Sweet Peach Melomel

by Steve Murphrey
1st Place Shamrock Open 2002

 Starter ingredients:

Wyeast 3184.
Commercial apple juice (in jar).
Mead ingredients
5.6 quarts honey, most from Furr's Barber Shop (US 401 in Garner).
3 gallons peach juice (via electric juicer).
2 gallons water
6 drops wetting agent.
1 tablespoon calcium carbonate (adjust amount, as needed)
1 tablespoon yeast nutrient (diammonium phosphate)
 

Instructions:

  1. Boil 2 gallons water.
  2. Add honey, and bring to boil. 
  3. Skim off scum.
  4. Add peach juice and wetting agent.
  5. Raise temperature to 200 degrees F.
  6. Chill to 72 degrees F and transfer to 7-gallon carboy.
  7. Pitch yeast, yeast nutrient, and calcium carbonate.  pH should be above 4.0.  Fermenting was under way after 7 hours; bubbling 1 per second after 24 hours.  Original gravity = 1.122. 
  8. After 16 days, racked into 5-gallon carboy (yield about 4+ gallons).  Final gravity = 1.030. 
  9. After 5 more months, bottled in sterile bottles.
This turned out to be sparkling, probably due to the slow fermentation and high final gravity.