Need a Juice based Cherry that does not taste like medicine

MX1

Well, I guess the title says it all.
I have access to Tart and Black organic juice and juice concentrate; I can also get frozen cherries I am sure.
Let me also state that I have not looked very hard for a recipe yet either, but I am sure this forum has a Mazer that as pulled this off
Thanks
T

CKuhns

There are a couple similar recipes in the Mead recipe thread if you dont have access to the Kviek Omega Hot Head yeast or a heating pad this one recomends...
I havent had an issue with the medicine like taste with this recipe. But do have a higher ABV wild plum using Premere Cuvee yeast that tastes a bit like old cough syrup.
Quick Mead (Open source Groennfell Mead modification)Updated with more experience from previous post in September of 2017. Very similar to other recipes on this forum. (With a nod to Bernardsmith for the inspiration) Yeast Pitch to Glass 21-30 days. (To date 12-13-19 have made 6 - 5 gallon batches) OG 1.055 - FG 1.005 = 0.050 X 131.25 = 6.5 ABV...

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mashpaddled

Ideally you should look for frozen tart/pie cherries and add those. They produce the most cherry flavor and tend to avoid the cherry cough syrup flavor.
Although tart cherry juice is made from the same cherries, something about the way they extract the juice brings out that cough syrup flavor when you dilute and ferment it. It would be your second best option, especially if you can find tart cherry concentrate so you don't needlessly dilute your mead with water.
Sweet cherry varieties normally produce that cough syrup flavor no matter the format.

MX1

Thanks

Raptor99

Actually tart cherries are a different type of cherry than sweet cherries: What is the difference between tart cherries and sweet cherries? I use a blend of juice concentrate from Montmorency and Morello tart cherries from Tart Cherry Concentrate - 32 oz Juice Concentrate
Tart cheries have a better, more complex flavor for making wine and mead. It also helps to have some tannins (I age on oak) and to age it for a year or so.

Srimmey

I probably did it all wrong but I used 4 pounds of frozen local organic pie cherries in 2 gallons of mead . They hung out in secondary along with 2 oz of medium toast American oak chips for 4 weeks.
Prior to that I used 2 pounds of tart cherry purée in primary. I bought from the local brewing store so it seemed like a good product but it didn’t really do much for the overall flavor. All the good cherry smell and taste came from the fruit in secondary
I have since racked it off and am now just aging/clearing . At racking it tasted very nice, since then it has take on some chocolate notes. I’m looking forward to a second tasting once it’s done clearing sometime in the next couple of weeks.
I’ll let you know how it goes

Raptor99

It sounds like you are doing great! Tart cherries are also called pie cherries. I think that this will be awesome once it has had the chance to age for a year or so.

MightyMosin

I'm not experienced using cherries but even though the primary doesn't seem to add much flavor as the sugars are fermented out, my experience has been that using in primary can add some depth to what has been added in secondary and the flavors can seem to be less tacked on and more baked into the whole, if that makes any sense to you.
Experimentation can be a great teacher.

Raptor99

@MightyMosin For that reason, I sometimes add cherries or cherry juice concentrate in both the primary and the secondary. Each addition provides a different sort of flavor profile. Flavors also become more integrated and "baked in" once you age it for a year or so.

bernardsmith

One reason that cherry wine reminds folk of cough medicine is that the wine (or mead) often tends to have the same flavor profile as cherry flavored meds. High Alcohol, low acidity and sweetness. You want to make sure that you use tart - not sweet (eating) cherries, aim for a lower ABV with high TA (lots of acidity) and don't back sweeten too much. Also, cough meds have chlorophenols. Your yeast will produce phenols so you want to make sure that your water is chlorine free and you do not use any chlorine in your wine room.