Backwards Blueberry Mead? AKA Fix a Stalled Mead

Рет қаралды 33,337

Жыл бұрын

We've made a blueberry mead before, but this time we are doing it a little different. We're doing it backwards. We also talk about stalled brews, how to know if it's a stall or not, and why stalls can be hazardous. Best to know than find out the hard way about these things!
Ingredients:
3 lbs (1.36 kg) Wild Flower Honey: amzn.to/3AkPomY
1/2 teaspoon Wine Tannin: amzn.to/3oAdaZJ
2.5 grams Fermaid O: amzn.to/3N5AXuA
1 Packet Red Star Premier Classique: amzn.to/43U6DZT
96 oz Water
Additions:
1 teaspoon Yeast Hulls (if your fermentation shows signs of a stall): amzn.to/43X59Op
32 oz Blueberry Juice: amzn.to/3oDzqlv
Back Sweeten with Honey and Sugar to 1.026
Original Blueberry Mead recipe: • Blueberry Mead - Simpl...
When to Add Fruit - Primary? Conditioning? Both?: • When to Add Fruit - Pr...
Pasteurization: • Easiest Way to Pasteur...
How does this Mead taste after aging a year?: • Blueberry Mead V2 - On...
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Little Big Mouth Bubbler: www.northernbrewer.com/produc...
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Stirring Paddle: amzn.to/3H6PWAP
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Auto Siphon: amzn.to/40zcKQy
Glencairn Glasses: amzn.to/3AkK6Yu
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Пікірлер: 311

@davebuehner4307 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your didactic approach. You have been a major part of my mead pedagogy. BTW - I like Derica’s wackiness, and I’m not alone.

@skeezixmccat 4 ай бұрын

I learned a new word today. How ironic that it was pedagogy...

@Skulltap Жыл бұрын

The easier way to add that juice would be to put it into the fermentor first before racking into it. This will help to mix the juice in at the same time you rack and prevent having to pour it into the already fermented mead.

@Timothy_Smith Жыл бұрын

I wanted to give you guys a big thank you for helping me get started into a hobby that I have truly enjoyed. Watching the videos has helps demystify the process, and especially the past 6-12 months or so, the videos on truly bringing your wine/mead to the next level has been awesome. Thank you both.

@GoranSvettlund Жыл бұрын

same here, these guys are the best

@carleenmessina5022 Жыл бұрын

Ditto here, this couple is awesome. They taught me well! I propose a toast to you both!!

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Thank you all. We appreciate it!

@jakematthews6982 Жыл бұрын

So I just went back through my 2 notebooks that are totally full of recipes that I’ve done showing the process and progress of my mead journey over the past 3 years and I just went past 100 gallons of mead. I started with 3 half-gallon batches as a beginner, then went to one-gallon jugs for 12 gallons, and EVERY other batch after that has been at least 5-gallons. I’ve definitely drank a lot of mead in the past few years but I gave a lot of it to my friends and family and coworkers as well. I really enjoy the flavored meads I’ve made but I’ve come to the realization that I enjoy traditional mead more than the flavored ones. However, pear mead. Best ever. Thank you both for showing me this process and making it feel attainable instead of a mad scientist vibe I used to have with the idea of making it. Truly do appreciate the time and effort you two out into these videos.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Glad we could help! Sounds awesome!

@eddavanleemputten9232 Жыл бұрын

Adding fruit or juice in the conditioning phase is one of the most effective ways to add that fresh fruit flavour. I remember my first blueberry mead. It was meh and didn’t have a lot of blueberry character. It had a discordant note and I was disappointed. And then… I added fresh, crushed blueberries, honey and IKEA’s blueberry syrup (because I had it standing around) to it. It turned to be exactly what I wanted it to be. Essentially similar to what you did since I couldn’t find blueberry juice. 😊 The joy you both showed when tasting the tweaked version is what I feel when one of my brews comes together… and one of the reasons why I keep avidly watching your videos. A little note on adding powdered tannin. It clumps and generally is a pain. When making a wine I mix my pre-fermentation tannin addition in with the granulated sugar. I stir that sugar and the friction of the grains breaks up any clumps and disperses the tannin throughout. Once the liquid is added, no gloopy clumps! When making a mead, I stir the dry tannin and the dry nutrient together. Seems to work with the organic nutrient I have. Or: I sprinkle it over the fruit, grab a potato masher, and go to town on the fruit. There’ll be some gloopage but far less than when I try to simply stir it in. Thanks for another awesome video!

