Kiwi-Strawberry Melomel

(3.5 gallons/13.2 L) OG = 1.068

Ingredients

6.5 lbs. (3 kg) light honey (clover is best here)
1/2 tsp. gypsum
1 tsp. citric acid Prise de mousse yeast
2.2 lbs. (1 kg) fresh, bruised strawberries
5 or 6 peeled and mashed kiwis
1/2 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step

Heat honey, gypsum, and citric acid in 3 gals. (11 L) water. Bring to 175 °F (80 °C) and hold for 15 minutes. Chill to 75 °F (24 °C) and pitch with yeast. Seal fermenter and put the mead in a relatively cool (65 to 70 °F/18 to 21 °C) corner. After 10 to 14 days, rack onto strawberries and kiwis. Age on fruit three to four weeks, then rack into a third fermenter. Condition six to eight weeks, then prime with corn sugar and bottle in champagne bottles. Leave the bottled mead undisturbed in a cool, dark place for three months before you even think about trying one. The first one will probably disappoint you. Leave it another three months and try it again. Like bottle-conditioned beer, bottled sparkling mead will cast a considerable amount of sediment, so decant carefully when serving. Age cool for up to a year