Pyser (Pear Melomel)

Disclaimer: This recipe is for personal use only.

Mead Master’s Note

Apple juice containing mead is called a cyser which is a play off cider. I figure a pear juice containing mead should be a pyser as a play off perry.

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Mead Specifications

Batch Size - 5 litres
ABV - 15.7%
Starting Gravity (SG) - 1.140
Final Gravity (FG) - 1.020
Style - Melomel

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Ingredients

• Clover Honey - 1.2kg

• Organic Pear Juice (no benzoate or sulfites added) - 4.2 litres

• Wyeast 1388 Smack Pack

• Fermaid O - 12.4g, 6.2g per dose.

• Potassium carbonate - 2.6g

• Fermaid K - 2.5g

• Pectinase - 1 tsp

• Potassium sorbate - 0.9g

• Potassium metabisulfite - 0.5g

Secondary Ingredients (Optional)

• Medium+ toast French Xoakers - 3-4

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Must Preparation

1. To a sanitised seven-litre bucket, add the honey, Pear juice, Fermaid K, potassium carbonate, pectinase, and the first dose of Fermaid O.

2. Swirl to mix honey and aerate.

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Yeast Preparation

1. Remove Wyeast 1388 packet from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.

2. Burst the internal nutrient packet in the Wyeast 1388 pouch. It helps to trap it in a corner before smacking it.

3. Allow the packet to expand for at least 15 minutes. It should swell to demonstrate yeast activation.

4. Sanitise the pouch corner you will be cutting.

5. Once the yeast and must are at similar temperatures, cut the corner off the pouch and pitch the yeast into the fermentor. Make sure not to cut the corner so much that the internal packet can come out into your fermentor!

Note: Do not allow the yeast to sit for longer than 15 minutes.

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Fermentation

1. Store the bucket in a temperature range of 20-25°C. Around 22°C is best.

2. 48 hours after pitching the yeast, add the second dose of Fermaid O.

3. Take a gravity reading every 3 days with a hydrometer until the gravity reaches 1.020 (7-10 days).

4. Once the gravity is stable (~1.020), taste and determine if more sweetness is required. Some pears have an extremely high tannin content that requires more sweetness to balance.

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Secondary (Optional)

1. Add French Xoakers.

2. Allow to age for 2-3 months. It may require more sweetness to balance.

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Stabilising

1. Cold crash in a fridge until clear. Cold temperatures speed clearing, but clearing will occur without it.

2. Rack the clear mead into a sanitised demijohn.

3. 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.

4. A few days after mixing, cold crash in the fridge to speed clearing. (Optional)

5. Bottle into sanitised bottles.

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Tips and Tricks

1. Place your bucket into a larger container to contain any potential spill over from fermentation.

2. If your home is cold, the top back of the fridge is great for keeping the fermentation warm.

3. A spray bottle of diluted sanitiser is great for sanitising surfaces, especially hands.

4. The first time you use a non-graduated bucket, add 5 litres at a time and draw a line for each.

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