@kshatfields Жыл бұрын

Just a thought.....Is there any reason you couldn't add the tannin to the Fermaid-O and when whisking it, it would eliminate all the clumps?

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

You could and probably should. In a video it’s just easier to show each individual step :)

@Spadoof965 Жыл бұрын

I recently made a blueberry mead that turned out fantastic. I used Lalvin BM 4x4 yeast (per the recommendation of Man Made Mead) which has a ~15% ABV tolerance. I used all blueberry juice instead of water (1 gallon) and added enough honey to target a final gravity of 1.000 at 15% ABV. I added a pound of frozen blueberries and a pound of dried blueberries (dried fruit was inspired by your latest Vikings blood recipe) in secondary and aged. Finally back-sweetened with honey to taste and then aged on French oak. I’ve found my favorite meads have been all juice in primary with the addition of the same fruit in secondary. Gives a really good complexity to the brew. Anyways, thought I would share! Thank you guys for making such great content!

@josephmclovin9763 Жыл бұрын

I got my wife to watch you guys. I love your show- i love the interaction between you two. We are new into this, Came here to learn. Hope to meet you one day- we are fellow Floridians

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Welcome!

@maillewvr Жыл бұрын

I like this new way with one video. This saves searching and bouncing. This will be my next batch to try, while my metheglin finishes fermenting. Thanks again!

@alexlarsen6413 Жыл бұрын

Ever since I moved away from doing primary fermentation in those 1 gallon, narrow neck carboys and switched to something like this small big mouth bubbler or way more often a bucket - one gallon just isn't enough for us anymore, every batch has been finishing at below 1.000. Usually way below that...0.990 - 0.992 has sort of become the norm. This means I need to add a significant amount of honey to back-sweeten anyways, so these days I add fruit both in primary and secondary since adding all that honey to back-sweeten, ultimately balances out the fruit and honey character in the end. Also, by following proper procedure I've reduced the time of mead being not just drinkable but rather amazing, from 9 - 12 months down to half a year at the longest! This video of yours is yet another fantastic example of a simple recipe + procedure, ending up with fantastic results in such a short time. That is crucial in figuring out the best method and you've been killin' it lately in this regard. In my opinion for what it's worth, you are *the* best teaching channel out there. 👍👍👍

@GodBroly Жыл бұрын

If derica or Brian weren’t at least a little bit wacky in a video I’d think something was wrong. So wack away good lady wack a way! Lol

@richtull2110 Жыл бұрын

A spoon of unusual size deserves a string of unusual size go Derica xD

@bertburglar8896 Жыл бұрын

I can't thank you 2 enough for the education and entertainment. (educat-ment) 😂 I have several brews currently going that I am very excited about.

@trashman1358 10 ай бұрын

I'm learning: "Use fruit and if it doesn't turn out quite right? Whack some fruit juice in it!" It sounds like a cheat and I just signed the dotted line! All aboard!!!

@mcguirereid7226 Жыл бұрын

Starting to get into this hobby soon, been pouring over y’all’s videos in the mean time. Love them and I can’t wait to start brewing!

@eroggero Жыл бұрын

Looks awesome, love the thorough explanation and the very detailed steps in the description below. Very very nicely done and entertaining at the same time 😂 ...

@christopherklaassen7584 11 ай бұрын

Just started a batch of reverse blueberry mead, oh my goodness, the aroma of the lemon zest and honey together was heavenly! Thank you thank you!

@CitySteadingBrews 11 ай бұрын

Most welcome!

@rayc5255 5 ай бұрын

Same here results beyond awesome. But soon gonna hafta try that cherry infused french oak char in secondary. Kick it up a notch...if that's even possible.

@christopherklaassen7584 Жыл бұрын

Whacky is always a good thing! Thanks guys you always make my day! Chris

@LannyX2 Жыл бұрын

Love the show my friends. I have been sharing you show with all the new brewers I meet IRL or online hopefully you subs keep climbing. Kvasir smile upon your brews. SKÅL!

@blackdragonmaster79 Жыл бұрын

I thank you guys! I needed a hobby and yall have helped me find one! military getting ready to finish my time and am now looking into getting a license for brewing thanks for everything yall do! I have learned so much from yall!

