Interestingly, Sabjorn, the owner of the Honnigbrew Meadery, keeps a bottle of Black-Briar Mead under his bed in his apartment. He secretly enjoys his opponent’s product!
So I made my first mead with my fiancé as a tradition for us to have for our wedding, one bottle for the wedding and then save a bottle for our 5 year anniversary. We each made our own based on our taste preferences on Saturday. Well today I went to give them a little swirly because I am paranoid and impatient and I almost had a heart attack! I saw white dots along the neck of my bottle. Being the rational and level headed person that I am, I almost had a come apart thinking that somehow I majorly screwed up somewhere and managed to let mold infiltrate my mead! 😳 so I inspected the airlock, yep still on there and degassing. I gave a swirly swirly and looked and the white stuff was chipping off in the middle. Then I shined my flashlight on it, and realized! I had used a spoon to pour my yeast in the bottle (gooseneck) and it went everywhere and not all of it would come off when I tried to incorporate it. So the yeast got wet from me trying to knock them down and then they hydrated and then crusted up on the neck of my bottle. Moral of the story is INVESTIGATE BEFORE YOU THROW AWAY! I almost yeeted it into the trash all because of some crusty suspicious yeast 😅
My son & I made all the Elder Scrolls meads a few weeks ago. We missed the detail that they were only half gallon recipes. They still turned out well, but, Oh No!😳 we're going to have to do them again with the right amounts😋
I only just started watching this channel, been binge watching over the last week. I wanted to say that you two are both so charming and likable. Thank you for making my Sunday just a little more chill. 🍻
Hey folks, another great video, and thank you! I'm a Beek and have been making mead for years. I love your recipe variations and am grateful to learn new tips and techniques from you both. Bees keep hives at 32c (90F). So as long as you don't warm it past that temp when brewing, it will retain all of the natural properties and flavour of wild, unpasteurized honey.
So happy to randomly come across this channel when looking for mead recipes. As a COMPLETE Skyrim nerd I've always wanted to see these recipes get done. I have made my own Mead with Juniper Berries! Appreciate the clear and concise editing and learning in these videos. Thanks y'all!
I am currently replaying Skyrim and I brew mead as a hobby so I was looking for recipes and this one just popped up without me saying anything in the search bar about Skyrim Google know it always knows
Brian I have been watching you and Derica for a while now and I love your rants. It seems like from your rants that your followers try to over complicate the most simple thing that’s been done the same way for years and years. I just stick to the plan and do the recipe just like you instruct us to do and everything works out perfectly. I just finished my first brew with the Welch’s grape juice and followed your teachings to the letter and today I have a very tasty wine. All I have left to do is just to bottle it. Thanks for being there, and you and Derica being great teachers. I can relate to a lot of the things you talk or rant about and I don’t know if we think alike or if we’re both just the same kind of crazy. Anyway keep up the good teaching methods and I will keep trying to learn from the best and improve and maybe come up with my own flavors and spiced up wines. Very Sincerely, Steve Abrams
I use Specific Gravity to govern back sweetening because I have taken SG readings of all of my favorite commercial meads and they have been at 1.04+ so my target SG for my brews is between 1.025 and 1.05.
Made this a few months ago for a friend's going away party 2 weeks ago. One of the best meds I made so far. We drank the whole gallon that night between a couple of us. Starting to make it again this weekend.
BTW... I feel that ignoring the Quick Mead instructions to drink after a couple weeks is appropriate since these meads are bottled so though the quick mead may be drunk soon after starting, these other meads (Black Briar, Honningbre, Nord, etc.) would be bottled when fermentation is done. There are no bottles of quick mead in the game so you are closer to the book (and game) than you think.
About boiling the water, i noticed that a lot of historic recepies do that, probably for sanitization since they didn't have bottled sceptic water like we do :)
@agentscott96 not true. These drinks were created to preserve food and to get drunk. You cannot live by drinking alcohol. It's a myth there was no drinking water in ye olden times.
Hey guys, great video as usual, I was a kid when I was introduced to the elder scrolls games, I was like 13 when oblivion came out, loved that game, played the heck out of it. then skyrim came out when I was about 18. But wasn't into brewing back then, when I turned 18 I started drinking apple cider and whisky premixes (RTDs) I never really took much notice about the meads in the game, was more focused on the armour and weapons lol. I think I was maybe 22 when I started drinking beer, I could tolerate it but I only started enjoying beer when I was 25, I acquired the taste for it lol. I'm currently fermenting out a thin mint stout! Its been a while since I've brewed a dark beer! I Know you guys like em, this one will be aged with bourbon soaked oak cubes and a healthy addition of sabro dry hops, cacao nibs and peppermint essence at bottling. Should be an interesting one for sure. Cheers 🍻
I've made the HonningBrew according to the in game recipe card (within reason of course) and it's a cyser that was funnily enough very close to my normal recipe.
So excited to make this! I just made my own variation, by adding an apple, ginger, lavender tea to the secondary stage of a traditional. Will be keen to see how your version and mime differ!
Strange coincidence, just over two weeks ago I started a 5 gallon batch with two kilograms of apples cut up in small pieces. Mine differs in the sense that I made an infusion of chocolate mint, sage, oregano, rosemary and lemon balm. I also added 1,5 litres of elderflower blossom syrup, because I didn't have that much honey at my disposal at that time. Going to make another infusion with lavender to add when it's ready for conditioning along with some ginger. A mere two months ago I made a mead with only the first mentioned infusion and it came out so nice: fruity, florally and fresh. Fermentation was quick as was conditioning, completely done in 4 weeks and I consider it a bummer because I only made 1 gallon. 😆
I can totally agree. I love spices such as cinnamon, ginger, allspice and vanilla but the flowery flavors just don't appeal to me. Lavender smells lovely but I don't like the flavor. I just received an order of loose green tea but didn't realize it was green tea with Jasmin until I opened the bag. It was quickly gifted. First words out of my mouth when I opened the bag of tea and smelled the jasmine " what the balls? " lol.
I made 2 gallons of this from the Elder Scrolls cookbook. I really like it. The only other flavor I have made from that book was the Nord Mead which I’m not the biggest fan of.
