This is for anything fruit forward.
by /u/stormbeforedawn
Total Volume: 5 gallons
Style: Sweet cherry hibiscus mead
Carbonation: Still
Target Theoretical Original Gravity: 1.194-1.237
Target Final Gravity: 1.050-1.070
Target ABV: 21%
Target YAN: 404 effective PPM
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 18 lbs | Raspberry blossom, primary and staggered |
| Honey | 6-12 lbs | Raspberry blossom, secondary and to taste |
| Hibiscus | 1 lbs | Be careful about pesticides. Some flowers are not meant for consumption. |
| Tart Cherries | 24 lbs | |
| Oak | 2 Spirals | Med toast American oak. May use cube at preference. |
| GoFerm PE | 18.8 g | |
| Fermaid O | 8.5 g | |
| Fermaid K | 9.5 g | |
| DAP | 19.0 g | |
| Pectic Enzyme | 2.5 tsp | |
| Bentonite | 40 g | |
| Lavin 1118 | 15 g | Rehydrate in the Go Ferm using 300 ml water at 105 F |
Method:
Note: This is a staggered sugar addition mead. It's process is non-standard.
Rehydrate the yeast using the GoFerm PE.
In a pot or brew kettle heat hibiscus and 2 gal water to 150F and hold for 2 hours in a brewers bag.
Drain into must, discard hibiscus.
Add 1/3rd of primary honey, 6 lbs, all cherries and pectinase. Stir vigorously to aerate and pitch yeast once cool enough for yeast to survive if it is not initially.
Ferment at 62-65° F.
After 24 hours, add 4.7g dap, 2.4g FermK, bentonite and aerate 2x daily.
After 48 hours, add 4.7g dap, 2.4g FermK, and aerate 2x daily.
After 72 hours, add 4.7g dap, 2.4g FermK, and aerate 2x daily.
After SG hits 1.030 (hard to measure with fruit, may need to thief a sample) add in 6 lbs more honey, remaining DAP and FermK. Mix well and cease aerating for the rest of the ferment.
24 hours after honey addition, add 2.8g FermO.
48 hours after honey addition, add 2.8g FermO.
When SG hits 1.040, and remaining honey and remaining FermO.
Leave to ferment to FG and let rest a month.
Rack off lees, and cherry pits if not pitted, after no more than 1 month and add oak spirals, aging on oak as desired.
Once the mead begins to clear, backsweeten to taste. 6 lbs is a good estimate to start with, but it's dependant on how effective your staggered sugar and nutrition was at hitting 20%+ ABV.
Bulk age or bottle and store for 12 months.
Notes: OG is theoretical due to staggered sugar. Target ABV is 21%. Consider spices after backsweetening. Hops, ginger and others are iconic to Viking Blod. Other honey can be used, this is just what mine was and I really like the total package this way. The big influence will be how much you backsweeten for this recipe.
by /u/stormbeforedawn
Total Volume: 5 gallons
Style: Melomel
Carbonation: No
Starting Gravity: 1.202
Target Final Gravity: 1.023-1.042
Target ABV: 20-22%
Target YAN: 404 effective PPM
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 25 pounds | Wildflower |
| Cherries, tart | 17 lbs | frozen, local |
| Cherries, sweet | 8 lbs | frozen, local |
| Lavin 1118 | 15 g | |
| Lactobacillus | 1 package | |
| Brandy | 750 mL | VSOP |
| Hops | 2 oz | Saaz |
| Cinnamon | 2 sticks | |
| Ginger | 1 lbs, cubed | |
| Med Toast American Oak | 1 Spiral | |
| GoFerm PE | 18.8 g | |
| Fermaid O | 14 g | |
| Fermaid K | 9.5 g | |
| DAP | 19.0 g |
Pitched 1/3rd honey and all fruit with 1118 with water to 4.5 gallons. Yeast was rehydrated according to packet instructions with Goferm PE.
