12 replies to this topic

[MtnBrewer]

Anybody ever make mead from elderberries? A friend of mine just stopped by my office to tell me that he has tons of elderberries and wanted to know if I would like them to make mead with. I've heard of elderberry wine so I'm reasonably sure that you could add them to mead. Any ideas how much would be required? I may also have extra (I asked how much he had and he said "More than you can handle") for anybody in the area that might want them.

[strangebrewer]

I may also have extra (I asked how much he had and he said "More than you can handle")

That sounds like a challenge

[Wayne B]

Hey, man! I'm in the area (sort of) and I know how to use elderberries! Seriously, they are an intensely flavored fruit, and unless you like the really dark, really thick fruit-bomb style melomels that I make, a little will go a long way. By way of reference, for most dark berry mels (blackberry, blueberry, etc.) I'd use 20 to 25 lbs of fruit in a 6 gallon primary. With elderberries, I find that 12 to 15 lbs is enough. And I suspect that most folks would be totally satisfied with 9-12 lbs - YMMV.A couple of things to keep in mind about the fruit. First, make sure that they were picked absolutely ripe. They tend to darken before they are fully ripe, so a lot of folks pick them too early. They don't develop maximum flavor until the dark fruit literally "droops" from the stems that hold them in a cluster. That's when they are fully ready. It is also when they contain the minimum amount of the stuff that creates "green goo" on your equipment.Also, take care to separate the fruit from their stems, and discard all the stems if you can. They are both excessively tannic, and they are a much more copious source of the plant protein that forms that dreaded green goo. One fact of life when working with this fruit, is that the sticky stuff will get all over your primary fermenter, any stirring utensils that you use, and your racking cane. Unfortunately some of the green goo will come from the fruit even if no stems are present, unless you raise them up to pasteurization temperatures (155 to 160F for 10 minutes or so). I don't like to heat my elders, so I live with the sticky green stuff and I spend the extra time needed to clean all my equipment thoroughly in three stages, first with vegetable oil (the only stuff that the goo is completely soluble in), then with a quick wipe using a Goo-Gone saturated rag, and finally with a detergent mixed with Oxiclean. Only after all the sticky, messy gunk is all gone can you properly sanitize your equipment for re-use. It is a lot of extra work, but the results are worth it. I have an elderberry - black currant batch that has been bulk aging for about a year now that is absolutely the most incredible concoction that I've ever made with fruit. I really like working with them, despite all the problems associated with it.

[wengared]

the head vinter at Whyldewood in Wichata, ks. told me to freeze the berry heads before use, then wearing gloves rub the frozen berries off the stems, works great. also never crush the berries as that increases the green goo that Waynes talking about.we're going to have a bumper crop this year, so will probably make 10 gallon of spice wine and try some elderberry mead.

[wengared]

not to hijack this thread, Wayne did you get any elderberry wine from the Whyldwoode winery store in Paxico on your way thru and what did you think of it?

[Wayne B]

A quick reply...No, I didn't, because I had so little time on that trip this time that I couldn't stop. Next spring, when I head out to KC to see friends, I'll make sure that I stop! ...now back to your originally scheduled thread.

[MtnBrewer]

Great information, thanks so much! I'm going to proceed despite the warnings of the green goo. He brought a small cluster into work today so that I could check it out. They are not nearly ripe yet, in fact there are still a few green berries in the cluster. But I gave him the info in this thread and once they get fully ripe, he's going to harvest 10-15 lbs. of berries for me, freeze & de-stem them and then turn them over to me.

[Wayne B]

Hey, if he really has THAT MUCH of an excess crop, I'd be willing to take some (about 15 lb) off his hands in exchange for some bottles of mead...

[MtnBrewer]

Hey, if he really has THAT MUCH of an excess crop, I'd be willing to take some (about 15 lb) off his hands in exchange for some bottles of mead...

I'll pass that along to him. He might be overestimating how much he really has but I'll let you know.

[japh]

I'm very jealous now. I would love to make an elderberry mead. BTW, elderberry extract has been shown to be effective against the flu virus, so drinking your mead may be good for your health!

[Wayne B]

... drinking your mead may be good for your health!

I thought we all knew that already!

[wengared]

On another note, last month we were at a new winery and got into a conversation with the propagator about homemade fruit wines, he mentioned that after his first batch of elderberry wine he reuses the berries for a blush, apparently this was an article in winemaker magazine. I don't know why not as Wayne stated they are a very dark berry when completely ripe.japhmi Posted Today, 06:52 PM I'm very jealous now. I would love to make an elderberry mead. BTW, elderberry extract has been shown to be effective against the flu virus, so drinking your mead may be good for your health! and about 13 years ago we were at a seminar in Illinois on herbs and a lady named Brigette Mars gave a talk on the elder plant, until now i had forgotton that she's in Boulder,Co. https://brigittemars.com/ she put out a book called Elder, don't know if it's still in print.

[ScottS]

Elderberry mead is awesome. It took a long time to age though, it's was pretty funky for over 2 years.I don't remember how much fruit I used, and those brewing journals have disappeared.