Dark woke mead
A blueberry and cinnamon mead recipe perfect for autom days or for Christmas.
Equipment:
- 5 l Demijohn
- 5 l Fermentation bucket
- 5 l stockpot
- Hydrometer
- Bung
- Airlock
- Funnel
- Spoons
- Siphon
I used yeast Lalvin ICV-D47 from Lallemand https://shop.humle.se/jast/vinjast/torr/icv-d-47-vinjast-5-g
Rum oak wood cubes
https://www.olbryggning.se/wilhelm-eder/106560/100-g-rum-oak-wood-cubes-ekkuber-som-dragit-i-rom
For sterilizer I used pbw
https://mr-malt.se/utrustning/rengoring/rengoringsmedel/pbw-450-g-1-lb
Ingredients:
- 1,5 kg Honey
- up to 4,5 l Water
- 600 gram Frozen blueberies
- 3 sticks Cinamon
- 5 g Yeast - Lalvin ICV-D47
- 3 Rum oak wood cubes
Instructions:
-
Wash
Wash a demijohn.
-
Wait
Wait 30 minutes.
-
Sterilize demijohn
Fill the demijohn with water and sterilizer.
-
Wash stockpot
Wash the stockpot.
-
Sterilize stockpot
Pour the sterilized water from the demijohn in the stockpot.
-
Wash extra equipment
Wash a spoon, a funnel, a hydrometer, a bung and an airlock.
-
Sterilise equipment
Put the equipment in the stockpot with the sterilized water.
-
Wait
Wait 30 minutes and rinse the equipment thoroughly and put them in a dish rack.
-
Dissolve honey
Dissolve the honey with 1 l of new fresh spring water in the stockpot. If nessesary heat the water to a max ~32°C to dissolve the honey completely.
-
Fill the demijohn
Pour the must in to the demijohn.
-
Oxidize the must
Swirl and shake the demijohn to oxidize the must.
-
Measure the gravity
Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.
-
Fill up with water
Fill up with water to desired amount of must.
-
Measure the gravity
Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.
-
Add the yeast
Pour the yeast in to the demijohn.
-
Bung with an airlock
Put on a bung with an airlock on the demijohn.
-
After 24h degas.
Oxidizing the mead can turn it into vinegar, do not shake, swirl lightly to degas the mead.
-
24h nutrients
After 24h add nutrients.
-
Fermentation
Let it ferment for at least two weeks.
-
Measure the gravity.
Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.
-
Thaw the berries
Thaw the berries.
-
Clean and sterilize
Clean and sterilize the fermentation bucket.
-
Blue berries
Put the berries in the fermentation bucket.
-
Cinnamon sticks
Put the cinnamon sticks in the fermentaion bucket.
-
Fermentation bucket
Rack to the fermentation bucket.
-
Rest
Let it rest for one week. If it rest to long it can get a strange flavour from the seeds.
-
Measure the gravity.
Measure the gravity with a hydrometer.
-
Clean and sterilize
Clean and sterilize the demijohn.
-
Back to demijohn
Rack back to the demijohn
-
Rest
Let it rest for one week.
-
Sterilize the oak cubes
Put the oak cubes in a bowl with cognac over night.
-
Clean and sterilize
Clean and sterilize the fermentation bucket.
-
Fermentation bucket
Rack to the fermentation bucket.
-
Add the oak cubes
Put the oak cubes to the fermentation bucket
-
Wait for oak flavour
Let it rest for at least 2 weeks.
-
Clean and sterilize
Clean and sterilize the demijohn.
-
Back to demijohn
Rack back to the demijohn
-
Pasteurize
Heat the mead in a water bath to 60˚c (120˚F) let it be so for 22 minutes to pasteruize it.
-
Cool down
Let the mead cool down
-
Rest
Let it rest for at least 2 weeks.
-
Bottling.
Transfer into bottles.
-
Enjoy,
Drink, enjoy and scold in the company of good friends!
To calculate the ABV you can use the formula:
(OG - FG) / 7.5 = ABV
OG : Original °Öchsle
FG : Final °Öchsle
After fermentation my result: (110 - 0) / 7.5 = 16 ABV
Or this formula:
(OG - FG) x 131 = ABV
OG : Original Gravity
FG : Final Gravity
After fermentation my result: (1.110 -1.000 ) x 131 = 15,75 ABV
24-03-26 OG:110
24-03-26 Prime fermentation
26-03-26 Swirl and added nutrients
07-04-26 OG: 40
07-04-26 Added the blueberries and cinnamon
13-04-26 OG: 20
13-04-26 Back to demijohn
10-05-26 Back to fermantation bucket
16-05-26 Added Rum oak wood cubes
17-05-26 OG: 0
09-08-26 Back to demijohn
17-08-26 Pasteurized
20-09-26 Bottled