@georgecolby7488 Жыл бұрын

I backsweetened my spiced date wine with sugar as well, for the same reason. I had enough of the date flavor that I wanted, i just needed a little sweetness to balance the spice. I didn't want more date flavor, it would change it too much. I have been curious about adding fruit juice and then pasteurizing, always worried it would somehow spoil. I think I'm just paranoid, and this video helped me decide on trying it. I want to make sangria using your basic sweet red wine recipe as a foundation, add some citrus zest in primary, then add fresh juice and pasteurize. That way I don't have to mix the sangria each time, just pop a bottle! Cheers!

@jakobkindberg6438 Жыл бұрын

Brian I haven't seen you this happy in like forever, this must be a fantastic mead. Thanks for all you videos, I've just ordered my first brewset and I'm gonna try 🙂

@grappler99 Жыл бұрын

Love you two, also make the information you present informative and your videos are always enjoyable to watch. Have been watching your channel for a little over two years and have watched your videos over and over and love them every time I watch. Thanks for the great videos

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@Neon7ty 3 ай бұрын

I'm excited to see how the one year tasting goes!

@Operator873 Жыл бұрын

Hello Brian and Derica! Thank you so much for what you do! On the occasion of my first Mead coming to the end of fermentation, and tasting half decent... I wanted to leave you a comment saying THANK YOU SO MUCH for everything you've done to offer guidance, confidence, and blatantly sharing your mistakes for us to learn from. I love y'all's channel and your format. Keep 'em coming!

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

You are welcome!

@GoddessAstrola Жыл бұрын

I finally ordered that pitcher and it has made things SO much easier when racking, bottling and fortifying.

@scottcampbell96 Жыл бұрын

@38:20 Brian, looks like you wanted a high five

@beep-beepwatermelon4203 Жыл бұрын

Awesome! I JUST bottled blueberry kombucha using that blueberry juice and I can’t wait to start brewing mead! Unfortunately I have to wait a year because I’m expecting twins and I have a one year old so I’m not adding more to my plate right now.

@TheTriFyre Жыл бұрын

Yummy yummy yummy 😋! You were actually making my mouth water!

@Ignivomous Жыл бұрын

Heylo Brian and Derica! As always fantastic content that I never get tired of seeing. I can't speak for anyone else, but I would LOVE to see a revamped bottling video. 😉

@notsomadscientist9602 Жыл бұрын

HAHAHAHA the "Fire bad" reference was great! Subscribed!

@jordanblanc5142 Жыл бұрын

City Steading Brews always coming in clutch with a timely solution. I had a traditional mead that I'd gone very heavy with the honey and used ec1118 to see just how high ABV I could get for fun. Long story short it stalled a few times and I had to throw some nutrient at it to get it going again but once it finally finished dry I wasn't really happy with the taste, then this video popped up. Added Blueberry juice and a little back sweetening over the weekend and now I think its one of the better brews I've made to date. Thank you for yet another valuable lesson in brewing.

@justenmorgan7144 Жыл бұрын

Good timing. I'm about to bottle 2 gallons of blueberry cider; one juice only the other, fermented with fruit. I didn't think of using juice to fine tune flavoring-great suggestion. Thanks for breaking down that extra bit of abv math.

@alexcan669 Жыл бұрын

Holy crap Brian cut the spoon hahah. That was awesome guys. I need to make that one. I am working on my 3rd mead ever after a lot of wine making. I got gifted some good honey. But I will be making a Derica mead lol. I am collecting a lot of “bidens alba” a flower we have a lot of here in florida

@1badphisch Жыл бұрын

Great video as always. As a Mead maker for over 25 years and a ton of trial and error, I found secondary to be the place for my "fruit" addition for best flavor. I have fermented fruit in primary to find the addition to secondary was needed to get the fresh fruit flavors I was looking for personally. On a home brew level we can get away with time consuming practices to achieve our wants and needs while commercial doesn't have that option. Ken Schramm from my understanding ferments on pure fruit and has one of the most amazing meads I've tasted with Black Agnes. That would be one benefit of owning your own orchard lol Thank you guys for doing what you do!!! Keep up the good works, Billy

@Max_Snellink Жыл бұрын

No wisdom in gardening last year I attained my first garden. Drifted for decades with minimal belongings. So I decided to grow blueberry bushes as my first produce. Then discovered they are very peculiar about soil. Thought they had died. They are now showing signs of life and I'm now imaging the future of blueberry mead. Can't wait for the matured one year tasting. I'd consider myself a very slow learner, you've definitely taught me and I'm retaining info. I'm proud that I actually knew how to read a hydrometer before hand. Morning coffee a CSB video or two as I watch the new pitches do their thing. Feeling smug. THANK YOU for this feeling ❤

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

You are very welcome!

