Made this recipie as my first mead. It has been aged now approx 8 months. Took it to a local winery meet and taste recently. The owner of the winerey said that the taste was award winning. And he gladly told all in attendace that if they wanted to try a good mead, that this was the one. Thanks for all the brewing help, and congratulations on a great recipie.
@@kennyrazor81 I’m pretty easy going about it, I usually make a tea out of it at first ferment. I have added the dried lavender after first ferment and then just keep checking every 5-7 days. If you use lavender be sure and go very light with it otherwise you’ll have a soapy flavor.
First of all, I’m 25 and I love operation. Second, thank you for this, I love blueberry stuff and I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you for this channel!!!!
Outtakes at the end..."What the bleepity bleep." That made me chuckle more than it probably should have. But it was needed on this early and dismal/frosty Sunday morning.
Hi Brian and Derica My wife laughed at me this morning because I was talking about you with her and using your names as on first name basis like we were besties , so thanks for making her laugh at me and keep up the good work on your videos, I have only been at wine and mead making about 3 months and have made far superior wines than any store bought products Thanks again Chuck
Ok, I have some results f from my blueberry mead! Quick rundown of ingredients: 3lbs Kelly's Local Texas Honey, 3lbs Wyman's Frozen Blueberries (thawed, mashed, and sat on a dose of pectic enzyme overnight). Started off with 71B yeast, added .75 grams fermaid o at about 12 hour mark. Then .75 grams of fermaid o again at 1/3 sugar break. In 1 month it went to 15.8%ABV and dryer than a stick of chalk! Let me say "WOW" I should've stopped this long ago lol, one thing is for sure, blueberry should never be that dry! 😵 Haha. I've racked it over to a 1 gal jug and at this stage I'm not sure if I'm going to add some more honey or sweetener, but its going to get something for sure 🤣 I'll update soon if anyone is interested.....
@@billybibbit9146 after many mead batches later, I soon realized I ran that first blueberry mead way too hot! My thinking at the time was, wow I can run this stuff fast! That was a mistake! I didn't have off flavor, but it went very dry quick and when it ran out of sugars, I think it went to work on anything left that could've left more flavor! lol I split it and back-sweetened 1 with erythritol, 1 with honey, and 1 with sugar (which I hated to do to a mead)..... believe it or not, I liked the sugar better! The honey gave it way too much body for the amount it needed, the erythritol is fine, but again it took too much and that stuff is pricey! Since then I've used 71b in several wines and meads (around 10) and I've found if you can keep it under 70 degrees it runs a little slower but the results are amazing! 71B is very good yeast, but you gotta treat it right. Honestly my thoughts are if you run a wine (sugar) temps are fine at 70 degrees or even a little higher, but I think a blueberry mead needs to be ran cool, maybe even around 60. It'll be slow as molasses, but stopping it around 1.010-1.015, you'll find all the flavors from the honey and the blueberries! IMO Also, since then I've found a great local farm that sells 30lb boxes of their blueberries for $40 bucks!! 👍
I just used your blueberry mead recipe. I tweaked it by adding one whole lemon juice . Although I made 2 gallon batch. I bottled 4 dry and 6 with xylitol. It turned out outstanding. I used a higher ABV yeast. But WOW. It’s great young but can’t wait trying it during winter. Thanks guys it’s the bomb. I can’t feel my face but is all good. Lol
Hi Tom from the UK here .Love your videos.watched a load during lockdown 2020 . On my second batch of mead now . your videos are very helpful .keep up the great work 👌🇬🇧🇺🇸
Just realized it's been a year since you bottled this...can't wait for the one year tasting video! My first blubbery mead will be a year old in 2 days but sadly there's only one bottle left, lol!
We don’t use all of them and honestly it’s best to not stop it, let it finish. We use pasteurization and fortification though to prevent further fermentation when necessary.
Cannot even believe how good my first batch is turning out aged only about a month. Backsweetened most just a tad but kept a quart raw as finished. The color, flavor, aroma of both are just off the charts IMHO. "Top Shelf Mead" came to mind. Thanks!!!
Man , that 10 -10 . That's the Magic spot . I try and get close , 10 - 06 to 10-14 I let em sit in Conditioning . Go out and check every one, they'll all be setting on 10 -10. Some will be 10-10 when I take em out . But they all end up Dead on it . 🤠
I make a similar mead, but with 2lbs of blueberries and Lalvin D47 instead; I also mash them and add pectic enzyme. The tannins from double the blueberry skins are great and the brew overall reminds me a lot of a sweet red wine.
@@FedjaH I put the blueberries in primary and kept them in for all of primary, swirling every day to keep the fruit cap from molding for about a week and then less frequently for the rest. I think I had the fruit in there for a month, maybe a little less. Compared to adding in secondary, it was much richer and more similar to red wine, adding in secondary created a lighter and fruiter flavor
@@jamesj.williams7702 great. I'm doing the same, same recipe too. 2 weeks for me so far and was worried about fruit tasting weird if I keep it for too long, so I was going to take it out, but I'll keep it till primary ferment is done then. Thanks for the reply. Appreciate it.
New subscriber. Pretty new to mead, and so glad I found your channel. Love watching you guys show how this is done. You and Man Made Mead are my 2 favorite mead channels. Thanks for all the information ❤
I’m trying it and so vikings blood! My son is super pumped to do it with me!!!!! I can’t wait to get started this weekend! Thank you for all the help, you guys are the best!
