honey coming this week, so I'll be able to do multiple small batches of mead in between batches of barley pop this winter. Wish me luck!
Now I gotta go google "arse pointing downward."
- Steve

 

[Chevette Girl]

Like when I went temporarily insane and brewed that Garlic Extra Special Bitter. Yeah, I really did that. Is there a home brewers equivalent to the ugliest dog pageant?

If we have one, I'll submit my jalapeno wine. Tastes just like a fresh pepper. Nobody (myself included) wants more than a sip.

 

[mannye]

If we have one, I'll submit my jalapeno wine. Tastes just like a fresh pepper. Nobody (myself included) wants more than a sip.

Sounds like a great mead to put in a squeeze bottle and leave on the table to put in soup and chili... pepper mead instead of pepper sherry. I bet it would be a hit!

 

[fatbloke]

If we have one, I'll submit my jalapeno wine. Tastes just like a fresh pepper. Nobody (myself included) wants more than a sip.

Post me a sample I'd bet good money I could do a bottle in a sitting

 

[Chevette Girl]

Post me a sample I'd bet good money I could do a bottle in a sitting

Oh, it's not hot at all. Just really, really weird, with a nice crisp vegetable flavour. It would be a fine marinade...

Spinoff thread for ugliest wine is here...