@sleepystar1638 2 ай бұрын

yeah they like acidic soil most fruits do

@brentmelander594 2 ай бұрын

I have also cut my paddle in half. I kept the handle side, as it works great for mixing in a narrow top fermenter.

@majorironman1959 Жыл бұрын

I can't wait to try my first blueberry mead like this.. 10.5 rating ❤😊 very kool.

@rayc5255 5 ай бұрын

Last night had the wild LOL idea to add about 4 drops pure Meyer lemon juice to glass of latest batch and wow did the ever brighten and make it pop! Even after the zest in primary...really added a great new dimension to this brew

@nicholaskarako5701 Жыл бұрын

I can get why and when to add plan white sugar to sweeten a mead instead of just using more honey vs using a non-fermentable sweetener like erthritol or monk fruit sugar ect. White sugar is a neutral tasting sweetener that can help round out favours and even bring out the components in your brew you are trying highlight. Without adding another ingredient in the mix that will compete like if you were to use raw sugar instead. Kind of like using torrefied wheat in beer. The grain can provide just the right amount of additional foam retention on the top of a perfectly poured beer in a frosty glass. While also adding a mouth feel to a brew and with a slight grain character that it's not going going to complete with the beer base malt you want to be the main flavor profile, but enhance them. Say for example you wanted a vanilla like taste to a brew, but don't want to use vanilla or reply of French oak. You might want to add some einkron malt as part of your grain selection. *Also side note: If you make shortbread butter cookies highly recommend using an a all-purpose einkorn flour. Used this flour with the homemade anise/mint and lime extract I made with cane sugar. The cookies came out amazing and the flours deep nutty toasty essence complimented the extract and choice of sugar. I had brought them to work and everyone raved about them. The main point is whether your brewing, baking or cooking all ingredients have a purpose. How simple or complicated you want to make it is up to you.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Totally agreed!

@christopherjackson1550 Жыл бұрын

B has an awesome pizza peele? Has he named it "Emma" ?? 😜🥰

@thatjonguy103 Жыл бұрын

Awhile back I made a blueberry mead using the same juice in this video instead of water. I also used blueberry honey. I want to say 2.5 pounds and four quarts, but not 100% sure on the pounds. Half the batch got bottled dry and the other half got back sweetened and I liked both a lot. It's one I'll be doing again hopefully this year.

@SamwiseOutdoors Жыл бұрын

Left-handed scissors from Ned Flanders' Leftorium, no less.

@TheTriFyre Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@gtbarsi1103 2 ай бұрын

Looking forward to the one year tasting of this recipe. It is on my short list of next meads to attempt.

@CitySteadingBrews 2 ай бұрын

It came out a couple weeks ago.

@CitySteadingBrews 2 ай бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jZh3ipVlr5PLqY0.htmlsi=cTPemIzDL_poQMpO

@weedfreer Жыл бұрын

Oooo...i know where theres a Bullace tree near me. Thus has given me some ideas with regards to hiw to use them ☺️

@edwardcunningham6315 Жыл бұрын

Another Kool video 👍. I don't think I've made a fermentation that came out as a 10. I'll give the banana a 9, but it still had an "off" taste, like banana peal dryness. I like the "backwards" idea of adding flavor after fermentation ( or near completion). I've made a few wines this way and I like the ability of playing with taste and sweetness balance. I'll have to try this blueberry, it sounds interesting and I think a small shot of vanilla extract will enhance the blueberry. Again thanks for the video and be careful when you cut the handle on the whisk of unusual size. We don't want to see your thumb hitting the brew😅👍❤️

@Damiancontursi Жыл бұрын

I had a mead intented to be 18% stalled at about 7%, try swirling but didn't do anything, and where I live I can barely get some nutrient that isn't even clear how to use, so some form of powder help was beyond my reach. What I did though, since it had a nice taste but too sweet, was mixing with a dry mead that was intended to be backsweeten. Came out amazing. Didn't even pasteurize because it went right then and there to the fridge and then to a family get together.

