Throwback: Strawberry Melomel

Since we had made some batches prior to starting this blog and didn't keep the best records, we agreed we would occasionally add some posts related to older batches.  These won't have batch numbers and the info may be spotty, but we'll try to preserve what we do remember in these posts.

Batch Number: N/A (Pre-Historic)
Batch Type: Melomel
Date into Primary: June 2011
Yeast Type:  ?  Probably Red Star Cuvee or Cotes de Blanc
Ingredients:
20 lbs of pureed fresh strawberries, frozen, then thawed
Honey, maybe 5#?
Yeast Nutrient
Pectic Enzyme
Water to QS to 5 gallons

Date into Secondary:
Date Racked:
Date Racked:
Date Filled: 9/20/11
Comments:

Cameron got a GREAT deal on jam strawberries from Woolf Family Farms.  The berries were the tiny strawberries that have such a great fresh strawberry flavor and aroma.

The most memorable event from brewing this batch was the approximately 6 or 8 inches of fresh strawberry schmutz on the bottom of the primary when we went to rack it.  We did not use any kind of cheesecloth bag to contain the fruit pulp during primary fermentation.  To deal with this, we racked as much as we could into a clean carboy, leaving the schmutz.  Then we walked to the local drug mart where we bought one thing, a pair of ladies nylons.  I walked up and put them on the counter, secure in my masculinity, and reached for my wallet.  To make it as weird as he could, Cameron stopped me and said, "No.  Let me buy these for you."  The lady at the register laughed a bit, then explained she'd seen things much weirder than this, and handed us the receipt.  We went back to strain the remaining quantity through the sanitized nylons and into a sanitized bowl.  We then poured the strained melomel into a separate carboy due to the risk of contamination with all the extra handling and residual cloudiness. 

I think this batch was the first we used sparkeloid on, also.   It cleared nicely and had a very strong, all natural strawberry flavor.

3/3/12 Update:
I tried a small bottle of "first run" strawberry melomel and was disappointed.  It appeared bright and clear and beautiful with some slight sediment on the bottom of the bottle.  The strawberry aroma was there, and while a distinctive strawberry flavor was present, it was overpowered by something I can only describe as a gaseous funk.  I mean, it wasn't terrible like it had spoiled.  It was drinkable but not good.  It had an odor of slight mustiness and, after drinking some, I felt I could exhale it.  I do not know if this can improve in time. This was only 3 months from brew to fill and less than 6 in the bottle.  Maybe there is hope?

4/18/12 Update:
There is no hope.  We had a mead judge proclaim this undrinkable and I (Demko) agree.  Damavandi thinks it's not that bad, so there must be some things he cannot taste.  I'm dumping mine to free up bottles for a future run.