Blueberry Melomel

[DevilDogmeadguy]

This is my first melomel so far it has turned out well. Would love to hear some critiques from you all thanks in advance! This is a 5 gallon batch.

Ingredients:
-20 pounds raw organic blueberry honey (4pounds per gallon)
-Lavlin EC 1118 yeast strain
-4 pounds organic blueberries

Process:
-I added about a gallon of warmed filtered water (100 degrees) to the carboy.
-Warmed the blueberry blossom honey to 100 degrees and added to the carboy.
-Filled the rest of the carboy with filtered water leaving adequate heafspace and shook to ensure no honey was sticking to the glass.
-added yeast and shook again. And capped with an airlock.

Original gravity reading was 15%

-I stirred the must twice daily to let out CO2.
-on day 13 I racked the must the first time.
The same day I racked the must, I put the fresh blueberries into a cooking pot with about a quart of filtered water, crushed them and brought to a boil. I let the blueberries sit for about an hour and strained it leaving a concentrated juice with some blueberry particles still left and added it to the must.

Second gravity rating after addition of blueberry juice was an additional 4%

I tasted the must without the fruit added and the taste was very light and had a nice hint of blueberry to it, to be honest I could have drank it as it was, the honey I used was extremely good quality. I plan to let it sit in secondary Now for another week and continue to monitor gravity and stir twice daily to ensure CO2 escapes well with the airlock in place. I will rack it one more time once the yeast finishes the sugar off or the gravity reading changes to finished.

 

[Smom1976]

Are we supposed to stir?

 

[DevilDogmeadguy]

Are we supposed to stir?

You don't have to and I don't think it hurts if you don't stir. I like to do it because it Let's out the carbon dioxide bubbles and it churns the must to keep the yeast mixed well with the sugars. Again, it doesn't hurt anything of you don't stir

 

[Blacksmith1]

the popular consensus of the Pro-stirring group is that it does help some, with one member proclaiming that it must be done with a spork. Since I'm not one to take chances, I now have a large bamboo spork, stolen from my wife's new set, with which to stir. Don't know where I'm going to find an even larger one when I start doing 5 gallon batches...
all kidding aside, it releases CO2, keeps fruits wet and in the must as opposed to on top of it, helps get a little O2 in for the yeast, helps get sulfur or any other unwanted by-products out with the off gassing of the CO2, and I'm sure I have forgotten some of the other benefits

 

[DevilDogmeadguy]

the popular consensus of the Pro-stirring group is that it does help some, with one member proclaiming that it must be done with a spork. Since I'm not one to take chances, I now have a large bamboo spork, stolen from my wife's new set, with which to stir. Don't know where I'm going to find an even larger one when I start doing 5 gallon batches...
all kidding aside, it releases CO2, keeps fruits wet and in the must as opposed to on top of it, helps get a little O2 in for the yeast, helps get sulfur or any other unwanted by-products out with the off gassing of the CO2, and I'm sure I have forgotten some of the other benefits

I agree, I've done batches with and without stirring and both turned out just fine, but I do notice that when stirring, particularly when using fruit or other additives, the aroma from the must is much sweeter throughout the fermentation process. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Blacksmith1]

Just don't forget the spork!
I did my first few batches (wine/cider no mead yet) in glass gallons, after reading a ton of threads I decided to do one in a 2 gallon bucket which let me use fruit pulp and extra juice so I had over a gallon at racking after removing the pulp and lees. stirred it twice a day and was much happier with the "end" result. now just have to wait for it to finish.

 

[MaxTheSpy]

I stir once every other day, It dosent do a ton but it makes it when I move the carboy it wont foam over on me. I just started a blueberry and blackberry Mead and Im loving it so far, I smashed some blueberries in about an ounce of vodka and let it sit and added it to the must, got a very nice dark red.

Let us know how it turns out with the additional berries in secondary, I plan to age mine for 4-6 months and see if its good, longer if needed. It comes down to personal taste, if you like how it is out of the carboy go ahead and drink it. I age mine then bottle as gifts .

 

[DevilDogmeadguy]

I stir once every other day, It dosent do a ton but it makes it when I move the carboy it wont foam over on me. I just started a blueberry and blackberry Mead and Im loving it so far, I smashed some blueberries in about an ounce of vodka and let it sit and added it to the must, got a very nice dark red.

Let us know how it turns out with the additional berries in secondary, I plan to age mine for 4-6 months and see if its good, longer if needed. It comes down to personal taste, if you like how it is out of the carboy go ahead and drink it. I age mine then bottle as gifts .

This blueberry is already really good, it's about Day two Now with the addition of the fruit, I tasted it last night and is really quite amazing. The trick is, the better quality honey the longer the aging process will take to mature. I have no problem drinking it now, but I also know if I let it age for another 3-6 months it will be even better. I am also doing a blackberry at the moment and I just added the fruit last night as I was tasting the blueberry and it has also turned out very well, even better than the blueberry so far actually.

