Mango Habanero Mead Finishing and Bottling (and a BONUS) - Mango Capsicumel Mead!

[@LevidelValle]

Every Bottle Has a purpose, every bottle is good, every bottle is needed in your neighborhood.

[@medsurgcutie]

You two are looking good. You look like two different people than the earlier videos I've been watching.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Oh thank you!

[@michaelpthompson]

Great as always.Love the new format where I don't have to wait months between steps..

[@patlawson1659]

This Brew sounds like it could be my next favorite thing . 🤠

[@sebasmorongore]

All right... You survived the testing. I will try it.

[@JD-gn6du]

I’ve done Mango Habanero mead several times. And I have always added the mango and the habanero in the primary. 2 fresh mangos, 2 habanero, 3 pounds of honey, filtered water, and yeast and nutrient of your choice. I got mango on the front end and heat on the back end. I initially did this after a margarita that a local Mexican restaurant makes.

[@Drakijy]

Ok, as a die-hard fan of all things habanero, I can't wait to see the follow-up videos for this!

[@scottaustin5290]

I’ve learned to brew through you guys and this is one of my all time favorites to me the blend after a year is unfathomable love love love it thx guys

[@fgconnolly4170]

Dried mango is delicious, I was always thinking of making a dried mango mead but I never did. Great video!

[@christiantremblay712]

Really appreciate the thorough explanations, there's so much to learn from all those details i feel i can just watch whatever i want and get all the tips i need without having to start from your 1st videos. Makes it so much easier for a newbie like me to get a few brews started. There are a lot of videos out there with nice content but you guys can get someone going with one video and that's really amazing. Didn't just opened my mind it also opened my senses, went to a microbrewery yesterday and actually tasted as much as I could instead of staying in my comfort zone. Cheers!

[@ashleysmith4155]

I made a ghost pepper and pineapple mead, and it turned out pretty good. The honey I used had the ghost pepper in it when I bought it.

[@lukeharris5994]

Just bottled my version of this today 6/8/2022 Was completely clear after 4 weeks . Ended up with a 11 % ABV. First sample tasting I can definitely taste both the mango and the honey with that nice bite of the Habanero. I can't wait until it ages some more

[@lukeharris5994]

I forgot that I did add a trace amount of dried pineapple as well

[@TheJasonCrystal]

I've reached this step in the mango habanero mead. I'm at a little over 3 weeks since adding mango and I've racked it off again. I've learned so much from you both and this has been a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to trying something new from your recipes.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sounds great!

[@chocolaterose3483]

I cannot wait to get this going. Already made my shopping list. Thank you guys!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Now I definitely want to make this mead! Thank you for publishing! Can’t wait for the formal tasting video. And… really intrigued by the avocado mead you mentioned.

[@durangosoul2969]

You guys are awesome. Love everything yall do.

[@idontedit7375]

I'd love to see a strawberry habanero mead! Looks awesome!

[@dadovitchnic]

I remember reading a children's book ages ago that recommended eating mangoes in the bath. I have a mead that I started a week ago, I swirled it last night and the gas off blew most of the liquid out of the air-lock, quick fix and I'm leaving it alone for a while. :) I made a date and chilli wine, because I had a lot of both on hand, turns out a little chilli goes a long way and I used a LOT of chilli....

[@ericromano8078]

Yeah I'm not a huge mango guy but for some reason the mango and habanero combo is fantastic. I don't know what it is about those two flavors but definitely a great example of "more than the sum of the parts."

[@Backdaft94]

Hmmmm this sounds good….but pineapple habanero sounds amazing!!!!!

[@dr.arunbhatp.2021]

Nice one. Makes me want to try this. I have already started Mango mint mead just few days before this recipe came out. Next one iam planning to do is Jackfruit & Black Pepper wine

[@DocBrew69]

Sounds like a nice flavor combo. I'll be giving it a try.

[@yakobthebarbarian]

While you're talking about Pineapple-Habanero, one thing you may like that I did a test of was Pineapple-Mint. Based on the "Missionary's Downfall" Tiki cocktail which includes pineapple juice, mint, and honey (as well as peach schnapps, which you may also want to add for the peachy-ness), it has a really nice balance, even without aging. The flavors compliment each other really well, and I'd be curious to see your recipe and review of it!

[@elricthebald870]

Those bigmouth fermenters are great. I have several 8 litre (2 gallon US) for primary. I fill them to 5 litres with plenty of space left for fruit so I can use my 5 litre carboys for secondary.