Aerate heavily and follow SNA with secondary honey additions. See wiki for YAN calcs. Add Lacto culture here. 1118 is a killer strain and may consume the lacto. Blending with a Lacto traditional can result in more control over sour flavors.
After gravity halved second dose of honey was added. Measured by weight on a bathroom scale.
After gravity halves again add in remaining honey and cubed ginger.
After 1 month from final gravity activity, racked into secondary.
Sanitize and add in cinnamon and oak.
Bulk age 6 months minimum.
Remove 1/2 gal of mead and boil hops in a hop bag. Remove and return boil to wine with brandy addition.
Bulk age till clear, acid/tannin/sugar balance as needed
Additional Notes:
This is one of my older Dwojniak style meads. Some of the others, like Viking Blod and Wedding Wine #3 have more thorough directions on the staggered sugar and nutrition. This one is left as is for posterity's sake.
(by /u/stormbeforedawn)
Total Volume: 17 gallons
Style: Tart cherry Blackcurrant Melomel
Carbonation: Still
Target Theoretical Original Gravity: 1.215
Target Final Gravity: 1.050
Target ABV: 20.5%
Target YAN: 300 effective PPM
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 75 lbs | Raspberry blossom, staggered |
| Tart Cherries | 200 lbs | Tart |
| Black Currant | 48 lbs | |
| Grains of Paradise | 1/4 cup | Crushed with mortar and pestle |
| Oak | 2 Spirals | Med toast American oak. May use cube at preference. |
| GoFerm PE | 64.7 g | |
| Fermaid O | 29.0 g | |
| Fermaid K | 32.0 g | |
| DAP | 54.2 g | |
| Pectic Enzyme | 8.5 tsp | |
| Bentonite | 136 g | |
| Lavin 1118 | 51 g | Rehydrate in the Go Ferm using 1L water at 105 F |
Method:
Note: This is a staggered sugar addition mead. It's process is non-standard.
Rehydrate the yeast using the GoFerm PE.
Add 1/4th of honey, 19 lbs, all cherries and pectinase.
Ferment at 65° F.
After 24 hours, add 13.5g dap, 8g FermK, bentonite and aerate 2x daily.
After 48 hours, add 13.5g dap, 8g FermK, and aerate 2x daily.
After 72 hours, add 13.5g dap, 8g FermK, and aerate 2x daily.
After SG hits 1.030 (hard to measure with fruit, may need to thief a sample) add in 19 lbs more honey, remaining DAO and FermK. Mix well and cease aerating for the rest of the ferment.
24 hours after honey addition, add 9.7g FermO.
48 hours after honey addition, add 9.7g FermO.
When SG hits 1.040, and 19 lbs honey and remaining FermO.
If the mead drops below target FG, add in more of the reserved 18 lbs honey to keep it at 1.050, and backsweeten to about this level, to taste. Ideally all remaining honey will be required.
Rack off lees, and cherry pits if not pitted, after no more than 1 month and add oak spirals and grains of paradise in a brewers bag, aging on oak and spice as desired.
Once the mead begins to clear, acid/tannin/sugar balance to taste. Targets will be dependant on how effective your staggered sugar and nutrition was at hitting 20%+ ABV.
Bulk age or bottle and store for 12 months.
Additional Notes:
Staggered sugar meads are tough to tackle, but the port like flavors are well worth it. OG is theoretical due to staggered sugar. Target ABV is 20.5%. Another honey can be used, this is just what mine was and I really like the total package this way.
(by /u/shininghero)
Total Volume: 1 gallon
Style: Viking's Blood (Cherry melomel), Short mead
Carbonation: Still
Starting Gravity: 1.052-1.056
Target Gravity: 1.00-1.01
Target ABV: 7.4%
Target YAN: 76 effective PPM
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 12 fl. oz. | Wildflower or clover honey can be used here |
| Cherries | 2 lbs | Preferably Bing Cherries. They'll be labelled as dark sweet in the store. |
| Fermax | 3 g | Or Fermaid-K |
| Yeast | Wyeast 1388 |
Method:
Take 2 pounds of cherries, remove the seeds, and place them in a small pot.
