I do love strawberries, and living in the Skagit Valley has spoiled my taste buds.
Honestly, I think strawberries from anywhere else are fugazies. Fakes. Definitely on the lame list.
When Skagit strawberries are in season, they are almost unfair. They are soft, fragrant, deep red, and full of the kind of flavor that makes supermarket strawberries seem like they are merely pretending. The problem, of course, is that prime strawberry season is painfully short. Not to mention, the shelf life of the Shuksan strawberry is measured in days, not weeks.
So how do we stretch the flavor of the season? Jam is one answer, of course. But for homebrewers and mead makers, a strawberry mead recipe might be the more interesting way to bottle June.
My grandmother would have loved to be here during strawberry season. I am convinced her strawberry jam would have stolen the show. Sadly, we will never know. I am fortunate, though, to have had ample samplings of her addictive apple butter.
The legend says that my father would come home after the first apple butter batch, snag a loaf of fresh bread and a knife, and disappear. When he resurfaced, the knife and the jar were the only things left.
My own apple butter addiction is a family trait, to be sure.
But I am getting off topic.
And hungry.
Strawberry jam is a fine thing indeed. I will never speak against a good jam. But I think there is another way to preserve the season: a strawberry mead recipe built around ripe local berries and honey.
I don’t know if there is a better way to capture the fleeting moments of June than turning ripe local strawberries and honey into something you can pour months later. Mead has a way of holding onto fruit character that's different from jam. It does not just preserve sweetness. It captures aroma, acidity, color, memory, and a little bit of summer sunlight.
I recognize that this story may be a little late for peak strawberry season, but hopefully, some of you have a freezer full of berries. If you were smart enough to freeze a few pounds of Skagit strawberries, this recipe gives you a very good reason to pull them back out.
This strawberry mead recipe and process comes from two of my good friends in the homebrew club, NORWA. Erin and Renea shared this recipe, and it is just about perfect.
Editor’s note: I typed this version from my copy of Erin’s handwritten notes and added a day-by-day timeline to make the process easier to follow. The original recipe gives you the bones. This strawberry mead recipe is formatted for home mead makers who want a clear schedule.
Strawberry Mead Recipe Notes: Before You Start
This recipe is written for a 5-gallon batch and uses Lalvin D47 yeast. It is stabilized with potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite before the fruit is added, which means it should be treated as a still mead unless it is force-carbonated in a keg. Do not add priming sugar and expect natural bottle carbonation after stabilization.
The fruit-contact window matters, especially with strawberries. Strawberries can become harsh and tannic if they sit too long. For strawberry mead, limit fruit contact to a maximum of seven days, and pull the fruit sooner if the flavor is where you want it.
The result is a bright, fruit-forward mead that lets strawberry season hang around long after the farm stands have moved on.
Now, let’s make strawberry mead.
Erin’s Go-To Strawberry Mead Recipe
Batch size: 5 gallons / 18.9 L
Yeast: Lalvin D47
Target starting gravity: ~1.065
Style: Fruited mead / melomel
Aging time: 2–6 months
Packaging: Still, or force-carbonated in a keg
Ingredients
- Medium-dark honey: approximately 12 lb / 5.4 kg
- Distilled or spring water, enough to make 5 gallons / 18.9 L
- Lalvin D47 yeast
- Yeast nutrient: 18 g total, split into four 4.5 g additions
- Tannin: 1–3 g, optional
- Malic acid: 2.2 g
- Tartaric acid: 2.8 g
- Citric acid: 1.2 g
- Potassium sorbate: 6 g
- Potassium metabisulfite: 1.4 g
- Frozen fruit: 16–24 lb / 7.3–10.9 kg
- Campden tablets: 5 tablets, 1 per gallon
- Pectic enzyme: approximately 15 g
Acid Blend Option
This recipe uses 6.2 g total acid from malic, tartaric, and citric acid. If using a standard acid blend instead, you may substitute approximately 6.2 g of acid blend.
The original acid profile is not equal parts. It leans more toward tartaric and malic acid, with less citric acid. A standard acid blend may produce a slightly different flavor profile. Add conservatively, taste after fermentation, and adjust if needed.
Directions
Day 1 — Mix and Start Fermentation
- Sanitize a fermenting bucket and all equipment.
- Combine the honey and water in the sanitized bucket.
- Add:
- 4.5 g yeast nutrient
- 2.2 g malic acid
- 2.8 g tartaric acid
- 1.2 g citric acid
- 1–3 g tannin, if using
- Stir well to fully dissolve the honey and additions.
- Take a specific gravity reading.
This recipe targets approximately 1.065 SG. Adjust with honey or water if needed. - Activate the D47 yeast according to the packet directions.
- Add the yeast to the must.
Day 2 — First Nutrient Addition
- Stir the mead once during the day.
- Add 4.5 g yeast nutrient.
Day 3 — Second Nutrient Addition
- Stir the mead once during the day.
- Add 4.5 g yeast nutrient.
Day 4 — Third Nutrient Addition
- Stir the mead once during the day.
- Add 4.5 g yeast nutrient.
Days 10–14 — Let It Clear
- Leave the mead untouched for 10–14 days to allow it to clear.
Around Day 15 — Rack and Stabilize
- Prepare a clean, sanitized bucket.
- Rack the mead off the sediment into the clean bucket.
- Take a gravity reading.
- If the SG is 1.000, add:
- 6 g potassium sorbate
- 1.4 g potassium metabisulfite
- Stir gently to combine.
Day 15 or 16 — Prepare the Fruit
- In another clean, sanitized bucket, add:
- 16–24 lb / 7.3–10.9 kg frozen fruit
- 5 Campden tablets
- Approximately 15 g pectic enzyme
- Place the fruit mixture into a brew bag in the bucket.
- Let the fruit defrost and treat for 24–48 hours before adding the mead.
Day 17 — Rack Mead Onto Fruit
- Rack the stabilized mead onto the prepared fruit.
- Keep the mead on the fruit until the desired fruit character is reached.
- For strawberries, limit fruit contact to a maximum of 7 days.
Fruit Contact Note
Strawberries can become harsh and tannic if left on the fruit too long. For strawberry mead, limit fruit contact to a maximum of 7 days, and pull the fruit sooner if the flavor is where you want it.
Day 23 — Remove Fruit and Package
- Remove the fruit bag and allow the mead to drain. Do not squeeze aggressively.
- Transfer the mead to a clean keg, carboy, or bottling bucket.
- Package still, or force carbonate in a keg.
- For kegged sparkling mead, carbonate to approximately 2.3 volumes CO₂, or around 10 PSI on a typical kegerator.
- Bottle still, keg still, or keg and force carbonate.
- Do not add dextrose for bottle conditioning after stabilizing with potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite. Stabilized mead should be treated as still unless it is force-carbonated in a keg.
Optional Aging
For a smoother finished mead, age for 2–6 months in a carboy or keg before serving.