I must be doing something right... getting a bit of flack from a few people for my lack of additives, lack of apparent knowledge, etc. So, I'll explain a few more things: First, I don't add additives by choice. It's my choice to make things a more traditional way. Does it take longer? Yup. Does it leave some to chance? Yup. I'm alright with that. That said, I chose the yeast because it's known for giving fruity flavors. I made a cherry mead. I chose the fermentation temperature of around 70 F because that's where more fruity esters come out. Again, cherry mead. I was going to add nutrient, but decided not to, due to the not so sky high gravity, and the fact that dry yeast is packaged with nutrient. Someone said I should learn about hydration... erm, dry yeast... put in water for a while, pitch. It's not rocket science. Sure, I could have checked Ph, but I know that honey is 3.2 on average, and the cherries are probably 3.2-4.5. Even diluted with water, it's below the 6.0 mark, so no need to add acid blend. Then there's pectic enzyme, sure, this might help a little, but... as I said, it's my methodology to keep it simple, to show how it was done for thousands of years before anyone knew what nutrient or yeast even was. I'm sure many people are completely offended by me making it simply, but... it doesn't have to be complicated. I'm trying to show people how easily they can make things at home. We make everything from pasta and bread, to beer, wine, cider, and mead, to our own ham and sausages and sometimes cheese. It doesn't have to be so hard. Thanks to you all for watching, we appreciate it.
you did it just right as far ass i can see,and that the way i do it, keep it easy, if stone age men can do it with out all the thing we use now, then its all good ,new to your show love it, thanks for sharing.
Great video! Also, tell the people who feel like complaining to make their own video with their own recipe, or to otherwise stfu. After that, if they keep it up, block/ignore them.
I found a quart of raw honey which was giving off a yeasty aroma last summer. I mixed it into 2 gallons of warm, purified water, put it in a fermenting vessel and forgot about it for 2 months. The results were amazing. Just because someone doesn't do it your way, doesn't mean it isn't a right way!
Frozen fruit is actually better. When the fruit is frozen, it breaks down the cell walls, and, really helps the juice extraction. Also, if you want to really get more fruit flavor, let it ferment for a week, a week and a half BEFORE adding your fruit. The less of the fruit sugars will be fermented, and, the fruit character will be MUCH stronger.
Anon Nymous True dat! I usually add fruit for secondary fermentation so the extremely active primary doesn’t blow out a lot of the aroma of the fruit. And I’m with you on the simplicity style of brewing.
I'll have to try this on the next batch. I've always put the fruit in the first ferment and then just added more yeast and whatever sugar I'm using for the second ferment.
He looks like that really cool chemistry teacher in high school that always comes up with random experiments and tells the class to keep it low key so he doesn't lose his job.
I made my first mead. I entered it in the wine competition at my local county fair. It took a second place. Which made me quite happy. Later on a yuppy type of woman drank some but she didn't like it . You see , it was home made AND did not cost $25.00 a bottle. The higher the cost to her , the better it tastes.
Guaging interest... I am working on a new mead recipe idea. I have two, the first I call "Black Sack", it's a blackcurrant mead with added tannins and acidity, somewhere in the 18% ABV range, or... "Bourbon Bochet" which is a carmelized honey with oak and vanilla notes. Leave your vote in the comments
I'd be interested in seeing Black Sack, but really both sound interesting. I currently have a Dwójniak style elderberry melomel in ferment, and would like to see the added tannins in your mead.
Interesting fun fact. During the middle ages the monks were bee keepers and would make mead. Weddings in small towns or very infrequent and would be caused or a month-long celebration. The monks for the celebration would bring out the mead. That is believed to be the origin of the term honeymoon.
But in Viking lore friend's and family would give the nearly weds a months supply of honey mead, and an understanding of a month being a measurement of time, for the moon to travel around the earth......honeymoon.......And more likely enough time to consieve a child.
The best part after discovering this channel is watching his beard and hair change back and forth depending on when the video comes from. Love this channel, btw. I have a bunch of supplies coming to make your "first mead" recipe. Been making kombucha for a while so this just seems like the next step. Love you two!
Vikings landed in newfoundland in like the 990s or something, the called the land vinland because of the wild grapes, i live in a region of canada where the same grapes grow. gonna use the wild grapes to make some blood mead!
