Backwards Blueberry Mead? AKA Fix a Stalled Mead

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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[@davebuehner4307]

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]

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

[@Skulltap]

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]

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]

same here, these guys are the best

[@carleenmessina5022]

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

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thank you all. We appreciate it!

[@jakematthews6982]

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]

Glad we could help! Sounds awesome!

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

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]

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]

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

[@josephmclovin9763]

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]

Welcome!

[@maillewvr]

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!

[@Spadoof965]

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!

[@alexlarsen6413]

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. 👍👍👍

[@christopherklaassen7584]

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]

Most welcome!

[@rayc5255]

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.

[@Max_Snellink]

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]

You are very welcome!

[@sleepystar1638]

yeah they like acidic soil most fruits do

[@bertburglar8896]

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.

[@Operator873]

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]

You are welcome!

[@christopherklaassen7584]

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

[@GodBroly]

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

[@trashman1358]

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!!!

[@blackdragonmaster79]

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]

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!

[@richtull2110]

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

[@Neon7ty]

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

[@beep-beepwatermelon4203]

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.

[@notsomadscientist9602]

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

[@brentmelander594]

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

[@grappler99]

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]

Thank you!

[@eroggero]

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 😂 ...

[@GoddessAstrola]

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

[@jordanblanc5142]

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.

[@TheTriFyre]

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

[@alexcan669]

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

[@Ignivomous]

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. 😉

[@jakobkindberg6438]

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 🙂

[@gtbarsi1103]

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

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It came out a couple weeks ago.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWOqiGVqf5Kar7ssi=cTPemIzDL_poQMpO

[@1badphisch]

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

[@rayc5255]

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]

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]

Totally agreed!

[@majorironman1959]

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

[@LannyX2]

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!

[@justenmorgan7144]

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.

[@TheTriFyre]

Thanks!

[@scottcampbell96]

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

[@mcguirereid7226]

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!

[@timothynaquin8899]

Lemon zest is a complimentary flavor for blueberries

[@DarthMalicius]

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]

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

[@micahestep7679]

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]

Barleymead?

[@Damiancontursi]

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.

[@drewman747]

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]

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.

[@thatjonguy103]

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.

[@ronaldmoran7604]

nice work i need a gallon open mouth fermenter.

[@SamwiseOutdoors]

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

[@timlarsson]

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]

Lol

[@weedfreer]

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

[@micahestep7679]

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.

[@bennewcomb6795]

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]

It does lower the abv but not by much really.

[@bennewcomb6795]

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

[@edwardcunningham6315]

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😅👍❤️

[@christopherjackson1550]

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

[@shannoncraig509]

green is the new purple

[@NoBonesPressed]

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

[@Grandpa_RLP]

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

[@chelseagrimsley6689]

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]

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

[@rossk7927]

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]

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

[@divinedi01]

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]

We decided the baster was more efficient.

[@darylbrander4851]

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

[@rossborgwardt1036]

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

[@darylbrander4851]

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

[@DZSabre]

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

[@JonColclasureSr.-hs2mp]

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

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Why another? The first was great!

[@michaele.4702]

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

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Salt in a brew is not a great idea.

[@hydniq3327]

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]

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

[@hydniq3327]

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 .

[@1014p]

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.

[@nomadismileseeker6611]

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.

[@micahestep7679]

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]

If we can get fresh flowers maybe.

[@LevidelValle]

Some limon zest helps elevate the blueberry flavor

[@CitySteadingBrews]

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

[@dougmaggard124]

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

[@carlvondrunker7855]

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]

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

[@jeremiahbullfrog9288]

Derica is on fire today

[@RedGhost1990]

I Could totally Hear RD D2 :D

[@kevin_ninja_jones2363]

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]

How long do you recommend I leave it on the blueberries

[@CitySteadingBrews]

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

[@DZSabre]

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]

You always have the option to sweeten afterward.

[@AnthonyBearPR]

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]

Probably more like 0.997

[@AnthonyBearPR]

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

[@queenofroses09]

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]

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

[@boodaddyus]

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]

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

[@boodaddyus]

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]

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

[@liverdrop2]

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]

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

[@jakematthews6982]

Optionally mandatory….. mandatorily optional…. Also, at 14:50 you were talking about ethanol being a flavor…

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup

[@dansullivan8968]

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

[@user-brownie_bear_1974]

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

[@yourmetalgod69]

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.

[@elricthebald870]

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.

[@kirtgunnard1038]

Is there a chaotic nuetral honey? Asking for a friend….

[@CitySteadingBrews]

No idea.

[@weedfreer]

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]

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

[@weedfreer]

@@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

[@MaxParadiz]

Hi! First I would like to say that these past few days I have been religiously studying your content and it is fantastic, thank you!! There is one thing that you have said in this and other videos that I find mysterious. You refer to final specific gravity target as "1.000", which is the specific gravity of pure water. The final drink will hopefully have some alcohol (with a specific gravity of 0.79) and several non-fermentable compounds that pull the specific gravity upwards. The balance of these factors (alcohol vs non-fermentables) should bring the final specific gravity somewhere close to 1, but "1.000" indicates a high level of precision. As if, for some reason that is still mysterious to me, the fermentation process will generally converge to this value. Is this actually the case? Is the distribution for fully fermented drinks tightly centered at 1.000? If not, what is the expected range of the final specific gravity value? I would guess that the spread is in the range of 0.98 - 1.02 and highly variable within this range, but maybe this guess is wrong (I have yet to complete my first cider so I have no experience at all with final readings). Thanks!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

1.000 is the generally acceptable number for dry. We often go below it.

[@MaxParadiz]

@@CitySteadingBrews Thanks!! My final reading was 0.992 :)

[@katithompson3704]

Question: The juice you used is, of course, cooked. If you had used whole blueberries, they would have been fresh (or frozen which tastes like fresh). What/why/when is it better to use fresh vs. cooked/canned fruit/juice?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It comes down to what you have and what you want or are willing to work with.

[@charlielippert1451]

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]

Very possible!

[@davidnalder735]

i too am left handed, drew, save me.

[@jeremi96221]

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]

Sure.

[@oaknwichlanedesigns]

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]

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

[@chuck419plus1]

i'm doing blueberry mead on the 1st.....

[@nickpohl7869]

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]

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

[@johnp.2267]

Say, if you were to add spearmint or peppermint to an already-fermented mead, would you need to pasteurize afterwards?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Fresh herbs? Nope.

[@hannahstephenson8071]

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]

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

[@kevind7617]

Have yall ever thought about keeping bees?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup and decided against it, lol.

[@kevind7617]

@@CitySteadingBrews just curious why?..we're in our 2nd year of bee keeping and there's nothing more peaceful than sitting in a chair next to a hive early in the morning with a cup of coffee and watching the hive entrance like an aquarium.. breathing in the smells of honey production.. the only thing I could see better was if I lived in a state & working a job that was "legal".. until then good coffee will suffice

[@hippyjoe]

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]

We often dry the edges!

[@Jen-iy7lq]

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]

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