Black Briar Reserve
Disclaimer: These recipes are for personal use only.
Mead Master’s Note
Black Briar Reserve is a subtly spiced blackberry mead. The spice is only present to help the fruit shine. If you are looking for easy-to-drink, this is definitely the mead to make!
Mead Specifications
Batch Size - 5 litres
ABV - 16%
Starting Gravity (SG) - 1.143
Final Gravity (FG) - 1.020
Style - Melomel
Ingredients
Wildflower/Clover honey - 1.8kg
Omega Lutra yeast - 10.6g
Go-Ferm - 13.3g
Fermaid O - 12.4g, 6.2g per dose.
Potassium carbonate - 2.6g
Fermaid K - 2.5g
Potassium sorbate - 0.9g
Potassium metabisulfite - 0.5g
Spice Blend
Blackberries, frozen and thawed - 1.8kg
Clove - 1 whole
Mace - 1 whole
Ceylon cinnamon - 4g
Must Preparation
To a sanitised ten-litre bucket, add the honey, first dose of Fermaid O, potassium carbonate, and Fermaid K.
Add 2.5 liters of water. We highly suggest using bottled water to avoid chloramines found in tap water.
Do not use distilled water.Mix until all the honey is dissolved.
Add water until slightly shy of the five-litre mark.
Add the spices from the spice blend to the bucket.
Yeast Preparation
In a sanitised microwave-safe glass measuring jug, heat 330ml of water to 38°C in a microwave.
Mix the Go-Ferm into the hot water.
Sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then stir vigorously.
After 10 minutes, add the yeast solution to the bucket.
Note: Do not allow the yeast to sit for longer than 15 minutes.
Fermentation
Store the bucket at 22°C.
Take a gravity reading every 3 days with a hydrometer until the gravity reaches 1.020 (10-14 days).
Stabilising
Cold crash in a fridge until clear. Cold temperatures speed clearing, but clearing will occur without it.
Rack the clear mead into a sanitised demijohn.
Add the potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite to the demijohn and mix well. Allow to sit for a minimum of 2 weeks, ideally until clear.
Note: After stabilising, there will be a harsh note resembling fusels in the mead for a few weeks. This is caused by the stabiliser and will age out as the stabiliser completes its protective purpose.A few days after mixing, cold crash in the fridge to speed clearing. (Optional)
Bottle into sanitised bottles.
Tips and Tricks
Place your bucket into a larger container to contain any potential spill over from fermentation.
If your home is cold, the top back of the fridge is great for keeping the fermentation warm.
A spray bottle of diluted sanitiser is great for sanitising surfaces, especially hands.
The first time you use a non-graduated bucket, add 5 litres at a time and draw a line for each.
