Blueberry Mead

[opus345]

With D-47, I try to keep it below 70. Basement furnace room that stays around 70-72 during the year. Secondary sits in a rope tub with about 6-8 inches of water. I use frozen water bottles that I swap out in the morning and evening during fermentation. I also have a damp tshirt on the carboy that I keep wet. I think I'm usually keeping it at 65-68. I bought an $80 standup freezer off craigslist and just recently received my aquarium temp controller, so my fermentation temps should stabilize in the near future.

 

[kushluk33]

Anyone here cultivate their own honey? this is probably the only way i would suggest improving this recipe.

thanks for the post. came out awesome.

 

[knotquiteawake]

Allright... my must is um... "musting" now I guess. Waiting 24 hours to pitch the yeast.

 

[knotquiteawake]

My "giant" bag of frozen blueberries I used in the primary only weighed 4lbs. Since the recipe calls for 5lbs I was thinking of either tossing another 2lbs of smushed frozen blueberries OR maybe taking that same 2lbs and making a puree out of it and adding it that way for maximum flavor extraction.
The primary was an Ale pale, the secondary is a carboy (6 gallon) so I'm looking for both the best flavor extraction and the most painless cleanup.

 

[mgayer]

Good idea. I have started adding more blueberries to this as the difference in sweetness and flavor change yearly with the blueberries. A puree works nice in a secondary to improve the blueberry flavor and usually compacts well with the other lees.

My "giant" bag of frozen blueberries I used in the primary only weighed 4lbs. Since the recipe calls for 5lbs I was thinking of either tossing another 2lbs of smushed frozen blueberries OR maybe taking that same 2lbs and making a puree out of it and adding it that way for maximum flavor extraction.
The primary was an Ale pale, the secondary is a carboy (6 gallon) so I'm looking for both the best flavor extraction and the most painless cleanup.

 

[Budzien]

I'm new to mead and I've been experimenting with one gallon batches. Unfortunately, none are ready to sample. Since I'm only using a one gallon jug, I was wondering if using the juice from an Oregon Blueberry can would work well since the blueberries expand so much. Any ideas? I really want to make this!

 

[acyl]

why stir the must daily?

 

[Sirthomas42]

You stir the must of a fruit wine because that keeps the floating fruit wet. If the tops of floating blueberries dry out, they could potentially rot or mold.

Anyways, I made my 2nd batch of this several months ago, added a few vanilla beans in 2ndary. When we bottled it, the vanilla was overpowering. I thought I'd ruined it. But 6 months later, I crack a bottle and the vanilla has mellowed dramatically. It's more of an aroma and aftertaste now. I think it might be better than the original recipe I made 18 months ago!

 

[acyl]

Nice!. Well I had 100lbs of berries and I pressed them all because I dont want to deal with pressing them after fermentation.

I now have 6 gallons of pure blueberry juice. How many batches can I make with this?

 

[paraordnance]

Nice!. Well I had 100lbs of berries and I pressed them all because I dont want to deal with pressing them after fermentation.

I now have 6 gallons of pure blueberry juice. How many batches can I make with this?

I made 11% ABV blueberry mead last year with 100% blueberry juice (Bremner's brand. Said on bottle "equivalent of 2.5 lbs of berries in each 1 qt bottle"). I used 2 quarts of said juice for 2 gal batch. Seems to be perfect ratio, its one of my best meads.
Looks like you can make approx. 25 gallons of mead. Lucky you

 

[mgayer]

Nice!. Well I had 100lbs of berries and I pressed them all because I dont want to deal with pressing them after fermentation.

I now have 6 gallons of pure blueberry juice. How many batches can I make with this?

Check the gravity of the juice! Just replace juice for some of the water to get the gravity close the the OG of the recipe. If you need to top off when racking use the juice. 6 gallons of juice should make several batches!

 

[mgayer]

Allright... my must is um... "musting" now I guess. Waiting 24 hours to pitch the yeast.

So how is it going??

 

[d10coalpusher]

Got a 5 gallon batch of this going about 7 days ago and its still bubbling real nice. This is my first mead so I'm kind've excited to see how it comes out after ageing. Thanks for the recipe!

