Plum & Blackberry Barrel Aged Mead! (24 L / 6.3 gal)

A rich, fruit-driven melomel built on a blend of stringybark, floral, and orange blossom honey, then layered with blackberry and plum before being backsweetened and barrel aged. The result is a big, complex mead with deep berry character, stone fruit richness, and a rounded honey finish.

Stats

• Style: Melomel / Fruit Mead
• Batch Size: 24 L (6.3 gal)
• Original Gravity: 1.115
• FG before fruit: 1.010
• Final Gravity after fruit fermentation: 1.000
• Estimated Final ABV: Aprox ~13%
• Primary fermentation: 4–6 weeks
• Fruit refermentation: 2 weeks

Ingredients

Honey Base

• 3 kg (6.6 lb) Archibalds Stringybark Honey
• 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) Archibalds Floral Honey
• 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) Archibalds Orange Blossom Honey
• 18 L (4.8 gal) water
• 28 g (0.99 oz) Yeast-O-Life yeast nutrient
• 15 g Lalvin yeast for primary fermentation

Fruit Addition

• 6 kg (13.2 lb) pureed blackberries
• 3.4 kg (7.5 lb) pureed plums
• 2 tablespoons pectinase
• 20 g (0.7 oz) Lalvin EC-1118 yeast

Stabilisers

• 2.25 g (0.08 oz) Potassium metabisulfite
• 18 g (0.63 oz) Potassium sorbate

Backsweetening

• Planned: 575 g (1.27 lb) Archibalds Floral Honey
• Actual used: 630 g (1.39 lb) Archibalds Floral Honey

Step-by-Step Method

1. Make the base mead
Combine the 9 kg (19.8 lb) of honey with 18 L (4.8 gal) of water and mix thoroughly. Add 28 g of Yeast-O-Life nutrient and pitch 15 g of Lalvin yeast. Ferment until the mead reaches around 1.010 gravity. This took roughly 4–6 weeks.

2. Prepare the fruit fermenter
Sanitise a second fermenter and purge with CO₂ if possible. Add 6 kg of pureed blackberries and 3.4 kg of pureed plums. Add 2 tablespoons of pectinase to help break down fruit pectins and release fermentable sugars.

3. Rack the mead onto fruit
Rack 20 L (5.3 gal) of the fermented mead onto the fruit puree. This is optional, but transferring onto fruit in a clean secondary fermenter helps reduce the amount of trub interacting with the fruit.

4. Add EC-1118 to finish fermentation
Because the original yeast had likely reached its alcohol tolerance, add 20 g of Lalvin EC-1118 after the fruit is added. The fruit-fermented mead finished dry at 1.000 over about 2 weeks.

5. Stabilise after fruit fermentation
Once fruit fermentation is complete, add:

• 2.25 g potassium metabisulfite
• 18 g potassium sorbate

These were added at the same time as the backsweetening honey to prevent renewed fermentation.

6. Backsweeten
Add floral honey to taste. The original plan was 575 g, but the final amount used was 630 g (1.39 lb).

7. Barrel age
After stabilising and backsweetening, transfer the mead for barrel ageing. This helps round out the alcohol, integrate the fruit, and build extra complexity.

Brew Notes

This mead started as a traditional honey ferment and then shifted into a fruit-driven melomel once the blackberry and plum puree were introduced. The second yeast pitch with EC-1118 was a smart move, allowing the fruit sugars to ferment fully dry before stabilising and backsweetening. Barrel ageing should add depth and help tie the fruit, honey, and alcohol together.

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