Black Cherry Pomegranate Plum Melomel: 13.6% ABV

Benjamin Williamson

Ingredients:

• 64 oz. tart cherry juice
• 64 oz. black cherry juice
• 1 lb. frozen cherries
• 1 lb. frozen berry mix
• 2 lb. honey
• 1 qt. Chai tea brewed with 6 “Ultra Spice” Chai tea bags
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1/2 tsp energizer
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 packet K1-V116 yeast

Brew tea in 1 quart of bottled water for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags, then mix in the honey, yeast nutrient, and yeast energizer. Add this to a 1.5-2-gallon vessel. Add fruit to the tea mixture to cool it down, then add the juices and cinnamon stick. Take a gravity reading (should be around 1.09-1.10), then pitch yeast. Seal the vessel with an airlock and allow it to ferment for a week or two. Rack the melomel and test gravity. Allow it to sit another week and retest gravity. The melomel should clear up considerably in that time. If the gravity readings are consistent, then back-sweeten if desired (I added ¾ cup sugar for taste) and bottle. My yield was six wine bottles, and this melomel was very good after 6 months of aging.