Cherry Cyser

Made this a few years ago. It's delightful, still have a bottle or two left.

1) pick and stem enough Morello-type cherries to fill a 5 gal. carboy. Leave pits.
2) Add honey and water to 1.140 to fill.
3) Pitch Wyeast Sweet Mead.

Rack, sulphate, condition, bottle in clear splits.

Makes a beautiful brighter, transparent red beverage with complex flavors, quite strong.

Good way to use up cherries without much labor since the harvest window is short.

Not really a Cyser, no cider.
Sounds good though.
Did you "crack" the cherries?

Melomel is the fruit based mead. That seems like a ton of cherries, do you have any pictures, I would be curious of the color.

Have you tried this recipe without the pits? I'm curious to know just what difference(s) in flavour(s) would be. Regards, GF.

The cherries went in whole after a brief rinse and some picking over to remove stems and any rotten fruit.

As for terminology, I note that there is lack of agreement on exactly what each term means. A Melomel by any other name is still just as nice.

I think the pits are part of the source of the flavor and so it would be counterproductive and labor intensive to remove them.

And yes, it is a lot of cherries. The cherry flavor comes through. I'll try and post some pics.