[@ismaelcoronajr]

I made some habiscus mead, with lemon zest, and it tastes great! Only fermented for 3 days. Backsweetened with maple syrup

[@CitySteadingBrews]

3 days? What was the recipe?

[@georgecolby7488]

Another awesome video, I really think you guys are *the best* homebrew channel on KZbin. The amount of useful info, applicable to new and experienced brewers alike, is outstanding. I am getting together a plan to start supporting you guys beyond liking and sharing your content. Your info has been invaluable. Now for the hard question: could using dried peaches be the way to do a decent peach brew? I know peach flavored brews are notoriously hard to dial in. Your dried fruit method seems to be an awesome way to approach some otherwise problematic brews.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

First, thanks. We truly appreciate all our viewers. Second… yup, I think dried may be one aid. I have a couple other ideas too.

[@z-dblu5772]

If you cut around a mango and pop the pit out and then finish quarting it you can take each quarter over the edge of a glass/cup and slide the fruit into the glass with the skin staying outside the glass.

[@BrokenTablesPodcast]

I can confirm a well made young brew can taste better than a poorly made aged brew. I made the Spiced Metheglin, after only 2 days bottled and 62 days old, it was 100 times better than a store bought aged mead.

[@keithmorrison61]

I made a mead called dragons blood it a blossom honey 3.5kg (I used scottish ) blackforrest berry's. And on the second fermenting I added coffee and some cherry juice haranorio chilli and Jack danlies. And then 3rd rack I aged it on French Oak chips it had a nice fruity taste and some heat to it that was not over kill and then the oak and coffee gave it a nice after tast

[@feldon27]

Habaneros have an incredible floral note and flavor before the burning kicks in. There's a variety that gives all that floral note but with less or no heat. It's called Trinidad Perfume. Thought you might be interested to give it a try if you're ordering seeds. Or you might like it hot! What a great video. Now I have to make this!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks for the tip!

[@andrewmacdonald3405]

Any chance of subtitles? So thankful that you are really great at making this channel accessible.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

That requires an outside service for each language afaik.

[@Looptydude]

When I first started brewing I was pretty militant about keeping track of the abv, after a year and a half if it made it over 10% I couldn't care less. Just keep track to make sure it has stopped fermenting. It's not like I buy wine at the store looking for the highest abv on the bottle, if that were the case just buy some MD 20/20 or something.

[@TheKrinkled1]

wut. avocado mead? shut the front door! also this looks and sounds delish, it may be my next batch as well! love the vids!

[@hemathkumar8345]

Mangoes are weird, in my experience they ferment a LOT faster than regular fruits. I live in India where we just had a bit of a surplus of mangoes, so i bought 6 pounds and cut them up, blended them, cooked them (to sterlize them😅) and left them to cool down, weirdly they started to ferment without even yeast being put in. Then after i put some yeast in there was an explosion of activity, and it went dry in just 10days. It tastes pretty strong now, so am letting it age to get a better taste😅😅

[@directx3497]

How did they ferment with no yeast if you boiled them? That’s weird

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Probably some yeast in the air. It happens but it’s not usually that fast.

[@fritholfg8820]

Something to consider the capsaicin from the Habenero will seep into the wood so if you re-use the wood in later brews you may get some of the heat from this one in your future brews.

[@ttruby1]

I especially like the "TODD"

[@the_whiskeyshaman]

Love the wood.

[@aloberdorf4579]

Try using Cryo-dried fruits........much different than regular drying.....

[@xIsaacCantu]

I must try this!

[@Cutright628]

24:30 Costco has a dried pineapple that is fantastic. It’s Natures’s intent Organic Dried pineapple and the only ingredient is organic dried pineapple!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Nice!

[@johnshaw6702]

Of course we liked it.😀 I finally started a spiced metheglin using your recipe and the notes, I took while watching your videos. It is really bubbling away. I started a peppermint wine two weeks ago using peppermint tea and raisins. It tastes piney to me and is very good for its age. It tasted so good I started another one, only I added a cinnamon stick to see how that turns out. I plan to add other spices in the next one. Isn't experimenting fun? How long do you think I should leave the cinnamon stick in there? I do not want it to overpower the peppermint. Thanks,

[@M4st3r0fN0n3]

Did i miss something? "Avocado mead"? Color me skeptical on that one lol. Love the new format for the brews as compared to 4 or 5 videos for one brew

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Been this way for a while now!

[@M4st3r0fN0n3]

@@CitySteadingBrews i know but ive been catching up on all your old stuff. I much prefer the newer stuff lol

[@buffalojoe78]

Considering y’all live in Florida I bet it’s Avocado Honey Mead.