I have that book!!!! I actually started blackbriar & nord mead back in Nov 2022 and they are close to being bottled (long aging). I jumped in the deep end, and did both in a 5 gallon unit. I have yet to drop into the apple and mead mixes, so tempting and on my spring list when I get some space form bottling.
Prfect timing! I am starting mine on Oct 18th when my Lavender arrives. However, I am following the recipie exactly (except for the boiling) and I am slicing up the apples after coring them.
Brian, near the end you provided some great ideas for tweaking this recipe. I'm looking forward to that. For I too am not a fan of the taste of lavender. It smells good enough to me. But so does a good cigar. That doesn't mean I want to soak one in my drink. 😁
Not going to lie yall inspired me to try making mead little over a year ago and i had a new kitten and he watched yalls videos and brewed with me(sat and watched). Since then i have made a few batches including 1 experimental batch. I just wanted to thank yall for being entertaining, educational, and just overall great people! Cheers!
Derica and Brian, I'm on my third mead (A clone of your raisin mead) and my first need of a blow off tube. I followed your blowoff tube video and it's working perfectly. Thank you again for your help. Edward.
I might be on my twenty third after finding this channel... Good thing my buddies like free alcohol. Boy this hobby gets you. It got even worse after I befriended a beekeeper who trades me honey for the mead I brew.
Hey guys just want to thank you for your content, the simple way you teach how to brew gave me the courage to try my first brew, started yesterday, its already fermenting... gonna try the simple hard cider with sore bought juice, and i will try to carbonate it and then pasteurize the bottles... So this is just to thank you, and tell you that this is how the world advances, your passion inspired others and the years of experience you have and share with others makes the learning curve for us newbies so much simpler... TY
See she's the funny one and your the professor. Lol but in all honesty love you both and have learned so much watching you both. Hope all is well with you two and would love to see her dad again on a show.
Made both loved both I had made them exactly as they were said good results mixed it up for the honningbrew a few times and had a good time with it can't complain for my taste
Choward's makes a violet candy that I used to enjoy (I eat very little candy nowadays.), so I might like a lavender mead. And we happen to have a lavender bush in our backyard.
Great video! When I made this recipe before, I got the idea of making a lavender tea from one of your other videos (as opposed to adding it whole and over extracting). Thank you so much for all your helpful videos and getting me into brewing!😊 Much love Derica and Brian!
What an interesting recipe. I played Skyrim, so I'm familiar with the mead lore. I would have substituted another flower, myself, because I only like lavender in very small doses combined with neutral, light flavors. With apple and ginger in the mix, I think I'll try out some thistle or dandelion tea.
We are sorry to hear about your trip to the hospital, Michael! We hope your health improves and we also hope that our content can put a smile on your face. Best wishes!
Interesting video as always. I was also thinking the lavender could be reduced or removed altogether. But something I have been wondering lately is can you reuse your yeast cake in another similar Brew. Similar to using a starter yeast for sourdough Breads and kombucha? How would you store it and for how long is it good for?
I do and I don't want mead to become mainstream. Also, I love you guys. I think I discovered your channel about three years ago. You inspired me to buy my own equipment to make mead. It's been sitting in my closet for the last three years. I just pulled it all out today and now, I'm planning to make a simple "traditional" mead from your recipe.
I completely understand the lavender hate. in anything beyond the smallest amounts, it gives me an awful headache just being around it, and unless it's really understated, floral tastes in anything are really offputting to me. (and my SO absolutely loves lavender/floral things)
Not surprised Brian did not like this one. Half the amount of lavender with some black tea, some orange peel, some raisins for body/ tannins and four apples might of made a difference or it would still been a "Derricka mead and not a Brain mead." If all else fails with this mead you could add it to equal part black tea and splash of Cointreau to make a refreshing ice tea cocktail.
Next time I am in a dark place I will go back and watch this video just to help me come back in the light. This video really shows why I come back for more of you guys.
I am 3 weeks into my honningbrew mead or apple cyser. I’m excited to watch this video! I used 16# of cider apples juiced and strained and pasteurized, 2.5# honey with lalvin d47. And real Ceylon cinnamon next week.. I can’t wait!!
@@sandycove777 good enough I bought a 5 gallon press for this year’s batch of apples, and made a bit more than last year. Hopefully next year I will have more apples yet!
I love this video as much as I love any of your videos I have loved for YEARS. I do have bad news from here in Vegas. Our Vom Fass store is permanently closed.
It's awesome to see you two brewing from the Official Skyrim Cookbook, I had the opportunity to make a batch of Honningbrew Mead a couple of years ago for my gamer friends, it is essentially a Cyser mead, however I strayed just a tad from the original recipe. I used Freshly Pressed Apple Juice (Non Concentrated) and 2 pounds of Fireweed Honey from a family-owned apiary from Western Canada; I believe it was from Saskatchewan, I think. It came out fantastic, very flavourful and nostalgic.
Can relate with Brian on this brew. I normaly LOVE fruity meads but add lavender or jasmin or any of those heady florals and it's pass! It just rubs the wrong way in beverages!
Life hacks - not boiling the water to break down the honey is smart, otherwise the mylard effect will burn off some of the nutrient density resulting in a less potent 'elixer'. Also, grating the apple & ginger would of resulted in more juice released in addition to an increase in apple flavour overall - that's what I'd of done / will do (eventually) personally. Ode to the method I learnt to making organic fertilizers for gardening though instead of apple or ginger - banana peels for flowering specifically. ( not to not thwack your packet or anything, I respect the way you chose to go about this recipe more authentically as the book recommends, & vicariously you help me earn experience in a hobby I haven't had the luxury to practice lately so kudos - thank you, & that's why to repay you I try to really add insight that could benefit future projects if I can. ) Also, I have a suggestion, IDK if you are into SOUR beer, me personally I've really grown akin to sours>traditional brews, & would love to see you 2 brew wizards concoct and explore in that realm of possibility, never tried experimenting with sours as a brewer yet myself. Learned that the "yeast" used for sour beer (lactobacillus) is actually a probiotic, & noticed that whenever I drink sours I never feel like crud the morning after, or later on that evening even - as what happens when I drink low quality bevvys. In fact with sours theirs a sense of revitalization... ( some more than others determined by other factors, filtered vs ordinary water, organic vs regular ingredients, bottles oppose to cans, amount of water drank, & meals aten during times of indulgence among others I'm sure).. )
My yeast nutrient is 1 teaspoon of sea salt( 80 minerals) per 7 gallons of wort, along with 2 tablespoons of 7 minutes of boiled of bread yeast. works great,.
