I think this batch (begun on Sunday afternoon) is going to turn out to be just wonderful!
We boiled 10 lbs of honey with with bittering hops for 15 minutes, let it cool to a simmer, added 4 oz. of blueberries and let that simmer for 10 minutes, then added the aromatic hops for 5 minutes.
The must went into the carboy with an initial gravity of 17.0. I proofed the yeast and added it to the must; you could see tiny surface pops within an hour, and it was noticeably bubbling on Monday morning.
I have to say that it's really odd to see blue-green foam on top of mead.
And on a relatively different note: I also bottled cider this weekend, and I think I may have discovered a new taste sensation:
My friend Aron and I were bottling the cider and drinking Sam Adams' Winter Lager. It's a lovely dark amber lager that is flavored with cinnamon and other spices. We sampled the cider, and it took on the flavor of cinnamon from the Winter Lager. I think I will mix some cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in with my next batch of cider.
I have no idea when I will make that next batch, though; apples are out of season until late summer, so we can't get any fresh local cider for quite a while. |
