Royal Colors Melomel
Source: Dave Suda
Ingredients (for 7 gallons):
- 19 lbs alfalfa or other lightly flavored honey
- 10 pints blueberries
- 4 oz lemon juice
- 10 g Flor sherry yeast
Directions:
- Heat 5 gal of water to 160 F (70 C)
- Add the honey, mashed blueberries, and lemon juice.
- Raise the must to 180 F (80 C), hold for 15 min, then chill.
- Rehydrate the yeast in 1 cup of 90 F (35 C) water for 5 min.
- Divide the must into two 4-gallon food grade plastic buckets and pitch half the yeast in each.
- Ferment for one week and rack off the fruit into a 5 gal carboy and two 1-gallon jugs.
- Allow to ferment to completion and clear (in my case this took eight months), racking every four months.
- Bottle with ½ cup corn sugar per 5 gallons.
Notes:
This is a semi-dry blueberry melomel that took a first place at the 1992 Mazer Cup. The mead is a beautiful purple with an intense blueberry aroma when young. As it ages, the fruit aroma becomes more brandy-like.
Specifics:
- OG: 1.099
- FG: 1.009