@micahestep7679 Жыл бұрын

I'd like to see you try using barley wash water in a mead. Don't know if barleymead is a thing (rather than barleywine). I've tried it with peat smoked barley, and oak smoked 6 row barley as well. I used two lbs of barley added to water brought to 160 degrees strike temp, and 1 teaspoon of alpha amalyse. I lut it rest for 90 min in the oven set on warm and strained it off. You need about 1 1/3 gallon of water to start with because the cracked grain soaks up a fair amount of liquid. You should end with a gravity between 1.040 and1.050. I add honey to bring it up to 1.110 to 1.115. for yeast I've used ec1118 and dady.

@timlarsson Жыл бұрын

I heard a funny noise. Looked if I had any tabs that made that noise quickly, but then you (Brian) mentioned the R2D2 voice message notification. So yes, I heard it 😆

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Lol

@NoBonesPressed Жыл бұрын

Thanks, as with the rest of your videos, Brian was a way to make math easy.. We have 2.5 gallons of really good to us Banana 🍌 mead that is around 14% abv l. We prefer to drink our meads at around 8% so thanks for making it understandable

@DarthMalicius 5 ай бұрын

I got into making mead because of this channel, I quit drinking in 2022 not that I had to just felt the change needed. That said I am starting a batch this week this may be it..

@CitySteadingBrews 5 ай бұрын

I can check on it but so far haven't experienced that.

@Grandpa_RLP Жыл бұрын

I've made a 3 gallon Blueberry Mead once and put blueberries in primary and secondary. I sent it in to Mead Stampede competition and scored 45 out of 50 which I was very proud of. I haven't made it since but plan to. Afraid I won't hit it just right again. LOL

@drewman747 Жыл бұрын

I just had this same idea on how to make a blueberry mead. Everything the same except for the yeast. After your score it looks like I will be doing about the same thing.👍. Oh, but I will probably use D47 or 71b yeast.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

I would use 71b… just because it works well in this recipe and really kept the youngness to a minimum. We used to use d47 but found 71b superior in nearly every way.

@timothynaquin8899 Жыл бұрын

Lemon zest is a complimentary flavor for blueberries

@chelseagrimsley6689 11 ай бұрын

I'm so glad you mentioned the stupid long amount of tubing!! I literally was racking my first mead as I'm watching this (I'm a little ADD and needs background noise) and I couldn't get the darn thing to work properly. I was trying to figure out was the tubing too long, was it a cheap quality siphon, was I taking too small of pumps, or is my siphon too big for my 1 gallon brews??? I will definitely cut the tubing now!

@chelseagrimsley6689 11 ай бұрын

There was so much bubbling and splashing with this that I'm afraid I oxidized my brew 😣

@micahestep7679 Жыл бұрын

In making barleymead you also might consider using a small amount of deeply roasted barley to add coffee/ chocolate flavors. I don't use hops,wormwood,or any other bittering agents.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Barleymead?

@divinedi01 Жыл бұрын

I am in awe that the math and calculations that Brian does lol. My brain just refuses to accept the input of the formulas lol. Are you guys no longer a fan of the syringe method? Hearing you guys talk about FL makes me home sick hehe (from Tallahassee)

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

We decided the baster was more efficient.

@ronaldmoran7604 Жыл бұрын

nice work i need a gallon open mouth fermenter.

@DZSabre Жыл бұрын

I just finished two batches of mead this week with Primier Classique and both came out to 18%!!!! Yeast really cannot read.

@bennewcomb6795 Жыл бұрын

This is close to my first iteration of my current recipe. 2 jars of juice plus water and enough honey to get to 1.112 (15% if dry) up to 1.25 gallons (little big mouth bubbler). Once done, stabilize and add two pounds of frozen and thawed blueberries (bag them), for 2-3 weeks. Remove and squeeze berries, and reintroduce juice to the mead Add sugar or honey to balance out to taste. I think we ended at ~1.014 Rave reviews from everyone, so far. I was told that adding the berries into conditioning lowered the abv, but I don’t know how to calculate that, soooo……

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

It does lower the abv but not by much really.

@bennewcomb6795 Жыл бұрын

@@CitySteadingBrews I figured it would be maybe a percentage point. I try not to quibble over it, since I don’t sell it.

@nomadismileseeker6611 Жыл бұрын

The more I brew, the more I see the value of the Big Mouth Bubbler. It’s far handier than the 1 gallon car boys.

