MELOMEL (Rosehip Mead)

Just 4 u

If you wish to use rosehips for flavouring to make Melomel, as a fruit flavoured
mead is called, use about 4 lbs. Boil them in a gallon of water for five or ten minutes, and
when cool mash them with your hands or a piece of hardwood, and strain through butter
muslin.
To this add four pounds of honey, the juice of two lemons, and yeast nutrient, and
stir until the honey is dissolved. When lukewarm add the yeast and ferment as usual. It is
an improvement for this mead to use a sherry yeast and ferment in the sherry manner, i.e.,
after the first racking (not before) have your fermenting container only seven-eighths full,
and use an empty fermentation trap, the end of which can be lightly plugged with a small
piece of cotton-wool, thus exposing the mead to air but preventing the entrance of any
vinegar flies, allowing a degree of oxidisation. But you can also use an ordinary wine
yeast and ferment and mature throughout in the usual way if you wish.
To make Metheglin use 4 lb. honey, 1 oz. hops, and ½ oz. root ginger to the
gallon, or with the same amount of honey and water, 2 cloves and ¼ oz. cinnamon bark,
or one-third of an ounce of carraway seeds.
Marjoram, balm, mace, lemon and orange peel, cinnamon, are also flavourings
which can be tried, but it is as well not to overdo them.