Damson Plum Mead

This recipe uses damson plums from the garden. It's a bit time consuming processing the plums (picking, washing, pitting, and freezing the plums - especially in the heat of summer - but its worth it. The mead is delicious and looks beautiful - a lovely clear but deep red.

RECIPE

Approx 4kg damson plums: picked, washed, pitted, frozen, defrosted
6L spring water
~2L honey aka 2.6kg
1 pkt Mangrove Jacks M05 mead yeast
Mangrove Jack's mead nutrient

Go-Ferm

Pectic enzyme

potassium sorbate [wine stabiliser]

Campden tablets

bentonite

10L fermenting bucket w. lid and airlock

DAY 1 [SAT 27 SEP '25]

1. Cook plums in water in brew bag: bring up to about 80° C for 15 minutes then remove from heat; cover and allow to cool[1]

2. When plums cooled to approx. 30° C, remove bag with solids in from liquid

3. Add honey to sanitized fermenter

4. Add plum liquid to fermenter, add pectic enzyme, and stir to dissolve all the honey[2] 
- take gravity [1.100] and PH [3.0] readings

5. As required, adjust PH up slightly

6. Move approx. 250ml of the must into a sanitized jug; add yeast with nutrient, and Go-Ferm

7. Allow yeast to hydrate then add back into fermenter and stir in

Place fermenter in dark, temperature-controlled space.

Notes:
1. This creates about 8L liquid
2. Your volume is now about 9.75L

Photo 1: Cooking the plums. Everything soon gets a lot more red.

BATCH VARIANCES

Batch	1	2
Plum stew gravity	? [did not record]	1.024
Honey	2.6 kg aka ~2L	~3 kg
Starting gravity	1.100	1.110
PH	3.0 [did not adjust]	3.0 [original] 3.3 [adjusted]
Ca(OH)₂	-- [as above]	2½ tsp
Yeast	10 g	10 g
Yeast nutrient	? [did not record]	~3.5 g
Go-Ferm	--	~16 g [a bit too much,oops]
Starting volume	~9.75L	~9.75L
Final gravity	1.020
Primary fermentation length	11 days [Note: at 14 days added more yeast to try restart but no change at, called it at 28 days]
Nutrient schedule	For days 2 thru 6: Twice daily aerate/stir with sanitized paddle - splash splash After 72 hrs [3 days] and 120 hrs [5 days] add approx 4 gms nutrient and stir in
Final ABV	11%
1st racking volume	~8.75L

Photo 2: Fermentation has begin already after about 8 hours.

UPDATE
DAY 2, 3, 4, 5 [+24, 48, 64, 96 HRS]

Add 2 - 3 g nutrient, stir

UPDATE 
DAY 8 [SAT 4 OCT '25]

Took reading PH 1.026

UPDATE 
DAY 19 [WED 15 OCT '25]

Took reading PH 1.xxx?

To be continued...