A piney, resinous mead built on wildflower honey and dried juniper berries. Juniper adds a distinctive gin-like botanical character. Targets 12% ABV with a dry finish. 5-gallon batch.
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Batch size
5 gallons
Target ABV
12%
Fermentation
3–5 weeks
Conditioning
3–6 months
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.
Add in secondary in a muslin bag. Taste weekly — juniper can become medicinal if over-extracted.
Yeast
Lalvin Lalvin EC-1118 — 1 packets
Clean, neutral profile.
| Timing | Nutrient | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0 (pitch) | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| 24 hours | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| 48 hours | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| 1/3 sugar break | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| Day 0 (pitch) | Fermaid-K | 5 g |
Prepare no-rinse sanitizer. Sanitize all vessels and tools.
Dissolve honey in 1 gallon of warm water. Cool. Add to fermenter with remaining water to 5.5 gallons.
Record original gravity. Target approximately 1.090.
Pitch EC-1118. Add Day 0 nutrients. Ferment at 65–72°F.
Follow TOSNA schedule. Degas before each addition.
Check gravity every few days. Primary typically completes in 3–5 weeks.
Rack. Add lightly crushed juniper berries in a sanitized muslin bag. Taste weekly.
Use only culinary-grade juniper berries. Some juniper species are toxic — do not forage.
Remove juniper after 1–2 weeks or when desired intensity is reached. Condition for 3–6 months.
Bottle or keg.
Ensure fermentation is fully complete before packaging.
Honey and water scale linearly. Juniper addition does NOT scale linearly — adjust to taste. Nutrient additions do NOT scale linearly.
Enter your desired finished batch size to scale ingredient quantities. Press Enter or tap away to apply.
Target ABV
12%
Original gravity
1.090
Final gravity
1.002
Sweetness
dry
Finished volume
5 gallons
Gross starting volume
5.5 gallons
Expected loss
0.5 gallons(9%)
| Ingredient | Quantity | Unit | Scaling notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildflower honey | 12 | lbs | |
| Filtered water | 4.5 | gallons | |
| Dried juniper berries, lightly crushed | 1 | oz | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-O | 10 | g | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-K | 5 | g | ⚠ review |
⚠ Ingredients requiring review
Initial record. Phase 4C Batch 6.
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