Two Melomels by Curt Stock
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 7:34AM Meadmaker of the Year (2005) and Northern Brewer mead kit creator Curt Stock shares two of his favorite melomel recipes with Brewing TV. Now you can make your own! See Curt make a similar melomel in Brewing TV Episode 21. Both recipes scaled for five gallon yield.
Black Currant Cherry Melomel
- 22 lbs Wildflower Honey
- 8 lbs Black Currants
- 12 lbs Tart Cherries
- 3 gal Water
- 3 tsp Yeast Energizer/Nutrient Blend (Fermaid-K and DAP)
- 10 g Lalvin Narbonne Yeast (71B-1122)
Approximate OG: 1.161
Target FG: 1.030 - 1.040
Estimated ABV: 16.1%
Super Berry Melomel
- 21 lbs Wildflower Honey
- 12 lbs Triple Berry Mix (Blackberries/Raspberries/Blueberries)
- 6 lbs Strawberries
- 96 oz Black Currant Juice (free of preservatives)
- 2.3 gal Water
- 3 tsp Yeast Energizer/Nutrient Blend (Fermaid-K and DAP)
- 10 g Lalvin Narbonne Yeast (71B-1122)
Approximate OG: 1.158
Target FG: 1.030 - 1.040
Estimated ABV: 15.8%
Staggered Nutrient Additions (SNA): I prefer to use Fermaid-K (yeast energizer) and diammonium phosphate or DAP (yeast nutrient) for adding the additional nutrient requirements of the yeast during fermentation. One teaspoon of Fermaid-K and two teaspoons DAP should be adequate for a 5 gallon batch. You can mix them together for a stock blend and add them using the following schedule:
- Add ¾ teaspoon yeast energizer/nutrient mix immediately after pitching yeast.
- Add ¾ teaspoon yeast energizer/nutrient mix 24 hours after fermentation begins.
- Add ¾ teaspoon yeast energizer/nutrient mix 48 hours after fermentation begins.
- Add ¾ teaspoon yeast energizer/nutrient mix after 30% of the sugar has been depleted.
Anyone who has ever stirred a fermenting beverage knows the foaming, triggered by the release of CO2, can make one heck of a mess! To help minimize this, you should mix the nutrient blend into ½ cup of must and add it back to the fermenter. Then begin to slowly stir the must to release the main portion of the CO2 gas. After the foaming has subsided you can begin to stir more vigorously. Mix the must well enough to introduce plenty of oxygen into the fermenting must. Oxygen is needed by the yeast throughout the growth phase. Oxidation is not a huge concern until you get past 50 percent sugar depletion.
Reader Comments (15)
Is it not necessary to boil the must?
@Alex No it is not necessary to boil must, Honey is so dense that it does not harbor any bacterial growth. That is why honey has long been used as a preservative. As long as you keep it closed from the air, you don't need to worry about it. Same for the frozen fruit you saw Curt dunking the bags in sanitizer. Freezing breaks open cell walls as well as destroys most harmful bacteria and yeast. The small amount that remains will be overwhelmed by the yeast, then by the alcohol in the finished product. You do want to make sure everything else is sanitized that comes in contact with the must, but the honey and frozen fruit is safe. Brew for all!
OK...my mead curiosity is peaked. But I'm used to making only five gallon batches of brew....does one need to make such a large batch or is a five gallon batch ok. If a five gallon batch is ok is there a way to adjust the above recipes for five gallon? Farva's math ckills are a little lacking. Also...do i just use a six gallon carboy or do i need to invest in a bucket? And is bottling done in wine bottles or can 22 oz beer bottles be used? I think thats enough questions.
Farva's Number 1!
are these recipes 5 gallon?
I would like to do a light hopping of my mead allowing for the hops to be in the nose and the honey on the pallet. What is the best variety and what would the addition process be?
These look like 5 Gallon recipes to me
I dunno. 3lbs of honey will generally fit in a qrt jar. 22lbs / 3lbs = 7.33 qrt jars. That's about 1.8 gallons of honey + 3 gallons of water = ~5 gallons. But you remove the fruit. But I'm sure it will impart SOME volume. I have no idea. It sounds like it may be 5 gallons.
I Just thought about this a bit more. I would say a bucket (much larger than 5 gallons) for the primary and transfer to a 6.5 gallon for secondary. That seems like it would work.
Yes, this is a five gallon batch. He mentions 2 tsp of DAP for a give gallon batch, and if you look at the additions, they add up to 2 tsp. May just have to scale that first recipe down a little and make a melomel this weekend!!
These are for five gallon yields. I added that into the introduction. Sorry about the confusion.
Cheers!
Chip W.
They look like five gallon recipes, i think Curt just likes likes lots of flavor.
For the Super Berry MeloMel does the fruit addition happen in the secondary or does any of the fruit go in the primary?
Jason
I'm trying to figure out where to get the fruit. Where did you get your fruit if you made one of these??
It looks like he used frozen berries from any grocery store. The fruit also appears to go into the primary.
My first attempt at an oak aged mead turned out great when I put it in my peach brandy barrel this past spring. On the heels of that tasty batch, I decided to try another melomel in the 5 gallon rum barrel I recently acquired. I've been curious about black currants in mead since watching the Viagra Vs Cialis TV episode where Curt Stock is interviewed.