[@M4st3r0fN0n3]

@@buffalojoe78 you can just say "avocado mead"

[@Mezox13]

So when you have a small amount of capsicamel in the todd do you call it a hot toddy

[@CitySteadingBrews]

LOL

[@dawnteskey3259]

🤣

[@blairleipst4508]

Or as it is in Florida, isn’t always a Hot Toddy??

[@r.johnson8051]

New to the channel but enjoying the education. Can you share where to buy one of the pitcher w/measurements? Keep the videos coming! Thanks!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Links are in the description of all our videos!

[@keithmcauslan943]

When you are talking about homebrewers not needing to be accurate with our Gravity readings. The other day, I decided to check the accuracy of the hydrometer while cleaning up after a brew day. 85° filtered tap water at 85 feet above sea level should not be at 1.008. Should be maybe 1.0005. My hydrometer is off.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Or your thermometer is off… or both! Yeah, homebrewing is about approximating.

[@keithmcauslan943]

@@CitySteadingBrews I did not take a temp of the water. Held hand under, and said about room temp it was "warm" not hot. Still though if the water was at 38 degrees it still would not be that much more dense. 8 gravity points?

[@thomassblatts1978]

Can I please have all the measurements you used on this batch I want to make it for my very first run ever been watching you for the past week trying to learn an I really want to make this mead please an thank you love the content very informative 🙏

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We include our ingredients in the description of the making videos and then again when any additions are made. Here is the ingredient list copied from the first of this series: Ingredients: 1 Habanero roughly chopped 2 lbs (ish) (907 grams) Sweet Squeeze Wild Flower Honey: amzn.to/3dwmxkv Water to fill to one US Gallon Lalvin 71B yeast: amzn.to/3drBX9B Then here are the additions which were listed in this video: Additions: 1/2 lb (227 grams) Dried Mango I hope that helps!

[@honeylady108]

Hey Derica and Brian, I have been waiting for this video! I have a question. I started the habanero portion of the mead on 7/7. In 2 weeks I will rack and add cubed mangos I've frozen. I'm glad you mentioned how they fall apart in the brew so I will use a milk bag. How many lbs of mango should I add? I will use a little big mouth like yours. And thanks for the tip on wood stick in boiling water. I added an applewood to my apple cyser after racking and failed to do that. You guys are great!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We used 1/2 lb of dried, so 3-5 lbs fresh or so?

[@keithcheeseman567]

Only just found you on youtube, subscibed and watched some back catalogue. Question... why is the space above a wine brew important in secondary fermentation, I only have 1 gallon demijohns. I love this channel, you are so professional, friendly and willing to share your knowledge.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Too much headspace after fermentation is complete can cause oxidation which can lead to off flavors or vinegar.

[@blairleipst4508]

Question, would, when using dried fruit and as you say they floompf up with soaking in solution, could that be a reason as to why the gravity increased, also you can get a clip for the autosyphon that would work with the pitcher

[@Kannushi5]

Do you guys periodically agitate the brews during secondary/conditioning to try and de-gas them at all?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

A little, but then I leave it for a week to settle, at least a week.

[@Kannushi5]

@@CitySteadingBrews I have to brew in my laundry room and they sit on the dryer. I noticed the airlock goes wild when it tumbles is why I ask.

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

@@Kannushi5 - The vibrations from your dryer transfer to your fermenter which causes carbon dioxide that is in suspension inside your brew to escape through the airlock. Essentially your dryer is de-gassing your brew.

[@Kannushi5]

@@eddavanleemputten9232 that's exactly what I was thinking. Lazy man's de-gassing 🤣

[@colsandoz9134]

Have you ever had a problem with a wide mouth gallon jar top not dealing on the air lock....the s shape one is at too loose..the three piece fits shutter but I still don't believe I have a good seal. Your traditional mead just racked after 4 weeks OF 1.104 at racking 1.014Th i did have bubbling at racking thinking i have the blanket. Can I let this sit and clear?

[@joshporter1000]

Your videos are by far the best I've come across in my home brew adventures! Thanks for all the great info! I have a question about the dried mango. I found some at Walmart that has added sugar and also Sodium Metabisulfite. I know this is bad for fermenting, and that it is added to stop prior to back sweetening. Do you think it would help to prevent further fermentation after adding the mango? Or would you suggest just adding organic dried mango and let it do what it wants to do? Just curious because I noticed after aging a bit you mentioned it lost some of the sweetness. Thanks!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I would add it in conditioning to be safe or find one that doesn’t have sorbate

[@joshporter1000]

@@CitySteadingBrews right on, I'm going to buy both and figure out which has the best flavor and go from there. But for sure I'll be adding it during conditioning. I have to wait for a traditional mead to finish before I even start it so I have time. Thanks for the speedy response! And I look forward to more videos!