@carlvondrunker7855 Жыл бұрын

Yall are my go to if I have questions. generally yall have made a video that explains what I need to know. All I make is ciders and meads and the mead family variants. I tell people these are the easiest most forgiving brewing. Here's a question I haven't seen or maybe can't remember it being answered. Does adding whole blueberries add any tanin?

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

A small amount but you would need a LOT to add much noticeable tannins.

@yourmetalgod69 Жыл бұрын

I see you guys like your Glass cylinder for readings, I love mine but I need to get the plastic hydrometer so I can just plop it in haha, sooo many times I have almost done it with the glass ones haha. They are just so much easier to read in. I would love to see you guys do a brew with honindal Kveik yeast. but if you do use way more nutrient than you do they are hungry beasties.

@liverdrop2 8 ай бұрын

Great video, as always. Do you guys find the backwards mead to be a superior method? Are we going to be seeing more backwards brews in the future?

@CitySteadingBrews 8 ай бұрын

It's all valid. Mostly cones down to preference really.

@hannahstephenson8071 Жыл бұрын

Hey guys! Loved the video, big fan. I'm always learning a lot on this channel. I have a question- a month ago I made 4 micro brews (.5 gal each) of meads from different local honies (honeys?) similar to one of your other videos. I made a crucial beginner's mistake- I forgot to use my hydrometer to take the initial reading! And its been brewing for weeks already. Is there another way to measure the ABV without an initial reading? (and not spending a bazillion dollars) -Hannah

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

You can estimate if you know exactly how much honey water and whatever else you added.

@micahestep7679 Жыл бұрын

Y'all ever going to revisit meadowsweet? I remember you discovered that only the flowers are supposed to be used. I think the ingredients you used were meant to be brewed as a tea. I did a mead with sassafras recently but went light on the root bark due to the danger of ingesting too much sassafrol compounds. It is turning out to be pretty tasty.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

If we can get fresh flowers maybe.

@jeremi96221 Жыл бұрын

It looks so good! If you forget to add the black tea in primary, is it ok to add it in conditionning/before bottling since its doesn't have any sugar?

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Sure.

@rossk7927 Жыл бұрын

30:00 sweeten more... I don't have much experience, but I've found going even a little too sweet you can lose the fruit flavor, granted I was working with fermented fruit flavor. So it's interesting that here going sweeter with sugar brought the fresh (non fermented) fruit to life.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Too sweet yes, but fruit that is not sweet enough tastes off.

@shannoncraig509 Жыл бұрын

green is the new purple

@dougmaggard124 Жыл бұрын

If you mix the tannin with a teaspoon of sugar it want clump up kinda like working with cinnamon mix it with something dry first

@darylbrander4851 Жыл бұрын

I started using lactose to sweeten my blueberry meads lately. Non fermenting and gives a nice creaminess to the mead.

@rossborgwardt1036 Жыл бұрын

I just bought a bag. I plan to use it in my next mead I make!

@darylbrander4851 Жыл бұрын

@Ross Borgwardt nice let me know what you think. I'm still experimenting myself but so far am liking it.

@nickpohl7869 5 ай бұрын

Big thanks again for awesome videos!! Quick Question. What is the difference between yeast hulls and yeast energizer? Can energizers be used to kickstart stalled fermentations?

@CitySteadingBrews 5 ай бұрын

They aren't really interchangeable. Energizers tend to include diammonium phostphate that may not be helpful for fixing stalls.

@1014p Жыл бұрын

So primary fermentation in fruits will often be a different taste than its name. Secondary is where you can get back that effect intended. I do not approach a mead names “insert fruit” melomel as its expected taste. Example rhubarb develops a grape fruit. I teach people to practice primary with fruits to understand taste profile development.

@A_Healthy_Fit_Lifestyle 7 ай бұрын

This was very informative and entertaining. I am curious, what fruits, if any, would you pair with orange blossom honey in mead making? I currently have 3 lbs of that particular honey.

@CitySteadingBrews 7 ай бұрын

Nearly anything. Orange blossom is fairly universal.

