Batch 6-001: Strawberry Melomel

I just brewed my first batch of mead in 2010; this dissertation is getting in the way of the more important things in life! I have never (until today) brewed a strawberry melomel and I have heard some horror stories about strawberry mels fading or oxidizing so I had to give it a shot.

Here is the recipe:

6-001

• 12 lbs clover honey
  
• 8 lbs strawberries (pureed)
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
  
• 1 gal apple juice
  
• 5 tsp yeast nutrient
  
• 1 tsp pectin enzyme (all I had left)
  
• 1 pkt K1V-1116 (hydrated)
  
• Water to 5 gal
  
• 2 vanilla beans (secondary)
  
• OG: 1.128

I chose to puree the strawberries for 2 reasons: (1) more surface area for the yeast and (2) the seeds should add tannins for a more complex mouth. Also, I added apple juice in order to (hopefully) darken the color of the final melomel.

-Safari Bob