Inspired by Stef of Making Pour Decisions, Kyle of NEK Meads (https://www.instagram.com/nekmeads) reached out to talk more about everyone's favorite honey based beverage. I learned a lot in this conversation!

Recipe 1

Cherry Mead (Cerise)

30 lbs of balaton/morello type cherries with pits

12 lb Mix of acacia and linden honey.

lallzyme ex-v

Opti red

15 grams RC212

Goferm and fermaid o tosna nutrition meadmaderight.com

Freeze the cherries, then thaw them in an 8 gallon bucket. Add honey, lallzyme ex-v, and opti red, stir and add enough water to fill up the bucket and to get to a 1.090-1.095 OG.

Everyday, you will need to punch the fruit cap down. 1-2 times a day for a week. Follow tosna for nutrient additions. Let mead sit on the cherries for 30-45 days.

Rack off, stabilize, then backsweeten to 1.045-1.055 with lighter colored honey. Adjust acid and tannin as needed.

The key to this recipe is the cherry type itself.

Recipe 2

Quick and easy kveik session mead!

6 lbs of orange blossom honey (light and floral honey works)

Gypsum and spring water heated to 90 degrees

Rehydrated and front load nutrients (fermaid o for kveik voss)

1 oz medium toast American oak in primary

Pitch the rehydrated voss in the mixed up and warm must. Wrap bucket with blankets or jackets. In a week or two, the mead will be done and almost clear, I bottle condition at this step with a tbsp of malic acid (bench trial this).

It could be bottle conditioned with erythritol for added sweetness or stabilized, sweetened, and kegged.

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