@jeremiahbullfrog9288 Жыл бұрын

Derica is on fire today

@i_inf0din254 Жыл бұрын

I have my own blueberry mistake going right now. Attempted wild ferment, no activity after 2 weeks so i threw some yeast and some hulls in and the airlock is showing some pretty slow activity compared to my other two batches... so im hoping it turns out well (its OG wasnt awful, havent taken a second reading yet since yeast went in)

@DZSabre 10 ай бұрын

Yesterday, I just bottled a serviceberry mead that used Primier Classique and it went to 17%. I had a mulberry and blackberry mead batch each hit 17% and 18% using that yeast. I also picked it because I was hoping for 13%. Still turned out ok, just not as sweet as I hoped.

@CitySteadingBrews 10 ай бұрын

You always have the option to sweeten afterward.

@user-brownie_bear_1974 3 ай бұрын

I heard it lol, R2-D2....may the force be with you

@hydniq3327 Жыл бұрын

I like the way you make 1 video showing the complete process . I guess the difference of adding the grape juice at the start would be a higher alcohol % . Because you diluted it with the grape juice .

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Main difference is the flavor actually. Adding the juice straight without fermenting adds a much more pure blueberry flavor.

@hydniq3327 Жыл бұрын

I really enjoy your videos . Here in Canada the temp varies a lot from day to night so keeping a constant temp is hard . I find when it slows i degas and helps , just like you show in this video .

@oaknwichlanedesigns Жыл бұрын

I love this recipe. Have been using it for other berry flavored meads(blackberry and currant). I was wondering if the wheat taste it had was because of the yeast hulls used to see if it stalled? Just a thought. Most importantly...THANK YOU!!!

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

I don’t think they would add that flavor… not 100% sure though!

@JonColclasureSr.-hs2mp Жыл бұрын

I'd like for y'all to do another Klingon Blood wine please ty

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Why another? The first was great!

@AnthonyBearPR Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the recipe. Last night I finished with the last FG from your basic blueberry mead. I got an OG of 1.104 and a FG of 0.97 for a 18.09 abv if I did your equation right, I used 1 full packet of Lalvin D47, yeast nutrient, tea, orange peel 1lb of bluberries and 2.5 lbs clover honey. I got that FG for the last 3 weeks so since I like dry meads so I decided to bottle it. Should I be worried about that high ABV? I taste it and it was young but not bad.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Probably more like 0.997

@AnthonyBearPR Жыл бұрын

@@CitySteadingBrews you are right ! now makes more sense. it was late hehe... thanks

@RedGhost1990 Жыл бұрын

I Could totally Hear RD D2 :D

@maillewvr Жыл бұрын

Oh, I've been meaning to ask if you've done the trip to Tampa and tried the two meaderies there? Garagiste and Sunset Dreams are the two that show up for me. I am planning a road trip some day I have a couple days off in a row and looking for suggestions if you have been there.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

We actually haven’t!

@Sziliveszter Жыл бұрын

Hello! I love your videos! I have already made three meads based on your instructions! all three succeeded, but I would like to ask for a little help. The meads are quite young, the oldest one is now a year old, however, they all have quite a yeasty taste. Can something be done about this? Or does it just take time and go away? Can pasteurization change its taste? Thank you for taking some time for me! I wish you a lot of strength and health in the future!

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

We have heard of this yeasty taste but never experienced it. Could be it hasn’t cleared?

@Sziliveszter Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the reply. I don't think that's the problem, because they cleaned up very nicely! They taste delicious, but somehow there is that unpleasant yeasty taste in the background.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

@@Sziliveszter one of two things come to mind... either you left it on yeast for far too long (some yeasts, like 71b can rupture and sometimes offer an off flavor if left too long, like months too long) or... it's just something you think you taste. Don't hate me! There is a psychosymatic tendency to add flavors to things if we know what is in them. I'm not saying it's the culprit, but... we've had people say wine tasted like bread when they used bread yeast (which is just not possible btw!).

@boodaddyus Жыл бұрын

I know the goal was to ‘revisit’ the last iteration of Blueberry Mead and try to hit that mental image of the flavor you wanted, but with your growing enthusiasm for oaking different brews, do you think it would have offered any benefit to this one? Have you considered pulling a small amount of each brew and putting it on oak for a time to see the difference? As my second round of brewing (You’re channel has become my main source for education on the subject and encouragement!) I’ve got a gallon of red table wine and a gallon of plain mead sitting on an ounce each of French oak chips for the last two weeks specifically because of your reaction to the effect it had on each of those styles. Thanks for the wonderful channel and apologies for the long post!

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Oaking can always help. We don't oak everything though, since it would get monotonous.