Sea salt isn’t really recommended as yeast are negatively affected by it. The trace minerals in it don’t really do much at all. I would hazard a guess that your brews are working well in spite of the salt rather than because of it. A teaspoon in 7 gallons is a very very small amount so it is very likely it’s just not enough to harm the yeast.
Not a big fan of lavender in mead myself I can't put finger on what it does but it's not lavender as I expect it to be after the brewing process. I've just made another thyme orange mead but this time added a handful of blueberries amd it's rather nice even after a couple of weeks in bottle just 20 grams of thyme made into a tea.
Hi really like your videos. Always looking forward for the next installment. But now I have a question. If I want a sweeter mead, is it better to let it go dry and backsweeten, or add extra sugar/honey so that the yeast tolerance is exceeded? (Not going over 1.110 SG though)
You can use either process. We found that allowing it to go dry gave us more control of the ABV then over shooting the gravity as sometimes the yeast keep fermenting beyond their documented tolerance.
There are 4 Mead's in the Skyrim game, the very first one mentions is after you escape heldon. A girl makes Mead with juniper berries. Then their is the honningbrew Mead, the Blackbriar Mead, the Blackbriar black label Mead.
Concerning adding tannins to your brew, tea is frequently used and you did a video a while back testing wine tannin powder made from bark or something. I was wondering, acorns are inedible as they are due to tannins and they need to be boiled before cooking to leech out the tannins; would it be possible to use the water from the acorns? What about putting whole acorns into the primary fermenter? I would be interested to know if anyone has tried that kind of thing
Fermenting with acorns is apparently a thing. Unfortunately we have no experience with this and can't speak on it's benefits or any possible health risks.
I wonder if you would have liked it better if you had racked it off the fruit when the book said it should be done and let it finish from there. Could it have over extracted the ginger or the apple skin to give the weird flavor Brian didn't like?
I have a difficult time with lavender and chamomile. Other floral flavors I seem to like... so far. Rose hips I definitely enjoy. Most of my experience with floral flavors have been tea. Watching this i don't think I will be braving the 2 in any of my brewing experiments.
Bucket list items: -play dnd with Brian and Derica -discuss Skyrim and brews with them You guys are awesome! You got me into brewing my first mead, just started a week ago! Thanks for your informative and interesting videos!
We might be able to help you with one of those bucket list items. Join us (if you haven't already) in our D&D Facebook Group. Once Bri takes a rest from DM'ing he plans to open a quick game up to interested members. facebook.com/groups/dndbtr
Hey guys, I’m new to Brewing. I have 2 of your brews fermenting now, 1 spiced apple mead and 2 is your simple cider and both are looking great at 10 days old. I’m sooooo excited! I will probably be racking in less then 10 days (just a guess) and both are sitting at 1 gallon right now. All I have to rack them to is 1 gallon Carboys and have a lot of lees. If I end up with a lot of head space after racking can I fill the space with sterilized marbles or something like that to minimize my air exposure to the brew?
Sure, using a larger vessel and then downsizing is an easier method as long as you have the right sized vessels. You should rack before adding the marbles and you may have to rack more than twice to get rid of the sediment due to the disruption the marbles might cause.
If you weigh down your fruit bag and have a tidy bundle that stays below the liquid level then there is less possibility of developing mold. If it sticks out and doesn't hold the fruit down below the liquid level then is should be the same possibility. Remember that the brew bag should be sanitized along with your other equipment.
You can rehydrate your yeast before adding to your brew. If you watch our earlier videos we used to do that. We have since found it to not be necessary. Some yeast manufacturers have instructions on how to rehydrate their yeast. If you wish you can certainly follow those directions.
:) Great vid! a question i been thinking about for a while now is . Do you or have you ever had to top off a mead? what i mean is. done fermentation racking it and seen to much headspace and felt like you needed to top it off with water or a mixture of anykind?. i had this question in my mind for the last 2 mead i have been making myself :) i do them in 1 Gallon batches and as you know angels are sometimes very greedy with their share(d*mn those greedy pirate angels). ofc topping them off would reduce flavour and alcohol content if you just top it off with some water(water as in good to use water like the one you use to create ur must) when would you say its to much airspace in this gallonjug?.
Trying apple cider for the first time. I added apple juice, pectic enzyme, and cider house select yeast to the fermenter. It’s only been going for 12 days and it has stopped fermentation and is clear. OG- 1050, reading as of yesterday was 1002…. Is it finished? Kinda quick isn’t it?
I would give it a week and take another reading just to be sure. It could be done. As far as quick, well yeasts can't tell time either. ;) All joking aside, some brews go quickly and some take longer. There are so many variables that affect time frame of fermentation.
I you ever do Vilods Mead (Juniper Berry) mine went bone dry 0.990 levels and was offensively floral. Right now its in secondary and I'm cold crashing it, I'm going to try back sweating when I bottle it. Definitely use the hibiscus As a tea rather than the plain flowers. You can probably use the Yarrow as is and the juniper berries as is, but the hibiscus has to be a tea.
I just made a version of this and Vilod's. I made tea with an ingredients and added them to the secondary stage of a traditional. I'm interested to see how the flavours come through.
@@DominatorS89 Please let me know how it turns out. I want to try again at some point, but I've first got to figure out if I can rescue the currrent version.
@@chickendragon8526 will do. The traditional I added them to is 11.5% and totally dry. I'm planning on backsweetening and pasteurising after a month or two
@@DominatorS89 At the moment it is bone dry and tart almost like grapefruit, but without any of the sugar. My plan is to add some sweetness back in when it's time to bottle, starting small and getting more agressive over time. I might also add in some some addition juniper or maybe a bit of ground pepper. It needs something to contrast the herbal taste. 3 weeks in and it doesn't taste very green, the jet fuel flavor of young alcohol just isn't very strong. At least not compared with the tartness. It's not bad, but it isn't good either. I think sweetness and spice will help it the most.
Hey Brian I am with you on the lavender. Or even for me most flowers though as a teenager I remember my stepdad gathering a 2 gallon pot of rose petals. Then boil and mash the petals forever. Then strain and filter the liquid. Smelled nice very faint but the taste well..... Notsomuch!