 

[d10coalpusher]

Into secondary after 10 days with 3 lbs of thawed blueberries, 1 lb of honey and fermenting away!

 

[opus345]

Yee Haw! Wow, bottled the Annabelle Blueberry Mead on Thanksgiving morning. I thought it was ridiculously good during each sampling while racking, but it has been 6 months and has just gotton better and better. Took a couple of bottles to the family gatherings and everyone thought it was fantastic, told me I should be selling it, yada, yada, yada. The problem is that I ended up giving out almost a case! Now I need to hide at least 6 bottles and immediately start another batch. I already have a TrippleBerry and Strawberry in secondary. You can see pix of the bottled mead in the Show Us you Mead in a photo thread. Thanks mgayer/flyweed. Fantastic recipe. Need to talk to Santa about a kegerator this year just for the blueberry mead!

 

[Chris7687]

Hey guys, I am looking to get into the mead aspect of homebrewing and this is the recipe I am going to take the leap with! Just a bit confused on the process and equipment I should use. I am hoping to get some feedback as I purchased all the supplies and I am looking to make a 1 gallon batch tomorrow afternoon, while I brew up a Pale Ale.

Here is my recipe per the 1 gallon batch:
1 lb of Blueberries
3 lbs of Honey
1 tsp Yeast Nurtient
1/2 tsp Yest Energizer
Tiny amount of Pectin Enzyme (Can't really measure out a 1/7 tsp)
1 Campden Tablet
3/4 Pack of Yeast

I have a few questions on the process though. Mgayer stated to only fill the jug, including berries, 3/4 of the way due to the expansion of hte berries. So in my case I was thinking of filling the jug half full then adding the 1 lb of berries to see where I sit. How much water and honey should be added to this 1/2 batch? Secondly, when I got to top off the batch after it has primary fermented for 21 days, how much water to honey ratio am I topping off? Am I doing maybe 1.5 pounds of honey and 1/8 gallon of water to get my 1/2 jug of liquid and then another 1.5 pound honey and an additional 1/8 gallon of water to top off?

Also, after the primary fermentation am I leaving the blueberries behind (not take them to secondary)?

 

[opus345]

Chris,

I started with mgayer's recipe, but then found flyweed's process description which really helped. In fact I have used the "flyweed" method on a triple berry and a strawberry Both are in secondary and being racked every month.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/best-blueberry-mead-ever-111754/

I mashed the berries, added them to a 7 gal bucket. I then added the water and honey. I then added the nutriment, the energizer, and the campden tablet, mix everything up well and let it sit for 24 hours. After 24 hours, I proofed the yeast and then pitched after 40 mins. I put a large nylon bag over the top of the bucket and into the fermentation chamber it went. Every day for 14 days, I would punch the fruit cap down and stir the must to add O2 and so that the fruit would not dry out on top and rot. After primary, I rack the mead off of the blueberrys onto 1.5 lbs of honey and then did three more rackings each month. 2nd & 3rd racking was on top of 1.5 lbs of honey. 3rd & 4th racking included 2oz blueberry extract. Pulling small tests to confirm I was headed in the right direction for tastes. I actually took mgayer's and flyweed's postings and created a super set of instructions.

 

[Chris7687]

Thanks for your quick reply opus. Very insightful. I am feeling that a 1 gallon batch of mead isn't worth the work and time that goes into it. Oh well, I'll do it and hopefully it'll get me hooked. How much water would you say for the 3 lbs of honey in the jug for primary?

 

[opus345]

Treat the 1 gal batch as a test batch.

I would leave some room, 2 or 3 inches. You can always top off with water after you rack off the fruit. Watch it close for the first week in case the fruit tries to escape. Maybe think about a blow off tube in case things get really crazy during primary.

Here is a posting that contains pix of my progression. The last pix shows two Jalapeno Mead test batches in 1 gal jugs (4 lbs honey, 1 Jalapeno, D47, water, and Staggered Nutrient feeding).

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/show-us-your-mead-photo-294571/index48.html#post4617023

I love looking at the what everyone else is doing.

