A Blueberry Mead
Published:
After the dishes had been cleared from our Thanksgiving dinner, I began a long planned project I had in the back-log. Several months ago, after trying my hand at beer brewing, I picked up from my local homebrew store the yeast and nutrients necessary to brew mead. Simpler than beer - the barest version made only with honey - it seemed like a natural progression after learning about fermentation and processes of the home brewer. With excess time and energy, I began the therapeutic process of the boil…
Mead?
At my apartment I only have equipment for brewing in one gallon batches. The more sugar-rich “must” provides more food for the yeast than wort, and therefore should produce a more boozy final product; efficient. Hopefully, the gallon batch of mead will last longer than the beer, which typically is gone in days after opening.
Mead making also comes with the potential for greater flavor combinations. All beer has the four same ingredients, and while there is a ton to explore there, there are no fundamental flavor differences between two beers. For example, I could do a mead for any kind of fruit. I could also introduce hops into the boil for a hop-y mead, or spices such as vanilla. The possibilities, and flavor combination, seem more creative and varied.
Equipment and Ingredients
Equipment
- 1 gallon fermenting jug and valve system
- Brewing thermometer (glass with red goo)
- A plastic tote
- Disinfecting solution
- Stock pot
- Big stirring spoon
Ingredients
- 3 lb honey
- 2 1/2 lb blueberries
- Wine yeast
- Yeast nutrient
Process
- Sanitize fermenter and airlock
- Bring 1 1/4 gallons of water to a boil with the blueberries and honey
- Boil for 30 minutes. The goal here is to (1) extract blueberry juice and (2) reduce the amount of liquid to 1 gallon
- Skim out blueberry pulp
- Cool in an ice bath to below 100 degrees fahrenheit
- Transfer to sanitized fermenter
- Add yeast and yeast nutrient
- Shake to oxygenate the must
- Seal with airlock and kick up your feet
