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Session MeadBeginnerDevelopment

Cherry Lime Session Mead

A bright, tart session mead built on wildflower honey with tart cherries and fresh lime juice. Targets 6% ABV with a semi-sweet finish. 5-gallon batch.

By Modern MazerPublished Version 1.0.0

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Batch size

5 gallons

Target ABV

6%

Fermentation

1–2 weeks

Conditioning

2–4 weeks

Responsible use: These recipes produce alcoholic beverages. Ferment and consume responsibly. Verify all quantities, equipment, and safety procedures before beginning. Consult local regulations regarding home fermentation.

Ingredients

  • 6 lbsWildflower honey
  • 4.5 gallonsFiltered water
  • 3 lbsTart Montmorency cherries, pitted

    Frozen preferred.

  • 0.5 cupsFresh lime juice

    Add in secondary.

  • 5 gFermaid-O

Yeast

Lalvin Lalvin 71B — 1 packets

Nutrient schedule

TimingNutrientQtyNotes
Day 0 (pitch)Fermaid-O2.5 g
24 hoursFermaid-O2.5 g

Process

  1. Sanitize all equipment

    Prepare no-rinse sanitizer. Sanitize all vessels and tools.

  2. Build honey must

    Dissolve honey in 1 gallon of warm water. Cool. Add to fermenter with remaining water to 5.5 gallons.

  3. Take OG reading

    Record original gravity. Target approximately 1.046.

  4. Pitch yeast and nutrients

    Pitch Lalvin 71B. Add Day 0 nutrients. Ferment at 65–70°F.

  5. Add 24-hour nutrient

    Add second Fermaid-O addition at 24 hours.

  6. Monitor fermentation

    Check gravity every few days. Fermentation typically completes in 1–2 weeks.

  7. Add cherries and lime in secondary

    Rack onto thawed frozen cherries. Add lime juice. Allow 3–5 days of contact. Taste regularly.

  8. Rack off fruit and condition

    Rack off cherries. Condition for 2–4 weeks.

  9. Carbonate and package

    Carbonate to approximately 2.5 volumes CO2. Package into pressure-rated bottles.

Packaging

Ensure fermentation is fully complete before carbonating. Use vessels rated for carbonation pressure.

Safety notes

  • Never seal a bottle of mead that has not fully finished fermenting.
  • Remove all cherry pits before adding fruit.
  • This recipe produces a carbonated beverage. Use only bottles or kegs rated for carbonation pressure.
  • Sanitize all equipment that contacts the must or finished mead.

Scaling notes

Honey, water, and cherries scale linearly. Lime juice does NOT scale linearly — adjust to taste. Nutrient additions do NOT scale linearly.

Batch Scaling Calculator

Enter your desired finished batch size to scale ingredient quantities. Press Enter or tap away to apply.

Target ABV

6%

Original gravity

1.046

Final gravity

1.004

Sweetness

semi sweet

Finished volume

5 gallons

Gross starting volume

5.5 gallons

Expected loss

0.5 gallons(9%)

Ingredient quantities at original batch size
IngredientQuantityUnitScaling notes
Wildflower honey6lbs
Filtered water4.5gallons
Tart Montmorency cherries, pitted3lbs
Fresh lime juice0.5cups⚠ review
Fermaid-O5g⚠ review

⚠ Ingredients requiring review

  • Fresh lime juice: Ingredient "Fresh lime juice" (id: lime-juice) requires manual review before scaling. The original quantity is shown — do not use without recalculating.
  • Fermaid-O: Ingredient "Fermaid-O" (id: fermaid-o) requires manual review before scaling. The original quantity is shown — do not use without recalculating.
Scaled quantities are mathematical estimates. Fermentation performance, yeast requirements, nutrient schedules, vessel headspace, temperature control, and legal requirements must be reviewed for the target batch size.

References & sources

Version history

  • v1.0.0— Modern Mazer

    Initial record. Phase 4C Batch 7.

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