Name: Strawberry Melomel
Yield: 1 gallons
Ingredients: 1.1 kg light honey (clover or acacia); 1.5 kg fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled; 3.5 l water; 1 tsp Lalvin 71B yeast; 1 tsp yeast nutrient; 0.5 tsp pectic enzym; 1 item Campden tablet; 1 item Lemon Juice

About this recipe

Strawberry mead, or strawberry melomel, is a crowd-pleasing summer brew that captures the sweet, candy-like essence of ripe strawberries. This strawberry mead recipe works beautifully with British summer strawberries at the peak of the season, or with frozen fruit for a year-round batch. Light and fragrant with a soft pink hue, this is one of the most approachable melomels for beginner meadmakers, and it ferments out quickly compared to heavier fruit meads.

Ingredients

light honey (clover or acacia)1.1 kg

fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled1.5 kg

water3.5 l

Lalvin 71B yeast1 tsp

yeast nutrient1 tsp

pectic enzym0.5 tsp

Campden tablet1 item

Lemon Juice1 item

Method

1

Freeze and thaw the strawberries at least once to maximise juice extraction.

2

Crush the thawed berries in a sanitised bucket. Add Campden tablet and lemon juice. Cover for 12–24 hours.

3

Add pectic enzyme and wait another 12 hours

4

Dissolve honey in 1 litre of warm water and combine with the fruit and remaining water.

5

Add yeast nutrient, stir vigorously to oxygenate, and pitch the rehydrated yeast.

6

Primary ferment on the fruit for 5–6 days, gently stirring daily.

7

Strain through muslin and rack to a demijohn. The colour will be a beautiful rose-pink.

8

Allow 4–6 weeks in secondary, then rack to a clean vessel once clear.

9

Taste before bottling, this style suits a residual sweetness, so back-sweeten with 50–100 g honey if desired.

Brewer's notes

Brewer's note: Strawberry flavour is delicate and can fade during fermentation. Add 200–300 g of additional strawberries to secondary fermentation (in a muslin bag) to boost the fresh fruit character.

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