I’m looking to make my second batch of anything soon, and am seriously considering a Rhubarb or strawberry-rhubarb Mead/Melomel. Some suggestions I’ve had in other places are to take a Rhubarb Wine recipe and cut the honey and/or sugar to about 1/3 of what it calls for in the wine recipe. The main thing I want is drinkability (i.e. flavor) but it would also be nice to have a good kick as well. 
:cheers:
My recommendations would be to keep the SG in the range of 1.085 and use percipitated chalk for dealing with some of the oxalic acid in the rhubarb. Make sure that you are using only a high quality honey, and if you use honey to backsweeten you may need to allow more time for clearing.
Thanks. I’m hoping to make something less than a dessert drink. Definitely do NOT want it too sweet. Then again, I also want it to be drinkable, and not too tart. Should I measure the PH before I pitch the yeast? I have some pool/spa sticks that measure PH as one of several tests on a disposable stick, and can maybe take a small sample and test it before I pitch.
Managing Ph is a very important part of meadmaking. If Ph drops too much during fermentation, fermentation can drag on for months and you will not have good results. Adjust your Ph if levels drop below 3.5 during fermentation.
Rhubarb contains high amounts of oxalic acid and you really need to use the percipitated chalk to knock that back.
TA levels should be around 0.65 range.
Its strictly a personal choice of where to backsweeten to but I would backsweeten to 1.015.
[quote=“Newsman”]I’m looking to make my second batch of anything soon, and am seriously considering a Rhubarb or strawberry-rhubarb Mead/Melomel. Some suggestions I’ve had in other places are to take a Rhubarb Wine recipe and cut the honey and/or sugar to about 1/3 of what it calls for in the wine recipe. The main thing I want is drinkability (i.e. flavor) but it would also be nice to have a good kick as well.
:cheers: [/quote]
I’d go with the strawberry-rhubarb combo. I like rhubarb pie, but strawberry-rhubard pie is way better.
Fell;as…I’m new here but maybe this will help in regards to precipated chalk for cutting the acid in
such wines as rhubarb and other high acid wines…The antacid tablets that start with a T and ends
with an S are calcium carbonate,(written right on front of the label) not only that, but they now are
made in berry flavors so shouldn’t affect the taste of your average wine on average…
Lotsa luck...Hal