Cherry strawberry mead recipe
A cherry and strawberry flavored mead recipe perfect for hot summer days. Traditionally a fruit or berry flavored mead is called Melomel.
Equipment:
- 5 l Demijohn
- 5 l stockpot
- 5 l fermentation bucket
- Hydrometer
- Thermometer
- Bung
- Airlock
- Funnel
- Spoons
- Siphon
I used yeast Lalvin ICV-D47 from Lallemand
https://shop.humle.se/jast/vinjast/torr/icv-d-47-vinjast-5-g
For sterilizer I used vwp https://www.hembryggeriet.se/vwp-400g-rengoring-desinfektion-2724 and pbw https://mr-malt.se/utrustning/rengoring/rengoringsmedel/pbw-450-g-1-lb
Ingredients:
- up to 4,5 l Water
- 1,4 kg + 0,5 kg Honey
- 5 g Yeast
- 250 gram Frozzen cherries
- 175 gram Frozzen strawberries
Instructions:
-
Wash
Wash a demijohn.
-
Sterilize demijohn
Fill the demijohn with water and sterilizer.
-
Wait
Wait 30 minutes.
-
Wash stockpot
Wash the stockpot.
-
Sterilize stockpot
Pour the sterilized water from the demijohn in the stockpot.
-
Wash extra equipment
Wash a spoon, a funnel, a hydrometer, a bung and an airlock.
-
Sterilise equipment
Put the equipment in the stockpot with the sterilized water.
-
Wait
Wait 10 minutes and rinse the equipment thoroughly and put them in a dish rack.
-
Dissolve honey
Dissolve the honey with 1 l of new fresh spring water in the stockpot. If nessesary heat the water to a max ~32°C to dissolve the honey completely.
-
Fill the demijohn
Pour the must(honey water mix) in to the demijohn.
-
Oxidize the must
Swirl and shake the demijhon to oxidize the must.
-
Measure the gravity
Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.
-
Fill up with water
Fill up with water to desired amount of must.
-
Measure the gravity
Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.
-
Yeast instructions
If the yeast package have specific instructions follow them.
-
Add the yeast
Pour the yeast in to the demijohn.
-
Bung with an airlock
But on a bung with an airlock on the demjohn.
-
After 24h degas.
Oxidizing the mead can turn it into vinegar, do not shake, swirl lightly to degas the mead.
-
24h nutrients
After 24h add nutrients.
-
Fermentation
Let it ferment for at least 2 weeks.
-
Measure the gravity.
Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.
-
Prepare the berries
Prepare the berries, thaw them if they are frozen.
-
Clean and sterilize
Clean and sterilize the fermentation bucket.
-
Clean and sterilize
Clean and sterilize the filter bag.
-
Fruit in bag
Put the fruit in the filter bag, tie it and put it in the fermentation bucket.
-
Fermentation bucket
Rack to fermentation bucket.
-
Rest
Let it rest for one week. If it rest to long it can get a strange flavour.
-
Measure the gravity.
Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.
-
Clean and sterilize
Clean and sterilize the demijohn.
-
Back to demijohn
Rack to the demijohn
-
Pasteurize
Heat the mead, prefarbly in a water bath, to 60˚c (120˚F) let it be so for 22 minutes to pasteruize it.
-
Cool down
Let the mead cool down
-
Rest
Let it rest for at least 2 weeks.
-
Bottling.
Transfer into bottles.
-
Enjoy,
Drink, enjoy and scold in the company of good friends!
To calculate the ABV you can use the formula:
(OG - FG) / 7.5 = ABV
OG : Original °Öchsle
FG : Final °Öchsle
After fermentation my result: (120 - 0) / 7.5 = 15 ABV
Or this formula:
(OG - FG) x 131 = ABV
OG : Original Gravity
FG : Final Gravity
After fermentation my result: (1.120 - 1.000) x 131 = 15,065 ABV
09-10-25 Prime fermentation
12-10-25 Swirl and added nutrients
26-10-25 Fermentation bucket and added berries
02-11-25 Back to demijohn and pasteurized
16-11-25 Bottled
