A vibrant, fruit-forward melomel built on wildflower honey and fresh strawberries. Strawberries contribute bright acidity and a classic summer fruit character. Added in secondary to preserve fresh aroma. Targets 12% ABV with a semi-sweet finish. 5-gallon batch.
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Batch size
5 gallons
Target ABV
12%
Fermentation
3–5 weeks primary + 1–2 weeks fruit contact
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. Frozen preferred — freezing breaks down cell walls for better extraction.
Add with fruit to aid clarification.
Add with fruit to prevent oxidation.
Yeast
Lalvin Lalvin 71B — 1 packets
Enhances fruit esters.
| 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 Lalvin 71B. 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 onto thawed frozen strawberries in a sanitized vessel. Add pectic enzyme and Campden tablet. Allow 1–2 weeks of fruit contact.
Rack off fruit. Press fruit gently to extract remaining liquid.
Condition for 3–6 months.
Bottle or keg.
Ensure fermentation is fully complete before packaging.
Honey, water, and fruit scale linearly. Nutrient additions do NOT scale linearly — recalculate using TOSNA for any batch size change.
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 | 12 | lbs | |
| Filtered water | 4 | gallons | |
| Fresh or frozen strawberries | 8 | lbs | |
| Pectic enzyme | 1 | tsp | |
| Fermaid-O | 10 | g | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-K | 5 | g | ⚠ review |
| Potassium metabisulfite (Campden)(optional) | 1 | packets | fixed |
⚠ Ingredients requiring review
Initial record. Phase 4C Batch 3.
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