Ooo I Love this video Thank you both Thanks for being here with us during these challenging times God Bless you 🌷🌷🌷🙏🙏🙏🙏❣❣❣❣🧚♀️🧚♀️🧚♀️🦋🦋🦋🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️
Glad you guys liked it young! I'm currently making a few melomels myself (Cherry, Blueberry, and a Cherry Blueberry combo). Always find that a pure blueberry takes longer to clear than my other melomels (even with a bentonite primary / super kleer 2ndary combo). As you said, nothing wrong with drinking it early if you like the taste and don't mind the cloudiness, but (in my opinion) always better with a little age.
Hey guys, I started mine yesterday and it’s already going nicely. You guys make it so easy to follow and learn from. Loving this whole process. Cheers 🇦🇺
I convert 1 gallon glass storage jars into these dispensers by fitting a plastic spigot to them. You have to first drill a neat hole in the wall of the jar using a 16 mm diamond-coated hole saw drill bit, and then enlarge the hole with a spinning sandpaper drum until the threaded nipple of the spigot just about fits through the hole. Make sure the rubber gasket is seated correctly in the groove of the plastic nut before twisting it onto the threaded nipple and once the nut gets too tight to twist any further by hand, you can further tighten it by turning the spigot while holding the nut stationary with your other hand. You'll need it tight to prevent leakage when the jar is full. There are a few details I haven't provided, such as how to provide a continuous water stream while drilling the hole in the glass, and how to make the sandpaper drum for enlarging the hole to the perfect size.
@@JKnivezz normally i'll use caramelized sugar and vanilla in secondary, but my aint was adamant i used fluff. So for that one i had to turn the fluff i to a dairy free simple syrup (that was one mess my wife will never let me live down) and i used that syrup as my fermentable sugar.
Now I can’t wait for mine to finish. It’s happily gurgling away and the colour is gorgeous. Also can’t wait for your opinion of this one when it’s a year old. My daughter who is thoroughly enjoying a glass of my rhodomel right now is making sweet eyes at the fermenter that’s sitting beneath the desk. She looked a bit disappointed when I told her there is absolutely no way we’ll be drinking any of it before it.s at least six months old… except perhaps on bottling day. LOL On the subject of rhodomels… I know you made one but would you consider making a new version? Mine was made with rose petals (fresh from my garden), rose hip tea, black tea for tannins and a small handful of freeze dried raspberries that I added in conditioning because they were in my way in the kitchen and their scent went so well with the young rhodomel’s. The flavour of the finished product is amazing: honey, roses and a hint of raspberry… and a gorgeous rich, warm pink-ish hue. Early summer in a glass.
This is the first mead I have made alone and I am hoping I didn't do something crazy and maybe got an incorrect 1st sp. gravity reading because a few days in I am at 6.7% ABV. I did use a different yeast (Lalvin K1-1116). Tastes good for being so green! You both are always amazing, insightful and enjoyable to watch!
You should put some oaks in one of the bottles, I really love the color of yours, mine was darker, and to develop a really good taste took me a while but changing subject, I really wanna hug you guys, you are my mentors.
:D :D The final 10 seconds are fantastic. :D Anyway I started a blueberry mead today, also using frozen blueberries. (They don't grow here in Thailand) Starting gravity was similar to the video at 1.080, but I'm going to bump that up a little bit with some very brown sugar to about 1.100 later. (Not now, I'm scared of foaming so I left space.. but when it settles down I'll add some very dark brown sugar cane sugar which I hope will result in a darker color (more like a red wine if I'm lucky) and some bourbon-like molassessy notes and of course some more body from the slightly higher alcohol so it ends hopefully around 13.5% or so. It'll still be a mead as by far most of the sugars will still come from the honey.
Thanks for the warning about the squirt. I was thinking of getting a fermenter with a valve sometime ago. I don't know if your Amazon affiliation extends to Amazon fresh, but I purchased the same brand of blueberries from them last year. May be you could try may peppermint wine sometime. I just made another gallon last month and I still like it. It tastes more like pine than peppermint, but it's still good. 6 to 8 bags 365 peppermint tea from Amazon, steeped ~1 hour. (only used 6 this time). Handful of raises chopped. 6 cups of sugar 1/2 tsp Fermaid-O (day 1, day 2, day 3) 1/3 pkg 71B I tend to add more nutrition, because of the slow rate of fermentation. It stared at 1.110. At 14 days it was 1.028, but the airlock was still bubbling. It does not normally seem to want to go lower than ~1.020, although it has in the past. If it goes dry, then you definitely want to back sweeten. Anyway I think you might like it and, as always, thanks for the education. :)
Started this mead a few days ago. It's moving along but I am concerned with how sweet it will turn out. I used exactly 3lbs of clover honey with Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast. The OGR was 1.123, which was quite high I thought. I will update in about 5-7 weeks.
I've been trying to get into mead making and I was given 3 Little Big Mouth Bubblers for my bday. I don't have any 1 gals for secondary. How long is it OK to leave a regular batch of mead in one of these bubblers for secondary and subsequent rackings?
about died laughing at the end.... great video. its funny, I was thinking about starting a blueberry mead using those frozen blueberries and some of that wild blueberry jam they sell (Publix, Costco, Sams club, BJ's)as well. what about using blueberry juice as well in place of the water?
I know it's been at least 7 months ago, but my mom grows blueberries, and I have a whole bunch frozen of last year's crop, I really think I'm going to make this
My moms birthday is today & i'm making her a blueberry-lemon wine for when she visits in may (we just moved cross country). I found blueberry juice (no -ites or -ates), & got the wild frozen blueberries, & dried blueberries... & I happen to have blueberry tea. I'm not sure the lemon will come through tho.
o I mentioned a while ago a rosemary mead. Well, its done, but Its a solid dry mead - don't feel any of the rosemary in it to be frank. I've also since finished my orange wine, which is spectacular - it has a bit of sweetness in it and goes down dangerously easily. My apricot mead is still aging and I recently experimented with combining my orange wine and dry mead recipes - the result of that is still fermenting happily. But this idea with the blueberry.... I like it, going to give it a try. Have an empty fermentation vessel so why not.
