Tuesday, September 2, 2014

sweet victory!


That, my friends, is homebrew blackberry mead. (Also evidence that I need to write about knitting. But that's a different post.) I couldn't resist breaking into it this evening and trying it out, and I am pleased to report that it is quite drinkable. (This is my first brewing experience! That's a good bar to aim for.)

This was low-tech wild-fermented brew; I mixed three cups of honey with twelve cups of water in a bucket, then added a quart of foraged blackberries. I left it alone, stirring occasionally, for a few days, until the wild yeasts had gotten a chance to colonize it and start it frothing up. Then it went into a jug with an airlock to do its thing, and it has been there for... a month? six weeks?

It's still sweet at this point, just slightly fizzy, and the honey flavor comes to the fore first with the blackberries arriving as an aftertaste. I am so proud of myself.

2 comments:

  1. That sounds alarmingly easy to make... not to mention delicious. I was under the impression that mead had to age for at least a year, and hey, it's probably worth it but I'm not THAT patient. This is much more promising! And yes, please do post about the knitting if you get a chance.

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  2. Nah, it only needs to ferment for a month or two. Basically, until the bubbling stops or becomes very slow (once every 5 minutes). It is important to rack (pour or siphon the brew off the accumulated dead yeast) every week or two for the first month to avoid a nasty bitter taste. Bottle when bubbling stops, drink when you like. If you do age it over two years it can become _very_ smooth. We've got a tiny sample bottle 10 years old that's almost liqueur.

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