How to Make a Easy Carbonated Blueberry Mead at Home!

Welcome to the Man Made Mead channel, where we dive into the art of home brewing. In this video, we'll teach you how to craft a tantalizing Blueberry Mead that's not only rich in flavor but also carbonated to perfection. From selecting the finest blueberries to extracting their essence, we'll guide you through every step of the brewing process. Discover the secrets of fermentation, as we combine the sweetness of honey with the fruity infusion and introduce the yeast. But that's not all - we'll also show you two carbonation methods, including natural fermentation and bottle carbonation, ensuring you have the knowledge to create a truly sparkling masterpiece. Join us and unlock the joy of brewing your own Blueberry Mead that will leave everyone craving for more.
Priming Sugar Calculator: www.northernbr...
1 Gallon Keg Video: • Finding the Best 1 Gal...
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @manmademead
Check it out on my Amazon store of my website!
www.ManMadeMead.com
Want to support the channel?
Check out the Patreon! www.Patreon.com/ManMadeMead
Discord Link: discord.io/ManM...
www.Facebook.com/ManMadeMeadery

[@kjdevault]

Love this!!! Thanks for breaking down the mini keg options for those of us who are unfamiliar!

[@ManMadeMead]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TigerPat_9180]

Really Enjoyed Your Video , Thanks ! 🐯🤠

[@aaronwolfenbarger2122]

Gotta love blueberries!

[@PatrickBuckles]

great vid. I have to keg one of these. easier for me since I do it for beer

[@danielschmidt2683]

After carbonating in the Keg, can you bottle it? Or do you have to keep it in the keg to keep the carbonation?

[@seanangelil6378]

replying so ill get a notification whenever you get an answer :)

[@TheSilonaught]

I have the same question 🙋‍♂️

[@kc_west]

Yes just make sure to fill it with a tube coming off the tap so that it fills from the bottom of the bottle. Also it will only last a few days (at most). Think of going to a brewery and getting a growler filled, you'll want to drink it quickly.

[@tylerstout1549]

Just wanted to chime in on pectinase - it's purpose isn't really to release more juices - it breaks down pectin, a polysaccharide that acts like a "glue" that holds plant cells together that will make your wine hazy. on a related note, this is why pectin is ADDED to make jam and jelly

[@timschondorfer3814]

and the effect is, that more juice is released… 🙄

[@tylerstout1549]

@@timschondorfer3814 you could also just press it and get more juice... That simply isn't the point of using pectin 😂

[@kevin_ninja_jones2363]

It also reduces some of the methanol you get when fermenting fruits

[@sajivsatyal7507]

@@timschondorfer3814This extra information was interesting regardless. Quit being negative for no reason

[@ESSwiftOfficial]

Should you stabilise before adding the priming sugar for carbonation?

[@ManMadeMead]

Nope! That would kill off the yeast and they wouldn't actually bottle carbonate.

[@alejandromejia397]

Looking forward to getting started and trying this

[@jamesthomas8481]

I found recently from experimenting that using a little of the original juice (what ever that be) in a distiller to make it concentrate will make a great way to back flavor and add some sugars for bottle carbonation.

[@denverlawrence1327]

If I were to keg carbonate, can I then bottle the mead and maintain carbonation?

[@SS4Xani]

I tend to stick with Lalvin 71B because City Steading Brews (who actually recommended your channel to me), who taught me how to brew in the first place, recommended it because it works best for them on such brews as well to where they even call it 71Beast. ^_^

[@tylerstout1549]

i agree 71B is one of the best strains for red and purple fruits

[@SS4Xani]

@@tylerstout1549 that’s primarily what I brew from anyway. So it works well enough. One of these days I want to try and make a cantaloupe mead if that’s even possible. And a watermelon mead at that.

[@tylerstout1549]

@@SS4Xani oh, it's definitely possible, I make one!

[@SS4Xani]

@@tylerstout1549 Do you by chance have a video recipe? :D Or even a written one?

[@SS4Xani]

@@tylerstout1549 I subscribed so I can see the video if you are willing to make one. :D

[@alexlarsen6413]

Super easy and cool recipe! Made it many times but with slightly higher ABV. It reminds me of making wine from red grapes except with grapes you have to add potassium metabisulfite in addition to pectic enzyme and I already ordered 30kg of Cab and 20kg of Merlot...altogether 50kg or around 100lbs of grapes..to be delivered in a couple of months when it's ready. Currently I'm aging 3 gallons of banana mead, 3 gallons of mixed berries, 2 gallons of rhodomel and 3 gallons of elderflower wine - elderflower will be carbonated. Edit: btw I've started adding citric acid on the back end to all of my melomels. A matter of preference..

