Batch #004: Ravenna Blvd. Mead
- Batch Size
- 5 gal
- Starting Gravity
- 1.098
- Final Gravity
- 0.994
- Approximate ABV (before backsweetening)
- 13.65%
A very Seattle flavor profile, but also hopefully accessible. Berry meads are crowd-pleasers, and I’m just going to add a little backing note of rosemary. I love berries and herbs, and both of these can be found growing wild across Seattle. I strongly associate both with walking through Ravenna along its namesake boulevard.
- Blackberry Blossom honey from Shipwreck Honey
- Blackberries from Hayton Farms
Most Recent Update
Bottled
Tasting notes: strong aroma of honey and blackberry with a hint of rosemary. Quite dry on the tongue (I didn’t backsweeten), almost like a red wine, but still carrying some red fruit flavors. I enjoyed it enough that I’ll probably make it again next year, but the rosemary dissapated enough that I think I’ll go a little heavier for that one.
Bottled the whole batch. The final yield was 18 750ml bottles and 4 375ml bottles.
Full Log
Mixed must
- 10 lbs honey
- 10 lbs blackberries, frozen for 72 hours
- 2.88 gallons bottled spring water
- 5 campden tablets
I froze the blackberries for a few days to ensure I didn’t lose any due to spoilage, but also to break cell walls. Today I mixed all the must ingredients and sterilized it with some campden tablets.
IfWhen I do this again, I’ll allow a bit more defrosting time. The berries still being mostly frozen chilled the must, which made it harder to get the honey mixed in.
Added pectinase, pitched yeast
- 2½ tsp pectinase
- 10g Lalvin 71B wine yeast
- 2½ tsp LD Carlson Yeast Energizer (DAP)
- 5 tsp LD Carlson Yeast Nutrient
Measured the initial gravity at 1.098 (potential ABV of ~13%).
Stirred in the pectinase and waited an hour while rehydrating the yeast. Once the yeast had awakened and the pectinase had been in for an hour, I stirred in the yeast, nutrient, and energizer.
Racked and added rosemary tea
- rosemary tea
Fermentation Looks to have finished, so I racked it into a new 5-gallon carboy.
Final gravity measured at 0.994 (~13% ABV), which is another point in favor of fermentation being finished.
Made a rosemary tea and added it to taste: detectable, but not overwhelming.
Bottled
Tasting notes: strong aroma of honey and blackberry with a hint of rosemary. Quite dry on the tongue (I didn’t backsweeten), almost like a red wine, but still carrying some red fruit flavors. I enjoyed it enough that I’ll probably make it again next year, but the rosemary dissapated enough that I think I’ll go a little heavier for that one.
Bottled the whole batch. The final yield was 18 750ml bottles and 4 375ml bottles.