bernardsmith
Well-Known Member
Started this mead on 10/16 and bottled this evening (10/25) so a nine day mead from pitch to bottle...Don't know that this is competition ready but the taste of the still version is delightful with lots of sweet notes although this is nominally quite dry. I say "still" because I have primed the bottles to create (hopefully) a sparkling mead.
For 1 gallon (about 6.5% ABV - so the equivalent of a beer or cider rather than a wine)
24 oz of honey. I used Neem (a honey from India) but you could use wildflower, clover, OB or any varietal you have to hand;
1 pint tart cherry juice (I used R.W. Knudsen) - 12% of the total volume - If you wanted your mead with more sour cherry flavor you could use more juice, but I was looking for more balance between the honey and the fruit
Water to make 1 scant gallon
Nutrients
71B yeast (rehydrated in only water). Ambient temperature was around 60 F
My guess is that it will likely take about 2-3 weeks to carbonate
For 1 gallon (about 6.5% ABV - so the equivalent of a beer or cider rather than a wine)
24 oz of honey. I used Neem (a honey from India) but you could use wildflower, clover, OB or any varietal you have to hand;
1 pint tart cherry juice (I used R.W. Knudsen) - 12% of the total volume - If you wanted your mead with more sour cherry flavor you could use more juice, but I was looking for more balance between the honey and the fruit
Water to make 1 scant gallon
Nutrients
71B yeast (rehydrated in only water). Ambient temperature was around 60 F
My guess is that it will likely take about 2-3 weeks to carbonate