Cherry melon was the first mead that I made, using orange blossom honey and champagne yeast. It came out carbonated and tasted like a cherry soda . Fantastic!
It's important to keep in mind, when using fruit in brews, the yeast will extract sugars from the pulp and skin, which aren't immediately dissolved in the water and don't show up on the initial hydrometer reading. You can easily end up with far more alcohol in your final product than you intended. It isn't likely to make much difference with cherries but I found out the hard way that something like Saskatoon berries are a completely different story. They are so high in antioxidants, nutrients, sugars, amino acids and heaven knows what else, it shot right past the normal alcohol tolerance for the yeast I used and the end product, after over six months of aging, was like drinking straight moonshine that tasted like fruit juice. Dangerous stuff! Wonderful... Dangerous stuff. It took over a decade, but we finished the last bottle six months ago.
Dude, you are the best teacher I have ever seen. I don't say that lightly either. I am very impressed with how comprehensive you made this for me and presumably everyone else. Thank you for setting an example I'll try to emulate in my own life.
I make blueberry mead , using my own wild blueberries , grown organically , water and honey. I don't use yeast as the fruit has natural yeasts in their skins . I leave the fruit in for a lot longer than you do and have yet to have a bunch go bad. Depending on the amount of rain during the growing season seems to affect the consistency of the end product. Some ends up like a thick syrup that is just lovely for pouring on hot sponge cake or over ice cream. I shall have to try your recipe. Thanks so much for your video.
@@mdr3w I only made a quart jar .. I used about a third filled with blueberries. a quarter cup of honey and water. Just let it ferment until bubbles stopped them put the cover on it. I used a coffee filter on top while fermenting. Sorry I can't be more accurate but I tend to be a dump and guess sort of cook.
I LOVE IT! I've been following you for a year and to watch a "throw back" from when you started! Love the beard! But you look better in 2023. I just love you guys! When a vid comes out I get into my cabinet and pull out something I made and watch your next vid. ❤
Almost 1 million views of this video (viking blood mead) time make a new version and kick it up a notch. And the blue berry aka backwards did great also. Time to make newer versions for the new year. Great job and I truly love your recipes, my wife on the other hand not so much because she pays the credit card and getting all the supplies ,carboys, all the little big mouth bubblers, etc add up. Lol Keep the awesome recipes coming and have fun, Shane A Chelsea, Maine
Well... we have actually made 2 more versions of this, but I am working on a 2025 VB Mead too. th-cam.com/video/cP4mYH9jNeY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=m_-_jeFttge1qgfg and th-cam.com/video/sZBbFX5wJwk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=OtgwvDhNuryVGtDw
I enjoyed your video very much. When I use fresh fruit, my rule of thumb is 3 lbs of fruit per 1 gallon. I always add 2 lbs more per batch. I have been making my own wines for nearly seven years now.
Subscribed! Can confirm Mead tastes better without the "proper additives" Thanks for sharing your methods, I love making Mead and my friends get closer drinking it together.
Hellooo Brian and Derica! I am enjoying my 1st Mead right now. It turned out great! I just wanted to say thank you for doing what you do. I watched a lot of your videos before deciding to give it a go. I have several fermentations going now. Thanks for keeping it simple and easy to follow. I made several meads to start with. A ginger,a basic,a blueberry,a jalapeno and this original Vikings Blood. The Vikings Blood finished 1st. I started 1-21-22 and I just bottled it and Im enjoying it today, 2-8-22. It does have a young taste, but after resting a glass for a few mins, it has a wonderful cherry and honey smell. And the taste is smooth. I started at OG 1.106 and FG 1.010. I am so surprised I was able to make something so Drinkable so quickly. Especially seeing its my 1st attempt at brewing. Thanks again.
A very big THANK YOU! This will be getting tried today/once we get some more honey! Just picked up the cherries (Fresh) but I don't mind cutting them in half and pitting gives me something to do while visiting with the In-Laws aka our brewing buddies!
I've been home brewing for 9 years, and I have to say I like your method. What you said about Star San is 100% on! I always have a bucket and a spray bottle of it on hand when I'm brewing and prepping.
I just made a double batch of Kvass. It is one of my favorites. This time I used honey in it also. So very good! I do not know if you have ever tried, but you may find it delicious if you like Mead.
One of the best mead videos ive seen!! You know its a melomel, sanitization is king, bring out a carboy, just say no to air lock substitutes... good on ya, sir!! Cant wait to see the final product!!
