Campden Tablet in Cherry Melomel - Normal Effect?

[miabeewood]

I started a cherry melomel today following the recipe from Storm the Castle, adjusted for 5 gallons. Aside from adjusting quantities, I also did not pasteurize the honey. (http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/make-a-cherry-melomel.htm).

At this moment, I have the following ingredients in my carboy:
15 lbs clover honey
5 lbs frozen cherries
5 teaspoons of acid blend
5 teaspoons of pectic enzyme
1 crushed campden tablet
5 teaspoons of wine tannin
Spring water to just past shoulder

I have not added the yeast, nutrient, or orange juice. These will be added after 24 hours. I'm concerned with how it's looking though. The cherries seem to be getting fuzzy. Picture here: https://imgur.com/a/N4MUk .

Is this normal? If not, what might have gone wrong, and is it salvageable?

 

[caduseus]

Pasteurizing can reduce aromas so I don’t recommend it.
Sometimes sulfite can bleach out colors in fruit. Not the end of the world.
But was the fruit in good condition before pitching?

 

[darigoni]

It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like there's lots of "stuff" on the bottom of your carboy. Is this the same stuff that's on your cherries? Hard to believe that anything could grow that quickly (12 hours?) on your fruit.

Isn't it 1 Campden tablet per gallon?

I know you are following a recipe, but the practice of adding acid blend and wine tannin upfront (primary) is going away. Most people (if they add it at all) do so in the secondary, where they can add it to taste.

Also, when adding fruit, a rule of thumb is 3 lbs per gallon.

 

[miabeewood]

Yes, I chose not to pasteurize for that reason, caduseus. Most of that decision came from seeing a ton of posts on this forum recommending against it, many of them from you. =)

The fruit was in good condition. It was frozen. The recipe called for putting the cherries in the still-warm honey after pasteurizing, but since we did not do that, we put them still cold in the carboy. Is it possible the "stuff" is from the frozen cherries? The picture of that "stuff" was taken maybe an hour and a half after combining, so even less likely that something grew that quickly on the fruit. 3 lbs per gallon is doable, should I add it before pitching the yeast or wait until secondary for flavor? I debated waiting to add the acid blend and tannin until later, but this is my second batch ever so I was hesitant to change the recipe TOO much. I've read the NewBee guide and watched the Meadology series, so I understand a lot of theory, but don't have the experience behind it. I wasn't sure about multiplying the campden tablet per gallon, so I spent some time reading and found recipes that all seemed to use 1 tablet for even 5 gallon batches, and even people who were using pill cutters to cut them down for smaller batches. Is it bad practice to add the correct amount now and wait another 24 hours before pitching the yeast?

It doesn't have any off smells, even with that much stuff, so I'm hoping it's still usable.

 

[caduseus]

Oh my I just noticed you adding acid blend upfront.
That is super old school and not recommended as it is hard on the yeast
Good mead making requires some degree of yeast husbandry and you just damaged them

 

[miabeewood]

I have not added the yeast yet, caduseus. Given that the acid blend is already in there, should I toss what I have and start over, following the tips I've gotten from you and darigoni?

P.S. I posted previously in response to the other replies, but am waiting for moderator approval. More info is in that post. Will getting a patron membership make that go away?

 

[darigoni]

A way around that is to create a short post, like your last one, and then go back and edit it. I think you have 15 minutes to do so.....

Unless that really is mold, I wouldn't throw it out. Honey's expensive!

What are you using for yeast? You may want to make sure you have enough for 2 to 3 grams per gallon.

Oh, and get a bucket! It makes mead making so much easier, especially when using fruit!

 

[caduseus]

Depends what your ph now is and if the fruit is very acidic ( I don’t think so).
Got a pH meter

 

[miabeewood]

I have 10 grams of D47, so that should be good. I'll have to get a pH meter to check the acidity. Thanks, guys. I really appreciate your help with this.

 

[miabeewood]

Update: Pitched the yeast, nutrient, and orange juice yesterday. Went with 15 g of D47 instead of 10 to be safe. The cherries floated to the top, the "stuff" settled down on the bottom, and it's fermenting like a beast. I overfilled the carboy (should have trusted my instincts instead of listening when the recipe said "fill to the bottom of the neck"), but it looks good! I smelled and then tasted the pre-mead before pitching the last ingredients and I think it's going to be delicious when it's done. Thanks again, everyone!

 

[darigoni]

What did you decide was on the cheeries? Unresolved acid blend, wine tannin, pectin enzyme and Campden tablet?

 

[miabeewood]

My best guess is either the cherries were too cold, affecting all the ingredients you listed, or there was something still on the cherries. What's on the bottom is significantly less "stuff" than what was floating previously, so I'm thinking the first one and some of it successfully resuspended after pitching the yeast and remixing it.