I was getting a bad taste in some of my meads, I was eating a apple one day got the same bad taste. Stopped using apples and the bad taste has gone away, so far. The bad taste was not in all the meads I used apples in.
First, I want to thank you for the explanation of "head space"; I thought it was based on vertical area, not surface area! Second, lavender--Yuk! I had the misfortune of sampling Lavender Cider out in Washington state. Beautiful smell, but disgusting taste! I had serious reservations when I heard about that ingredient. Hypothesis confirmed! Thanks again for all the great videos!
Im wondering if its like some fandom cook books where they just do a random recipe without it having to do with the source at all but there are a lot of secrets in Skyrim and its possible a recipe or hints to the ingredients are lying around the brewery
I like your videos, but I have a question I dunno where to ask, so Ill ask here. Im making my first apple cider, im about to pour it in secondary fermenter. The question is -can I pour fresh apple juice on top of old sediment in first fermenter without washing/sanitizing/getting new yeast and starting it? Would it work or should I start from scratch?
You started making a recipe off the top of your head at the end with no lavender, more apple, more ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice. Do you have a video/recipe that sounds just like that? It sounds right up my alley. Thank you!
I suffer from some anxiety issues that keep me in my own little bubble 99.99% of the time. On really bad days, y’all help keep me calm and relaxed. I can’t even afford equipment atm but you guys have me covered when I’m ready… and I really appreciate that.
Lavender is one of those love it or hate it flavours. I’m very ambivalent about it. I wish I could send you quince to try and make a brew with. I’ve got a quince mead chewing its way through its sugars right now and can’t help wondering how you’d handle that fruit. Even though quince trees even grow in the Middle East (if I remember correctly they originated there) I have no idea if quince trees grow in Florida and if you can get them at an affordable price.
@@CitySteadingBrews - That’s a pity. Quince are such wonderful, forgotten and healthy fruit! They require work, I’m not going to deny that. But they’re absolutely delicious. My quince mead smells soooooo good! I’m already feeling sorry for myself that I gave half the quince my neighbours gave to me to my mother for quince jam or jelly: now I’m going to “only” have around one gallon of quince mead. I hope my neighbours are as kind next year! They might… I gave them mead in return. 😊
I am working on a new mead recipe based on a friendly competition from last year. Carmel Popcorn mead. The thing that I am currently holding off on is what type of Honey? Don't want the orange flavor from Orange blossom nor any hints of wildflower. I know wildflower is one of the most neutral honeys. any ideas?
Grade A pasteurized from your local super market No additives, no extra chemicals, made to taste what the mass market expects of honey Basically as neutral as honey can get
@@jacobgentile3351 That is a very good idea, I do not need a flavorful quality mead. For that matter I wonder if this is a mead where even if it has Corn Syrup will not matter? I need to do a little bit more research, thank you for the important.
Clover honey is pretty neutral tasting. So are you planning to roast some corn, boil the ear cobs to make a broth, add the honey and then bochet it to make a caramel popcorn mead?
@@nicholaskarako5701 My plan was to use Caramel coated popcorn and Cocoa nibs with the honey, 4 or 5 pounds of honey for a 2 gallon batch. But I like the idea above; the most generic store bought may be the best choice or even straight corn syrup (karo, 1/2 and 1/2).
Interestingly, Sabjorn, the owner of the Honnigbrew Meadery, keeps a bottle of Black-Briar Mead under his bed in his apartment. He secretly enjoys his opponent’s product!
I stole it
@@timmc5954 Same, along with everything else not nailed down.
Isn't there a thieves guild quest line that ends-up giving Maven Blackbriar control over Honningbrew Meadery?
@@paulregner5335 yep
Naw, he went full Plankton and is trying to steal the secret Crabby Patty formula.
My Skyrim characters often visit Honningbrew for a spot of mead and a sweetroll while pottering about Whiterun. It's a fun little roleplay stop
I used to be an adventurer like you but then I took an arrow to the knee. Now I make mead for the city guard
Lol 😆
Since Derica loves ginger and Cointreau, check out Crabbie's Orange Ginger Beer. It's my favorite commercially available ginger beer.
Nice! Will do! Thanks for the recommendation.
Oh we're coming up on the 1 year mark! I'm so glad a friend pointed me to this channel. Do you have a video for make labels for your bottles?
So I made my first mead with my fiancé as a tradition for us to have for our wedding, one bottle for the wedding and then save a bottle for our 5 year anniversary. We each made our own based on our taste preferences on Saturday. Well today I went to give them a little swirly because I am paranoid and impatient and I almost had a heart attack! I saw white dots along the neck of my bottle. Being the rational and level headed person that I am, I almost had a come apart thinking that somehow I majorly screwed up somewhere and managed to let mold infiltrate my mead! 😳 so I inspected the airlock, yep still on there and degassing. I gave a swirly swirly and looked and the white stuff was chipping off in the middle. Then I shined my flashlight on it, and realized! I had used a spoon to pour my yeast in the bottle (gooseneck) and it went everywhere and not all of it would come off when I tried to incorporate it. So the yeast got wet from me trying to knock them down and then they hydrated and then crusted up on the neck of my bottle. Moral of the story is INVESTIGATE BEFORE YOU THROW AWAY! I almost yeeted it into the trash all because of some crusty suspicious yeast 😅
My son & I made all the Elder Scrolls meads a few weeks ago. We missed the detail that they were only half gallon recipes. They still turned out well, but, Oh No!😳 we're going to have to do them again with the right amounts😋
Brian over here summarizing Maven's whole life.
I only just started watching this channel, been binge watching over the last week. I wanted to say that you two are both so charming and likable. Thank you for making my Sunday just a little more chill. 🍻
I only just started trying mead. So very glad I found this channel just now.
I agree. Something here, and I love watching them. They're a whole vibe.
Hey folks, another great video, and thank you! I'm a Beek and have been making mead for years. I love your recipe variations and am grateful to learn new tips and techniques from you both. Bees keep hives at 32c (90F). So as long as you don't warm it past that temp when brewing, it will retain all of the natural properties and flavour of wild, unpasteurized honey.