Just picked up a bottle of that viking blod recently and that prompted me to looking into mead making because most meads I've bought are meh (because I go cheap) but that blod was the most delicious I had ever tried. It's like port wine, just so much more flavorful and potent.
Some people are just great at teaching people how to do stuff. And you, my friend, have that gift! Just subscribed. Might try this when I get back from vacation.
My father would make wine and beer when I was younger and he would keep it I think 73 f in temp and it would give a slightly banana like taste to his wines. I found that so interesting that just a few degrees will change the taste so much
An old high school friend is starting a mead making endeavor.....never had it...think I will try this home brew....doesn't seem too difficult....and I know all of the equipment....nice vid!!!!
Thanks! Mead is pretty simple to make. It mostly takes time. Actually, most cider, mead and winemaking is pretty simple. You CAN however make it very complex and difficult if you want to. I choose not to. Stay tuned for more videos. I'm considering a very very basic mead in the next few weeks.
I wear a white shirt and it is known as the brewing shirt. Every new stain is a good time that I’ve had making some alcohol. When it looks like I have put on a tie-dye shirt, I will consider myself a master brewer. Excellent yt video.
As a dane, I can confirm the label on the bottle you showed does indead say "Danish Mead - Viking Blood" Although the spelling is weird. If its was correct danish it would say "Vikingeblod"
When I was a kid in school and the English teacher had us read parts of Beowulf we all thought Mead was a type of Scandinavian Beer. Like honey and... I don't know... Beer ingredients like malts and hops and barley or something. The rennissance (?) fair sells "honey wine" but I thought that was just their modern take on what Mead *might* have been like. I was delighted as an adult to find out that Mead really is just honey fermented into a drink. It's not wine, because it's not grapes, lol.
Definitely do. I have about 4 bottles, containing a few different variations of mead. We have a few festivals, where it seems to be particularly popular to sell. Like at the annual Viking theatre piece, in the little town, called Jels. Otherwise known as Jels Vikingespil. But you can usually just grab a bottle from a regular store too, in the alcohol section, if you like.
In Iceland, meade barrels were always kept with the animals in the "barn" part of the house. Uncovered, open. Anything that flew in was just considered normal flavoring!
Maybe you already know (so for anyone reading), but give your hydromeder a spin and it will center itself in the test tube so you aren't looking at a crooked hydrometer.
oh no I thought it was great. I just thought about it when you were talking about hydrometers and refractometers. I have both, if I am being lazy and don't care about being dead on I will use my refractometer, but if I am making something for others or for a recipe I always use a hydrometer.
Just found your channel. I like your style straight to the point, nothing fancy and no math I hate math. Ive been brewing for about 10 years, and use the same simple methods. Thanks
Great video! I love the simplicity of your process. Yeah, some people do do a lot more to their meads (I use bentonite to help clarify mine) but if you want to *enjoy* the mead-making process, the simplest route is often the best. And you still get a great-tasting mead at the end.
Absolutely. We choose not to add things to our ferments. Purity, simplicity... life is complicated enough, why make this so hard? To me, it’s almost a barrier to entry to some also. I like to show how easy it really can be to help inspire people to give it a try for themselves.
Been fermenting since 12-13 years old for a digestive disorder. Well 25 years ago bought all the tools, pectic enzyme, acid blend, yeast nutrient, etc so I could “Do it right” Others raved about my wine but I simply didn’t care if for the new wines I made I kept my hydrometer, airlocks got rid of the chemicals.
Simple is better for us starters, thank you brews. I would love to see the next process to this like bottle or end result in the future. Fermenting seemed so complicated that I was that person that was scared away by the intimidation of it. fermenter youtubers helped me coqour that fear and I am now fermenting. Wine was also in intimidating so ty again brews ima try this
Good job, great video. I like to make wine and do not use any additives either and it always turns out great! Anyway, I want to share a tip with you on your mead. Try replacing the water in this recipe with more cherry juice. I think you will be very impressed with the additional depth this bring to your mead. Chears! -Chaos
I have no idea how or why this video showed up in my recommended watch list. But damn it all you have a new subscriber. This was interesting as all heck. My friend from England talks about mead all the time. I've never had it. Now I have a chance to make my own. Thanks for the awesome video.