Brian! I like your hair so much more in these older videos. I have a challenge. Im growing mine and you grow yours and let's see who gets there first!! Friendly competition. Starting today!!!
Yall have been a great help in me starting and completing my first batch of mead and I'm looking to start my second. I have a question for yall and anyone in the comments who might have an answer or advice. I want to do a blueberry and mint mead but I'm unsure of how the mint would affect the alcohol and how much to add? Thank you for the advice ahead of time!
As for pasteurizing... Once it's over 10% AND it's racked off the leese then I'm having a very hard time restarting fermentation also when I want it to when creating something sparkling.. I'm kind of leaning towards not bothering with the pasteurizing, and backsweetening such a small amount that it wont matter in the unlikely event that it does ferment and goes sparkling.
It’s your choice. I err on the side of caution as I have seen 15 and 18% brews kick up again. One ounce of sugars for carbonation isn’t much. Typically on sweetening we use 3, 4, or even 5x that much. Could lead to explosions.
After fermenting I still the must and rack it onto fresh blueberries to give it more fresh fruit flavour plus sweetening it a little and leave it for a month before conditioning it. I find it is drinkable by the 4th month.
Hello there. So if we do the same procedure with a bit of more honey and berrys at the beginning, using a different yeast with lower tolerance, is it safe to say that we would have come to a final product not so dry? and maybe backsweeting wasn't necessary? Is my thought nearly correct? Thank you so much.
In theory yes. However getting that balance just right is difficult since yeast can vary in their tolerance and well… they don’t know they have one so when the environment is not appropriate they stop fermenting. This could be caused by many factors.
I enjoy your guys Brewing recipes and cooking recipes. I want to do a blackberry mint mead. My question is to get the blackberry flavor should I use around one or 2 pounds or three if needed. I’m just trying to figure stuff Out. Do you have any recommendations?
Hi guys!! For the longest time I didn't know what you meant by "footy". I made your Metheglin and while it was a little sweeter than I had anticipated, I have no complaints. I also just put some of the Blueberry Mead in secondary, and now I know what you mean by "footy". I'm hoping that it will fade given time. Thanks!
I see the IKEA lingonberry drink syrup in the back there! And it made me think of another common Swedish food condiment berry with some bitterness: Rowanberries. It's pretty common with rowanberry jelly to meat dishes, even though it's less common today among young people. The berry isn't tasty at all, but as a jelly it is really tasty but still BITTER! So I wonder if that could be used in a mead somehow... Another jelly that's often used together in the same dishes is black currant jelly (or red currant). That made me think: mixed currants + rowanberry mead 🤔 And with the rowanberries I don't mean a big bunch, only a few just to bring that slight bitterness to balance the sweetness. Oh well, this blueberry mead looks really amazing and I'll surely try something like this one day 😄
Interesting. I have a bunch of rowanberries growing around here. Since I use anything else for mead, why not them? I also read that kråkbär, whatever they are called in english, was a common thing in some brews back in the day.
@@HolyPineCone Yeah, I am not sure if they are generally too bitter, or if it would be a nice addition to the sweetness. Either way it might be fun to try it out :) I've never had crowberries (checked Wikipedia for the name), apparently sweet but unsavory flavor as a berry, but used a bit more for jellies, juices and wine. You should try that too :D
Just saw local brew shop has peated whisky malt (barley) and knowing your guys love for whisky, wonder if you guys ever fought of trying to making a peated mead/braggot sort of thing?
I noticed you guys always have a towel on the table. I do that as well, but I soak my towel in starsan and wring it out real well. Is that something I should be doing or is that Overkill?
great content as usual; you mentioned carbonate; have you considered a video about it and how to do it? I'd like to taste it carbonate; and another idea; have you considered to add the blue berries to your viking blood? how would that work? excellent video, great content as usual and FYI i'll be making your 'first mead' with my son this weekend; wish me luck and greetings from mexico
A bit of an odd question, in the beginning of the brew when you put the 2 cups of tea in, I believe. Could you possibly substitute the original tea for Blue bell vine? Not sure if it would change anything for the brew.
Good morning Derica and Brian, Does the volume of the batch effect the time to let it sit; I was thinking about experimenting with LG Mason jars (24oz) and am curious if that changes the aging? Have you done this and am I wasting my time? Learning a lot watching you guys..Thank you!!
I have a little big mouth bubbler (without the tap) and love it for test batches. What do you think about the one with the tap as a starter fermenter for a beginner class on making mead and country wines?
So I did a basic kiwi mead. Honey and kiwi. I is really strange. Smells horrible and tastes bad.. for the first month, or 2, or 6, ok ok 1yr. But after a year its incredible. IDK what happened but its the best thing I have made. Also it tastes nothing like kiwi. I literally cant describe the flavor but I would love to see you guys do a batch. Its a once in a while mead for me as kiwis are super expensive were im at. Also the time investment for this one is a must. Thanks guys for your input and vids!
I had a kiwi sour beer from a local brewery - the guy that brewed it is a wizard when it comes to sour beers. Absolutely phenomenal! It tasted almost more like candied green apples than kiwi, but not sweet...
Hello I’m TheFistBumpGuy and I’m new to the channel. I have a question. Can you use 4 year old bakers yeast as a nutrient for brewing yeast? Would you need to kill it 1st by bring it up to 60C (think 140F) for 20 minutes then putting in the brew or can you put it in dry and mix in with new yeast? Don’t know if this is a stupid question or not. I just know I have a lot of bakers yeast that is old and would like to recycle them in home brews.