[@wineadventures]

Thoughts/opinion. Would this work well with carbonation? I started my batch today and have been pondering if to go still or carbonated.

[@0ceanicify]

I'm curious on whether the mead mango pieces are suitable for consumption - and that's why I keep stomach tablets ready.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sure if you wanted to.

[@ghoppr71]

My auto siphon came with a clip to hold it on the side of the jar/carboy.

[@ghoppr71]

@@1014p That's the only reason I use it, to rack off of the lees from primary. Otherwise, I'll let it go all the way to the bottom.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have one, never use it, lol.

[@MerlinsBeard91]

After finishing this mead and knowing what it tastes like...what if you added some Tajin to this in conditioning w/ the mango? Or even after the brew has finished entirely? Thoughts on how much to use? I'm thinking that salty/lime combo could add a nice flavor kick.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Tajin has salt... not really what I want to add to a mead,,,

[@stephenknecht7189]

For anyone that says yall are over belishing your brews can't speak for YOUR opinion of your own.. Considering they're not there to taste it. And some compliments from a friend of mine, he made your coffee mead and loves it.. Amd he's made another brew yall made.. But he loves the coffee mead and is gonna make 2 more batches

[@HolyPineCone]

I rather enjoy living in the harsh, scandinavian mountains. But when you said that effing mangos grows plentiful in your area... Wow.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yeah, we had a huge tree at our last house.... they are in our neighborhood... we grow bananas too :)

[@HolyPineCone]

@@CitySteadingBrews you grow bananas? Like, from a tree at your house? Omg. Sounds pretty great, compared to gnawing at pinecones 😁

[@mary-annerussell332]

General question….could you add wine in lieu of water to finish the mead must? Or is that not a good idea.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Do you mean adding wine instead of water to make the must? That's not recommended as it will stress the yeast. Wine is already fermented... there's no real reason to add it to a must.

[@MarkASmith76]

What kind of mango did you use? Are there any preservatives to avoid or does that not matter since this is going into secondary fermentation?

[@mikaelsolheim]

Hello! If its not to much work, can you start to include ALL your measurments in kg and liters?

[@christophertanner4495]

With the barrel char products, is one stick enough for a one gallon batch?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I did a gallon with two to be safe.

[@spanthrax]

what about frozen mangoes? maybe 3 pounds per gallon?

[@connissia]

I'm guessing Brian doesn't like the process of getting to the mango goodness because it makes his hands sticky. 😉

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You are correct

[@cody.g3332]

I’m planning on doing a lime and padron pepper mead - would a padron primary be suitable, followed by the lime ? Or the other way round ? Or just all together ?? Iv made my own combination of steps thanks to this playlist and the lemon mead playlist - but the order is making me question it haha, thanks.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Maybe lime after fermentation because of acidity.

[@cody.g3332]

@@CitySteadingBrews rightio, thank you yet again - I’ll report back in a few month on how it went haha

[@daveEmartin]

Better way to cut up a mango is to slice around the pit perpendicular to the pit rather than like you would with an avocado. You just twist and pull and it separates easily if it’s ripe. This way you get more of the meat!

[@primitivedaisy]

Can you suggest what kind of dried mangoes to use or where to find some without added preservatives? I bough5 some today to start a batch with, but it metabisulfate on it.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We get them at Costco.

[@juliaharbeck774]

So how long do you usually age your meads. I have some I like almost right away and some I hate at first but in 6 months it is great. What is your average?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

All over the place, but a year seems like the best.

[@Joseph_Dredd]

"We're just trying to make good product!" #WalterWhite :) heehee

[@therealsteve7653]

How long would one of the bottles last , and do I have to wory about it spoiling ?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Bottles should last a few years without spoiling so long as it was finished fermenting and bottled properly with good sanitation from the beginning.

[@therealsteve7653]

@@CitySteadingBrews okay thank you. As well is there anything I can do to (for lack of better terminology) increase the shelf life beyond that?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Most wines aren’t really meant for longer than 3 years of storage anyway tbh but you might get more. Theee is just what we’ve experienced easily and they are normally consumed by then.