 

[Chris7687]

I just went to Home Depot and bought a 2 gallon bucket (no lid), would this work good for primary fermentation? Figured I would mix everything first in the growler, pour it into the bucket, and then toss the fruit in there.

 

[opus345]

Chris,

Sounds like a plan and your not out big bucks to do it. I would also recommend some cheesecloth to sanitize and use as a bucket covering. I use a large nylon grain bag that I spray with Starsan...you can see it in my pix on the other thread. Good idea.

 

[Chris7687]

Awesome, going to mix everything up tonight and try to get started! I have a few large nylon bags, used in my old BIAB setup, so I was planning on using those to cover the bucket.

 

[opus345]

Chris,

Did you get it started? Is it bubbling away?

I started a new 6 Gal batch this last weekend. I put the blueberrys in a nylon grain bag and I think I will be much happier when I do the first racking.

 

[Chris7687]

Hey opus,
Thanks for following up. Yes I did get it started and it's bubbling away great! Smells very sweet in my office/brew room. Been turning the berries every day. The OG was 1.24. Highest OG I've ever had, will the D47 be strong enough yeast to bring it all the way down?? I thought about doing that, but I figured I have to rack it 2-3 more times I'm sure enough stuff will drop out by then. Now starts the long journey of waiting!

 

[opus345]

1.24? Wow.

Flyweeds readings were:
OG:1.141
1ST Racking: 1.113
2nd Racking: 1.019
3rd Racking: 1.016
4th Racking: 1.033
Tasting: 1.024

Mine was
OG: 1.084
1st Racking: 1.020
2nd Racking 1.013
3rd Racking 1.015
4th Racking 1.010

I was using a Refractometer and not a Hydrometer and I suspect I didn't either calibrate properly or perform the temp adjustment. I think my calc gets my ABV to approx 10%.

D47 usually poops out at 14% ABV. After your two weeks of primary, you can see what the SG is then. The step feeding with each racking should get to the 14%. I sampled the 3rd and 4th racks to see if I was getting it too sweet. I also used the Blueberry extract on the last two rackings. 2 oz on the 3rd and 1 oz on the 4th. I may have also dropped the honey completely on the 4th racking.

 

[HeavyHandedBrewing]

So I plan on making this in 6 days (Day off work!). I ordered up everything, but just received word the campden tabs were out of stock. Are the campden tabs irreplaceable in this recipe? As far as I understand it, they work in conjecture with potassium sorbate to neutralize the natural yeast in the blueberries. In case it matters, I will be using 3 pounds of pre-frozen blueberry in the primary and 6 pounds in secondary. The primary will have 13 pounds of honey it in, and I will be adding another 3 pounds during the various rackings that get done. I have the yeast nutrients, yeast energizer, and pectic enzyme, along with potassium sorbate, just not the campden tabs. Please advise on what I can do, as I only get time to brew once every few months (SWMBO and 2 y/o son) and I have been planning this day for a few weeks.

 

[rowsdower44]

Are the campden tabs irreplaceable in this recipe?

No. Campden tablets are used to reduce the chances of infecting your mead with potential bacteria. Are they necessary? No and you could probably get away with it if you sanitize your equipment properly and prevent anything from contaminating your batch.

But if you want to minimize your risks, then get some campden tablets.

 

[opus345]

Check your LHBS or online (AHS, NB, Midwest, etc.).

I have made it a best practice whenever I'm introducing fruit or vegetables (peppers) to use campden for 24 hours to help reduce/eliminate the wild bacteria. I just don't want to take unnecessary risk with 12 lbs of good honey and another 10-15 lbs of fruit.

 

[HeavyHandedBrewing]

Thank you for the follow up rowsdower44 & opus345. I am going to see what I can do about finding it locally. Do you use the campden on the fruit before introducing it in the secondary fermentor as well?

 

[rowsdower44]

Do you use the campden on the fruit before introducing it in the secondary fermentor as well?

Add the campden and the blueberries together when you do the primary. The campden will do it's job and your batch should not need any additional campden tablets afterwards.