Elderberry mead

[Huba Huba]

Hi there, new member but have been following this forum for a while.
I am interested in making a wine or more likely a mead with elderberries. In researching I notice that one particular gentleman's name comes up often, but not in the last few years. does anyone know what happened to WVMountaineerJack? He often referred posters to his website but that also has disappeared. I know that time marches on and I hope that he only decided to quit participating in the forum. I wonder what happened to him, but I also wonder what happened to his knowledge and recipes.

Any suggestions on using elderberries for mead, especially yeast suggestions. In one post WVMountaineerJack said he preferred to use dried berries, but didn't give a recipe, only referred to his website.

 

[winemaker81]

First, I recommend you do a search for elderberry recipes. While the net has many nuggets of greatness, there is a lot of junk, so reading a bunch of recipes will help you learn. If you find a recipe you like, post it here and you will receive feedback.

MountaineerJack probably preferred dried elderberries as they don't have the green goo that fresh ones do. Search the forum for "green goo".

For an easy recipe, purchase a large can of Vintners Harvest Elderberry concentrate and make it according to the directions, using honey instead of sugar to raise the SG. Alternately, use Vintners Best, with the understanding that this one is not pure elderberry and the wine won't be as robust, but it will age faster. It's a trade off.

I recently started an Elderberry with Vintners Best, and my normal winemaking notes are here.

I'm also publishing an "In Detail" blog regarding the batch, which is here.

 

[Arne]

MountaineerJack probably preferred dried elderberries as they don't have the green good that fresh ones do. Search the forum for "green goo".

Doubt he used a lot of dried ones. He had pics of elderberries all over his property, think the driveway was lined with them. Pretty sure he used mostly fresh berries. And the green goo is pretty much not a big deal. Usually winds up in the primary and it wipes out with veg. oil. Arne.

 

[Huba Huba]

Thanks everyone.