brēowanthorpe

The Homestead of Beer

Melomel Mead

By thomas #Cherries, #Cherry, #Cherry Juice, #Cranberries, #Dried Cranberries, #Dry Mead, #Homebrew, #Honey, #Mead, #Melomel, #Recipe, #Sweet Mead, #Water, #Westfort, #Yeast

Codename : Westfort Helter-Skelter Rosé Meadu

The Christmas season is over, there are leftover ingredients in the cupboard from holiday baking. Time to turn it into a mead. This qualifies for my helter-skelter series! There was a part bottle of maraschino cherries (in juice) and some dried cranberries, so they all get added to the fermenter.

Ingredients 

  • 2 Lbs 3 oz Honey
  • 200 mL of cherries in juice
  • 5 oz cranberries
  • 2.5 L of filtered, spring or distilled water (chlorine in home water is truly bad for mead)
  • 250 mL of steeped tea
  • 7 ml Mangrove Jack M05 mead yeast.
  • Yeast energiser (follow fermentation directions below)
  • 10 ml acid blend at secondary

Vital Stats

  • BJCP Style : Melomel
  • Anticipated ABV : 13.3%
  • Original SG : 1.090
  • Target SG : 0.989
  • Brewhouse (in)efficiency : 99%

Brew Day

  • Sanitise everything required for fermentation.
  • Add the cherries with juice and dried cranberries to the fermenter.
  • Make a cup of steeped tea.
  • Prepare 2.5L strike water at about 80F, this is to simply aid the honey to dissolve more effectively.
  • Add the honey to the pot, allow it to dissolve and incorporate. Shake, stir, whatever is needed to mix it together and introduce oxygen.
  • Calibrate the refractometer, aka the sonic screwdriver.
  • Allow it to cool to room temp.
  • Prepare the yeast mixture.
  • Pitch the yeast to the carboy.
  • Put the airlock on the carboy.
  • Store in a cool dark place for primary fermentation for 14-28 days.

Fermenting

  • On day 2 of fermentation, add 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient (or energiser).
  • On day 4 of fermentation, add 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient (or energiser).
  • On day 6 of fermentation add 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient (or energiser)
  • Occasionally monitor the mead for meagre fermentation/bubbling late in the fermentation process, along with sediment build up on the bottom of the carboy.
  • Between days 21-28, transfer the mead to a clean/sterile carboy. The day count is a guideline, rack it once everything is settled and clear.
  • After an additional 28 days, you can bottle your mead.

Bottling Day

Brew Notes

  • The ingredients were measured with some care, it just wasn’t all dumped together.
  • The cherry juice had all sorts of preservatives in it, this may hamper fermentation. Time will tell.
  • Approximately 3 weeks into fermentation, it appears to have stalled. 5 ml of yeast added, now we wait.
  • I have opted to add some honey to sweeten this one, before I did it, I pasteurised it first. I don’t want any bottle bombs.

Bottling Notes

  • I added 2 oz of honey to the pot before bottling. Why two? Because that was all that was left in the bottle.
  • I sampled a little bit, tastes like cherry cough syrup… I hope it mellows with age…

 

© brēowanthorpe
The assorted ingredients from the cupboard/fridge.
Once the fruit was added to the fermenter, time to add the honey.
The mead will ferment for 3-4 weeks.

Brew day : 6-Jan-2025

Pig facing right
Cartoon dog facing left