Ideas for a blackberry mead with other flavors?

[rabbitmistress]

I'm looking for some recipe ideas for a blackberry mead that isn't just blackberries and honey. I just realized I have already made 25 gallons (5 carboys) of blackberry + honey and, well, I need to branch out. Please let me know what ideas you have for my new batch of mead. I have 3lb of blackberry puree which is roughly 5lb of berries and some honey of unknown variety, probably wildflower (grr, bought via someone else who didn't know what to ask). I'm looking for things that are relatively easy to get and cheap, ergo raspberries aren't great as they aren't cheap (the blackberries are weeds where I live). Thanks in advance!

 

[WVMJ]

A classic is elderberry, dried ones if you cant get fresh. Apple cider also works well. Toss in some oak in both batches. What is wrong with wildflower honey for mead? Where are you at? Is anything still growing? WVMJ

 

[sheepcat]

I've used wildflower in most of my melomels and cysers and it's come out fine. Maybe just a matter of taste or a regional thing; mine's from southeast PA.

A bit of orange or lemon zest could work nicely. I think I saw a recipe a while ago for a blackberry cyser with lemon... I haven't tried it but it looked good.

 

[rabbitmistress]

Wildflower isn't bad. What is bad is that I bought it under the pretense that it was blueberry/raspberry - BIG difference. Since I received it, found it not to be the same, I have no idea what variety it was. I was so mad that I didn't say anything to my friend who bought it for me until much later. *sigh*

I'm in the Seattle area.

Thanks for the ideas. I'll try the orange zest I'm not sure where I could get that many elderberries in a quick fashion but I'll try for the other 3lb of puree in my freezer.

 

[WVMJ]

Actually just about all honey is a mix, just mainly what was blooming big time when the bees collected it. It very well could be berry honey depending on what else was blooming at the time. Dried elderberry work well also in a blend. WVMJ

 

[sheepcat]

I can't find fresh elderberries anywhere, but Vintner's Harvest has cans of puree if you're into that.

 

[WVMJ]

Or dried ones sold in spice online stores and even homebrew shops. WVMJ

I can't find fresh elderberries anywhere, but Vintner's Harvest has cans of puree if you're into that.

 

[fuelish]

I made a batch of blackberry and blueberry this past fall (blackberries are like weeds around here, too....have 'em in my backyard and my in-laws have a LOT of 'em in theirs). I bought a couple pounds of blueberries in season and froze all the fruits, and used a quart, maybe two, of blueberry juice (organic, no preservatives). Last gravity sample tasting was a lil on the tart side, as expected, but not bad, I went light on the honey, added 0.25 lbs of honey malt for a lil residual sweetness, perhaps, and shall be bottling soon......my wife prefers sparkling meads and doesn't enjoy my heavy duty 17% sweet still oaked ginger/habanero type stuff Used 1116, so, there should be plenty of good yeast still looking for a slight snack to bottle carb with.....it should be finished at about 7.5% Samples are much lighter in color than in the fermentor (as always)....looks like black'n'blue in the carboy, it's a pleasant red in the sample tube.....hoping it carbs