A warming, holiday-inspired mead built on wildflower honey with red grape juice and classic mulling spices. Inspired by traditional European Glühwein. Targets 12% ABV with a semi-sweet finish. 5-gallon batch.
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Batch size
5 gallons
Target ABV
12%
Fermentation
4–6 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.
Add in secondary. Taste daily — cloves extract very quickly.
Add in secondary.
Zest of 2 oranges. Add in secondary in a muslin bag.
Yeast
Lalvin Lalvin EC-1118 — 1 packets
| 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 grape juice and 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. Fermentation typically completes in 4–6 weeks.
Rack. Add all spices and orange zest in sanitized muslin bags. Taste daily — cloves extract very quickly.
Remove spice bags. Condition for 3–6 months.
Bottle or keg.
Ensure fermentation is fully complete before packaging.
Honey, grape juice, and water scale linearly. Spice additions do NOT scale linearly. 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
1.004
Sweetness
semi sweet
Finished volume
5 gallons
Gross starting volume
5.5 gallons
Expected loss
0.5 gallons(9%)
| Ingredient | Quantity | Unit | Scaling notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildflower honey | 10 | lbs | |
| Red grape juice (no preservatives) | 1.5 | gallons | |
| Filtered water | 2.5 | gallons | |
| Ceylon cinnamon sticks | 3 | each | ⚠ review |
| Whole cloves | 5 | each | ⚠ review |
| Star anise | 2 | each | ⚠ review |
| Orange zest | 2 | each | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-O | 10 | g | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-K | 5 | g | ⚠ review |
⚠ Ingredients requiring review
Initial record. Phase 4C Batch 9.
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