Making mead, or honey wine, is an ancient form of brewing using the simplest of ingredients. It’s a perfect place for beginners to start on their home brewing journey. Even this blueberry mead recipe is simple enough for a beginner who is somewhat familiar with the art of fermentation.
Honey mead always reminds me of one of my favorite movies, The 13th Warrior. Set in the time of the Norsemen, a Muslim ambassador is forced to battle an ancient evil with 12 Viking soldiers. He becomes the 13th warrior. After a brutal battle, he is offered wine, but declines, saying ” I can taste neither the fermentation of grape nor of wheat.” His companion laughs, and says, “Honey. It is made from honey.” And the Muslim drinks.
Artisanal Small-Batch Brewing
This recipe comes from the new book, Artisanal Small-Batch Brewing by Amber Shehan, and is used by permission of the author. She calls it Blueberry Muffin Mead because it contains both cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean to give it that wonderful blueberry muffin taste.
And I love that all of the recipes are small-batch – just 1 gallon – making them so much less intimidating than a recipe for 5 gallons of mead or wine. Small-batch also means that less of my time is needed to get a batch started.
Amber begins the book with some very informative information on equipment, and thorough step-by-step instructions for some really tasty-sounding and unique concoctions. You’ll find recipes for Rose Petal and Hibiscus Mead, Earl Grey Tea Wine, Dark Ginger Cider, and Mugwort Beer.
If you’re a forager, and love wine or beer making, you’re going to love this delightful book.
Since blueberry season in our neck of the woods just finished, and wild blueberries are in the freezer, it was easy to decide which recipe from the book I would try first – Blueberry Muffin Mead.
What You’ll Need to Get Started Making Honey Mead Wine and Blueberry Mead
You likely already have some of the equipment you’ll need to get started making blueberry mead (and other recipes) such as:
- a kitchen scale
- 1.5 gallon stockpot
- wooden spoon
- funnel
For the most basic mead recipe in the book, you’ll also need:
- a carboy (1 gallon glass jug)
- a bung (plug for the carboy)
- an airlock (to release gases created during fermentation)
- non-toxic, oxygen based sanitizer like One Step
- Grolsch (swing top) bottles for short-term storage – use bottles with corks for long term storage
I purchase local maple syrup in 1 gallon glass jugs and re-use those for wine making. The non-toxic sanitizer is important for wine making success. Use the One Step to sanitize all your equipment before beginning.
This very simple mead making kit is inexpensive, and even includes the yeast you’ll need to make mead.
For the Blueberry Mead Recipe included in this post, a few more items of equipment are necessary:
- a straining bag
- a 2-gallon brew bucket
- a racking cane and tubing to siphon the brew from one container to another
Food Recipes Also Included in the Book
Spent-grain beer bread – reprinted with permission from Artisanal Small-Batch Brewing by Amber Shehan, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Jen CK Jacobs.
Artisanal Small-Batch Brewing even includes several food recipes like Boozy Jellies, Spent-Grain Beer Bread, and Fruit-Scrap Vinegar.
Are you ready to get started making blueberry mead? You’re gonna’ love it!
Other Posts You’ll Love
How to Make Lacto-Fermented Blueberries
Homemade Low-Sugar Elderberry Jelly
Homemade Violet and Dandelion Pink Lemonade
Ingredients
For the Mead
- 1 gallon water divided
- 3 pounds honey
- 2 pounds blueberries frozen (important) and thawed
- 1/8 cup raisins chopped
- 1/2 packet Lalvin D-47 yeast
For Racking
- 1 vanilla bean sliced lengthwise
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients and sanitize your supplies with the One Step sanitizer.
- Heat 2/3 gallon of the water in the stockpot to just about boiling. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the honey until completely dissolved, and let it sit for another 10 minutes or so to cool.
- Pour the blueberries and raisins into the straining bag, tie the bag closed and put it into the brew bucket. Use your spoon to gently mash the berries and release their juices.