[@ManMadeMead]

Man, it sounds like you've got a lot of fun stuff going on!

[@alexlarsen6413]

@@ManMadeMead Lol, I'm almost all out of honey, with only 2 of those 900g or about 4lbs left altogether. That'll be just for back-sweetening. Luckily I won't be making anything until the grapes ripen and the grapes should have enough sugar on their own since they told me it'll be 22 -23 brix...so after the wine, I'm done for this year. :)

[@therenaissancewoman2080]

I'm so excited about this Blueberry Mead. I watched the other video on blueberry with the hops also. I like the idea of using the honey for back sweetening. So if I make a 5 gallon bucket of this I assume I just x the ingredients by 5. I bought those tablets for the carbonation, like the other blueberry mead with hops recipe, will this be ok if I use those cooper carbonation drops to carbnate still? Do I do just one tablet per beer bottle?

[@ManMadeMead]

You can use those carbonation drops (they’re basically just priming sugar). You will want to backsweeten with a non-fermentable sugar though!

[@MegaProchef]

Nice man, making this next

[@therenaissancewoman2080]

In the calculator what do I put in for the desired volume? Then which temperature do I go with, the room that it was fermenting in or the storage room it will be after bottling? The rooms are slightly different in temperatures. Am I'm doing 5 gallons. Do I calculate the gallons for the overall amount during fermentation, or the amount left after it's been racked from the first fermentation because there'll be some volume loss?

[@therenaissancewoman2080]

Instead of using the non fermentable back sweetening sugar, can I use honey to backsweeten it? I have those cooper carbonation drops. I'm wanting to do a 5 gallon batch. I'm have beer bottles to put the mead into. Will this still be like your other blueberry hops recipe when it comes to carbonation with the cooper drops? Do I have to heat up the batch to stop the yeast? How do I heat up with 5 gallons of blueberry mead mix and to what temperature?

[@joeyknotts4366]

You can't use honey if you are bottle carbonating because the yeast will just ferment the honey.

[@sharpi1507]

Lets gooooo!!!!

[@josephhowell4250]

I need to break down and buy a keg… I’m such a miser.

[@tylerstout1549]

I i hesitated for a while and eventually bit the bullet, and it really is worth it, even if you just do 1 gallon batches. for a couple hundred, you can get a 1.5 gal corny, CO2 tank, lines and a picnic tap...and many places sell refurbished tanks and kegs

[@therenaissancewoman2080]

To stabilize the mead (for bottling carbonation) how much Potassium Sorbate & Metabisulfite do I use for 5 gallons? Then I wait for 24 hours before I add the priming sugar, which I have the coopers carbonation drops.

[@ManMadeMead]

5 campden tablets (potassium metabisulfite) and 2 1/2 tsp of potassium sorbate!

[@yurayurchenko8619]

​@@ManMadeMeadis that a 5 gallon dose or a 3.5? (after racking)

[@therenaissancewoman2080]

I'm just making my blueberry batch today. I've added 12lbs of blueberries, 6lbs 6oz of honey, 5 gallons of water, into a wine bucket to ferment. I'll be adding the 7B yeast, and Fermaid O nutrient... I"m just wondering about the citric acid?? I don't have any I realized. Could I just add fresh lemon juice and how much would you suggest? I'm also doing this exact same recipe with raspberries. I just have 11lbs of raspberries, but all the other ingredients are the same amount.

[@ManMadeMead]

You can definitely add some lemon juice as your citric acid, it will add a little flavor but that's okay! I would add lemon juice to taste... I can't really recommend an amount without tasting!

[@nole900]

I need to get a keg, I was drinking some Tepache Mead I made recently that I had bottle carb'ed and I felt that there was this yeasty flavor that I get with bottle carbing...

[@djtomchay6396]

Can't it be backsweetened and then pasteurized after a few days? This will allow you to use only one sweetener and not have to do the calculations?

[@ManMadeMead]

You can… I just prefer to stabilize and keg or use priming sugar

[@itwasberensteinbear1222]

I've got a batch sitting in primary right now. When is the best time to add citric acid, or doesn't it matter?

[@ManMadeMead]

I would add it before you bottle or keg!

