Elderberries in Mead Making

Elderberries are one of those ingredients. that has been used in Meads for centuries, or even longer. The Elder tree features through mythology and has held cultural and religious significance for many people in many places.

The berries of the elder tree are amazing and I think these are one of the most versatile berries of all. They give those grapes a good run for their money when it comes to complexity and depth of flavour and are even often refered to as the English Man's Grape.  The Elderberries are very much like a premium wine grape, thick skin a lot of seed and very little flesh, but a flesh full of sugar and fruit flavour with a suitable level of tannin.

Like grapes, the timing of the picking of the berries plays a big role in the end flavour profile, an early pick will give more tannins a late pick more fruit flavours and of course higher sugar levels.

Due to their short season, Elderberries are often sourced as a dried ingredient. I use both and get similar results with dried berries as I do with fresh, though there is a slight difference in the end product, whether or not it is a quality difference is arguable.

As has been alluded to already, these little berries perform very well in a fermenter, if a yeast that is sympathetic to their flavour and colour is used they produce a beautiful hue and a flavour that can be not unlike a petit sirah.

Well worth noting here is that the elder tree is poisonous, with the exception of the flowers and the flesh/skin of the berry. Even the smoke from burning the timber is toxic. 

The seed within the elderberry contains a toxin that can, and does, cause health issues.  Boiling the berries negates this effect and makes the berries safe to use. Many will argue that if the seeds are not minced or crushed in any way then leaving them for the duration of the fermentation is fine. I am not going to argue with these people, but am also not prepared to publicly give that advice to others, or to use unboiled berries in a commercial product. My advice is to boil them before using them. If you are going to ignore this advice, please do so from an informed view and do some research first.

I bring my berries to a boil, allow them to cool to around 30c, pour off the water and mix my honey into it, put the berries back in, get the must to volume, get it and my yeast starter to the same temps, pitch and off I go.

When used in secondary they do bring a rich and heavy flavour that is very different to their fermented taste. A bit like grape juice compared to wine.

They pair well with a variety of flavours and can be the star of the mead, part of a duet, even backing vocals or part of the choir, they often have a place where they contribute nicely.

I like to pair them with the elderflowers which bring a freshness along with some bright vanillan floral notes to the party. Each ingredient makes the other one shine.

Herbs that work well with Elderberry are rosemary, thyme and some varieties of hops. I am sure there are others that I will get to discovering as time goes by. It is an amazing base ingredient that can be altered by small additions of different things, such as a touch of lemon zest or drop of juniper extract or even a few mulling spices and a pinch of orange.

When using fresh berries, I find that 1kg per 3 to 4 litres is a big flavour,  1kg per 12 - 15  litres when using dried. 

If using fresh, pick out all of the storks, give them time for the bugs to get away and then bring them to the boil.

Recipes I use Elderberries in:

The Elders: - A mead featuring clover honey, elderflowers and elderberries.

Olde World Mead - The elderberries provide a nice fruit back drop within this complex and big flavoured mead. 

Elderberry Wine: - The elderberries feature big here, this is aged for two years in french oak before being bottled. It is a full bodied red wine that competes nicely for table space with many grape varieties.

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