So happy to randomly come across this channel when looking for mead recipes. As a COMPLETE Skyrim nerd I've always wanted to see these recipes get done. I have made my own Mead with Juniper Berries! Appreciate the clear and concise editing and learning in these videos. Thanks y'all!
There you are, Vilod
I am currently replaying Skyrim and I brew mead as a hobby so I was looking for recipes and this one just popped up without me saying anything in the search bar about Skyrim Google know it always knows
Little late to the game but how did it turn out? The first thing I thought of after watching these Skyrim mead videos was mead with juniper berries :)
Brian I have been watching you and Derica for a while now and I love your rants. It seems like from your rants that your followers try to over complicate the most simple thing that’s been done the same way for years and years. I just stick to the plan and do the recipe just like you instruct us to do and everything works out perfectly.
I just finished my first brew with the Welch’s grape juice and followed your teachings to the letter and today I have a very tasty wine. All I have left to do is just to bottle it. Thanks for being there, and you and Derica being great teachers. I can relate to a lot of the things you talk or rant about and I don’t know if we think alike or if we’re both just the same kind of crazy.
Anyway keep up the good teaching methods and I will keep trying to learn from the best and improve and maybe come up with my own flavors and spiced up wines.
Very Sincerely,
Steve Abrams
I use Specific Gravity to govern back sweetening because I have taken SG readings of all of my favorite commercial meads and they have been at 1.04+ so my target SG for my brews is between 1.025 and 1.05.
Made this a few months ago for a friend's going away party 2 weeks ago. One of the best meds I made so far. We drank the whole gallon that night between a couple of us.
Starting to make it again this weekend.
BTW... I feel that ignoring the Quick Mead instructions to drink after a couple weeks is appropriate since these meads are bottled so though the quick mead may be drunk soon after starting, these other meads (Black Briar, Honningbre, Nord, etc.) would be bottled when fermentation is done. There are no bottles of quick mead in the game so you are closer to the book (and game) than you think.
About boiling the water, i noticed that a lot of historic recepies do that, probably for sanitization since they didn't have bottled sceptic water like we do :)
And a lot of these drinks were created because water wasn’t drinkable
@agentscott96 not true. These drinks were created to preserve food and to get drunk. You cannot live by drinking alcohol. It's a myth there was no drinking water in ye olden times.
Hey guys, great video as usual, I was a kid when I was introduced to the elder scrolls games, I was like 13 when oblivion came out, loved that game, played the heck out of it. then skyrim came out when I was about 18. But wasn't into brewing back then, when I turned 18 I started drinking apple cider and whisky premixes (RTDs) I never really took much notice about the meads in the game, was more focused on the armour and weapons lol. I think I was maybe 22 when I started drinking beer, I could tolerate it but I only started enjoying beer when I was 25, I acquired the taste for it lol. I'm currently fermenting out a thin mint stout! Its been a while since I've brewed a dark beer! I Know you guys like em, this one will be aged with bourbon soaked oak cubes and a healthy addition of sabro dry hops, cacao nibs and peppermint essence at bottling. Should be an interesting one for sure. Cheers 🍻
I've made the HonningBrew according to the in game recipe card (within reason of course) and it's a cyser that was funnily enough very close to my normal recipe.
So excited to make this! I just made my own variation, by adding an apple, ginger, lavender tea to the secondary stage of a traditional. Will be keen to see how your version and mime differ!
Strange coincidence, just over two weeks ago I started a 5 gallon batch with two kilograms of apples cut up in small pieces. Mine differs in the sense that I made an infusion of chocolate mint, sage, oregano, rosemary and lemon balm.
I also added 1,5 litres of elderflower blossom syrup, because I didn't have that much honey at my disposal at that time.
Going to make another infusion with lavender to add when it's ready for conditioning along with some ginger.
A mere two months ago I made a mead with only the first mentioned infusion and it came out so nice: fruity, florally and fresh. Fermentation was quick as was conditioning, completely done in 4 weeks and I consider it a bummer because I only made 1 gallon. 😆
I can totally agree. I love spices such as cinnamon, ginger, allspice and vanilla but the flowery flavors just don't appeal to me. Lavender smells lovely but I don't like the flavor. I just received an order of loose green tea but didn't realize it was green tea with Jasmin until I opened the bag. It was quickly gifted. First words out of my mouth when I opened the bag of tea and smelled the jasmine " what the balls? " lol.
I made 2 gallons of this from the Elder Scrolls cookbook. I really like it. The only other flavor I have made from that book was the Nord Mead which I’m not the biggest fan of.
Don't worry to much about apples floating I make my cysers ciders and apple meads that way all the time and never had a problem 😊
Entertainment value :
11/10
I have that book!!!! I actually started blackbriar & nord mead back in Nov 2022 and they are close to being bottled (long aging). I jumped in the deep end, and did both in a 5 gallon unit.
I have yet to drop into the apple and mead mixes, so tempting and on my spring list when I get some space form bottling.
Prfect timing! I am starting mine on Oct 18th when my Lavender arrives. However, I am following the recipie exactly (except for the boiling) and I am slicing up the apples after coring them.
You guys are so freaking awesome. I love your combined energy.
One of these days, when I have the time and space to do it, I need to get into this.
Brian, near the end you provided some great ideas for tweaking this recipe. I'm looking forward to that. For I too am not a fan of the taste of lavender. It smells good enough to me. But so does a good cigar. That doesn't mean I want to soak one in my drink. 😁
Not going to lie yall inspired me to try making mead little over a year ago and i had a new kitten and he watched yalls videos and brewed with me(sat and watched). Since then i have made a few batches including 1 experimental batch. I just wanted to thank yall for being entertaining, educational, and just overall great people! Cheers!
Love it. Been eying this book up for a while..but I’m worried if I make them, someone will steal my sweet rolls
Rather have that happen then take an arrow to the knee.
@@thehellfirewolf13 oh I agree.. in fact, I used to be an adventurer until..
Derica and Brian, I'm on my third mead (A clone of your raisin mead) and my first need of a blow off tube. I followed your blowoff tube video and it's working perfectly. Thank you again for your help. Edward.
That is awesome! Glad to be of help!
I might be on my twenty third after finding this channel... Good thing my buddies like free alcohol. Boy this hobby gets you. It got even worse after I befriended a beekeeper who trades me honey for the mead I brew.
