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DrK

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I'm Dr.K. I'm a relatively new mead maker and long time American whiskey snob. I'm in the process of planning a persimmon mead and need input on how not to over flow the gallon jug. The persimmon are froze, so I expect a mush when thawed. Now
Do I bag the mush (with pectin enzyme) and place in the jug then add musk (water/honey mixture) to appropriate level in the jug OR dump in the enzyme mush into the jug and add musk to appropriate level and rack off sediment several times?
Helpful replies appreciated.
Dr.K
 
Welcome to WMT!

First, don't ferment in a jug. Use a food grade bucket which is no more than 3/4 full. The orange buckets Home Depot sells are food grade and should be good for a 1 gallon batch. Getting fruit in/out of a jug is an exercise in masochism. Plus yeast needs O2 for reproduction, so an open container is best. Cover it with a towel to keep "stuff" out and let air in.

Bagging fruit is a good idea. I have no idea how much persimmon turns to mush (some fruits stay relatively solid, others become sludge), but at the very least it won't hurt.

I suggest you post your recipe for feedback. It's far easier to point you to a good path than it is to fix problems.
 
Welcome to WMT!

There's a lot of great information throughout all the forums and very helpful and friendly folks here. Everyone's input will have a variety of perspectives, and what was helpful for them going through their experiences. It has been a wonderful learning and sharing experience for me, and my wines have improved dramatically because of this community. I wish you the same ~
 
welcome to WMT

The persimmon I have looked at was thixotropic (fast at gelling ~under an hour) / could be melted with heat/ pH 5.62/ gravity 1.062/ total acidity 0.31%. The normal target for a country wine or mead would push the pH below 3.5 and the TA above 0.5% so you have room to work in.

A bag is always an easy place to start. But being thixotropic I wonder if you would wind up with a nerf ball inside the nylon bag? Pectic enzyme might break the gel, TBD.
As a backup plan I would have an immersion blender handy to create a slurry > at 1.030 or 1.020 (3 - 5 days) I would then filter this must to remove pulp. I step feed my cyser with Fermaid O.

Sounds interesting, ,,, maybe fun to work with, ,,, send photos.

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/persimmon-wine-formed-solids-what-went-wrong.72506/
 
Last edited:
welcome to WMT

The persimmon I have looked at was thixotropic (fast at gelling ~under an hour) / could be melted with heat/ pH 5.62/ gravity 1.062/ total acidity 0.31%. The normal target for a country wine or mead would push the pH below 3.5 and the TA above 0.5% so you have room to work in.

A bag is always an easy place to start. But being thixotropic I wonder if you would wind up with a nerf ball inside the nylon bag? Pectic enzyme might break the gel, TBD.
As a backup plan I would have an immersion blender handy to create a slurry > at 1.030 or 1.020 (3 - 5 days) I would then filter this must to remove pulp. I step feed my cyser with Fermaid O.

Sounds interesting, ,,, maybe fun to work with, ,,, send photos.

https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/persimmon-wine-formed-solids-what-went-wrong.72506/
When I placed the fruit in the freezer, I added 1C white sugar, 4 tbls crystal citric acid 2 tbls of oak chips.
Do you recommend adding the fruit during primary or secondary fermentation?
 
recommend adding the fruit during primary or secondary fermentation?
If adding fruit I put it in a primary. ,,, The purpose of the primary is to remove sugar and create alcohol ie a preservative system. The purpose of the secondary is to begin clearing to create a clear beverage. If you add lots of a sugar and a pulp source you essentially have extended the primary, not started the secondary.

Making wine is a process of cleaning out materials which might grow mold / create off flavors. Oxygen is the biggest cause of off flavors once fermentation is done. The secondary should be anaerobic.

I would thaw some and play with it to see how it acts, how easily it filters, blending a thixotropic lump, pressing to see if it becomes fluid and passes through a filter bag. (do you have a press? Mom would hang a bag off a cabinet and drip into a bowl) My limited experience is this fruit was mechanically hard to work with.
 

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