Blueberry Melomel
Deep purple and gently tannic, with a jammy blueberry nose. Wild blueberries give the most flavor.
Blueberry Melomel is a semi-sweet melomel made with blueberry blossom or clover honey and Lalvin 71B yeast, fermented from an original gravity of 1.100 to 1.010 for about 11.8% ABV. It is drinkable in 6–9 months.
- Original gravity
- 1.100
- Final gravity
- 1.010
- ABV
- 11.8%
- Drinkable in
- 6–9 months
Ingredients
Amounts are for a 1-gallon batch.
| 2.5 lb | Blueberry blossom honeyClover works too. |
| 3 lb | BlueberriesFrozen and thawed. Wild if you can find them. |
| 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 enzymeHelps the fruit release juice and keeps the mead from hazing. |
Method
Prepare the fruitThaw and crush the berries into a mesh bag in the fermenter. Add pectic enzyme.
Mix and measureAdd the dissolved honey, top up, and take a gravity reading.
Pitch and feedPitch at 64–68 °F. Add nutrients at 24, 48, and 72 hours and at the 1/3 sugar break, degassing gently each time.
Pull the fruitRemove the berries after 7–10 days.
AgeRack and age at least 4 months. A little acid blend at bottling can lift the fruit.
Brewer's note. Blueberries are low in acid. Taste before bottling and add acid blend a pinch at a time if it tastes flat.
Recipe by White Shed Meadery, Chehalis, Washington. ABV is estimated from gravity: (OG − FG) × 131.25. Scale every ingredient in proportion for larger batches.