Tropical mead recipe

, 19 Jun 2025 /
Tropical mead in a Glencairn glas.

A simple mango and passion fruit flavored mead recipe perfect for hot summer days. Traditionally a fruit or berry flavored mead is called Melomel.

Equipment:

Melomel fruit mead equipment.
  • 5 l Demijohn
  • 5 l stockpot
  • 5 l fermentation bucket
  • Hydrometer
  • Thermometer
  • Bung
  • Airlock
  • Funnel
  • Spoons
  • Siphon


I used yeast M05 from mangrovejacks.com and vwp sterilizer.
https://shop.humle.se/jast/mjodjast/mead-mangrove-jack-s-m05-10-g

Ingredients:

  • 4,3 l Water
  • 1,5 kg Honey
  • 10 g Yeast
  • 150 gram Frozzen passion fruit peices
  • 150 gram Frozzen mango peices

Instructions:

  1. Wash

    Wash a demijohn.

  2. Sterilize demijohn

    Demijohn with sterilize water.

    Fill the demijohn with water and sterilizer.

  3. Wait

    Wait 30 minutes.

  4. Wash stockpot

    Wash the stockpot.

  5. Sterilize stockpot

    Pour the sterilized water from the demijohn in the stockpot.

  6. Wash extra equipment

    Wash a spoon, a funnel, a hydrometer, a bung and an airlock.

  7. Sterilise equipment

    Sterilizing equipment

    Put the equipment in the stockpot with the sterilized water.

  8. Wait

    Wait 10 minutes and rinse the equipment thoroughly and put them in a dish rack.

  9. Dissolve honey

    Mead must in a stockpot.

    Dissolve the honey with 3 l of new fresh spring water in the stockpot. If nessesary heat the water to a max ~32°C to dissolve the honey completely.

  10. Fill the demijohn

    Pour the must(honey water mix) in to the demijohn.

  11. Measure the gravity

    Gravity reading of a hydrometer..

    Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.

  12. Fill up with water

    Fill up with water to desired amount of must.

  13. Measure the gravity

    Gravity reading of a hydrometer..

    Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.

  14. Oxidize the must

    Swirl and shake the demijhon to oxidize the must.

  15. Yeast instructions

    If the yeast package have specific instructions follow them.

  16. Add the yeast

    Pour the yeast in to the demijohn.

  17. Bung with an airlock

    But on a bung with an airlock on the demjohn.

  18. After 24h degas.

    Oxidizing the mead can turn it into vinegar, do not shake, swirl lightly to degas the mead.

  19. 24h nutrients

    Yeast nutrition

    After 24h add nutrients.

  20. Fermentation

    Let it ferment for at least 2 weeks.

  21. Measure the gravity.

    Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.

  22. Clean and sterilize

    Clean and sterilize the fermentation bucket.

  23. Clean and sterilize

    Clean and sterilize the filter bag.

  24. Fruit in bag

    Mango and passion fruit in bowls.

    Put the fruit in the filter bag, tie it and put it in the fermentation bucket.

  25. Fermentation bucket

    Tropical mead in a fermentation bucket.

    Rack to fermentation bucket.

  26. Rest

    Let it rest for one week. If it rest to long it can get a strange flavour.

  27. Measure the gravity.

    Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.

  28. Clean and sterilize

    Clean and sterilize the demijohn.

  29. Back to demijohn

    Rack to the demijohn

  30. Pasteurize

    Pasteurization of tropical mead.

    Heat the mead, prefarbly in a water bath, to 60˚c (120˚F) let it be so for 22 minutes to pasteruize it.

  31. Cool down

    Let the mead cool down

  32. Rest

    Let it rest for at least 1 week.

  33. Clean and sterilize

    Clean and sterilize a second demijohn.

  34. Second demijohn

    Rack to the second demijohn

  35. Rest

    Let it rest for at least 1 week.

  36. Bottling.

    Transfer into bottles.

  37. 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: (1095 - 0) / 7.5 = 13,7333ABV

Or this formula:

(OG - FG) x 131 = ABV

OG : Original Gravity

FG : Final Gravity

After fermentation my result: (1.095 - 1.000) x 131 = 13,493ABV

01-05-25 Prime fermentation
04-05-25 Swirl and added nutrients
13-05-25 Fermentation bucket and added fruit
25-05-25 Back to demijohn and pasteurized
06-06-25 Racked to second demijohn
15-06-25 Bottled