A bold, citrus-forward mead inspired by the classic whiskey sour cocktail. Built on wildflower honey with lemon juice and American oak. 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
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 4 lemons. Add in secondary in a muslin bag.
Add in secondary for 2–4 weeks.
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 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 3–5 weeks.
Rack. Add lemon juice, zest (in muslin bag), and oak cubes. Allow 2–4 weeks of oak contact. Taste regularly.
Remove zest and oak. Condition for 3–6 months.
Bottle or keg.
Ensure fermentation is fully complete before packaging.
Honey and water scale linearly. Lemon juice, zest, and oak do 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
1.004
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 | 4.5 | gallons | |
| Fresh lemon juice | 1.5 | cups | ⚠ review |
| Lemon zest | 4 | each | ⚠ review |
| Medium-toast American oak cubes | 1 | oz | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-O | 10 | g | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-K | 5 | g | ⚠ review |
⚠ Ingredients requiring review
Initial record. Phase 4C Batch 9.
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