What is Melomel?

Mead, like beer and wine, has many categories and variants that are style and ingredient depend. One of these delicious meads gets quite a bit of attention but few know what it is and so, what is melomel? While mead is essentially fermented honey and water, over the years people have played with what else can give a more dynamic flavor. When fruit is used in that mix, the mead fermentation process takes a unique turn, making the mead known as melomel mead. That is the basic definition and barely scratches the surface of answering what is melomel. Specific yeast strains are often selected to enhance the fermentation process, contributing to the diverse flavors and styles of melomel.

In today’s post, we’ll go over the variations and styles to better get a grasp on this fruity honey mead and hopefully leave your mouth watering for some.

What Kind of Melomel?

Much like beer, when asking what is melomel, it’s too broad of a category to give any real answer beyond fermented fruit in mead. Melomel has been around so long that there are types of melomel meads as well. Here is a short list:

Bilbemel: mead made with blueberries and sometimes blueberry blossom honey.
Morat: a mead made with mulberries
Perry: a mead made with pears
Black Mead: a mead made with blackcurrants
Pyment: a mead made from grapes.

While there are many other variations of melomel, that list illustrates how different melomels can be. Since all mead is essentially fermented honey and all melomels are basically fermented honey with fermented fruits, many different styles arose from what kind of honey or fruit was used. Beer was mentioned earlier and is comparable, what is the difference between an IPA and a Lager? The style and ingredients used but, both are still beer. As long as the mead has fermented fruit then falls into the category of a melomel mead.

What Does Melomel Taste Like?

Now that you’ve answered what is melomel, how about the taste? Each type of beer and wine tastes different than another, the same goes for mead. More than that, since there are different kinds of melomel meads, they all taste different from each other. In that respect, melomels operate like beer. Different IPAs and Belgium beers taste different because of the spices and fruits used and so too with the melomel. Pears and grapes don’t taste the same, do they? So, why would a Perry melomel or Pymet melomel taste the same?

When shopping for a melomel and wondering which kind you should get, think of what fruits you like. While the fruit has been fermented and joined by other spices and fermented honey, it’ll be a safer bet that you’ll enjoy the mead that has the flavors you know you like.

Melomel vs Wine

You may be tempted to think that a melomel isn’t all that dissimilar from wine but, they’re vastly different. A mead maker crafts mead, whether a melomel or not, with fermented honey at its base, and wine, no matter the kind, is made from fermented grapes. When wondering what is melomel, don’t think wine just because it has fruit.

Melomel has a few different ways to incorporate fruit and none of them are similar to the process of making wine. Melomel isn’t bound to just using fermented fruit and honey, you’ll find all sorts of dynamic spices to enhance the flavor. For example, Capsicumel is a melomel mead that uses chile peppers. Nothing like that around the wine world. Wine is its own pleasure and carries its own dynamic flavors but, while it may have fermented fruit in common with mead don’t think they’ll taste the same.

So, What is Melomel?

Melomel is a kind of mead that involves the fermentation process of fermented fruit in addition to fermented honey, and it may be further flavored with spices. This mead making practice allows for secondary fermentation, which enriches the complexity and flavor. Melomel has its own categories that all depend on the kind of fruit used, and each one of those has its own history as well as standards, reflecting the mead begins tradition of traditional mead. Mead makers utilize specific yeast strains to achieve desired outcomes in both flavor and alcohol content.

When out and curious about what is melomel, now you know. If you’re curious as to the taste, it’s all about the fruit you like. If you already know you like mead and want to explore it more, melomels are a good way to see how versatile honey-wine is.

The best answer to what is melomel? It’s delicious!

Melomel Fruit Mead Recipes

Make a Fruit Mead Melomel – Fruit meads are typically fruitier than traditional meads & taste sumptuous. If you’re interested in making one, here is the recipe to get you started. Melomels are made using a combination of fruit and honey. The fruits are added to the honey wine, and here’s the basic recipe.

1. Mix 2 part honey with three parts water.
2. Add yeast
3. Primary fermentation starts in two weeks. At this step, you can use any fruit juices/fruit for flavoring. That depends on your choice of fruit – Cranberry Mead, Mango Mead, Gooseberry Mead, Apricot Mead, Blackberry Mead, Strawberry Mead, etc.

Melomel Vs Mead

Mead is not a new concept and has been used since ancient times, whereas Melomel is a relatively new invention. Both Mead and Melomel are fermented honey drinks. The difference is their taste and ingredients. Melomel is made with fruit and honey, while mead uses just honey, water and yeast as the main ingredients. That’s why mead is a sweeter honey-flavoured drink, while melomel tastes fruity and can have a wide range of possible flavours. The introduction of sack mead highlights a specific style of mead known for its higher sugar content and stronger alcohol by volume. Wild yeasts can be utilized in the fermentation process for both mead and melomel, offering a unique, unpredictable character to the drinks. Lastly, honey jack refers to a concentrated form of mead or melomel created through freeze distillation, intensifying the flavors and alcohol content.