Why do you now pasteurize with the lids off? In your pasteurization video you said not too. Do you find the alcohol burn off isn't too bad? I guess there are no explosions with lids off!
Used a bottling wand for the first time today and boy is it a life changer. You guys seem to really enjoy this mead! How would you say it compares to the spiced metheglin?
If I were to want to make a blueberry mead with cinnamon and vanilla bean should I add them in primary or when racking for the first time? I've seen a lot of recipes saying wait till racking. Thanks!
Once mine is finished Ferminting , I take em all to an outside Building , for Conditioning & Clearifiying . But I live in North West Florida . It will Freeze , but not enough to freeze Wine Solid . In Cold Winters it will Freeze the Pond around the edges , 10 to 12 feet out into the Pond . Once it Froze it all the way across the Pond . I like Cold Crashing outside , more room , works good . Save my Fridge for Bottle's 🍾. 🤠
Hi its been 10 weeks and my batch still making bubble... should i start the conditionning phase ? Im scared because if i do it there Will be les liquid, i heard that it can turn to viniger?
Off topic but I love making ginger beer, your ginger beer video inspired me to do it myself. Have you ever made it with a ginger bug? I have seen a few other channels do it but have never done it that way personally. Would be awesome to see your take on it.
I'm not the expert here (my first mead batch was a catastrophe, lol) but I would like to add that I made ginger beer with a ginger bug. It's super super easy, but it takes more time.
Hey guys! Enjoyed the video, really looking forward to trying this recipe! I have a strange situation with my brews.. I will be moving in a few months and have several six gallon musts fermenting at the moment.. what should I do to avoid hurting them during transport? I’m sure they will be done fermenting and will be in conditioning at that point. Should I rack them off right before transporting them so if it gets shaken up it won’t get cloudy…? My brews should all be above 10% so I don’t think making vinegar will be an issue but should I be concerned? Any advice is much appreciated!
Don't mean to Butt in , but it sounds like you have it figured out . If you're making 6 Gallon Batches , you know more than most . Takes the same amount of time to Boil 1 Egg 🥚 as it does a Dozen . 🤠
Now that they are more readily available in dry form, have you guys considered using dried kveik yeast like Lallemand and Omega produce since it handles higher temps really well?
Hey guys! Love the videos! i have been making mead for a couple months now because i love watching you guys. i keep getting a final gravity of around .990 ish is this ok? or am i doing something wrong the final product still taste fine and my friends do enjoy it just trying to make sure im getting the most out of it and make changes to keep progressing in the hobby. Again thanks for doing what yall do im a visual learner so your videos help alot.
Another GREAT VIDEO , perfect balance of , Talking Points , Tasting Points & Technical Content . I watched a couple of videos , that popped up from your channel . And not once , did they say anything about using a Hydrometer , A.B.V. or Technical Content . You just had to take their opinions as Fact . 🤠
Made this recipie as my first mead. It has been aged now approx 8 months. Took it to a local winery meet and taste recently. The owner of the winerey said that the taste was award winning. And he gladly told all in attendace that if they wanted to try a good mead, that this was the one. Thanks for all the brewing help, and congratulations on a great recipie.
I have to 2nd this. Mine is only aged a bit over 3 weeks and the color, and flavor is over the friggin TOP. Award winner!!!!
Getting ready to head down blueberry lane myself can't wait for a taste
I can't get enough of the intro
Add a small amount of dried lavender and it will blow your mind! Yup! Really tasty! Thanks you two great humans 💙
I did basil in mine... Was great
when do you add it and how long???
@@kennyrazor81 I’m pretty easy going about it, I usually make a tea out of it at first ferment. I have added the dried lavender after first ferment and then just keep checking every 5-7 days. If you use lavender be sure and go very light with it otherwise you’ll have a soapy flavor.
This is going to be my first mead recipe I’ve watched these videos 4 time and probably will watch 4 more while I wait for my brewing supplies
First of all, I’m 25 and I love operation. Second, thank you for this, I love blueberry stuff and I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you for this channel!!!!
23 operation is a classic
Outtakes at the end..."What the bleepity bleep." That made me chuckle more than it probably should have. But it was needed on this early and dismal/frosty Sunday morning.
Hi Brian and Derica
My wife laughed at me this morning because I was talking about you with her and using your names as on first name basis like we were besties , so thanks for making her laugh at me and keep up the good work on your videos, I have only been at wine and mead making about 3 months and have made far superior wines than any store bought products
Thanks again
Chuck
Thanks for the video.
I have 2.2lb of Blueberries in the Freezer that need a use. So now I have an idea...
Ok, I have some results f from my blueberry mead! Quick rundown of ingredients: 3lbs Kelly's Local Texas Honey, 3lbs Wyman's Frozen Blueberries (thawed, mashed, and sat on a dose of pectic enzyme overnight). Started off with 71B yeast, added .75 grams fermaid o at about 12 hour mark. Then .75 grams of fermaid o again at 1/3 sugar break. In 1 month it went to 15.8%ABV and dryer than a stick of chalk! Let me say "WOW" I should've stopped this long ago lol, one thing is for sure, blueberry should never be that dry! 😵 Haha. I've racked it over to a 1 gal jug and at this stage I'm not sure if I'm going to add some more honey or sweetener, but its going to get something for sure 🤣 I'll update soon if anyone is interested.....
Update?
