Mead update

My 5 gal batch is still fermenting very slow.  The SG 2 days ago was at 1.020.  Still dropping but very slow.  I am thinking that it is a character of the yeast.  So I added 2 lbs of honey (total 14 now) some yeast nutrient and energizer.  Mixed it in good.  After a day the Fermentation seams to be more active today.

Blueberry Melomel (Mead)

I was planning on making a Blueberry Melomel (Mead) this summer after I picked all my Blueberries.  I would have to add some frozen ones as well to have enough.  But a wonderful present appeared on the door step yesterday.  A 1 gallon bucket of Blueberries (a little over 6 lbs.) dropped off by some friends of ours that have a 15 acre Blueberry patch .  Just the right amount I needed for a 3 gallon batch.  So I proceeded to wash and crush the berries.  Heated up some water and dissolved 6 lbs of honey into it. Stretched a 5 gallon paint strainer bag over the mouth of the 5g fermenting bucket and started pouring in the crushed Blueberries.

Blueberry Melomel

• 6-7lbs honey
• 6 lbs Blueberries
• 30 drops Pectic Enzyme
• 3 tsp Yeast Nutrient
• 1 1/2 Tsp Yeast Energizer
• 4 Campden tablets to sanitize must
• EC-1118 Yeast in a starter

Initially only added 6 lbs honey, but after checking the SG 18 hours later it was 1.072.  I added another 1 lbs or so of honey to get an SG of 1.082.  I want it to have no trouble fermenting since it is in an open fermenter.  So I decided to us EC-1118. I will ferment it dry and after stabilizing back sweeten to about 1.010 using honey.  

Mead Recipe

My Current Mead Recipe for 5 gal

• 12 lbs quality varietal honey
• 5 tsp yeast nutrient
• 7 tsp acid Blend
• 1 1/4 tsp yeast energizer
• 4 gallons water  (about 5g total must)
• 1 sachet Lavlin ID-47 yeast

Put everything in a 6g Carboy to ferment.

After stabilizing add 2- 3lbs honey to approx  SG of 1.012

And on Day 3 Fermenting nicely.  Airlock very active.

Mead

I started a batch of Mead on Friday.  And now 36 hours later it is fermenting nicely.  I also bottled up some more Beer on Friday.  This was my forth batch, it is a 2.5g batch of American Style Wheat.  Drier finish, less fruiter and more hops than a German or Belgian style. It tasted pretty good but flat.  I actually had for a short time on Friday where nothing was being fermented or aging.  All my wine/beer projects had been bottled.  That was the perfect time to start some mead.  I plan to start concentrating more of my wine making efforts of my home grown grapes.  Which are growing quite nicely, including the vines I added this year.  I should have a real good crop of Muscadine Grapes.  Next year I expect to have 3 times the amount as my vines mature.