Strawberry Melomel
Based on a recipe in Making Wild Wines & Meads, a book by Pattie Vargas and Rich Gulling.
(Yield – 3 gallons)
Strawberry Melomel (Mead)
First, prepare a yeast starter:
1 1/2 cups of orange juice at room temperature
3 teaspoons yeast nutrient
1 Packet Lalvin EC-1118 yeast
Mix the juice and yeast nutrient – the pitch the yeast into the starter.
Strawberry Melomel Ingredients
9 pounds strawberries (fresh or frozen)
9 pounds honey
3 teaspoons acid blend
Directions
Crush strawberries in a primary fermenter.
Put the honey into a large pot, and double BY VOLUME (not weight) with water. Boil honey and water and remove any foam that appears on the surface.
Pour the honey and water over the strawberries in the primary fermenter. Let this cool.
Add the acid blend and pectic enzyme, stirring the must well.
Add water to bring up to the 3 gallon mark in your primary fermenter (or over, allowing for the space taken by the solid fruit).
Stir in the sugar, and check the specific gravity with your hydrometer. You’ll want it between 1.075 and 1.095.
Add the yeast starter to the primary fermenter and then cover.
In one week, check the Specific Gravity, and when it is below 1.010, rack into a three gallon carboy. Fit with bung and airlock.
On day 21, check specific gravity – if at 0.098 or lower, add 1/4 teaspoon of sulphite (or three campden tablets) after racking once again.
Rack every three months (adding three campden tablets at each racking), which will aid in clearing your wine. You may bottle after one year, The Melomel should improve with another six months of ageing in the bottle.
Enjoy!