Mash the cherries, then cover them with water. Bring cherries to a simmer, then remove from heat.
Once cooled, funnel cherry mash into a 1 gallon carboy.
Add 12 fl. oz. honey. Add water to 1 gallon total. Mix thoroughly.
Fill small cup with 50% water and 50% liquid from the carboy. Warm to 110-115ºF(43-46ºC), and use it to rehydrate the yeast.
Add yeast nutrient while waiting for the yeast to rehydrate.
Add rehydrated yeast to must, and close the container with a drilled stopper or drilled lid and airlock.
Rack in 1 month, or when clear.
Stabilize and backsweeten to taste with more honey
Additional Notes:
This is a basic, quick-and-dirty recipe ready for the hotter summer months. I intend for it to finish dry so I can add sweeten or flavor it as necessary.
Most of the redness seems to come from the skin of the cherries. This could be due to the yeast eating the cherries as food, or the pectic enzyme I added to prevent pectin haze. Either way, I'm expecting a very deep red color for this mead.
(by /u/stormbeforedawn)
Total Volume: 5 gallons
Style: Tart melomel
Carbonation: Yes
Starting Gravity: 1.153
Target Final Gravity: 1.010-1.015
Target ABV: 18%
Target YAN: 241 effective PPM
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 20 pounds | |
| Pineapple | 1 | Skin, core and chop |
| Grapefruit | 12 | Juiced and zested (won't need much zest if any) |
| Yeast | Lavin 1118 | |
| Med Toast American Oak | 1 Spiral | |
| GoFerm PE | 12.5 g | |
| Fermaid O | 8.5 g | |
| Fermaid K | 9.5 g | |
| DAP | 10.7 g | |
| Bentonite | 40 g |
Take honey and mix with warm water to form must.
Add sliced pineapple and grapefruit to must, stir and fill to 5 gallons.
Follow SNA, rehydrate yeast w/ go ferm.
After 1 month rack and add 1 medium toast oak spiral.
Rack in 1 more month, or when clear.
Backsweeten to taste and serve carbonated. To bottle carb, reduce OG slightly to make sure 1118 has room to carb.
Additional Notes:
Also can be done as a refreshing hydromel by reducing OG to ~1.050. Still use 1118 but only use 9g FermK for nutrient, no DAP or FermO.
(by /u/stormbeforedawn)
Total Volume: 5 gallon
Style: Mixed Fruit Melomel, Short mead
Starting Gravity: 1.042-1.060
Target Gravity: 1.00-1.018
Target ABV: 4.5%
Target YAN: 48 effective PPM
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 6 lbs | Wildflower or clover honey can be used here |
| Lactose | 1 lbs | |
| Erythritol | 1 lbs | |
| Mixed Fruit | 10-15 lbs | Costco frozen fruit triple berry blend |
| Oranges | 8 large | Zested and Juiced, pith discarded, and frozen until use. |
| Fermaid K | 9 g | |
| Goferm PE | 14 g | |
| Lallemand Saison | 11 g | |
| Bentonite | 40 g | |
| Pectic Enzyme | 2.5 tsp |
Method:
Rehydrate yeast with goferm at 105F.
Heat 2 gallons of water, at this step consider adding all nonfermentable sugars, they will dissolve better here while hot.
Add frozen berries to must with 2 gallons hot water and all honey and mix thoroughly. Consider bagging fruit and adding fruit after mixing.
Add rehydrated yeast to must, ensuring must temp is under 105F.
Add pectinase and aerate well.
Fermentation should start within 24-48 hours.
At 24 hours add all fermK and bentonite, aerate 2x a day till 1/3rd SG break.