Hey guys just want to thank you for your content, the simple way you teach how to brew gave me the courage to try my first brew, started yesterday, its already fermenting... gonna try the simple hard cider with sore bought juice, and i will try to carbonate it and then pasteurize the bottles... So this is just to thank you, and tell you that this is how the world advances, your passion inspired others and the years of experience you have and share with others makes the learning curve for us newbies so much simpler... TY
See she's the funny one and your the professor. Lol but in all honesty love you both and have learned so much watching you both. Hope all is well with you two and would love to see her dad again on a show.
Yes! I was waiting for y'all to do this. I wanted to try the recipe so bad but not until y'all fixed it lol
Made both loved both I had made them exactly as they were said good results mixed it up for the honningbrew a few times and had a good time with it can't complain for my taste
Choward's makes a violet candy that I used to enjoy (I eat very little candy nowadays.), so I might like a lavender mead. And we happen to have a lavender bush in our backyard.
I have made Vilod's Mead from that cookbook. Its one of my favorites that I have made.
Great video! When I made this recipe before, I got the idea of making a lavender tea from one of your other videos (as opposed to adding it whole and over extracting). Thank you so much for all your helpful videos and getting me into brewing!😊 Much love Derica and Brian!
1 Other tip, if it's not bubbling through your bubbler, tighten the cap, I have those same lovely wide mouth bubbler but sometimes needs a tighten! 😉
What an interesting recipe. I played Skyrim, so I'm familiar with the mead lore. I would have substituted another flower, myself, because I only like lavender in very small doses combined with neutral, light flavors. With apple and ginger in the mix, I think I'll try out some thistle or dandelion tea.
I stopped drinking alcohol after my recent hospitalization,but I still love your show.
We are sorry to hear about your trip to the hospital, Michael! We hope your health improves and we also hope that our content can put a smile on your face. Best wishes!
@@CitySteadingBrews Thanks guys!
Interesting video as always. I was also thinking the lavender could be reduced or removed altogether. But something I have been wondering lately is can you reuse your yeast cake in another similar Brew. Similar to using a starter yeast for sourdough Breads and kombucha? How would you store it and for how long is it good for?
I do and I don't want mead to become mainstream.
Also, I love you guys. I think I discovered your channel about three years ago. You inspired me to buy my own equipment to make mead. It's been sitting in my closet for the last three years. I just pulled it all out today and now, I'm planning to make a simple "traditional" mead from your recipe.
Welcome back!
I completely understand the lavender hate. in anything beyond the smallest amounts, it gives me an awful headache just being around it, and unless it's really understated, floral tastes in anything are really offputting to me. (and my SO absolutely loves lavender/floral things)
Not surprised Brian did not like this one. Half the amount of lavender with some black tea, some orange peel, some raisins for body/ tannins and four apples might of made a difference or it would still been a "Derricka mead and not a Brain mead." If all else fails with this mead you could add it to equal part black tea and splash of Cointreau to make a refreshing ice tea cocktail.
Next time I am in a dark place I will go back and watch this video just to help me come back in the light. This video really shows why I come back for more of you guys.
I am 3 weeks into my honningbrew mead or apple cyser. I’m excited to watch this video! I used 16# of cider apples juiced and strained and pasteurized, 2.5# honey with lalvin d47. And real Ceylon cinnamon next week.. I can’t wait!!
My apple juice was 1.060 and with my honey it came out to a starting specific gravity of 1.128. So 68 points honey.
I would like to know your results, please 🙏
@@sandycove777 good enough I bought a 5 gallon press for this year’s batch of apples, and made a bit more than last year. Hopefully next year I will have more apples yet!
It will be interesting to see your take on her Skyrim Juniper Berry Mead, seeing as how you've already done a juniper berry 😁
Awesome video as always! . I've been pondering making a elder scrolls recipe mead. I just can't decide which one to make first .
Make them all!! We liked the juniper berry & Nord the best.
I love this video as much as I love any of your videos I have loved for YEARS. I do have bad news from here in Vegas. Our Vom Fass store is permanently closed.
Nooooo! :( Thank you for watching!
21:23 lol Brian
"One end of the auto siphon in the pitcher the other in the auto siphon"
It's awesome to see you two brewing from the Official Skyrim Cookbook, I had the opportunity to make a batch of Honningbrew Mead a couple of years ago for my gamer friends, it is essentially a Cyser mead, however I strayed just a tad from the original recipe. I used Freshly Pressed Apple Juice (Non Concentrated) and 2 pounds of Fireweed Honey from a family-owned apiary from Western Canada; I believe it was from Saskatchewan, I think. It came out fantastic, very flavourful and nostalgic.
I made this and back sweetened with honey, the lavender really came through nicely but not so much of the apple and ginger. Over all I really like it.
Can relate with Brian on this brew. I normaly LOVE fruity meads but add lavender or jasmin or any of those heady florals and it's pass! It just rubs the wrong way in beverages!
I'll dropped the ginger and I reduced the amount of lavender.. I also didn't do a tea. Used Voss kviek yeast too. Love the channel.
Life hacks - not boiling the water to break down the honey is smart, otherwise the mylard effect will burn off some of the nutrient density resulting in a less potent 'elixer'. Also, grating the apple & ginger would of resulted in more juice released in addition to an increase in apple flavour overall - that's what I'd of done / will do (eventually) personally. Ode to the method I learnt to making organic fertilizers for gardening though instead of apple or ginger - banana peels for flowering specifically.
( not to not thwack your packet or anything, I respect the way you chose to go about this recipe more authentically as the book recommends, & vicariously you help me earn experience in a hobby I haven't had the luxury to practice lately so kudos - thank you, & that's why to repay you I try to really add insight that could benefit future projects if I can. )
Also, I have a suggestion, IDK if you are into SOUR beer, me personally I've really grown akin to sours>traditional brews, & would love to see you 2 brew wizards concoct and explore in that realm of possibility, never tried experimenting with sours as a brewer yet myself.
Learned that the "yeast" used for sour beer (lactobacillus) is actually a probiotic, & noticed that whenever I drink sours I never feel like crud the morning after, or later on that evening even - as what happens when I drink low quality bevvys.
In fact with sours theirs a sense of revitalization...
