Honningbrew Modern Cyser
Disclaimer: These recipes are for personal use only.
Mead Master’s Note
The Honningbrew Modern Cyser is an apple juice based spiced mead. Ginger and galangal provide a nice spice note and aroma while rosehips complement honey and apple flavors.
Mead Specifications
Batch Size - 5 litres
ABV - 15.7%
Starting Gravity (SG) - 1.140
Final Gravity (FG) - 1.020
Style - Cyser/Metheglin
Ingredients
Wildflower/Clover honey - 1.8kg
Omega Lutra yeast - 10.6g
Go-Ferm - 13.3g
Fermaid O - 12.4g, 6.2g per dose.
Potassium carbonate - 2.6g
Fermaid K - 2.5g
Potassium sorbate - 0.9g
Potassium metabisulfite - 0.5g
Spice Blend
Dried rosehips - 26g
Dried ginger - 7g
Dried galangal - 7g
Must Preparation
To a sanitized ten-litre bucket, add the honey, first dose of Fermaid O, potassium carbonate, and Fermaid K.
Add 2 liters of apple juice.
Mix until all the honey is dissolved.
Add apple juice until slightly shy of the five-litre mark.
Add the spices from the spice blend to the bucket.
Yeast Preparation
In a sanitised microwave-safe glass measuring jug, heat 330ml of water to 38°C in a microwave.
Mix the Go-Ferm into the hot water.
Sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then stir vigorously.
After 10 minutes, add the yeast solution to the bucket.
Note: Do not allow the yeast to sit for longer than 15 minutes.
Fermentation
Store the bucket at 23°C.
48 hours after pitching the yeast, add the second dose of Fermaid O.
Take a gravity reading every 3 days with a hydrometer until the gravity reaches 1.020 (7-10 days).
Stabilising
Cold crash in a fridge until clear. Cold temperatures speed clearing, but clearing will occur without it.
Rack the clear mead into a sanitised demijohn.
Add the potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite to the demijohn and mix well. Allow to sit for a minimum of 2 weeks, ideally until clear.
Note: After stabilising, there will be a harsh note resembling fusels in the mead for a few weeks. This is caused by the stabiliser and will age out as the stabiliser completes its protective purpose.A few days after mixing, cold crash in the fridge to speed clearing. (Optional)
Bottle into sanitised bottles.
Tips and Tricks
Place your bucket into a larger container to contain any potential spill over from fermentation.
If your home is cold, the top back of the fridge is great for keeping the fermentation warm.
A spray bottle of diluted sanitiser is great for sanitising surfaces, especially hands.
The first time you use a non-graduated bucket, add 5 litres at a time and draw a line for each.
