Sour Cherry Melomel
Posted on 2025-08-27303 words
This recipe yields about 25L of sweet mead. I brewed a split batch, meaning that the base mead recipe was the same for this and my blueberry melomel. The amount of cherries listed below is adjusted for this.
| Ingredient | Proper units |
|---|---|
| Honey | 10.4kg |
| Water | 25L |
| Wyeast Beer Nutrient Blend | 2.1g |
| Lalvin EC-1118 | 5g |
| Frozen sour cherries | 5.4kg |
| Potassium sorbate | 3.2g |
| Potassium metabisulfate | 2.6g |
| Sodium metasilicate |
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| OG | 1.120 |
| FG | 1.031 |
| ABV | 11.2% |
Process
- Make sure all equipment is clean and disinfected
- Add the honey to the fermentation vessel
- Top with water to reach the total volume of 26L, and stir to dissolve the honey
- Pitch the yeast, stir vigorously to oxygenate, and add a lid with an airlock
- Ferment for two months
- Add potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfate to stop fermentation, and let sit for 24h
- Lightly simmer the fruit to thaw and pasteurize, then add to the mead and let sit for 16 days
- Add sodium metasilicate, and let sit for one day to clarify the mead
- Bottle the mead, and enjoy
Notes
I was planning on using both sodium metasilicate and chitin to clarify the mead, but it was quite clear just straight out of the barrel, so I skipped the chitin. My guess is that there was enough pectin in the cherries for that to act as a clarifier on its own.