( some more than others determined by other factors, filtered vs ordinary water, organic vs regular ingredients, bottles oppose to cans, amount of water drank, & meals aten during times of indulgence among others I'm sure).. )
My yeast nutrient is 1 teaspoon of sea salt( 80 minerals) per 7 gallons of wort, along with 2 tablespoons of 7 minutes of boiled of bread yeast. works great,.
Sea salt isn’t really recommended as yeast are negatively affected by it. The trace minerals in it don’t really do much at all. I would hazard a guess that your brews are working well in spite of the salt rather than because of it. A teaspoon in 7 gallons is a very very small amount so it is very likely it’s just not enough to harm the yeast.
I'm with Brian. I've tried to like Lavender in a couple of recipes and they wound up in the drain eventually.
Once racked, is it advisable to plop something inert (won't react with the future mead) into the jug to raise the level and reduce headspace?
We suggest either using a smaller vessel if available or use something you can sanitize like glass marbles to minimize head space, yes.
I've never been a fan of flower notes like lavender or rose, thanks for trying this one before I did.
Not a big fan of lavender in mead myself I can't put finger on what it does but it's not lavender as I expect it to be after the brewing process. I've just made another thyme orange mead but this time added a handful of blueberries amd it's rather nice even after a couple of weeks in bottle just 20 grams of thyme made into a tea.
Hi really like your videos. Always looking forward for the next installment. But now I have a question. If I want a sweeter mead, is it better to let it go dry and backsweeten, or add extra sugar/honey so that the yeast tolerance is exceeded? (Not going over 1.110 SG though)
You can use either process. We found that allowing it to go dry gave us more control of the ABV then over shooting the gravity as sometimes the yeast keep fermenting beyond their documented tolerance.
Have you ever considered fortifying a brew with something like PGA to bring it up to the minimum 10% alcohol content?
You used the first half of the packet in the last Hydromel (I just brewed it yesterday!!:)
You guys are awesome, so lovely to watch and inspiring af
There are 4 Mead's in the Skyrim game, the very first one mentions is after you escape heldon. A girl makes Mead with juniper berries. Then their is the honningbrew Mead, the Blackbriar Mead, the Blackbriar black label Mead.
Concerning adding tannins to your brew, tea is frequently used and you did a video a while back testing wine tannin powder made from bark or something. I was wondering, acorns are inedible as they are due to tannins and they need to be boiled before cooking to leech out the tannins; would it be possible to use the water from the acorns? What about putting whole acorns into the primary fermenter? I would be interested to know if anyone has tried that kind of thing
Fermenting with acorns is apparently a thing. Unfortunately we have no experience with this and can't speak on it's benefits or any possible health risks.
Have you had any luck or experience with storing cider in a typical 64 ounce beer growler, one would buy from a brewery??
We have not stored any cider in a vessel that size. We do have some wine stored in a 1.75 liter bottle.
My "cellar" aka my closet is looking a little empty so i might have to try this one to restock.
I wonder if you would have liked it better if you had racked it off the fruit when the book said it should be done and let it finish from there. Could it have over extracted the ginger or the apple skin to give the weird flavor Brian didn't like?
That is a possibility. I fear that Bri might not like it regardless and if the fruity flavors were weakened then I might not like it as well.
I have a difficult time with lavender and chamomile. Other floral flavors I seem to like... so far. Rose hips I definitely enjoy. Most of my experience with floral flavors have been tea. Watching this i don't think I will be braving the 2 in any of my brewing experiments.
Do you get to the cloud district very often? Oh what am I saying, of course you don't.
Bucket list items:
-play dnd with Brian and Derica
-discuss Skyrim and brews with them
You guys are awesome! You got me into brewing my first mead, just started a week ago! Thanks for your informative and interesting videos!
We might be able to help you with one of those bucket list items. Join us (if you haven't already) in our D&D Facebook Group. Once Bri takes a rest from DM'ing he plans to open a quick game up to interested members. facebook.com/groups/dndbtr
@@CitySteadingBrews that is awesome!! I will for sure join the group!
Hey guys, I’m new to Brewing. I have 2 of your brews fermenting now, 1 spiced apple mead and 2 is your simple cider and both are looking great at 10 days old. I’m sooooo excited! I will probably be racking in less then 10 days (just a guess) and both are sitting at 1 gallon right now. All I have to rack them to is 1 gallon Carboys and have a lot of lees. If I end up with a lot of head space after racking can I fill the space with sterilized marbles or something like that to minimize my air exposure to the brew?
Absolutely! Sanitizable material such as glass marbles is what we normally suggest adding to reduce headspace.
Sure, using a larger vessel and then downsizing is an easier method as long as you have the right sized vessels. You should rack before adding the marbles and you may have to rack more than twice to get rid of the sediment due to the disruption the marbles might cause.
Love watching you guys.
If you use a brew bag for your fruit is it less, more, or about the same possibility of developing mold etc.?
If you weigh down your fruit bag and have a tidy bundle that stays below the liquid level then there is less possibility of developing mold. If it sticks out and doesn't hold the fruit down below the liquid level then is should be the same possibility. Remember that the brew bag should be sanitized along with your other equipment.
With yeast I've always bloomed my yeast when it comes to baking/bread making. Would you recommend doing that for making meads and wines?
You can rehydrate your yeast before adding to your brew. If you watch our earlier videos we used to do that. We have since found it to not be necessary. Some yeast manufacturers have instructions on how to rehydrate their yeast. If you wish you can certainly follow those directions.
I met a lady who works at bottle shop who was allergic to anything with wheat hops honey and fruit in the making.
:) Great vid! a question i been thinking about for a while now is . Do you or have you ever had to top off a mead? what i mean is. done fermentation racking it and seen to much headspace and felt like you needed to top it off with water or a mixture of anykind?. i had this question in my mind for the last 2 mead i have been making myself :) i do them in 1 Gallon batches and as you know angels are sometimes very greedy with their share(d*mn those greedy pirate angels). ofc topping them off would reduce flavour and alcohol content if you just top it off with some water(water as in good to use water like the one you use to create ur must) when would you say its to much airspace in this gallonjug?.
Pretty sure he’s mentioned glass marbles for that
Trying apple cider for the first time. I added apple juice, pectic enzyme, and cider house select yeast to the fermenter. It’s only been going for 12 days and it has stopped fermentation and is clear. OG- 1050, reading as of yesterday was 1002…. Is it finished? Kinda quick isn’t it?