[@therealsteve7653]

@@CitySteadingBrews thank you again .

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Anytime.

[@Skulltap]

I find it much trickier to figure the sugar addition with dry fruit. With fresh or frozen fruit there is a range, but you can get an estimate. If I had to guess the dry mango may have added around 20 points max (purely an estimate based on experience and not actual math). 1.014 is pretty reasonable since there was some head room for fermentation with that yeast. I'm almost a little surprised that it didn't go lower, but its hard to complain if the result is splendid ^_^

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

How about the nutrition facts on a packet of dried fruit? Wouldn’t that give at least an indication?

[@Skulltap]

@@eddavanleemputten9232 To an extent, yes. Its particularly all over when there is sugar added like is normally the case with dried mangos. It's probably decent when there are no sugars added though. Heck, that is what I use when I get bags of frozen fruit to make estimates :)

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

@@Skulltap - My guess is that the extent at which the sugars would make their way into the must would be more or less equal. The fruit rehydrates, the cell walls will have been damaged by the dehydration. If there is still fermentation possible and the fruit hasn’t been treated with sulphates or sorbates it would ferment. If the fruit was treated, fermentation could be inhibited. Apart from that I think there’s little difference. The only other variation is osmosis: any flavour would be concentrated which means no dilution. Water contained in the must travels into the fruit instead of water in the fruit possibly traveling out.

[@vathouisk]

Have you guys deliberately made vinegar, and why haven't I seen this video?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have not... yet.

[@FloofBatton]

If it isn’t too personal, what are the lifestyle changes you two started implementing, I’ve been wondering for a while

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We talk about it on our other channel: kzbin.info/door/qjTeB88zqdwT69gdNC-UXw

[@Irish_n_Dart]

So...I have an odd question... Why ferment the pepper first?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yeast love capsaicin and the pepper is nutrient for the yeast.

[@Irish_n_Dart]

@@CitySteadingBrews Awesome, thank you.

[@suzz1776]

What does "if it is stilled" mean? In regards to bottling in the Mason jar.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Stilled as in not carbonated.

[@markbutler408]

Have you folks ever started a bread with your post brew yeastie bois?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

No. Some people have with varying levels of success. If you enjoy experimenting then give it a go. 😊

[@furbanger9010]

If you add more peppers would you get more heat?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes

[@CoachJeff-i6u]

Hey y'all I tried this in a different way I added mango juice and habaneros but I forgot to put water in it and now it's like a realy thick mango habanero mead slushy. What should I do if anything!!!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I would add water…

[@CoachJeff-i6u]

@@CitySteadingBrews I know a silly mistake. Best to not drink last yeas mead and make this year's 🤣🤣🤣

[@millwright1966]

This is kinda like the Bob Ross show of mead

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I can live with that. :)

[@millwright1966]

You both are an excellent source of knowledge, I tip my hat to you both! I've learned so much from your videos!

[@eric81872]

♥☺♥

[@colsandoz9134]

Sorry I have fat fingers OF 1.104 pulse raisens. At racking 1.014 12.2 AVB. I think they drilled hope for broker too large

[@dallasmobley9359]

Not sure why they didn't anticipate the abv to increase when they added the mangoes.thats what happens when you add more sugars unless you have completely maxed out the yeast alcohol tolerance

[@CitySteadingBrews]

The amount of mangos we used could have added a maximum of .015 gravity for a grand total of a maximum of two points of ABV. And that assumes that every bit of fermentable sugar in the mangoes were accessible to the yeast.

[@Nefariousrouge]

Imbelishing? No, you can tell just looking at Brian's face. Not a good poker face!

[@timothynaquin8899]

Still like "Sample Sucker"

[@colsandoz9134]

I'd like to let it sit for 4 weeks to clear

[@ryansmith9135]

i miss spice. I love hot flavours but my ibs ass can't :')

[@ginabernard3626]

SYRinge Of Sampling = SYROS (pronounced Cyrus)

[@tank832]

11.475, round down to 11???? Why not up to 11.5?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Does .5 abv as a number mean anything?

[@tank832]

@@CitySteadingBrews lol I knew I'd get a reply. Nah I get the round up round down thing, I was just poking fun. Love your videos, truly do. I'm currently brewing your style metheglin, and your spiced caramel apple bochet.

[@user-ly9ql3bc1f]

Regarding your Brianism of pronouncing lees as leese you could defend your position by claiming that as a brewer you are in reality only leasing the yeast. Grin

[@HungLikeScrat]

I still think the syringe should be called "The Austin Powers".