[@josephhowell4250]

I’m making a baked banana bochet, it’s only my second bochet. The first was chocolate orange bochet and it turned out great.

[@TigerPat_9180]

Saw your U.S.M.C. Flag in the Background , Pushed the little iKon Button 🔘 , saw your Play List . Watched every One . 19 out of 20 anyway . 1 was hidden . Ain't a Dud in the Bunch , They All Fired Up . Got a Kick out of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats , his S.O.B. SONG . He's got a Shuffle to his feet , don't he . I can Clap with the Best of EM . I got a Double Pop when I Clap . Cupping your Hands gets the Best Pop . Tyler Childers got a good Voice too . I Really Enjoyed Your Play List , Thanks ! 🐯🤠

[@olidesjj]

How do you carbonate mead in a keg? I can't get it to the level I want to, the best I could do was slightly fizzy. I tried force carbing it and letting it sit at 48 psi for 4 days (39F).

[@ManMadeMead]

It sounds like you're doing the right things. That should be giving it more than enough carbonation!

[@rasmusekberg1512]

I’m new to carbonation, let’s say I bottle carbonate for about 2 weeks, should I consume it right away, add new stabilizer or just store it refrigerated?

[@ManMadeMead]

Bottle carbonation takes about that long, you can definitely let it sit for a bit! It’s bet to drink it cold though

[@ilan96]

@@ManMadeMead Hello. How much stabilizer do you add per 1 liter?

[@toddstuntebeck8213]

In your previous blueberry mead video, you added more blueberries to the secondary. I'm wanting to do that with a bottle-carbed version, but am concerned about fermentation of those blueberries and loss of the blueberry flavor as a result. Thoughts?

[@ManMadeMead]

You won't lose as much flavor through secondary fermentation, but you'll use loose some. That's unfortunately just part of the game we play!

[@AndreasStensaker]

I made your blueberry mead. Taste is fantastic. But im having huge problems with the carbonation, when i use my picnic tap its just a loy of foam comming. Have tried a couple glasses and its just foam. I carbonated at 30 psi for 4 days, and set the psi down to like 7 for another 3 days. Any tips? Had it in the fridge for 4 days at 30 psi, now its in room temp

[@ManMadeMead]

You will probably need to turn your serving pressure super low! Try like 2 - 3 psi

[@AndreasStensaker]

Still a little foamy at 1-2 psi, but big improvement. Cant really go lower? ​@@ManMadeMead Did i overcarbonate it? And if; is there any way to fix it? Thanks for responding MMM, appreciate your work! 😊 Love from Norway ❤

[@demoworldplayer]

Everyone keeps saying "he's literally me" whenever Ryan Gosling is on screen. But, man... he's literally *you*

[@frogjunk]

Pectic enzymes work best at warm temps, like 120°f. Takes longer at low temperatures.

[@ManMadeMead]

I don’t think this is true.

[@RandRBrewwork]

If you were stabilized a 1 Gallon brew after FG is reach and wait for 24 hours. Then add a pound of Mango for 3 days for more mango flavor then transfer to keg. Would that be ok?

[@ManMadeMead]

Yeah! That would be totally okay! If it’s stabilized you shouldn’t see any refermentation

[@AndreasStensaker]

Did you transfer this from primary to the keg? Did it not sit any to mellow?😮

[@ManMadeMead]

I transferred it into a vessel to mellow for a bit!

[@AndreasStensaker]

​@@ManMadeMeadHow long is a bit? 😂 A month?

[@ManMadeMead]

@@AndreasStensakerEnough time for it to start clearing up some!

[@ProfPeeWee]

Couldn’t you have just created the must inside the plastic container with the blueberries? What was the purpose of transferring to the glass for fermentation?

[@TigerPat_9180]

My guess would be Headspace , plus , you can Watch 👀 it Brew through the Glass . 🐯🤠

[@therenaissancewoman2080]

Today I racked off my 5 gallon blueberry mead. I made such a mess! The blueberries were getting stuck in the suction part and slowing and stopping the flow. So then I went to the electric pump, same problem... UGH! Finally, I was spending so much time messing with this process, pumping air a lot, that I just decided to scoop it all out and strain the blueberries with a fine mesh strainer cloth into a funnel. I had to squeeze the mesh to get the juice of of the berries. It was a big mess doing that! I just hope all that air exposure, handling, and squeezing the mesh bag will be ok. It's such a big batch. Now I need to wait for it to clear then I'll rack it again. So I ordered the citric acid crystals because I didn't put enough lemon juice in during the fermentation it just faded out. Once it settles, then I'll rack it maybe in two day? Then once it's racked I'll add the back sweetening erytheral, and the citric acid to taste. Do I let that stand for one day, then add the honey for priming for the next day? I don't want to mess this big batch up. Am I doing this right?