 

[DevilDogmeadguy]

I stir once every other day, It dosent do a ton but it makes it when I move the carboy it wont foam over on me. I just started a blueberry and blackberry Mead and Im loving it so far, I smashed some blueberries in about an ounce of vodka and let it sit and added it to the must, got a very nice dark red.

Let us know how it turns out with the additional berries in secondary, I plan to age mine for 4-6 months and see if its good, longer if needed. It comes down to personal taste, if you like how it is out of the carboy go ahead and drink it. I age mine then bottle as gifts .

 

[MaxTheSpy]

Very Nice! I have my blueberry and blackberry going right now, I used local wildflower honey that I got pretty cheap beacuse It was what was left after they bottled everything so I got it in a bucket, still about 8 pounds though of perfectly good premium northwest honey. I used the same batch of honey to start a peach mango mead that Im excited about.

My blueberry and blackberry mead is going really well, about 8% ABV estimated to go to about 14%. Tastes good, pretty sweet though and still sparkeling which is nice!

 

[DevilDogmeadguy]

Very Nice! I have my blueberry and blackberry going right now, I used local wildflower honey that I got pretty cheap beacuse It was what was left after they bottled everything so I got it in a bucket, still about 8 pounds though of perfectly good premium northwest honey. I used the same batch of honey to start a peach mango mead that Im excited about.

My blueberry and blackberry mead is going really well, about 8% ABV estimated to go to about 14%. Tastes good, pretty sweet though and still sparkeling which is nice!

Next time you do a melomel, look for the honey that is made from the blossoms of the corresponding fruit. The blueberry and blackberry honey I used for mine were so good and had such a high sugar content that you could literally taste the fruit after first rack without adding any actual fruit. They were both absolutely delicious and had a dry essence of blueberry and blackberry. Once I added the fruit it only enhanced those flavors and sweetness of course. I want to make a batch without adding fruit just using the blackberry and blueberry blossom honey because it was downright delicious.

 

[Blacksmith1]

I'm in FL and you just gave me an idea for a JAOM varient

 

[MaxTheSpy]

Next time you do a melomel, look for the honey that is made from the blossoms of the corresponding fruit. The blueberry and blackberry honey I used for mine were so good and had such a high sugar content that you could literally taste the fruit after first rack without adding any actual fruit. They were both absolutely delicious and had a dry essence of blueberry and blackberry. Once I added the fruit it only enhanced those flavors and sweetness of course. I want to make a batch without adding fruit just using the blackberry and blueberry blossom honey because it was downright delicious.

I really enjoy the wildflower honey or Clover honey because it adds that earthy element. I usually throw a smoked oak cube in there as my signature, gives it a nice barrel flavor

 

[DevilDogmeadguy]

I really enjoy the wildflower honey or Clover honey because it adds that earthy element. I usually throw a smoked oak cube in there as my signature, gives it a nice barrel flavor

I ordered a couple charred oak barrels and have been aging some of my meds in them. It definitely intensifies the flavors of the Mead and adds a heartiness to it. It's also a nice balance of you make a really sweet Mead.

 

[MaxTheSpy]

I ordered a couple charred oak barrels and have been aging some of my meds in them. It definitely intensifies the flavors of the Mead and adds a heartiness to it. It's also a nice balance of you make a really sweet Mead.

For sure, I dont typically like aging in oak but Ive done it a few times. If you make a ton of different kinds it all blends together which is alright sometimes but I found the oak cubes give me the level of control that I like.

 

[DevilDogmeadguy]

I'm in FL and you just gave me an idea for a JAOM varient

Get some orange blossom honey, let it ferment and do it's thing.... Then instead of using raw orange juice or juice or oranges, go online and look for dried orange peels and make a tea out of it and add it to your secondary ferment near the end... ..Thank me later! Lol

 

[DevilDogmeadguy]

For sure, I dont typically like aging in oak but Ive done it a few times. If you make a ton of different kinds it all blends together which is alright sometimes but I found the oak cubes give me the level of control that I like.

I don't mix my mead in barrels, I have dedicated barrels for specific Mead flavors otherwise it would bleed over. I made a hibiscus flower and hop flavored mead a month ago that is aging in a barrel and it's awesome. In the pic I have of the four glasses it's the first one on the left.

 

[Blacksmith1]

Get some orange blossom honey, let it ferment and do it's thing.... Then instead of using raw orange juice or juice or oranges, go online and look for dried orange peels and make a tea out of it and add it to your secondary ferment near the end... ..Thank me later! Lol

why would I buy something that grows all around me? I can dry my own skins, and get several varieties.

 

[DevilDogmeadguy]

why would I buy something that grows all around me? I can dry my own skins, and get several varieties.

Good point. Do that then, point being use the orange peel "tea" for your JOAM ,if you do post some pics too! !

 

[Blacksmith1]

Not ready to do a mead yet but this will be my first.

 

[MaxTheSpy]

Good point. Do that then, point being use the orange peel "tea" for your JOAM ,if you do post some pics too! !

I might have to do that in my next 2 batches, Im going to start a raspberry and orange next in a month or two, whenever my first batches are ready for secondary