@@billybibbit9146 after many mead batches later, I soon realized I ran that first blueberry mead way too hot! My thinking at the time was, wow I can run this stuff fast! That was a mistake! I didn't have off flavor, but it went very dry quick and when it ran out of sugars, I think it went to work on anything left that could've left more flavor! lol I split it and back-sweetened 1 with erythritol, 1 with honey, and 1 with sugar (which I hated to do to a mead)..... believe it or not, I liked the sugar better! The honey gave it way too much body for the amount it needed, the erythritol is fine, but again it took too much and that stuff is pricey! Since then I've used 71b in several wines and meads (around 10) and I've found if you can keep it under 70 degrees it runs a little slower but the results are amazing! 71B is very good yeast, but you gotta treat it right. Honestly my thoughts are if you run a wine (sugar) temps are fine at 70 degrees or even a little higher, but I think a blueberry mead needs to be ran cool, maybe even around 60. It'll be slow as molasses, but stopping it around 1.010-1.015, you'll find all the flavors from the honey and the blueberries! IMO Also, since then I've found a great local farm that sells 30lb boxes of their blueberries for $40 bucks!! 👍
I just used your blueberry mead recipe. I tweaked it by adding one whole lemon juice . Although I made 2 gallon batch. I bottled 4 dry and 6 with xylitol. It turned out outstanding. I used a higher ABV yeast. But WOW. It’s great young but can’t wait trying it during winter. Thanks guys it’s the bomb. I can’t feel my face but is all good. Lol
Blueberry mead is my favorite I add dried orange peel and mulling spices in mine, taste like a blueberry scone! Great video!
Hi Tom from the UK here .Love your videos.watched a load during lockdown 2020 . On my second batch of mead now . your videos are very helpful .keep up the great work 👌🇬🇧🇺🇸
Made one similar to this 9 months ago. It gets great
Just realized it's been a year since you bottled this...can't wait for the one year tasting video!
My first blubbery mead will be a year old in 2 days but sadly there's only one bottle left, lol!
Got a new toy , and it seems to work Dang Good . 🤠
Love to see a video of all the different ways to stop fermentation.
We don’t use all of them and honestly it’s best to not stop it, let it finish. We use pasteurization and fortification though to prevent further fermentation when necessary.
Cannot even believe how good my first batch is turning out aged only about a month. Backsweetened most just a tad but kept a quart raw as finished. The color, flavor, aroma of both are just off the charts IMHO. "Top Shelf Mead" came to mind. Thanks!!!
Man , that 10 -10 . That's the Magic spot . I try and get close , 10 - 06 to 10-14 I let em sit in Conditioning . Go out and check every one, they'll all be setting on 10 -10. Some will be 10-10 when I take em out . But they all end up Dead on it . 🤠
I make a similar mead, but with 2lbs of blueberries and Lalvin D47 instead; I also mash them and add pectic enzyme. The tannins from double the blueberry skins are great and the brew overall reminds me a lot of a sweet red wine.
How long did you keep the fruit in the fermentation? Did you use the fruit in the primary or secondary?
@@FedjaH I put the blueberries in primary and kept them in for all of primary, swirling every day to keep the fruit cap from molding for about a week and then less frequently for the rest. I think I had the fruit in there for a month, maybe a little less. Compared to adding in secondary, it was much richer and more similar to red wine, adding in secondary created a lighter and fruiter flavor
@@jamesj.williams7702 great. I'm doing the same, same recipe too.
2 weeks for me so far and was worried about fruit tasting weird if I keep it for too long, so I was going to take it out, but I'll keep it till primary ferment is done then. Thanks for the reply. Appreciate it.
New subscriber. Pretty new to mead, and so glad I found your channel. Love watching you guys show how this is done. You and Man Made Mead are my 2 favorite mead channels. Thanks for all the information ❤
I’m trying it and so vikings blood! My son is super pumped to do it with me!!!!! I can’t wait to get started this weekend! Thank you for all the help, you guys are the best!
Never heard of Vikings Blood, I have heard of Dragon's Blood. Mead made of cherries and honey.
Ooo I Love this video
Thank you both
Thanks for being here with us during these challenging times God Bless you
🌷🌷🌷🙏🙏🙏🙏❣❣❣❣🧚♀️🧚♀️🧚♀️🦋🦋🦋🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️🤸♀️
Thank you for watching!
Love your videos my number one is finishing and it's your recipe I will try this recipe next can't wait 😋
As soon as i can i plan on trying out the beginner mead yall did a year or so ago. Im excited to try it out love yalls videos its so in depth
Thank you for another great video. Entertaining and educational. You make brewing fun.
Glad you guys liked it young! I'm currently making a few melomels myself (Cherry, Blueberry, and a Cherry Blueberry combo). Always find that a pure blueberry takes longer to clear than my other melomels (even with a bentonite primary / super kleer 2ndary combo). As you said, nothing wrong with drinking it early if you like the taste and don't mind the cloudiness, but (in my opinion) always better with a little age.
I like to leave my melomels in the carboy for at least 4 months .
I LOVE blueberries. Gonna definitely make this at some point.
love how yall are matching, glad to see you doing well!!!
I thoroughly enjoy your videos. Educational AND entertaining !
Hey guys, I started mine yesterday and it’s already going nicely. You guys make it so easy to follow and learn from. Loving this whole process. Cheers 🇦🇺
Happy to help!
Blueberry mead has been on my to do list for a while now but was planning to add some dried blueberries in secondary.
Thank you guys for all you do here! Also, you both look so amazing❣
This is a formal request for a strawberry rhubarb mead recipe!!!! 😂😂love the fruit meads!
Best brew channel I've seen yet love u guys videos thanks for the knowledge keep up the good work
Wow, thanks!
