At a glance
- Style
- Melomel
- Alcohol
- About 13.1% ABV
- Finish
- Off-dry
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Honey
- Orange blossom or wildflower
- Yeast
- Lalvin K1-V1116
- Ready in
- 3 to 4 months
- Batch
- 1 gallon, scalable
Ingredients
Quantities are for one US gallon (3.8 liters). Pick a batch size and every amount updates; one packet of yeast covers up to six gallons. Not sure how much honey your own twist needs? Use the mead calculator.
- 2 lb Honey, orange blossom or wildflower
- 0.5 gallons 100% pomegranate juice, no preservatives (64 fl oz; not a juice blend or cocktail)
- 0.35 gallons Spring water (to make 1 gallon of must with the honey and juice)
- 1 packet Lalvin K1-V1116 wine yeast (5 g; one packet covers up to 6 gallons)
- 6 g Go-Ferm (yeast rehydration nutrient) (optional but recommended)
- 5 g Fermaid O yeast nutrient (split into 4 doses, see steps)
- 0.25 tsp Pectic enzyme
- 0.5 tsp Potassium sorbate (to stabilize before backsweetening)
- 1 Campden tablet (potassium metabisulfite)
Swapping the fruit or changing the amount? Adding fruit to mead covers how much to use per gallon, when to add it and how long to leave it. The dose and timing of the enzyme are explained in how much pectic enzyme per gallon of mead. This recipe ferments dry and is sweetened at the end: how to backsweeten mead has the stabilizing doses and a honey chart for any batch size.
Equipment
- 2-gallon bucket with lid
- 1-gallon glass jug
- Airlock and drilled bung
- Hydrometer
- Auto-siphon and tubing
- No-rinse sanitizer (Star San)
New to this? Our mead making kit checklist covers what each piece does and what you can skip.
Step-by-step method
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Read the label
The juice must be 100% pomegranate, with no potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate, because either one can stop the yeast from multiplying. Many "pomegranate" juices are mostly apple or grape juice; check the ingredients list, not the front of the bottle. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is fine.
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Measure the juice
Take a gravity reading of the juice on its own. Pure pomegranate juice usually reads about 1.055 to 1.065. This recipe assumes 1.060; if yours reads higher or lower, adjust the honey by about 1 oz for every 0.004 of difference in the juice reading (the juice is half the batch).
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Mix the must
Sanitize everything. Warm the honey so it pours, dissolve it in the water, then add the juice and stir until no streaks remain, topping up to 1 gallon. Stir in the pectic enzyme. The reading should be close to 1.100.
-
Pitch the yeast and keep it cool
Rehydrate the K1-V1116 with the Go-Ferm for 15 minutes and pitch. Hold the ferment at 59 to 65°F (15 to 18°C): K1-V1116 keeps fresh fruit character best when it ferments cool and slow.
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Feed the yeast
Add a quarter of the Fermaid O at 24, 48 and 72 hours and the last quarter at the 1/3 sugar break (about 1.067) or on day 7, whichever comes first. Degas gently before each addition.
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Rack when dry
When the gravity holds near 0.996 to 1.000 for three days (usually 3 to 4 weeks), rack into the glass jug off the sediment and top up to keep the headspace small. Pomegranate color is sensitive to oxygen.
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Clear and stabilize
Leave it 4 to 6 weeks to clear. Once it is clear and stable, add the crushed Campden tablet and the sorbate, stir gently and wait 48 hours.
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Sweeten and bottle
Add honey 1 oz at a time (about 0.002 gravity per ounce per gallon). Around 5 oz takes it from 1.000 to about 1.010, which balances the tartness without making it sweet. Bottle, store cool and dark, and give it at least a month.
Timeline
- Day 0Check and measure the juice, mix the must, pitch yeast
- Days 1 to 7Four nutrient additions, degas
- Weeks 3 to 4Fermented dry; rack to the glass jug
- Weeks 8 to 10Stabilize, sweeten, bottle
- Month 3 and onDrink; best within about 18 months
Why this recipe works
Bottled juice is the practical choice. A gallon of pomegranate mead made from fresh fruit needs 6 to 8 pomegranates, a lot of patient seeding, and careful work to keep the white pith out, because the pith and membranes are full of bitter tannin. Pure juice gives you the same fruit with none of that, and its gravity is easy to measure.
