Blackberry Melomel (Fruit Mead)
Melomel is mead fermented with fruit. Blackberry is a classic combination — the dark fruit balances the honey's residual sweetness, and the resulting wine straddles fruit wine and mead. Other melomels follow the same template: roughly 3 lb fruit per gallon, paired with 3 lb honey for a medium-dry mead. Cyser (apple) and pyment (grape) are well-known variants.
ABV11-13%
Ferment35d
Age180d
Total215d
Ingredients
| 3 lb | Wildflower honey |
| 3 lb | Fresh or frozen blackberries |
| 1 gal | Spring water |
| 5 g | Yeast nutrient (Fermaid-O) |
| 5 g | Wine yeast (71B or D47) |
| 0.5 tsp | Pectic enzyme |
Equipment
- 1-gallon glass carboy
- Airlock
- Hydrometer
- Straining bag
Steps
- Day 0
Mix must
Dissolve honey in warm water; cool to 70°F.
- Day 0
Add fruit
Place blackberries in straining bag in primary.
- Day 0
Pitch yeast
Add nutrient, pectic enzyme, yeast. Aerate well.
- Day 0-10
Primary on fruit
Punch fruit cap daily; ferment 7-10 days.
- Day 10
Press + rack
Squeeze fruit bag gently; rack to secondary.
- Day 10-35
Secondary
Continue ferment to dryness (3-4 weeks).
- Day 35-180
Bulk age
Rack off lees; age 2-6 months.
- Day 180
Bottle
Bottle and rest 60+ days. Improves over a year.