I just bought some honey to attempt my first small batch of mead.
After reading around on these forums and the internet, I had settled on starting out a simple batch using orange blossom honey, but unfortunately I was not able to find any orange blossom honey locally.
A local coop grocery store did have bulk blackberry honey for a reasonable price, so I bought 3 lbs to make a 1 gallon batch. I was hoping the blackberry honey would impart a subtle flavor similar to what I've read about orange blossom honey, but a few threads in the archives of this forum seem to indicate that the blackberry flavor would not survive.
So now I am re-thinking the simple mead idea. I do not want a bold in-your-face fruit flavor, but something subtle. I have some meyer lemons from a home tree and I was considering adding the zest and juice to the primary. Would that likely add a subtle citrus hint to the final mead?
Another option I was considering would be to add some vanilla beans in the beginning... as that seems like a nice blackberry complement and could add some complexity, but again I'd like to avoid any overpowering flavors.
Also... any yeast recommendations for a dry mead with subtle flavors? I was aiming for dry, because I tend to like my ciders on the dry side, but I do not have much experience with mead... other than a glass of semi-sweet cyser at the local cider bar (that was very, very good!).
Thanks!
After reading around on these forums and the internet, I had settled on starting out a simple batch using orange blossom honey, but unfortunately I was not able to find any orange blossom honey locally.
A local coop grocery store did have bulk blackberry honey for a reasonable price, so I bought 3 lbs to make a 1 gallon batch. I was hoping the blackberry honey would impart a subtle flavor similar to what I've read about orange blossom honey, but a few threads in the archives of this forum seem to indicate that the blackberry flavor would not survive.
So now I am re-thinking the simple mead idea. I do not want a bold in-your-face fruit flavor, but something subtle. I have some meyer lemons from a home tree and I was considering adding the zest and juice to the primary. Would that likely add a subtle citrus hint to the final mead?
Another option I was considering would be to add some vanilla beans in the beginning... as that seems like a nice blackberry complement and could add some complexity, but again I'd like to avoid any overpowering flavors.
Also... any yeast recommendations for a dry mead with subtle flavors? I was aiming for dry, because I tend to like my ciders on the dry side, but I do not have much experience with mead... other than a glass of semi-sweet cyser at the local cider bar (that was very, very good!).
Thanks!