Half a gallon of juice per gallon of mead gives a clear pomegranate flavor without making the mead sharp. The juice carries about 30 of the 100 gravity points, so the honey drops to 2 lb, and there is enough honey left to read as a mead rather than a pomegranate wine.
The juice goes in primary here, unlike the whole-fruit recipes, because a juice adds sugar that should ferment out with the rest, and its color holds up better than its aroma. The aroma is what the fresh arils variation adds back, in secondary.
K1-V1116 is known for preserving fresh, fruity aromas when it ferments cool, and it is a strong, reliable fermenter that copes with fruit acid. It tolerates about 18% alcohol, so it will ferment this batch fully dry before you sweeten it back to taste.
Variations
- Fresh arils in secondary: when you rack, add the arils of 2 to 3 pomegranates (about 1 lb), frozen and thawed in a straining bag, for 5 to 7 days. Squeeze them lightly by hand in the bag; do not blend, which cracks the seeds.
- Pomegranate and cherry: replace a quarter of the pomegranate juice with 100% tart cherry juice for a deeper, rounder fruit flavor.
- Spiced pomegranate: add one cinnamon stick and two allspice berries for 5 to 7 days during clearing, for a holiday version.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Fermentation never started | Almost always a preservative in the juice. Check the label for sorbate or benzoate; if it is there, the batch will not ferment reliably, and the fix is to start over with pure juice. |
| It tastes bitter and grippy | Tannin from pith or crushed seeds, usually from fresh fruit. Give it a few months; a fining agent such as gelatin or a two-part finings can reduce harsh tannin if it does not soften. |
| The ruby color is turning orange-brown | Oxygen exposure and age. Keep vessels topped up, add the Campden tablet on schedule, store it cool and dark, and drink it within a year or two. |
More mead recipes to try
- Cherry mead recipe: Half tart, half dark sweet cherries in secondary, with an optional hint of almond.
- Pyment (grape mead) recipe: White grape juice and honey fermented crisp and off-dry, like an aromatic white wine.
- Raspberry mead recipe: Big berry flavor from 2.5 lb of fruit per gallon, added in secondary and balanced with a semi-sweet finish.
More fruit mead recipes: Strawberry mead, Blueberry mead, Blackberry mead, Cyser (apple mead), Peach mead, Mango mead (and pineapple mead), Joe's Ancient Orange Mead (JAOM), Elderberry mead, Banana mead, Pumpkin mead, Cranberry mead, Apple pie mead.
Or browse all our mead recipes. If this is your first batch, start with the traditional mead recipe or the step-by-step guide to making honey wine.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use store-bought pomegranate juice for mead?
Yes, as long as it is 100% pomegranate juice with no potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate. Avoid blends and "juice drinks", which are often mostly apple or grape juice with added sugar.
How much pomegranate juice per gallon of mead?
About half a gallon (64 fl oz) of juice per gallon of mead. That gives a clear pomegranate flavor; use less for a honey-forward mead with a pomegranate note, or more for something closer to a pomegranate wine.
Can I use fresh pomegranate arils instead of juice?
Yes. Use the arils of 6 to 8 pomegranates per gallon, freeze and thaw them, and crush them lightly in a straining bag. Pick out every bit of white pith and membrane, which is bitter, and do not blend the seeds. Fresh arils work best as a secondary addition for aroma.
Why is my pomegranate mead bitter?
Usually tannin from the white pith, the membranes or crushed seeds. Pure juice avoids most of it; with fresh fruit, seed it carefully and do not squeeze the bag hard.
Does pomegranate mead keep its color?
It keeps a ruby color for a while but fades toward orange and brown with oxygen and age. Keeping headspace small, sulfiting at bottling and storing the bottles cool and dark help it last.
How long does pomegranate mead take?
About 2 to 3 months to bottle and 3 to 4 months to drink. It is best young, within about 18 months, while the color and fruit are fresh.
How strong is pomegranate mead?
This recipe is about 13.1% ABV.