Brew day was the day the CalWood fire started above Jamestown. It rather exploded due to very dry and windy conditions, eventually starting various other small fires along/near the west side of US 36 north of Boulder. Dick, Marcia, and I watched thick smoke plumes as we brewed. The farm was under an evacuation order from 15:40 to 20:40, but we were in the north-east corner of the evacuation zone, well away from any fires, and didn't leave. This is a strawberry, rhubarb, apricot melomel.
Ingredients:
Yeast notes. 8 g D-47 (MoreWine). Rehydrated and pitched at brew time.
October 17, 2020. Weighed honey into the kettle with about 2 gallons of water and heated while stirring. When the honeywater was at 160F we added the must chiller and maintained that temperature for 20 minutes. Then used the must chiller to cool, but not too much since we were adding still frozen fruit. The must went into a bucket. The fruit was put into a bag (sanitized with boiling hot water) and placed into the bucket, then more water was added to make 5 gallons. The must was a bit cool when the yeast was pitched. Stored in the bucket with a lid and bubble lock. Fermentation was well underway by the following morning. GR 1.072 taken the following evening.
October 23, 2020 - removed fruit bag which was strained and pressed to get as much juice as possible back into the bucket. Blorping pretty fast. GR 1.044
December 12, 2020 - rack to carboy. GR 0.995
April 4, 2021 - rack carboy to carboy. GR 0.994
May 31, 2021 - not clearing, fined with 2 T gelatin
June 20, 2021 - racked carboy to carboy leaving quite bit of lees. Should have happened sooner, but now it has cleared. The gelatin may have taken some of the color out. Strawberry dominant. Gr 0.993
July 31, 2021 - rainy day racking to keg. Gr 0.992
August 14, 2021 - bottled. Quite drinkable.
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