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

Summer Knight: 5-002 Bottled

I bottled the 5-002: Summer Knight. This batch is a blackberry vanilla cyser that is red-golden in color with distinct berry and honey aromas. The flavor is smooth, dry with subtle sweet/sour berries, and a distinct creamy finish. Although it is good now, I can't wait until it ages some.

I recovered:

• 12 750 ml bottles
  
• 1 1.5 l bottle (to Mr. Roper)
  
• 3 1 l Flip top
  
• 1 2 l growler

OG: 1.136; FG: 0.996; ABV: 18.7%

-Safari Bob

More Racking Fun

Today I received in the mail a new Auto-Siphon, stainless steel racking cane, and stainless steel mesh screen. My old racking cane was cheap plastic and quickly broke after my last racking adventure. So today I got to work.

I have two batches that needed racking and I was afraid that they might have been on the lees too long: the southwestern cyser and the blackberry melomel. Both have begun to clear and I still had not racked. Luckily, they both taste good for their age.

Batch 5-001 is a southwestern cyser made with prickly pear fruit and apple cider. It has a bright purple color and has thick legs. I added 2 habenero peppers and took a reading. OG: 1.170; SG: 1.012; ABV: 21.1%! This mead is sweet and sour with no hint of rocket fuel (despite the high AV). This one is coming along nicely.

Batch 5-002 is a blackberry melomel that has a slight pinkish hue in the carboy but a bright yellow cast in the glass. I added 2 vanilla beans and took a reading. OG: 1.136; SG: 0.996; ABV: 18.7%. This mead has some slight sweetness with definite hints of blackberry and apples with a noticeable alcohol burn. Hopefully it will age out and the vanilla should give softness to the pallet.

In another couple of months I should be bottling. Time to work on the next recipe!

-Safari Bob

Racking Cane is Broken

Currently, I have three batches clearing (a chocolate, the southwestern cyser, and the blackberry cyser) and I need to rack the cysers. So I go and get ready only to break the racking cane in the syphon. This is the third cane that has broken in the last 18 mos. Does anyone out there know of a more sturdy syphon set with filter?

I think I shall have a horn of the Root Beer Mead, a pipe of HS-3, and grouse about how "nowadays they just don't make 'em like they used to!"

Wassail!

-Safari Bob