Actually the politically correct term is "Norse".... "viking" means pirate.. and these Scandinavians during their hey day were known for their fine craftsmanship, ingenuity and navigation skills. Plus they did not wear horned helmets.
I made a strawberry wine about 30 years ago. My airlock was a hole drilled into a bottle cap. A long hose was fed through the hole and sealed with melted paraffin. The outside end of the hose was in a cup of water. The wine tasted pretty good.
For those who want to see more about our Viking Blood Mead, there are two followup videos: Racking th-cam.com/video/vu9HnC0_gyI/w-d-xo.html and the Tasting: th-cam.com/video/_WY4kOnFMlo/w-d-xo.html
Hey everyone! Thanks so much for watching! This videos is coming up on 1 year old and we will be doing a TASTING of the 1 year old bottled Viking blood soon! We've done follow up videos on this one too, see the links just below! Check out the Racking Video: th-cam.com/video/vu9HnC0_gyI/w-d-xo.html and the TASTING of our Viking Blood! th-cam.com/video/_WY4kOnFMlo/w-d-xo.html
I am just now trying this out. Changed a couple things, but will include a pic from my brewing journal. Bubbling away nicely and it has only been going 24 hours.
Since I can't figure out how to add a picture, I just now that I added 2 liters of Sweet cherry juice, and no water for a test batch. Hydro reading of 1.121 before pitching.
Hello Brian From City Steading. I have been watching your videos and a few weeks ago I started a version of your vikings blood. I didn’t want to wait 6 months to age it so I used less honey and more SWEET frozen cherries. Not sure if it classifies as a hydromel or not, since I am still very new to brewing and wine making. My process was exactly like this video and your subsequent videos. I used similar bottling bucket for the first week of fermentation, and racked it to an all glass carboy. I gave er’ a taste today and wow. Taste really good, given it’s my second attempt at making alcohol. I am probably screwing it up by pitching more yeast and adding nutrient and letting er’ sit for two more weeks, but hey I’m having a blast. Thanks for your videos and keep of the good work.
Hey, that's awesome, but... why add more yeast if it tastes good? It's done. If you want a stronger batch, make another! This one is good, let it sit a few weeks, check the gravity, if it doesn't move... bottle it and enjoy! I am so happy to have inspired you. We love hearing this! Thanks so much for your support. RE: Hydromel, well, if it's below say 10%, most would call it a hydromel, some say far less, but meh, definitions don't make good tastes :)
I have discovered your channel recently and have unlocked a hidden obsession. I work with an apiarist and we both want to start making some mead. Your videos are incredibly clear and concise. Thank you. Watching this video, I was curious if making a Mango Mead (Melomel) would have the same process?
i have made many meads in my days but when I was at a brew fest in Chicago, I tasted a blueberry mead that was delicious and potent and easy to drink. I have a goal of duplicating that some day. My meads tend to be high in alcohol and a bit harsh to drink at first, but after 5 years, smooth.
hello city steading Iam currently in a class learning to become a destiller whit this comes about 45% fermentation lessons i would like to give you some extra tips about fruit fermentation first of all you can use pectic enzyme or pectinase pectin is a product that breaks down fruit you wil get about 20% profit in juices it WIL lower your taste a litle bit (cause you have extra juice) BUT you can counter this with more fruit why use pectin ? you wont have to cut up all those cherry's ! :D why i recommend you this is because if you damage the stone or pit you wil make a VERY nasty chemical by product wich is toxic if you do this you want to heat up your fruit to 80C about 20 minuts to kill off the natural pectine and add the comercial pectin BTW dont worry about pectin its a natural product ! every fruit has it its what causes the fruit to become juicy and break down ! comercial pectine is harvested from fungi (wich does not matter cause a enzyme is a enzyme only more effective) if you dont want to use pectine and do it the way YOU do it in the video i recommend (out of experience not class) to start your fermentation with only honey (and the right PH ofcource) and AFTER the first few days when the yeast has calmed down THEN add your cherry why ? cause the yeast wil trap some of your cherry flavour in the CO2 bubles it creates and it wil just fly away with the CO2 leaving you with LESS taste and smell !! adding your cherry after the first heavy days wil keep the maximum amount of taste in your mead ! lets me explain it very simple what you can 'smell' coming out of the airlock during fermentation is taste and smell you "LOSE" after fermentation ! good luck everybody with your fermentation's !
