Cherry / elderflower mead?

[AlienMarky]

People keep giving me jars of honey as they know I like making mead, and I've got enough to do a new batch. I've been toying with the idea of doing a fruit one with cherries, but I've also got a bag of elderflower on the freezer left over from some wine. I'm in a bit of a quandary about which to do, so wondering if one is better than the other, or would it be overkill to do a dual flavour one?

 

[Dutto]

I call anything like you are proposing "experimental"; if I haven't done it before!

Even in the commercial wine business they mix different grapes!

 

[Zephyr259]

Red fruit means have a great reputation, not heard of anyone doing an elderflower one but I guess it could work, if think of a dry traditional maybe?

 

[AlienMarky]

Thanks chaps! Much appreciated

 

[ShakesBeer]

I tried an elderflower mead last year (my first ever mead), and while it's quite nice, there's no real discernable elderflower flavour or aroma. I suspect that maybe I didn't use enough elderflowers. I googled around until I found a regular mead recipe (can't remember which now!) and then bunged a good few handfuls of elderflowers in!

 

[AlienMarky]

Thanks! I've got enough flowers to do a gallon of wine so reckon it'd be enough perhaps, but wanted to check with more experienced bods. Or my other thought was to wait until I had enough honey to do 2 gallons, then do two different batches... Choices choices!

 

[ShakesBeer]

BTW, didn't realise you could freeze fresh elderflowers...how do you do that? Is it just a case of giving them a shake to remove bugs, put them in a freezer bag and then pop them in the freezer?

 

[AlienMarky]

Yep, that's pretty much what I've done with them. I tend to trim down the stalks a bit too, but leave them attached. they come off the stems beautifully after they've been frozen, and I haven't noticed any real change in the flavour they impart, maybe a little bit less punchy but not that much.

 

[ShakesBeer]

Thanks for sharing that! I always want to do things with elderflowers, but run out of time! Next year, I'll freeze a whole load of them to give me more time to work on it all :)

 

[AlienMarky]

Let me know how it goes! I only have a limited time to do wines etc., so I freeze a lot of things to give me more breathing space.

 

[Ajhutch]

I’ve made a cherry mead and an elderflower mead. I guess I could mix them to tell you what cherry and elderflower is like! I used dried elderflower and get plenty of aroma from it

 

[AlienMarky]

It's going to come down to personal taste in the end, but which did you, or people who tried them, prefer?

 

[Ajhutch]

Elderflower. The cherry doesn’t have much other character, you wouldn’t know it is a mead really. Whereas the elderflower is more subtle and you can get some honey character.

 

[AlienMarky]

Well, that's me sold! Thank you.

 

[Ajhutch]

Enjoy!