I'm looking to make a 5-gallon batch of Cherry Melomel port using
Oregon pureed cherries and orange blossum honey but I have no idea how
much to use of each. Does anybody have any recommendations?

Also, I've noticed a few threads here with folks having problems with
the "sludge" that's left over from the puree. What would be the best
way around this short of not using puree in the first place?

Thanks,
Terry

<The Irish Brewer> wrote in message
...
> I'm looking to make a 5-gallon batch of Cherry Melomel port using
> Oregon pureed cherries and orange blossum honey but I have no idea how
> much to use of each. Does anybody have any recommendations?
>
> Also, I've noticed a few threads here with folks having problems with
> the "sludge" that's left over from the puree. What would be the best
> way around this short of not using puree in the first place?
>
> Thanks,
> Terry

Terry,

You should make your must to target an approximate 12% finished wine. After
a few days fermentation, add an appropriate dry brandy (a dry cherry brandy
if you can find it, or perhaps Calvados, vodka, or Everclear) to halt
fermentation by bringing the total alcohol to ~20%. A Pearson's square will
assist you here, as will a hydrometer.

I haven't had any particular difficulty racking off of the lees of wines
made using Oregon purees. The "sludge" referred to is most likely the
solids of the puree, plus the yeast lees. This is a trade off for the fruit
mass you would lift from the wine after fermentation and either press or
discard.


--
Cheers,
Ken

I poured the Oregon Puree into a fine mesh fermentation bag for
primary fermentation last time I used it (for Apricots)... That
seemed to work well for me, I did not have the extreme sediment
problem and the fine mesh bag did strain out quite a bit of solids.

Later,
A. J. Rawls


On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 16:11:37 -0500, The Irish Brewer <> wrote:

>I'm looking to make a 5-gallon batch of Cherry Melomel port using
>Oregon pureed cherries and orange blossum honey but I have no idea how
>much to use of each. Does anybody have any recommendations?
>
>Also, I've noticed a few threads here with folks having problems with
>the "sludge" that's left over from the puree. What would be the best
>way around this short of not using puree in the first place?
>
>Thanks,
>Terry

I poured the Oregon Puree into a fine mesh fermentation bag for
primary fermentation last time I used it (for Apricots)... That
seemed to work well for me, I did not have the extreme sediment
problem and the fine mesh bag did strain out quite a bit of solids.

Later,
A. J. Rawls


On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 16:11:37 -0500, The Irish Brewer <> wrote:

>I'm looking to make a 5-gallon batch of Cherry Melomel port using
>Oregon pureed cherries and orange blossum honey but I have no idea how
>much to use of each. Does anybody have any recommendations?
>
>Also, I've noticed a few threads here with folks having problems with
>the "sludge" that's left over from the puree. What would be the best
>way around this short of not using puree in the first place?
>
>Thanks,
>Terry

>Terry,
>
>You should make your must to target an approximate 12% finished wine. After
>a few days fermentation, add an appropriate dry brandy (a dry cherry brandy
>if you can find it, or perhaps Calvados, vodka, or Everclear) to halt
>fermentation by bringing the total alcohol to ~20%. A Pearson's square will
>assist you here, as will a hydrometer.
>
>I haven't had any particular difficulty racking off of the lees of wines
>made using Oregon purees. The "sludge" referred to is most likely the
>solids of the puree, plus the yeast lees. This is a trade off for the fruit
>mass you would lift from the wine after fermentation and either press or
>discard.

Funny this should come up. I just added two cans of the cherry puree
to a Lambic that I have had fermenting got over a year now. There is a
2" layer of fruit sludge on the bottom of the carboy that would make
racking difficult at this point. Does this "sludge" eventually compact
on the bottom of the carboy?

Mark

>Terry,
>
>You should make your must to target an approximate 12% finished wine. After
>a few days fermentation, add an appropriate dry brandy (a dry cherry brandy
>if you can find it, or perhaps Calvados, vodka, or Everclear) to halt
>fermentation by bringing the total alcohol to ~20%. A Pearson's square will
>assist you here, as will a hydrometer.
>
>I haven't had any particular difficulty racking off of the lees of wines
>made using Oregon purees. The "sludge" referred to is most likely the
>solids of the puree, plus the yeast lees. This is a trade off for the fruit
>mass you would lift from the wine after fermentation and either press or
>discard.

Funny this should come up. I just added two cans of the cherry puree
to a Lambic that I have had fermenting got over a year now. There is a
2" layer of fruit sludge on the bottom of the carboy that would make
racking difficult at this point. Does this "sludge" eventually compact
on the bottom of the carboy?

Mark

>Terry,
>
>You should make your must to target an approximate 12% finished wine. After
>a few days fermentation, add an appropriate dry brandy (a dry cherry brandy
>if you can find it, or perhaps Calvados, vodka, or Everclear) to halt
>fermentation by bringing the total alcohol to ~20%. A Pearson's square will
>assist you here, as will a hydrometer.
>
>I haven't had any particular difficulty racking off of the lees of wines
>made using Oregon purees. The "sludge" referred to is most likely the
>solids of the puree, plus the yeast lees. This is a trade off for the fruit
>mass you would lift from the wine after fermentation and either press or
>discard.

Funny this should come up. I just added two cans of the cherry puree
to a Lambic that I have had fermenting got over a year now. There is a
2" layer of fruit sludge on the bottom of the carboy that would make
racking difficult at this point. Does this "sludge" eventually compact
on the bottom of the carboy?

Mark

<The Irish Brewer> wrote in message
...
> I'm looking to make a 5-gallon batch of Cherry Melomel port using
> Oregon pureed cherries and orange blossum honey but I have no idea
how
> much to use of each. Does anybody have any recommendations?
>
> Also, I've noticed a few threads here with folks having problems
with
> the "sludge" that's left over from the puree. What would be the best
> way around this short of not using puree in the first place?
>

I used one can of the rasberry for a 3 gallon batch of melomel. I
added it in secondary so that the rasberry character wouldn't get
scrubbed out by the CO2 during the primary ferment. The sludge
eventually settled down to about an inch or so. Wasn't a big
problem. After racking off I used about 2 cups of the "sludge" to
make some bread by adding flour (and a pinch of salt) to the correct
consistency, there was enough yeast in it that I didn't need to add
any. Made for an interesting taste in the bread.

--arne

> Thanks,
> Terry

"Mark G." > wrote in message
...
[thread snipped]
> Funny this should come up. I just added two cans of the cherry puree
> to a Lambic that I have had fermenting got over a year now. There is a
> 2" layer of fruit sludge on the bottom of the carboy that would make
> racking difficult at this point. Does this "sludge" eventually compact
> on the bottom of the carboy?
>
> Mark


Mark,

I haven't noticed any difference in the level of the lees over time, because
I rack off of them before setting the carboy aside for extended aging. It
is a bit difficult to rack off of these lees, because the typical spacing
given by a racking cane doesn't bring the intake of the cane above the level
of the lees, but I've had lees from whole fruits build up above that level
as well. In these cases I exclude as much of the lees as I can, and resign
myself to another racking in a few months.


--
Cheers,
Ken