In terms of honey, the type you choose will play a crucial role in determining your mead’s flavor. Orange blossom honey is a popular choice, as it imparts a citrusy note to your mead that complements the tart cherry flavor. However, you can also use a more neutral honey, like clover or wildflower, to let the cherry flavor shine through. Make sure you choose high-quality, pure honey for the best results. Bottling Wand (optional) - The bottling wand is helpful when bottling your mead; it allows for a clean and easy bottling process. However, you can bottle without the bottling wand; this requires you to pinch off the siphon hose at the top to prevent from spilling your precious mead. Here is a link where you can buy the bottling wand I have: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/spring-tip-bot... The final core ingredient is yeast. Choosing the right one is crucial for a successful fermentation and balanced final product. Consider going with a competitively-used wine yeast like Lalvin D-47.

This is not cleaning the equipment, it is sanitizing the equipment so no stray yeast or bacteria can contaminate the batch. First, prepare your yeast. Heat the orange juice to about 95°F – 100°F, add the yeast, cover the container and shake well. Next, let’s talk about the cherries. Both fresh and frozen cherries can be used, but it’s essential to consider their availability and quality. If you have access to fresh cherries, particularly during the cherry season, go for it – the brighter flavor will make your mead stand out. However, using pitted, frozen cherries is also an excellent option, especially when fresh cherries are unavailable or not in season. Frozen cherries often retain their flavor and nutritive properties, making them a suitable substitute. The biggest thing about this recipe will be getting good cherries and having the patience to cut them up into halves. It’s annoying, but really leads to drawing that cherry flavor out of them.There are several ways to pitch yeast. I use the dry pitching method but others like to prepare their yeast a day before hand. Either method works, but I will be talking about how to dry pitch your yeast. And so, Viking Blood gained publicity and fame, and spread throughout areas where people drank mead. Which… included not only the Scandanavian lands, but most of Europe and, well… everywhere. Logically speaking though, anywhere that Viking was a known term, would make sense that this marketing scheme was popular. In areas outside the sphere of influence of the Vikings, it’s probably just cherry mead and not nearly as popular. After your cherry mead has completed its fermentation process, it’s time to move onto the capping and bottling phase. This step is crucial in the mead-making process and requires attention to detail to ensure success.

During the fermentation process of your cherry mead recipe, you may notice sediment forming at the bottom of your fermenter. This is a normal occurrence, and it’s easy to handle. First, make sure you always properly sanitize your equipment before starting any mead recipes to minimize the introduction of unwanted particles. I personally kept going until all the cherries were crushed, which took sometime. The more crushed the cherries are, the more juice you'll get from them. The more cherry juice, the more cherry flavor your mead will have. The fermentation usually takes about 7 days, but your mead might bubble as long as two weeks! That’s totally fine — the longer your mead ferments, the more sugar your yeast are eating — and the dryer and more alcoholic your mead will become.Macerate frozen cherries in your large gallon pot with lid by thawing them over 24 hours and letting them reach room temperature. You can also add a half pound of sugar (subtract 1/2 lb from honey used) to aid the maceration of the berries.

Swill the mead around slightly and inhale to experience the balance of tones and the unique aroma that comes with the beverage. It will not be a one-sided fragrance, but rather a variety of tones. Different ingredients used in the flavouring of the mead will also add new layers to the scent. Once all the bottles are filled, cap them with sanitized caps or corks, ensuring a secure and airtight seal. This helps prevent any unwanted contaminants or oxidization that may affect the mead’s flavor and quality. For a little bit more spice, you could add 1-2 cloves at the beginning of the brewing process. Be carefully – one whole clove goes a long way!You can either store your mead in individual bottles like these swing-top bottles, or just keep it in the fermentation jug. It’s up to you whether you serve it warm or chilled (personally I like mine chilled). First, gather and measure your main ingredients—honey, cherries, and water. While you can use any type of honey, opt for a high-quality one, like orange blossom honey, for better taste. Ensure your water is clean and pure, be it tap water or spring water. If you want some more interesting and complex recipes, we can recommend some of the followingbooks: First, you need to dilute your honey in water to prepare the must, which is the foundation of your cherry mead. To do this, heat a suitable amount of water to around 110°F (43°C) – avoid boiling. Dissolve your desired amount of honey in the warm water, ensuring it’s adequately mixed. You can use a specific gravity reading to determine the desired sweetness level of your mead; typically, a starting gravity of 1.080 to 1.130 is recommended. Adding Cherries

Spoon - Any type of spoon will work, as long as it is not wooden; wood can effect the taste of the mead and can cause other materials to be introduced to the mead. I use a plastic spoon in this example, but metal spoons work as well, just make sure it is long enough to reach the bottom of the large pot you will be using. When you make mead, you're joining a tradition that's been around for centuries — it was the drink of choice for vikings, and the honey wine is gaining in massive popularity today. Once you've mastered the basic recipe, you can start adding fruits and spices — or you can make a cyser (apple mead) or pyment (grape mead). Aging your homemade cherry mead is a vital step in achieving a tasty and well-balanced end product. The flavors meld and mellow during the aging process, resulting in a smoother, more sophisticated mead. Generally, the longer you age your mead, the better it will taste. After the cherries have been crushed, ladle the cherry remains out of the juice and place it in the trash.The flavor of your cherry mead can also be enhanced by blending it with other ingredients or add-ins. For instance, you can try adding spices like cinnamon, cloves, or ginger to impart warm and spicy notes. Additionally, incorporating oak chips during aging can lend a hint of vanilla, tannins, and a deeper color to your mead. Remove the stems and pits from your cherries then quarter them. Get them into thin slices so they will later fit into the jug! If you have a two gallon fermentation pail you don't have to quarter them you can just halve them. Besides water and (optionally) a bit of your tea of choice for flavor, you'll also need honey! The type of honey you use will partially determine the flavor of your mead. Feel free to use a flavorful honey, like clover or orange blossom — you'll be able to taste the delicate flavors of the honey in your wine. When the temperature in your fermentation jug has dropped down to no more than 105°F (any hotter and you could kill the yeast), add your spices, raisins, and yeast/oj mixture. Top off the jug with cool water until it is 1″– 2″ below the top.