Strawberry Lemon Mead

Well time to wip up my third batch of mead and decided with all the forzen strawberries I have i'll throw together a strawberry lemon for the upcoming summer. This mead will be on the lighter abv side.

Here's the list so far-

7 gallons total volume in primary consisting of-
-6lbs clover honey
-8 lbs strawberry puree
-fresh lemon zest from 2 lemons
-staggered nutrient additions
-yeast still unsure

Secondary
-4 lemons zested and juiced

Let me know what you think of the recipe thus far and if you have any suggestions for the yeast i'd greatly appreciate it. The first two batches I used Wyest Sweet mead and D-47.

I wouldn't add much, if any lemon juice, I've found that it really adds no flavour & just makes your melomel more acidic. The zest really is the way to go, but it may take more zest & more time than you think it will; at least that's been my experience with lemon melomel. I think the lemon will blend into the background of the strawberries & be more of a supporting flavour, if you can taste it at all. Adding too much zest can give it a bitter aftertaste, so it's sort of a balancing act. Regards, GF.

Thanks for the tip. I was kinda wondering about the lemon juice as i've experienced what your describing in a couple of my beers with orange juice. Usually end up with a bitter flavor.

I'll probably stick to the zest and maybe do 6 lemons.

I'm thinking of trying US-05 with this batch. Can anyone tell me if i'll need to go with 2 packets or will 1- 11.5 gm packet take care of it being as this mead is on the lighter side?

Thanks

less than 1 lb of honey per gallon of must?

not counting the strawberries, this is going to have an OG of 1.030 if you're lucky (honey gives 1.034 points of gravity per pound, per gallon of water).

I've never made a mead this light so I cannot comment, other than to say its' going to be prett thin and low bodied, and I doubt there will be much honey flavor or aroma as the strawberries will mask it.

i'd leave the lemon juice out too, and just go with the zest (avoiding the white pith under the zest).

yeah, leave out the lemon juice and lemon zest...get a bottle of Mcormicks lemon flavor extract..if you are looking for a little lemon flavor without the acid addition. Also I may suggest using D-47 for your yeast, as it'll bring out the varietal flavors more than other strains. It's a good choice if you can control your fermentation temps.

Dan

I'm with the others who are suggesting that you skip the lemons. Real lemon extract (or any extract) is a nice way to go. Nielsen-Massey products are wonderful: http://www.nielsenmassey.com/vanillainformation.htm

Malkore has a VERY good point, I'd add at least 2 lbs honey/gallon. Regards, GF.

Thanks for the tip Malkore, makes perfect sense. The honey amount has been raised to 10-12 lbs for the 7 gallon batch.

No lemon juice but still might use the zest. Or is adding zest pointless when there is extract that can be used to get the lemon flavor? How much lemon extract would you suggest to add per gallon to get a nice lemon flavor?

Might also end up sticking with the D-47, it seems to produce a very clean mead and was happy with the previous D-47 strawberry batch so why not try it again.

Thanks all for the input it helps greatly.

I would add the lemon extract at the time you bottle or keg....add 1 teaspoon to 5 gallons first and taste it....add more until you are happy with the flavor and smell.

Dan

or just use the zest and serve it with a lemon slice garnish

I think yo'ull like the 2lbs per gallon. its still not going to be a high ABV mead so it'll age faster and ferment sooner. still i'd give it 6 months in the bottle before trying to 'judge' it as a winner or failed recipe that needs tweaking.

Well still not sure what i'm gonna do with the lemon zest/extract yet but at least i've settled on now 11lbs of honey(saving 1lb for backsweetening) and D-47.

I currently have a Citrus Punch Pale Ale that I wrote the recipe for and brewed a week ago in primary and if it finishes in time maybe that'll help with my zest decision. I added 1 oz orange and 1 oz grapefruit zest to the boil and am adding another ounce of each to secondary along with a dry hop. Can't wait to taste that one!

Thanks for the help everyone, its nice to experiment but its also nice to know i'm at least on the right track before going mad scientist on a batch of mead that'll take 6+ months before its drinkable. Mead definitely tests my patience compared to brewing beer.

I'd still put some lemon zest into the primary...it can't hurt. give it a shot. Then you can always add lemon extract before bottling or kegging.