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Mead Recipe of the Week: Sweetness of the Holy Fire

Sonoma Beerocrats club member Byron Burch of Santa Rosa, Calif., earned a gold medal at the 2005 National Homebrewers Competition in the 'open category mead' for his recipe "Sweetness of the Holy Fire." The judges really enjoyed the balance between the sweetness of the honey and the citrus-spice of the chili and lime. An interesting mead indeed!

Ingredients for 5 U.S. gallons (19 L)

18.0 lb (8.16 kg) | clover honey
5.0 gal (19 L) | water
5.25 oz (0.155 L) | fresh squeezed lime juice
2.5 oz (71 g) | tartaric acid
2.0 oz (57 g) | Beverage People yeast energizer
0.5 oz (14.8 g) | pectic enzyme
3 cc | Boyajian lime oil
2.0 tsp | nutrient
220 mL | chiles d'Arbol extract
0.21 oz (6 g) | Sparkalloid to clarify
0.35 oz (10 g) | Beverage People Prise de Mousse wine yeast

Specifications

Original Specific Gravity: 27 Brix
Final Specific Gravity: [unknown]
Primary fermentation: 28 days at "ambient" temperature in glass
Secondary fermentation: [unknown]

Directions

Add chile extract to taste after fermentation and fining. Extract was made by immersing eight dried chiles d'Arbol in four ounces of vodka for 24 hours.

Judges' Comments

"Great honey sweetness balanced with lime and pepper spiciness in palate. Great job, good creativity."

"Lime and peppers balance. Very well made mead—unique."