I would give it a week and take another reading just to be sure. It could be done. As far as quick, well yeasts can't tell time either. ;) All joking aside, some brews go quickly and some take longer. There are so many variables that affect time frame of fermentation.
I you ever do Vilods Mead (Juniper Berry) mine went bone dry 0.990 levels and was offensively floral. Right now its in secondary and I'm cold crashing it, I'm going to try back sweating when I bottle it. Definitely use the hibiscus As a tea rather than the plain flowers. You can probably use the Yarrow as is and the juniper berries as is, but the hibiscus has to be a tea.
I just made a version of this and Vilod's. I made tea with an ingredients and added them to the secondary stage of a traditional. I'm interested to see how the flavours come through.
@@DominatorS89 Please let me know how it turns out. I want to try again at some point, but I've first got to figure out if I can rescue the currrent version.
@@chickendragon8526 will do. The traditional I added them to is 11.5% and totally dry. I'm planning on backsweetening and pasteurising after a month or two
@@chickendragon8526 any plans on how you'll save this? Is there something you can add to balance it out? Do the hibiscus make it very tart?
@@DominatorS89 At the moment it is bone dry and tart almost like grapefruit, but without any of the sugar. My plan is to add some sweetness back in when it's time to bottle, starting small and getting more agressive over time. I might also add in some some addition juniper or maybe a bit of ground pepper. It needs something to contrast the herbal taste.
3 weeks in and it doesn't taste very green, the jet fuel flavor of young alcohol just isn't very strong. At least not compared with the tartness. It's not bad, but it isn't good either. I think sweetness and spice will help it the most.
Love the thwack your packet shirt!
Ginger makes the arthritis in my feet feel happy. So I make ginger mead, with some red grapes. 2 ounces of it works for my feet.
Hey Brian I am with you on the lavender. Or even for me most flowers though as a teenager I remember my stepdad gathering a 2 gallon pot of rose petals. Then boil and mash the petals forever. Then strain and filter the liquid. Smelled nice very faint but the taste well.....
Notsomuch!
Lol
I was getting a bad taste in some of my meads, I was eating a apple one day got the same bad taste. Stopped using apples and the bad taste has gone away, so far. The bad taste was not in all the meads I used apples in.
First, I want to thank you for the explanation of "head space"; I thought it was based on vertical area, not surface area! Second, lavender--Yuk! I had the misfortune of sampling Lavender Cider out in Washington state. Beautiful smell, but disgusting taste! I had serious reservations when I heard about that ingredient. Hypothesis confirmed! Thanks again for all the great videos!
Glad it was helpful!
My youngest son really enjoys a really strong non-alcoholic ginger beer from Australia. The problem is I don't remember the name of it.
Im wondering if its like some fandom cook books where they just do a random recipe without it having to do with the source at all but there are a lot of secrets in Skyrim and its possible a recipe or hints to the ingredients are lying around the brewery
Have you ever used those canned inert gas spray bottles to avoid oxygenation?
Brian,
Would a malolactic fermentation soften the flavor?? Make it more palatable???
I like your videos, but I have a question I dunno where to ask, so Ill ask here. Im making my first apple cider, im about to pour it in secondary fermenter. The question is -can I pour fresh apple juice on top of old sediment in first fermenter without washing/sanitizing/getting new yeast and starting it? Would it work or should I start from scratch?
You started making a recipe off the top of your head at the end with no lavender, more apple, more ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice. Do you have a video/recipe that sounds just like that? It sounds right up my alley. Thank you!
Not at this time, sorry!
@@CitySteadingBrews Totally fine. I'm sure I can find recipes with quantities of spices, so I don't overdo it.
Excited for the one year later video. Next month?
We do them when they are ready :)
I LOVE, love Candied Ginger!!
Have you ever made the trip to the meadery in Tampa? My wife and I are planning to make a road trip there some weekend.
We are in communication with many of our local breweries and hope to share some of their creations with you next year!
Frost River is next?
I suffer from some anxiety issues that keep me in my own little bubble 99.99% of the time.
On really bad days, y’all help keep me calm and relaxed. I can’t even afford equipment atm but you guys have me covered when I’m ready… and I really appreciate that.
Lavender is one of those love it or hate it flavours. I’m very ambivalent about it.
I wish I could send you quince to try and make a brew with. I’ve got a quince mead chewing its way through its sugars right now and can’t help wondering how you’d handle that fruit. Even though quince trees even grow in the Middle East (if I remember correctly they originated there) I have no idea if quince trees grow in Florida and if you can get them at an affordable price.
We are too humid to properly grow quince. That said, my Rose Apple is a distant relative and someday (if I can convince Bri) we might brew with them.
@@CitySteadingBrews - That’s a pity. Quince are such wonderful, forgotten and healthy fruit! They require work, I’m not going to deny that. But they’re absolutely delicious. My quince mead smells soooooo good! I’m already feeling sorry for myself that I gave half the quince my neighbours gave to me to my mother for quince jam or jelly: now I’m going to “only” have around one gallon of quince mead. I hope my neighbours are as kind next year! They might… I gave them mead in return. 😊
this reminded me of the mead recipe from the Star Trek cookbook. i would love to see what you think of that recipe.
I am working on a new mead recipe based on a friendly competition from last year. Carmel Popcorn mead. The thing that I am currently holding off on is what type of Honey? Don't want the orange flavor from Orange blossom nor any hints of wildflower. I know wildflower is one of the most neutral honeys. any ideas?
Grade A pasteurized from your local super market
No additives, no extra chemicals, made to taste what the mass market expects of honey
Basically as neutral as honey can get
@@jacobgentile3351 That is a very good idea, I do not need a flavorful quality mead. For that matter I wonder if this is a mead where even if it has Corn Syrup will not matter? I need to do a little bit more research, thank you for the important.
Clover honey is pretty neutral tasting. So are you planning to roast some corn, boil the ear cobs to make a broth, add the honey and then bochet it to make a caramel popcorn mead?
@@nicholaskarako5701 My plan was to use Caramel coated popcorn and Cocoa nibs with the honey, 4 or 5 pounds of honey for a 2 gallon batch. But I like the idea above; the most generic store bought may be the best choice or even straight corn syrup (karo, 1/2 and 1/2).