When you hit FG if you have not sweetened with non fermentables, do so now, or backsweeten with honey if you can backsweeten and force carbonate.
While backsweetening, add in all orange zest, and orange juice to taste with respect to acid/tannin/sugar balance.
Additional Notes:
This is a basic, quick-and-dirty recipe that is ready for easy drinking hotter summer months.
(by /u/turkeychicken)
Total volume: 2 gallons
Style: melomel, short mead
Starting Gravity: 1.064
Target Gravity: 1.000 (back sweetened to 1.014)
Target ABV: 7.4%
Target YAN: 404 effective PPM
Primary Ingredients:
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 3 lbs | I used wildflower, but any neutral honey should work |
| Mangoes | 2 lbs | I used frozen chunked mangoes |
| Water | 2 gallons | top up with enough water to reach 2 gal |
| Black Peppercorns | 3/4 tbsp | freshly crushed |
| Yeast | 1 smack pack | Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale |
Secondary Ingredients:
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mangoes | 2 lbs | I used frozen chunked mangoes |
Back sweetening Ingredients:
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 3/4 lbs | for back sweetening |
| K-meta | per instructions | for stabilizing |
| K-sorbate | per instructions | for stabilizing |
Instructions:
Additional instructions:
I performed an SNA and aerating/degassing schedule where I'd aerate/degas 3x per day until the 1/3 sugar break and added 1/4 of a nutrient/energizer mix at pitch, 24 hrs, 48 hrs and at the 1/3 sugar break. It took me about 5 days to reach the 1/3 sugar break.
Total fermentation time for me was 82 days. It was in primary for 25 days and secondary for 57 days.
An additional recommendation would be to put the mangoes in a sack since they turn to mush after sitting in the mead for a while and it makes racking a real pain.
Everyone who has tried this one has really enjoyed it. The peppercorn is subtle but carries a nice tingle on the back of the tongue. The fruitiness from the mangoes and the sweetness from the honey are a nice counterbalance to the pepper.
The idea behind this was to try making something similar to B Nektar's NecroMangoCon
(by /u/Tin_Can115)
Total Volume: 12L / 3.2 GAL
Style: Single fruit melomel
Starting Gravity: 1.1
Target Gravity (pre-backsweeten): 1.00
Target Gravity (backsweeten): 1.01-1.03
Target ABV: 12%
Target YAN: 404 effective PPM
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 4KG / 8.8lbs | Wildflower, I use wildflower with large amounts of blackberry bushes as the flora. |
| Blackberry | 1.5KG / 3.3LBS | I get it from frozen supplier in the UK Brakes, but any frozen work or fresh but process will differ slightly. |
| Fermaid K | 6 g | |
| DAP | 3.7 g | |
| Fermaid O | 5.4 g | |
| Lavlin EC-1118 | 7g |
Method:
Rehydrate yeast at 40C/104F (instructions on packet) for 20 minutes, and the N0 Fermaid O.
While your yeast is re-hydrating mix your honey and water, feel free to gently heat your water/honey to mix easier. Note, gently we aren't making a bochet here.
Make sure yeast is within 10C/50F of your must so not to cold shock it, add it into your must with the N0 Fermaid K.
Add bentonite with your packages recommend dosage, no need to rehydrate here.
Follow the SNA guidelines provided at 24 hour intervals.
Until 1/3rd sugar break (1.066SG), de-gas and track fermentation progress with hydrometer if you so wish.
Stabilise with your preferred method once fermentation is complete, it should be done in around 19 days.
Blackberries; strain off the juice after defrosting and add into ageing vessel. Place blackberries in muslin bag, tie and rack onto them.
Leave on blackberries for minimum of 2 weeks, I would go with 3-4 weeks personally.
Remove blackberries and add 2 oak staves or 40g of oak cubes for minimum 2 weeks.
Remove oak staves when you are good with the taste, leave to age further if you wish but this is very drinkable at around 80 days after pitch.
