(by /u/StormBeforeDawn)
Total Volume: 1 Gallon
Style: Sweet Cyser (subcategory of melomel)
Carbonation: None
Target Original Gravity: 1.126
Target Final Gravity: 1.03-1.04
Ingredients
US Units
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 2 lbs | ~2 & 2/3 cups. Any normal base honey will do. |
| Apple Juice or Fresh Cider | 1 gallon | No Preservatives! |
| Diammonium Phosphate | 1 tsp | Substitute LD Carlson "Nutrient" |
| Boiled bakers yeast | 1 tsp | Substitute Fermaid O if you have access to it |
| Campden Tablets | 1 tablet, crushed | optional, recommended, for adding after fermentation |
| Yeast: Safale US-05 | 3-5 g | Look at weight on packet. Most are 11.5 grams. Use 1/3 to 1/2 of the packet. Precision not required. |
Metric Units
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 1 kg | ~.7 L. Any normal base honey will do. |
| Apple Juice or Fresh Cider | 4 Liter | No Preservatives! |
| Diammonium Phosphate | 4 g | Substitute LD Carlson "Nutrient" |
| Boiled bakers yeast | 2.8 g | Substitute Fermaid O if you have access to it |
| Campden Tablets | 1 tablet, crushed | optional, recommended, for adding after fermentation |
| Yeast: Safale US-05 | 3-5 g | Look at weight on packet. Most are 11.5 grams. Use 1/3 to 1/2 of the packet. Precision not required. |
Method:
Additional Notes:
This is a simple melomel mead, although technically a form of cyser. This is intended to finish sweet, and will be drinkable sooner than dryer wines. It should be clear within a couple of months, and very drinkable within 3-6 months. Like all wines, this will continue to improve with age.
US-05 yeast was chosen because of its relatively low alcohol tolerance, which should result in a sweet mead when following this recipe.
If you replace US-05 with Lalvin 71B-1122, Lalvin D-45, Red Star Cote Des Blancs, Red Star Montrachet, or any wine yeast with a 14% upper tolerance, you may end up with a semi-sweet or off-dry mead. It will depend upon fermentation conditions and the accuracy of your measurements. This could also produce a completely bone-dry (no residual sugar) mead.
The fruit juice can be replaced with most organic fruit juices that do not contain preservatives. More advanced melomels will use whole fruit. Purée fruit can be used as well. Juice and purée are often more readily available cheaply, in bulk, than whole fruits.