@boodaddyus Жыл бұрын

As a follow up, I pulled my two batches this morning, tasted, back sweetened, and am in the middle of pasteurization. This is my first time oaking anything so is it normal for it to have a ‘sweeter/mellower’ start that transitions to a touch of offness (youngness, maybe?) and then transition to the tart/dry finish since I hadn’t sweetened it yet? This was the mead, btw.

@boodaddyus Жыл бұрын

Also, I totally get, but hadn’t thought about, not wanting every release to become the same.

@dansullivan8968 5 ай бұрын

Wow! Sugar in a mead! Welcome to the party pal! My respects sir, brew for taste. Damn the recipe, add the sugar!

@mrtnz1313 Жыл бұрын

👏👍

@michaele.4702 Жыл бұрын

You could have also added about a forth a teaspoon of salt to boost the sweetness.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Salt in a brew is not a great idea.

@mohammedalotaibi6683 10 ай бұрын

رائع 🥂

@queenofroses09 Жыл бұрын

Speaking of dried fruit, have you ever tried making mead with dried pears? I usually dry about 50 pounds of pears every year and use them for a multitude of things. Fresh pear would probably not come forward in mead, but maybe dried pear would work.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

I don’t think we have tried dried pear… yet!

@charlielippert1451 Жыл бұрын

You were talking about a wheat flavor similar to a blueberry mead you made with buckwheat honey. It is possible, considering how dark the wildflower honey you used was, is wild buckwheat flowers visited by the bees. Just my thoughts.

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

Very possible!

@hippyjoe Жыл бұрын

Hey, I have a question about bungs and sanitization So, with the regular carboys, the bungs have a hard time staying in because it's just wet and it slides out. I know y'all normally just use a rubber band to keep it down I use those sorta straight up and down airlocks (i cant remember if thats called the two piece or three piece) so I don't really have an elbow for the rubber band to hold on to Would it be a huge contamination risk if I just like, wiped down the carboy lip with a dry paper towel, and the bung as well? Like, is there any way to dry it off so the bung can stick?

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

We often dry the edges!

@weedfreer Жыл бұрын

Could you maybe one day look into making a pink lemonade sour ale using staghorns off of a sumac tree? Make it nice and strong at around 6.2% and keep it unfinned...thatld be ace! 🤤🤤

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

How very specific… neither of us like sour ales so… probably not likely, sorry!

@weedfreer Жыл бұрын

@@CitySteadingBrews b'ah! You've just not found one you like yet. Try looking for a nice, unfinned, gooseberry sour. UK brewer Buxton Brewery make one called Trolltunga if you're able to find as an exotic an ale over there in the states

@Cutright628 7 ай бұрын

17:09 Have you ever seen premium brewers yeast powder from Kate Naturals? They have it on Amazon. Can this be used in place of yeast hulls? I’m assuming they are similar if not the same, the only ingredient is “brewers yeast powder” I have this leftover from making lactation cookies when my kids were born and curious if I can use it up in place of yeast hulls.

@CitySteadingBrews 7 ай бұрын

Have not tried it or seen it, sorry!

@elricthebald870 Жыл бұрын

10.5. CALLED IT (Although I expected it to be Derica's) And on 'How vs. Why' I am definitely in the 'Why' camp. If possible when people ask questions I point them in the right direction (hand them a proverbial encyclopedia) or provide them with the whole context so they can draw their own conclusion. Too often people simply get handed an answer and loose the ability to think. And that's what leads to things like conspiracy theorists, flat earthers and anti-vaxers.

@kevin_ninja_jones2363 Жыл бұрын

That is the juice I used to start my mead I used 2 of those same amount of water and 3 pounds of clover honey and Im about to put it on 3 pounds of blueberries in a couple days

@kevin_ninja_jones2363 Жыл бұрын

How long do you recommend I leave it on the blueberries

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

As long as you like but a couple weeks should do all they can do.

@LevidelValle Жыл бұрын

Some limon zest helps elevate the blueberry flavor

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

We considered that but didn’t need it in the end.

@Jen-iy7lq Жыл бұрын

Please excuse me if you've already covered this previously, but what other sediment could be falling out of suspension, besides yeast, when we're only dealing with water and honey? Thx in advance-

@CitySteadingBrews Жыл бұрын

As fermentation occurs, hundreds of compounds are being formed. Various proteins, alcohols, etc.