Pacific Northwest Blackberry Melomel
Fruit mead built on the blackberries that take over every fence line west of the Cascades. Deep purple, jammy, and bright.
Pacific Northwest Blackberry Melomel is a semi-sweet melomel made with clover honey and Lalvin 71B yeast, fermented from an original gravity of 1.100 to 1.014 for about 11.3% ABV. It is drinkable in 6–12 months.
- Original gravity
- 1.100
- Final gravity
- 1.014
- ABV
- 11.3%
- Drinkable in
- 6–12 months
Ingredients
Amounts are for a 1-gallon batch.
| 2.5 lb | Clover honey |
| 3 lb | BlackberriesFrozen and thawed; freezing breaks the cells so the fruit gives up its juice. |
| to volume | WaterTo 1 gallon total, not counting fruit. |
| 2.5 g | Lalvin 71B yeast |
| 3 g | Fermaid-OStaggered over four additions. |
| 0.5 tsp | Pectic enzymeKeeps the finished mead from hazing. |
Method
Prepare the fruitThaw the berries, put them in a mesh bag, and lightly crush them in the primary fermenter. Add the pectic enzyme.
Mix and measureDissolve the honey into the water and pour it over the fruit. Read gravity after an hour, once the fruit sugars have mixed in.
Pitch and feedPitch at 65 °F. Punch down the fruit cap twice a day and add nutrients at 24, 48, 72 hours and the 1/3 sugar break.
Pull the fruitRemove the bag after 7–10 days, squeezing gently. Let primary finish.
AgeRack to secondary and age at least 4 months. Blackberry tannin softens a lot with time.
Brewer's note. For a brighter, drier version, swap to Lalvin EC-1118 and skip backsweetening.
Recipe by White Shed Meadery, Chehalis, Washington. ABV is estimated from gravity: (OG − FG) × 131.25. Scale every ingredient in proportion for larger batches.