From a crazy mad scientist beer brewer perspective ; one thing you may want to experiment with is adding the fruit component after peak fermentation.. Once the fermentation activity drops somewhat the lower yeast activity tends to accentuate the delicate fruit flavors and aromas.. Thanks for a great video!
Why? Racking just means moving from one container to another. A carboy is a jug. We have two more videos on Viking Blood and I am here to help if you need it!
I tried your recepy it's amazing , i've made couple mods , i tried pour the cherry juice 3 days after fermentation started ,the cherry flavour is even better.
You did alright with the pronounciation for Viking Blod. How I'd transcribe it for English speakers is "Vee-king Blue'd". Then again, I saw it was Danish and I'm Swedish, meaning I speak another variation of the same language family so I could be off on my pronounciation as well :D I'll ask a Dane sometime, but I think there's no massive difference :)
Super cool. You can also add dried mushrooms to your fruit mix and let the come to or ferment them raw in the honey for medicinal mead. You can ever use certain flowers.
I had some mead one time, well, two glasses so is that twice? It was at a weekend long SCA event I got invited to somehow. Anyway...after the first couple of sips I discovered that ...all my life...whenever I had been thirsty....this was what I was really wanting. It was the Nectar of the Gods.
I love the personality, and the simplistic nature is a quality after my own heart. I really appreciate a process more if I can get a sense of the roots, and worrying about chemicals and etcera completely tanks that.
I have to try this myself. I'm looking for a cherry mead that doesn't like "cough syrup" LOL Also I'm thinking of trying to make a Dragon's Blood mead :-)
Thanks for mentioning the benefit of using the pail. I just got a 2 gal brew pail and I didnt even think about extra space for fruits and such. Awesome video too!!
Putting a cheesecloth over the mouth of the bucket for the first week should be fine. The ferment will be active enough that there wont be any contamination problem. It also allows the yeast access to oxygen initially so it can reproduce.
Cheesecloth's only keep the dust and dog hair out, really for the first week that the main contaminants. A Cheesecloth is good for racking out fruit as well.
cheesecloth over the mouth of the bucket ..... and attracts fruitflies! I'll stick to airlocks! Great video City Steading, I'm just starting with meads, so this was very interesting and informative to a newby like me! I've been making beers and wines for years, but never stepped out to find out how to make mead - THX!
I don't do this myself, but my step father ran a beer and wine making supply store out of the house and I actually recognize most if not everything you mentioned and showed in the video xD
you can but you HAVE to make sure there is NO preservetives in they wil grab the yeast and and make it infertile to reproduce if the concentrate is based on lets say sugarcane or suger water it wil most likely not contain preservatives cause suger preservs :) OR you can read my other post and make your life much more easy so you dont have to cut up all those cherry's :)
You can, and as Toasty said, no preservatives. Then again, if you wanted to stop fermentation and add flavor, you could add the juice toward the end if fermentation.
I usually just make a straight mead with maybe one extra flavor (usually cinnamon or vanilla ) then after fermentation i back sweeten a little bit sweet, then add JR knudeson organic "just tart cherry" juice to taste. P.S. a shot or two of Jim beam really smooths out the top notes.
Brian, first, where is your beautiful better half? Darica is missing here. Second, my LHBS has the "S" curve airlocks for $1.29. The 3 piece, $1.39. Third, I've got a line on frozen pitted cherries, $20.00 for about 10 pounds, but cut 5:1, with sugar. Sound like enough for 6 gallons in my primary? 5 cherry, one sugar. I'll add 10 more pounds of good honey. Rack off the spent cherries, into a 5 gallon glass carboy. I'm wondering, how would Hefeweisen yeast work? Keep it cool, and try for the clove notes. Not so much banana. (I got a pack of White Labs WLP300, and propagated some more yeast.) steve
I actually am one of "those" people who love the Viking Blod mead as thats the best I have locally and even then i have to drive for far to get it. This recipe seems super simple and will be the first one i try to make on my own. Thanks for the vid.
+Jose Salazar there’s nothing wrong with the commercially available Viking Blod, I just wanted to explain it’s a different product. That mead is made with honey, hibiscus and hops, then they add neutral spirits to raise the abv to 19%. Mine is just cherry mead, which was traditionally called Viking Blood.
f*stares dead in the camera* "Now some people would throw this away. I'm not some people." *proceeds to pour back into container* And he used a spatula to get the last bits of cherry juice out. This is me as a Viking :D
I don't boil my honey, but I do boil the water portion that I then add to the honey, when I make mead - then, of course let it cool back down to room temp before adding yeast. I tend to find that this helps to disolve the honey, as well as break down some of the sugars easier - allowing for a more reliale ferment.