[@ManMadeMead]

You should be fine after squeezing the blueberry bag! After you rack it and add your back sweetening stuff and citric acid, I would let it set for a day just to let everything mix in. Add your priming sugar and bottle the next day and you should be good! You've got this!

[@therenaissancewoman2080]

@@ManMadeMead Great! That helps. I also made a batch of raspberry in the same way. I just need to rack that as well. I'll let you know how that goes as well. Thanks for the guidance. I really appreciate it!

[@michaelfeeley4351]

First! Definitely making this

[@TigerPat_9180]

🥳🤯💥🎉🎊💫👍

[@ManMadeMead]

You should!

[@michaelfeeley4351]

@@ManMadeMead it’s in the fermentor as we speak 👍🏻

[@olidesjj]

Hi, i've made this recipe but ended up tasting like red wine. Is it normal? I was thinking this was gonna taste like a white whine with a blueberry taste. If i remake this with blueberries in the secondary only, would that fix my issue?

[@ManMadeMead]

That's interesting! Mine definitely keeps the essence of blueberries but it might be a little less strong. You can definitely add more blueberries after primary fermentation!

[@olidesjj]

@@ManMadeMead Will try that, thank you for responding!

[@bro2917]

Can you please include the recipies in metric in the future?

[@jgar538]

So how does this compare to your previous favorite blueberry mead? I remember 16 lbs. of berries for 5 gallons compared to what would be 10 for this one. 10 lbs. whole berries would probably still be better than my blueberry juice mead. Cheerz.

[@ManMadeMead]

This one is less of a berry bomb (mostly because it’s lower abv). The carbonation and lighter blueberry side make this super crushable!

[@j.j.k2073]

Fruit sir?

[@aidensushi5075]

So how come you don’t sell your mead? Can’t you get a license and sell it? Since you’re so good at making it and you have a platform I figure you’d make money.

[@ManMadeMead]

There are lots of hoops to jump through… including that you can’t sell stuff that you’ve made at your house!

[@therenaissancewoman2080]

Ok... I'm back with a disappointing review of my meads. I think my blueberry and raspberry have fallen on the side of vinegar. I don't smell a distinct alcohol smell, it's less than that. I don't taste a sweetness or alcohol. The readings went from 1.050 to 0.996 for the blueberry... and 1.042 to 1.000 for the raspberry. I did a backsweeten a tester with some non fermentable erythral and a pinch of citric to see if that would help but it's still twangy. A friend said it tasted a little bit like pickle juice... UGH! Where did I go wrong? That's 5 gallons for each batch. I feel devastated. Can I salvage this? They are in the carboy after taking it form the bucket with the fruit in it. What can I do so it's not thrown down the drain. The readings tell me there's some alcohol in there though... so I assume there's hope. Help. P.S. My 5 gallon lemon mead is fantastic tasting and has been transferred to the carboy to settle and finish any fermenting.

[@ManMadeMead]

That's odd! It sounds like your fermentation went a little funky... I'm not sure why. Once you get to the vinegar side there really isn't much coming back. Could you have somehow had a bacteria make it in there? Or possibly oxygenated it somehow? Those are my only guesses!

[@therenaissancewoman2080]

@@ManMadeMead I stirred it to oxygenate the first three days and to keep the fruit from drying and molding. Then after that I shook it to get the fruit wet and submerged a bit. I did notice when I lifted the lid a couple of fruit flies were in there. I shewed them out. Maybe I should have just left the lid closed the whole time. I had them in big wine buckets with the lid and no bubbler. Ugh... I'm so disappoint. Could it be made into vinegar that is useful at this point? It's not an extreme vinegar taste. It just lacks a bit of flavour and zero sweetness. I had lots of berries in both. When it's gone vinegar does it still show an alcohol level? It's not a distinct vinegar... more blan and twangy tasting.

[@captainsalmonslayer]

@@therenaissancewoman2080 Bummer. If you had fruit flies in there something wasn't sealed right. People call them vinegar flies for a reason.

[@alexcue6509]

Since you mentioned Xylitol, it might be important to note that it is extremely toxic to dogs. If you love your 4 legged family members, be certain to keep them away from your brew and your supplies