⁴Fersken Melomel$

Must

Yeast Starter

12 lbs Wildflower Honey (1 gal.)

2 c white grape juice

3½ lbs Nectarines

Large pinch of energizer

½ Lemon, large

Few drops of lemon juice

¼ tsp Tannin

Ice

≈ 3 gallons Distilled Water

Champagne yeast

Sterilize / sanitize all equipment first.  I put 1 cup of bleach & 5 gallons of warm water into my primary fermenter, and let everything else sit in there until needed.  Rinse the bleach mix off before using.

Make yeast starter before starting must.  Heat juices and energizer to just below boiling for about 15 minutes.  Let cool on ice to about 90°F.  Remove from ice, shake well, add yeast, & put it in the dark.

Pit & cut the nectarines into quarters.  Add to must (12 lbs honey, 2 gal. water).  Simmer must until all scum is gone, occasionally mashing or pressing the fruit. Do not boil.

Remove from heat, cover (not tight), & let sit for six hours.

Make sure both mixtures are the same temperature.  Run the must through cheesecloth and screened funnel directly into your primary fermenter.  Add tannin, lemon and yeast starter, top off with water to 4 gallons, there should still be space on top.  Install airlock.

First rack around 1 month, remove lemon.  Bottle at about six months, make sure air lock popping is down to about once in ten minutes.  Should be palatable at bottling, but best to age at least one year.

OG:  1.119

Rack 1

Rack 2

Rack 3

FG:

3-21-04

4-19-04

8-14-04

*4-19 – Airlock dropped, gravity is down to 1.002.  Don’t know why it fermented so fast, I’ll have to ask around.

8-14 – Topped to 5 gal. at rack.  SG was exactly 1.000 & ph was 4.5 before being topped. Added one gallon boiled hard water & 3½ lbs. wildflower honey. SG after topping was 1.015.