Utilityengineer
Member
Semi-Dry Tart Cherry Melomel:
3Lbs. Clover Honey
3 Liters Organic Cherry Juice
one packet of Lalvin 71B
1 Tsp. Yeast Nutrient (staggered additions of .5tsp on day 1, .25tsp. on day 3 & 5)
Water to 1Gal.
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Rehydrate yeast in a half cup of warm water, with .5tsp of yeast nutrient.
Warm 1L of organic tart cherry juice to just under simmering, and add honey. stir until completely disolved. add to fermentation vessel, then add remaining 2L of cherry juice, cap and shake vigorously to mix and oxygenate must. pitch yeast, and put on your airlock.
OG 1.142
Cap and shake daily for first week to degas/oxygenate, adding .25tsp of yeast nutrient on days 3 and 5 (dissolve nutrient in a couple ounces of warm water before adding to must in order to avoid foam-outs).
Rack to secondary after 1 month (my gravity was at 1.024), let rest/clear in secondary for as long as you have patience. I bottled after 8 months of secondary at FG 1.022
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Tasting Notes:
Pretty much exactly what I was looking for when I started it. plenty of honey character, nice cherry flavor, and just a bit of tartness. to my taste, it is sweet but not syrupy or feeling like it's going to give me instant diabetes.
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what I learned from this recipe:
#1: staggered nutrient additions were easy to do, seemed like primary went smoothly.
#2: Lalvin 71B seems to be a yeast much more to my liking than Redstar Pasteur/Champaign, and with an estimated 15.5%ABV, it's plenty strong but tastes very clean without having either alcohol bite or yeastiness.
Picture at bottling (bottles on left with 'C' tags)
3Lbs. Clover Honey
3 Liters Organic Cherry Juice
one packet of Lalvin 71B
1 Tsp. Yeast Nutrient (staggered additions of .5tsp on day 1, .25tsp. on day 3 & 5)
Water to 1Gal.
------------
Rehydrate yeast in a half cup of warm water, with .5tsp of yeast nutrient.
Warm 1L of organic tart cherry juice to just under simmering, and add honey. stir until completely disolved. add to fermentation vessel, then add remaining 2L of cherry juice, cap and shake vigorously to mix and oxygenate must. pitch yeast, and put on your airlock.
OG 1.142
Cap and shake daily for first week to degas/oxygenate, adding .25tsp of yeast nutrient on days 3 and 5 (dissolve nutrient in a couple ounces of warm water before adding to must in order to avoid foam-outs).
Rack to secondary after 1 month (my gravity was at 1.024), let rest/clear in secondary for as long as you have patience. I bottled after 8 months of secondary at FG 1.022
------------
Tasting Notes:
Pretty much exactly what I was looking for when I started it. plenty of honey character, nice cherry flavor, and just a bit of tartness. to my taste, it is sweet but not syrupy or feeling like it's going to give me instant diabetes.
------------
what I learned from this recipe:
#1: staggered nutrient additions were easy to do, seemed like primary went smoothly.
#2: Lalvin 71B seems to be a yeast much more to my liking than Redstar Pasteur/Champaign, and with an estimated 15.5%ABV, it's plenty strong but tastes very clean without having either alcohol bite or yeastiness.
Picture at bottling (bottles on left with 'C' tags)