- Carefully pour the warm must (water and honey) over the berries in the bucket. Add the remaining 1/3 gallon of water to the bucket and let the must cool.
- When the bucket is cool enough to handle, pitch the yeast: first, sprinkle the yeast into the brew bucket and stir it in to add oxygen and mix in the yeast. Put the lid onto the bucket, making sure it is sealed, and then put the airlock in place. Label the bucket with the name of the brew and the date and set it aside somewhere out of direct sunlight until it is finished fermenting.
- Give the bucket a swish every day for 3 days. This will give the yeast oxygen and help inhibit mold growth on the floating fruit bag.
- Transfer the liquid to the carboy using your siphon. Add the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Seal the jug with the bung and airlock. Label your brew with name and date.
- Bottle the mead when it has finished fermenting; this will take 3 to 4 weeks. You can tell the brew is done when the bubbles have stopped and the mead has cleared.
- Store your mead in a dark, dry location at approximately 70°F.
Notes
Recipe and photos reprinted with permission from Artisanal Small-Batch Brewing by Amber Shehan, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Jen CK Jacobs.
Thank you for visiting Learning And Yearning. May "the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." Num 6:24-26
Lisa L Lombardo says
This looks delicious! I love blueberries, but I haven’t tried mead…another project to add to my list! Thanks for sharing!
I would love to have you join Farm Fresh Tuesdays this evening and share your awesome posts!
Cindy Bayles says
Does the bucket have to be 2 gallons? Can it be larger?
Susan Vinskofski says
That should be just fine, Cindy.
Cindy Bayles says
When do you remove the blueberries?
Cindy Bayles says
Nevermind, I just seen the answer.
Susan Vinskofski says
No problem!
Nick says
What if I leave out the vanilla bean?
Susan Vinskofski says
That will just affect flavor; it can be left out.
Robyn Reeher says
Just started a batch of this mead today. How long do you leave the mead in the fermenting bucket before transferring to the carboy?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Robyn, leave the bag of fruit in the fermenting bucket at least 3 days, giving the bucket a swish each day to give the yeast some oxygen.
Robyn Reeher says
Thank you Susan. We have had the mead in the fermenting bucket for a week and still haven’t seen any fermentation going on – no bubbling in the airlockb. Should we add another package of yeast?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Robyn, I’m wondering if your yeast was good to begin with. But as long as your must is not moldy, yes you can add yeast.
Cindy Bayles says
I transferred the mead yesterday to the carboy. Came home today and it had exploded. What a mess. What did I do wrong?
Susan Vinskofski says
It sounds like you didn’t use an airlock; is that correct?
Erica says
Hi! Sorry that I am late to this post but I have some questions if you have the time. I will be using raw blueberry honey and would like to make a 5 gallon batch. Could you be kind enough to tell me any modifications that I will need to make, etc? Thank you in advance!
Erica
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Erica, this recipe makes 1 gallon of mead so you will need a larger container and will have to times all the ingredients by 5.
Erica says
Thank you so much for your reply! That is what logic said for me to do but I was a bit taken aback by the 10lbs of blueberries and 2.5 packets of yeast. I am excited to give it a go and will be sure to let you know how it turns out. See you in 3 months!
Aki says
Looks amazing! I have the basic equipment, but not the extra bucket-container or straining bag. Is it possible to store the must and berries in the carboy without a bag, then just tip it out over a sieve and transfer back to the carboy with a siphon to finish fermenting? If I’m carful sanitising everything would it still work or is it crucial that there are two containers and that a straining bag is used?
Thank you!
Susan Vinskofski says
I’ve never tried that, but it should be just fine.
Megan says
How long do you leave the mead in the bucket before transferring to the carboy?
dennis says
Have you tried Cardamon in any blueberry mead?
Susan Vinskofski says
I have not, but I think it would make a good additional used sparingly.
Asia says
Hi so im not good calculating abv. Any idea how much alchohol is in this recipe since i’ll be giving it to friends?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Asia, there are tools available to determine the alcohol content, or you could ballpark it by tasting and seeing how strong it is. 🙂