Dwójniak Figa Mead

Day 1

Make a 1.120 (28°Bx) honey starter using Uvaferm 43 yeast rehydrated with Go-Ferm.

Day 2

In a honey mixing vessel (something large enough to hold the entire volume of must, but not your fermenter), prepare your honey must with dark wildflower honey and buckwheat honey to 1.209 (45.8°Bx). You’ll likely need to use 5.5–6 gal. (20.8–22.7 L) water with the 60 lb. (27.2 kg) of honey. Later you’ll slowly transfer this must to the fermenter (see below). Add Opti-White at 1.9 g/gal. and FT Blanc tannin at 0.3 g/gal.

Add the yeast starter to the vessel in which you intend to ferment the entire batch (primary fermentation vessel); then add a portion of the must to the yeast starter in the primary fermenter, about 10–20 percent of the must. Be aware that you will eventually need to have enough room in the fermenter for the figs, about 12 gal. (45.4 L) total.

After yeast activity is noted (in about 1–2 hours), add another 10–20% of the total must to the primary fermenter. Repeat until all of the honey must has been transferred from the honey mixing vessel to the primary fermentation vessel (within 24 hours).

Day 3

Add 14 g DAP and 15 g Fermaid K (dissolve both of these in a small amount of water first to prevent foaming), stir to mix thoroughly, and oxygenate 90 seconds using a stainless-steel diffuser.

Day 4

Add 14 g DAP, 15 g Fermaid K, and dried Turkish figs. Stir to mix thoroughly and oxygenate 90 seconds using a stainless-steel diffuser.

Day 5

“Punch down” figs that are floating on the surface to mix and prevent mold.

Day 6

Add 14 g DAP and 15 g Fermaid K, stir to mix thoroughly, and oxygenate 90 seconds using a stainless-steel diffuser.

Days 7–21

At least once a day, “punch down” figs that are floating on the surface to mix and prevent mold.

Day 22

Remove figs, and place into a wine press. Press to remove as much liquid as possible. There will be some volume loss. Even though I started with 12 gal. (45.g L) of must, I was down to 10 gal. (37.9 L) or so due to absorption by the dried figs. Alternatively, you could strain instead of press, but the volume loss will be much greater.

Day 22 to 3 months

Add the cloves and allspice (I eventually racked off these spices a few weeks later). Allow any additional fermentation to complete for a few more weeks. Uvaferm 43 is a strong and steady, but slow, fermenter, especially towards the end If excess sediment forms, rack carefully off of any deep gross lees (fine lees are acceptable, though). By month 3, I had transferred most of the batch into a 8-gallon (30.3 L) neutral oak barrel. I reserved the extra leftover 2 gal. (7.6 L) for topping up later.

Month 3 and beyond

Allow to age slowly, occasionally taking small samples to taste and make sure all is proceeding as expected. Top up if needed. Rack off, sulfite (if you choose to do so), and bottle when done.

Additional Notes

Because of the high sugar concentration, there is always a chance of a stuck fermentation. Monitor progress of fermentation closely—if there are any signs of stuck fermentation, be ready to address by adding yeast hulls and making up a restart batch.

I used a neutral oak barrel that had already been used for three previous batches. I was not trying to get much oak flavor; rather I wanted to achieve the micro-oxidation Polish Dwójniak is known for.

Alternatively, you could age in a bucket or carboy, but it may be more challenging to achieve the intentional controlled oxidation we are aiming for. The goal is to age in the barrel for at least 2 to 5 years before sulfiting and bottling (I have not yet added sulfites as this batch is still aging in the barrel). Fining agents are typically not needed, as the tannins from the oak help with clarification, and the long-term aging itself allows the mead to become very clear over time. If there are any signs of over-oxidation or VA (volatile acidity), remove from the barrel immediately and treat with high-dose sulfites at 50–100 ppm.

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