That little blooper at the end hahaha
Just getting to a traditional i did a year ago with wildflower honey nd its beautiful best traditional ive made yet on to the 1 year acyerglin
I convert 1 gallon glass storage jars into these dispensers by fitting a plastic spigot to them. You have to first drill a neat hole in the wall of the jar using a 16 mm diamond-coated hole saw drill bit, and then enlarge the hole with a spinning sandpaper drum until the threaded nipple of the spigot just about fits through the hole. Make sure the rubber gasket is seated correctly in the groove of the plastic nut before twisting it onto the threaded nipple and once the nut gets too tight to twist any further by hand, you can further tighten it by turning the spigot while holding the nut stationary with your other hand. You'll need it tight to prevent leakage when the jar is full. There are a few details I haven't provided, such as how to provide a continuous water stream while drilling the hole in the glass, and how to make the sandpaper drum for enlarging the hole to the perfect size.
can't believe your fermentation ended in 15 days :O started your recipe 9 days ago but keeping a close eye one my airlock, so far the smell is divine
You guys are awesome 😎. "Rack em up"!!!
Glad to see this! :) I actually made a similar (experimental) one for a family member recently. It was a blueberry marshmallow. Mmmm
Wow that sounds delightful! How do you get the marshmallow flavor?
@@JKnivezz normally i'll use caramelized sugar and vanilla in secondary, but my aint was adamant i used fluff. So for that one i had to turn the fluff i to a dairy free simple syrup (that was one mess my wife will never let me live down) and i used that syrup as my fermentable sugar.
Now I can’t wait for mine to finish. It’s happily gurgling away and the colour is gorgeous. Also can’t wait for your opinion of this one when it’s a year old. My daughter who is thoroughly enjoying a glass of my rhodomel right now is making sweet eyes at the fermenter that’s sitting beneath the desk. She looked a bit disappointed when I told her there is absolutely no way we’ll be drinking any of it before it.s at least six months old… except perhaps on bottling day. LOL
On the subject of rhodomels… I know you made one but would you consider making a new version? Mine was made with rose petals (fresh from my garden), rose hip tea, black tea for tannins and a small handful of freeze dried raspberries that I added in conditioning because they were in my way in the kitchen and their scent went so well with the young rhodomel’s. The flavour of the finished product is amazing: honey, roses and a hint of raspberry… and a gorgeous rich, warm pink-ish hue. Early summer in a glass.
What a Great Comment . I Loved. 💕 Every Syllable of it . 🤠
I add 20% strong black tea to all my melomels for tannins.
i put my hooch into old plastic soda bottles to conditioning without pasteurizing.
😂
This is the first mead I have made alone and I am hoping I didn't do something crazy and maybe got an incorrect 1st sp. gravity reading because a few days in I am at 6.7% ABV. I did use a different yeast (Lalvin K1-1116). Tastes good for being so green! You both are always amazing, insightful and enjoyable to watch!
Seems fine so far...
Great content I’m gonna have to try this
You should put some oaks in one of the bottles, I really love the color of yours, mine was darker, and to develop a really good taste took me a while but changing subject, I really wanna hug you guys, you are my mentors.
:D :D The final 10 seconds are fantastic. :D Anyway I started a blueberry mead today, also using frozen blueberries. (They don't grow here in Thailand) Starting gravity was similar to the video at 1.080, but I'm going to bump that up a little bit with some very brown sugar to about 1.100 later. (Not now, I'm scared of foaming so I left space.. but when it settles down I'll add some very dark brown sugar cane sugar which I hope will result in a darker color (more like a red wine if I'm lucky) and some bourbon-like molassessy notes and of course some more body from the slightly higher alcohol so it ends hopefully around 13.5% or so. It'll still be a mead as by far most of the sugars will still come from the honey.
Thanks for the warning about the squirt. I was thinking of getting a fermenter with a valve sometime ago.
I don't know if your Amazon affiliation extends to Amazon fresh, but I purchased the same brand of blueberries from them last year.
May be you could try may peppermint wine sometime. I just made another gallon last month and I still like it. It tastes more like pine than peppermint, but it's still good.
6 to 8 bags 365 peppermint tea from Amazon, steeped ~1 hour. (only used 6 this time).
Handful of raises chopped.
6 cups of sugar
1/2 tsp Fermaid-O (day 1, day 2, day 3)
1/3 pkg 71B
I tend to add more nutrition, because of the slow rate of fermentation. It stared at 1.110. At 14 days it was 1.028, but the airlock was still bubbling. It does not normally seem to want to go lower than ~1.020, although it has in the past. If it goes dry, then you definitely want to back sweeten.
Anyway I think you might like it and, as always, thanks for the education. :)
Started this mead a few days ago. It's moving along but I am concerned with how sweet it will turn out. I used exactly 3lbs of clover honey with Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast. The OGR was 1.123, which was quite high I thought. I will update in about 5-7 weeks.
It could go dry.
Very interested in 5-7 weeks results. Congrats. Bet it is beyond expectation.
I should try using the blueberries that grow in my garden to make this!
Definitely!
I've been trying to get into mead making and I was given 3 Little Big Mouth Bubblers for my bday. I don't have any 1 gals for secondary.
How long is it OK to leave a regular batch of mead in one of these bubblers for secondary and subsequent rackings?
As long as you don't have too much headspace, can leave it in there a long long time.
about died laughing at the end.... great video. its funny, I was thinking about starting a blueberry mead using those frozen blueberries and some of that wild blueberry jam they sell (Publix, Costco, Sams club, BJ's)as well. what about using blueberry juice as well in place of the water?
Wiping honey with your finger is just good quality control practice
Awesome
Nice job Guys! I have been enjoying the vids. Every little bit of support helps.
I know it's been at least 7 months ago, but my mom grows blueberries, and I have a whole bunch frozen of last year's crop, I really think I'm going to make this
Letting your wife talk is marriage respect. Kudos to you, you two are amazing together.
