Viking's Blood Mead
A simple but exceptional recipe for your first time making mead!
Servings: 1 gallon
Equipment
- 1 fermentation bucket
- 1 carboy
- 1 spoon
- 1 siphon system
- 1 bottling wand
- 4 wine bottles, 750 ml
- 4 wine corks
Ingredients
- 3 lbs honey in primary
- 20 oz mixed berries - with tart cherries in primary
- 2.5 oz dried hibiscus in primary
- 1 gallon spring water in primary
- 1 tsp pectic enzyme in primary
- 1 packet red wine yeast, like RC-212 in primary
- 3 grams Fermaid-O use meadtools.com to calculate alternative nutrients.
- Stabilizers, use by packaging instructions
- .5 lb honey, or to taste in secondary, and you may like it more or less sweet based on personal preference
Instructions
- Boil hibiscus briefly in 8 oz of spring water and allow to cool. Strain petals from liquid.
- Blend primary ingredients in bucket.
- Pitch yeast.
- Affix airlock.
- After 24 hours, add nutrients.
- Use sanitized spoon to punch fruit cap daily.
- Allow to ferment two weeks.
- Confirm fermentation is complete using hydrometer readings.
- Siphon to secondary.
- Stabilize.
- Wait 24 hours, then add honey to sweetness preference.
- Allow to clear.
- Siphon to bottles using bottling wand.
- Cork bottles.
- Allow to age 3 months.
- Serve lightly chilled.