A festive, fruit-forward mead inspired by Spanish sangria. Built on wildflower honey with red grape juice, orange, and cinnamon. Targets 10% ABV with a semi-sweet finish. 5-gallon batch.
Hero image — add via media slot
Batch size
5 gallons
Target ABV
10%
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.
Zest of 3 oranges. Add in secondary in a muslin bag.
Add in secondary.
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 1.075.
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 3–5 weeks.
Rack. Add orange juice, zest (in muslin bag), and cinnamon sticks. Allow 3–7 days of contact. Taste regularly.
Remove zest and cinnamon. Condition for 3–6 months.
Bottle or keg.
Ensure fermentation is fully complete before packaging.
Honey, grape juice, and water scale linearly. Citrus and 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
10%
Original gravity
1.075
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 | 9 | lbs | |
| Red grape juice (no preservatives) | 1 | gallons | |
| Filtered water | 3 | gallons | |
| Fresh orange juice | 1 | cups | ⚠ review |
| Orange zest | 3 | each | ⚠ review |
| Ceylon cinnamon sticks | 2 | each | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-O | 10 | g | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-K | 5 | g | ⚠ review |
⚠ Ingredients requiring review
Initial record. Phase 4C Batch 9.
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.
A bold, bitter-forward mead inspired by the classic Negroni cocktail. Built on wildflower honey with red grape juice, bitter orange peel, and juniper. Targets 13% ABV with a semi-sweet finish. 5-gallon batch.
A tropical, dessert-style mead inspired by the classic piña colada cocktail. Built on wildflower honey with pineapple and toasted coconut. Targets 10% ABV with a semi-sweet finish. 5-gallon batch.