A Dovakiin's iron horned helmet

Honningbrew Modern Cyser

Written By Bray Denard, PhD
Disclaimer: These recipes are for personal use only.

Mead Master's Note

The Honningbrew Modern Cyser is an apple juice based spiced mead. Ginger and galangal provide a nice spice note and aroma while rosehips complement honey and apple flavors.

Mead Specifications

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

Ingredients

  • Apple Juice - 4 litres
  • Wildflower/Clover honey - 1.8kg
  • Omega Lutra yeast - 10.6g
  • Go-Ferm - 13.3g
  • Fermaid O - 12.4g, 6.2g per dose.
  • Potassium carbonate - 2.6g
  • Fermaid K - 2.5g
  • Potassium sorbate - 0.9g
  • Potassium metabisulfite - 0.5g

Spice Blend

  • Dried rosehips - 26g
  • Dried ginger - 7g
  • Dried galangal - 7g

Must Preparation

  1. To a sanitized ten-litre bucket, add the honey, first dose of Fermaid O, potassium carbonate, and Fermaid K.
  2. Add 2 liters of apple juice.
  3. Mix until all the honey is dissolved.
  4. Add apple juice until slightly shy of the five-litre mark.
  5. Add the spices from the spice blend to the bucket.

Yeast Preparation

  1. In a sanitised microwave-safe glass measuring jug, heat 330ml of water to 38°C in a microwave.
  2. Mix the Go-Ferm into the hot water.
  3. Sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then stir vigorously.
  4. After 10 minutes, add the yeast solution to the bucket. Note: Do not allow the yeast to sit for longer than 15 minutes.

Fermentation

  1. Store the bucket at 23°C.
  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).

Secondary

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.

Tips & Tricks

  1. Place your demijohn 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.