My moms birthday is today & i'm making her a blueberry-lemon wine for when she visits in may (we just moved cross country). I found blueberry juice (no -ites or -ates), & got the wild frozen blueberries, & dried blueberries... & I happen to have blueberry tea. I'm not sure the lemon will come through tho.
Oh yeah, blueberries. Funny, the autotranslate reads blubberry LOL. What would give a deeper flavor, fresh/frozen berries or dried berries?
o I mentioned a while ago a rosemary mead. Well, its done, but Its a solid dry mead - don't feel any of the rosemary in it to be frank. I've also since finished my orange wine, which is spectacular - it has a bit of sweetness in it and goes down dangerously easily. My apricot mead is still aging and I recently experimented with combining my orange wine and dry mead recipes - the result of that is still fermenting happily.
But this idea with the blueberry.... I like it, going to give it a try. Have an empty fermentation vessel so why not.
Brian! I like your hair so much more in these older videos. I have a challenge. Im growing mine and you grow yours and let's see who gets there first!! Friendly competition. Starting today!!!
Not so interested in a challenge tbh, but my hair is growing again, did the same as before with an undercut.
@@CitySteadingBrews eh it was worth a try. Keep up the great work.
You guys should do a prickly, pear one
We might, if we can get some.
Be careful they don't call um that for nuttin. Yes I know why and it's not purty.
Yall have been a great help in me starting and completing my first batch of mead and I'm looking to start my second. I have a question for yall and anyone in the comments who might have an answer or advice. I want to do a blueberry and mint mead but I'm unsure of how the mint would affect the alcohol and how much to add?
Thank you for the advice ahead of time!
As for pasteurizing... Once it's over 10% AND it's racked off the leese then I'm having a very hard time restarting fermentation also when I want it to when creating something sparkling.. I'm kind of leaning towards not bothering with the pasteurizing, and backsweetening such a small amount that it wont matter in the unlikely event that it does ferment and goes sparkling.
It’s your choice. I err on the side of caution as I have seen 15 and 18% brews kick up again. One ounce of sugars for carbonation isn’t much. Typically on sweetening we use 3, 4, or even 5x that much. Could lead to explosions.
Nice comment since I would like to try something sparkling. Maybe more like 7% then.
Have u guys made a mead that’s blue in color? Im trying to find a recipe for that
After fermenting I still the must and rack it onto fresh blueberries to give it more fresh fruit flavour plus sweetening it a little and leave it for a month before conditioning it. I find it is drinkable by the 4th month.
Hello there. So if we do the same procedure with a bit of more honey and berrys at the beginning, using a different yeast with lower tolerance, is it safe to say that we would have come to a final product not so dry? and maybe backsweeting wasn't necessary? Is my thought nearly correct? Thank you so much.
In theory yes. However getting that balance just right is difficult since yeast can vary in their tolerance and well… they don’t know they have one so when the environment is not appropriate they stop fermenting. This could be caused by many factors.
I enjoy your guys Brewing recipes and cooking recipes. I want to do a blackberry mint mead. My question is to get the blackberry flavor should I use around one or 2 pounds or three if needed. I’m just trying to figure stuff Out. Do you have any recommendations?
That little blooper at the end. P R I C E L E S S
Thanks for watching! :D
Hi guys!! For the longest time I didn't know what you meant by "footy". I made your Metheglin and while it was a little sweeter than I had anticipated, I have no complaints. I also just put some of the Blueberry Mead in secondary, and now I know what you mean by "footy". I'm hoping that it will fade given time. Thanks!
did you put any aromatics to mask the "12h shift workboots" feel? I got a Blueberry one Primary, when I get to my room it smell faintly like socks.
I see the IKEA lingonberry drink syrup in the back there! And it made me think of another common Swedish food condiment berry with some bitterness: Rowanberries. It's pretty common with rowanberry jelly to meat dishes, even though it's less common today among young people. The berry isn't tasty at all, but as a jelly it is really tasty but still BITTER! So I wonder if that could be used in a mead somehow...
Another jelly that's often used together in the same dishes is black currant jelly (or red currant). That made me think: mixed currants + rowanberry mead 🤔 And with the rowanberries I don't mean a big bunch, only a few just to bring that slight bitterness to balance the sweetness. Oh well, this blueberry mead looks really amazing and I'll surely try something like this one day 😄
Interesting. I have a bunch of rowanberries growing around here. Since I use anything else for mead, why not them? I also read that kråkbär, whatever they are called in english, was a common thing in some brews back in the day.
@@HolyPineCone Yeah, I am not sure if they are generally too bitter, or if it would be a nice addition to the sweetness. Either way it might be fun to try it out :)
I've never had crowberries (checked Wikipedia for the name), apparently sweet but unsavory flavor as a berry, but used a bit more for jellies, juices and wine. You should try that too :D
Just saw local brew shop has peated whisky malt (barley) and knowing your guys love for whisky, wonder if you guys ever fought of trying to making a peated mead/braggot sort of thing?
I noticed you guys always have a towel on the table. I do that as well, but I soak my towel in starsan and wring it out real well. Is that something I should be doing or is that Overkill?
great content as usual; you mentioned carbonate; have you considered a video about it and how to do it? I'd like to taste it carbonate; and another idea; have you considered to add the blue berries to your viking blood? how would that work? excellent video, great content as usual and FYI i'll be making your 'first mead' with my son this weekend; wish me luck and greetings from mexico
We have several.
I’m surprised you didn’t use dryed Blueberries as well maybe a different brew
A bit of an odd question, in the beginning of the brew when you put the 2 cups of tea in, I believe. Could you possibly substitute the original tea for Blue bell vine? Not sure if it would change anything for the brew.