Additional Notes:
This is super nice chilled, over ice even and is a refreshing drink. At 3 months its smooth and refreshing and I can only assume it will improve with age.
(by /u/stormbeforedawn)
Total Volume: 5 gallon
Style: Mixed Fruit Melomel, Short mead
Starting Gravity: 1.049
Target Gravity: 1.012
Target ABV: 6%
Target YAN: 48 effective PPM
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 5 lbs | Wildflower or clover honey can be used here |
| Habanero | 3 | Fresh or frozen, seeds in and halved |
| Erythritol | 1.5 lbs | |
| Mango | 15 lbs | Frozen |
| Fermaid K | 9 g | |
| Goferm PE | 14 g | |
| Lallemand Saison | 11 g | |
| Bentonite | 40 g | |
| Pectic Enzyme | 2.5 tsp |
Method:
Rehydrate yeast with goferm at 105F.
Heat 2 gallons of water to boiling, at this step consider adding all nonfermentable sugars, they will dissolve better here while hot.
Add frozen mango and peppers to must with the 2 gallons hot water and all honey and mix thoroughly. Consider bagging fruit and adding fruit after mixing, but let the mix cool to 100F so to not overheat honey.
Add rehydrated yeast to must, ensuring must temp is under 105F.
Add pectinase and aerate well.
Fermentation should start within 24-48 hours.
At 24 hours add all fermK and bentonite, aerate 2x a day till 1/3rd SG break.
When you hit FG if you have not sweetened with non fermentables, do so now, or backsweeten with honey if you can backsweeten and force carbonate.
Check acid/tannin/sugar balance and tweak as needed, as well as heat from peppers.
After mead is mostly clear, rack and bulk age.
Force carbonate when mead is fully clear, 2-3 months.
Additional Notes:
This is a basic, quick-and-dirty recipe that is ready for easy drinking hotter summer months. Pepper and fruit levels can be modified, and it does really well with oak. 2 spirals Med Toast American is a good starting point.
(by /u/stormbeforedawn)
Total Volume: 5 gallon
Style: Mixed Fruit Melomel
Starting Gravity: 1.140
Target Gravity: 1.030-1.040
Target ABV: 18%
Target YAN: 460 effective PPM
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 19.5 lbs | Orange blossom |
| Cranberry juice | 3 gallons | Not all juice is the same, you want it as strong as you can get, not from concentrate ideally |
| Oranges | 8 large | Zested and Juiced, pith discarded, and frozen until use. |
| Fermaid O | 24.6 | |
| Fermaid K | 9.5 g | |
| DAP | 18 g | |
| Goferm PE | 25 g | |
| Bentonite | 13 g | |
| Pectic Enzyme | 2.5 tsp | |
| Lalvin 1118 | 20 g |
Method:
Rehydrate yeast with goferm at 105F.
Mix honey, water and 2/3rds juice to form must.
Add rehydrated yeast to must, tempering the starter as needed.
Add pectinase and aerate well.
Fermentation should start within 24-48 hours.
At 24 hours start SNA in thirds and add bentonite, aerate 2x a day till 1/3rd SG break.
When you hit your target FG continue to backsweeten and keep the gravity between 1.040 and 1.020, the cranberry wants to halt the yeast, and the FG can be poor for reliability.
After fermentation halts add in all orange zest, and orange juice to taste with respect to acid/tannin/sugar balance. Add remaining cranberry juice as needed to balance final tartness.
Additional Notes:
This is very tart, and is an assault of orange and cranberry. Consider oak to mute acidity if it gets unbalanced. Due to the unique acids of cranberries this method of holding a desired FG can be more reliable than others for getting a high ABV cranberry ferment. Expect final ABV of 16-19%. Target YAN is ~450 as well. Final volume will be a good bit over 5 gallons, use a large enough bucket for overage. Normally staggering honey would result in ABV overrun, but the inhibition of cranberry can knock down on that hard.