Love it
Good morning Derica and Brian,
Does the volume of the batch effect the time to let it sit;
I was thinking about experimenting with LG Mason jars (24oz) and am curious if that changes the aging?
Have you done this and am I wasting my time?
Learning a lot watching you guys..Thank you!!
Not really no. Volumes age regardless of size.
For me blue berry I tossed and found a bottle I missed after a year and omg it was grate in time it's nice...
I have a little big mouth bubbler (without the tap) and love it for test batches. What do you think about the one with the tap as a starter fermenter for a beginner class on making mead and country wines?
So far I say it's great.
this is one of my favorite episodes. Kinda Bob Ross esk
@7:08 for all the new-be brewers, notice how he picks up the bottle, tips is and the lee's arent bothered...
So I did a basic kiwi mead. Honey and kiwi. I is really strange. Smells horrible and tastes bad.. for the first month, or 2, or 6, ok ok 1yr. But after a year its incredible. IDK what happened but its the best thing I have made. Also it tastes nothing like kiwi. I literally cant describe the flavor but I would love to see you guys do a batch. Its a once in a while mead for me as kiwis are super expensive were im at. Also the time investment for this one is a must. Thanks guys for your input and vids!
I had a kiwi sour beer from a local brewery - the guy that brewed it is a wizard when it comes to sour beers.
Absolutely phenomenal! It tasted almost more like candied green apples than kiwi, but not sweet...
Can you put tea in after fermentation at the racking stage?
Hello I’m TheFistBumpGuy and I’m new to the channel. I have a question. Can you use 4 year old bakers yeast as a nutrient for brewing yeast? Would you need to kill it 1st by bring it up to 60C (think 140F) for 20 minutes then putting in the brew or can you put it in dry and mix in with new yeast? Don’t know if this is a stupid question or not. I just know I have a lot of bakers yeast that is old and would like to recycle them in home brews.
Yes.
Why do you now pasteurize with the lids off? In your pasteurization video you said not too. Do you find the alcohol burn off isn't too bad? I guess there are no explosions with lids off!
Used a bottling wand for the first time today and boy is it a life changer. You guys seem to really enjoy this mead! How would you say it compares to the spiced metheglin?
If I were to want to make a blueberry mead with cinnamon and vanilla bean should I add them in primary or when racking for the first time? I've seen a lot of recipes saying wait till racking. Thanks!
With cold temps approaching here in TX, would it feasible to cold crash outside as long as I keep it covered and away from light?
Sure. Depends on how cold as you don’t want to crack glass fermenters.
You should be ok, as long as it doesn’t freeze and crack your fermenter.
Once mine is finished Ferminting , I take em all to an outside Building , for Conditioning & Clearifiying . But I live in North West Florida . It will Freeze , but not enough to freeze Wine Solid . In Cold Winters it will Freeze the Pond around the edges , 10 to 12 feet out into the Pond . Once it Froze it all the way across the Pond . I like Cold Crashing outside , more room , works good . Save my Fridge for Bottle's 🍾. 🤠
Hi its been 10 weeks and my batch still making bubble... should i start the conditionning phase ? Im scared because if i do it there Will be les liquid, i heard that it can turn to viniger?
Off topic but I love making ginger beer, your ginger beer video inspired me to do it myself. Have you ever made it with a ginger bug? I have seen a few other channels do it but have never done it that way personally. Would be awesome to see your take on it.
I'm not the expert here (my first mead batch was a catastrophe, lol) but I would like to add that I made ginger beer with a ginger bug. It's super super easy, but it takes more time.
How did the spigot work?
The hole is so when you close the valve the remaining liquid in the hose drains quickly and doesn't get vacuum locked.
Hey guys! Enjoyed the video, really looking forward to trying this recipe! I have a strange situation with my brews.. I will be moving in a few months and have several six gallon musts fermenting at the moment.. what should I do to avoid hurting them during transport? I’m sure they will be done fermenting and will be in conditioning at that point. Should I rack them off right before transporting them so if it gets shaken up it won’t get cloudy…? My brews should all be above 10% so I don’t think making vinegar will be an issue but should I be concerned? Any advice is much appreciated!
Don't mean to Butt in , but it sounds like you have it figured out . If you're making 6 Gallon Batches , you know more than most . Takes the same amount of time to Boil 1 Egg 🥚 as it does a Dozen . 🤠
As long as they are in closed containers (with airlocks) you are fine. Might need some time to settle though once they arrive.
@@CitySteadingBrews thanks!!
Now that they are more readily available in dry form, have you guys considered using dried kveik yeast like Lallemand and Omega produce since it handles higher temps really well?
Have you tried blueberry blossom honey
can’t wait to see the “1 year later” video
Hey guys! Love the videos! i have been making mead for a couple months now because i love watching you guys. i keep getting a final gravity of around .990 ish is this ok? or am i doing something wrong the final product still taste fine and my friends do enjoy it just trying to make sure im getting the most out of it and make changes to keep progressing in the hobby. Again thanks for doing what yall do im a visual learner so your videos help alot.
That’s a great final gravity. It shows that your yeast ate through all the fermentable sugars.
One small comment:. Given that you pasteurize your bottles, I don't think introducing oxygen while back sweetening really matters. What do you think?
Oxidation can still cause off flavors.
@@CitySteadingBrews thanks for the quick reply 😊
Another GREAT VIDEO , perfect balance of , Talking Points , Tasting Points & Technical Content . I watched a couple of videos , that popped up from your channel . And not once , did they say anything about using a Hydrometer , A.B.V. or Technical Content . You just had to take their opinions as Fact . 🤠
Awesome, thank you!