You can, but remember that you'll have to strain them later. It's easier to strain bigger pieces, as pulped fruit has to be strained via cheesecloth. Which, IMO is a total pain in the tush.
i use a nutri ninja, no straining necessary, and i add the cherries at the beginning of the fermentation; its all food for the yeast anyway, and it adds a lot of oxygen to the mix.
Dude, you are amazing! I randomly came across this video while surfing. Your explanations don't get too long and dragged out. You're funny. Your explanations cover a lot of things but then you just say, hey its what I like for the obvious complainers out there. I like that You keep it extremely simple. I felt like I could actually make this!! I am an average guy. Never made mead. Made some beer but not much. You're Killing it! I am going to look at all your vids and maybe even sub.
City Steading i know the directions say not to rinse after but that seems weird to leave that in where the mead will be made. Do you follow the directions or do you rinse ?
I know this is a little bit of an older, awesome video, but you guys should make a new one doing this mead again, for an even awesomer video and comparing how you brewed this one 5 years ago to how you would brew it now! Thanks for great content and helping me learn how to brew!
I must be doing something right... getting a bit of flack from a few people for my lack of additives, lack of apparent knowledge, etc. So, I'll explain a few more things: First, I don't add additives by choice. It's my choice to make things a more traditional way. Does it take longer? Yup. Does it leave some to chance? Yup. I'm alright with that. That said, I chose the yeast because it's known for giving fruity flavors. I made a cherry mead. I chose the fermentation temperature of around 70 F because that's where more fruity esters come out. Again, cherry mead. I was going to add nutrient, but decided not to, due to the not so sky high gravity, and the fact that dry yeast is packaged with nutrient. Someone said I should learn about hydration... erm, dry yeast... put in water for a while, pitch. It's not rocket science. Sure, I could have checked Ph, but I know that honey is 3.2 on average, and the cherries are probably 3.2-4.5. Even diluted with water, it's below the 6.0 mark, so no need to add acid blend. Then there's pectic enzyme, sure, this might help a little, but... as I said, it's my methodology to keep it simple, to show how it was done for thousands of years before anyone knew what nutrient or yeast even was. I'm sure many people are completely offended by me making it simply, but... it doesn't have to be complicated. I'm trying to show people how easily they can make things at home. We make everything from pasta and bread, to beer, wine, cider, and mead, to our own ham and sausages and sometimes cheese. It doesn't have to be so hard. Thanks to you all for watching, we appreciate it.
you did it just right as far ass i can see,and that the way i do it, keep it easy, if stone age men can do it with out all the thing we use now, then its all good ,new to your show love it, thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
Respect
Great video! Also, tell the people who feel like complaining to make their own video with their own recipe, or to otherwise stfu. After that, if they keep it up, block/ignore them.
I found a quart of raw honey which was giving off a yeasty aroma last summer. I mixed it into 2 gallons of warm, purified water, put it in a fermenting vessel and forgot about it for 2 months. The results were amazing. Just because someone doesn't do it your way, doesn't mean it isn't a right way!
Wearing a red shirt when dealing with red fruit. This man is very experienced
I’m glad he didn’t wear his brown pants....😆
Good thing he didn't ask for his brown pants.
So he doesn't get any on him... 🤣
"Pretend I said 15 minutes."
-Subscribed.
"Now listen up because this is very technical: Cherries - in the bucket."
-Notification Bell.
Lol. Awesome.
@@CitySteadingBrews Did the same in large part for that. AND - we are going to make this for a family reunion - Norwegian family. PERFECT!
Frozen fruit is actually better. When the fruit is frozen, it breaks down the cell walls, and, really helps the juice extraction. Also, if you want to really get more fruit flavor, let it ferment for a week, a week and a half BEFORE adding your fruit. The less of the fruit sugars will be fermented, and, the fruit character will be MUCH stronger.
Anon Nymous True dat! I usually add fruit for secondary fermentation so the extremely active primary doesn’t blow out a lot of the aroma of the fruit. And I’m with you on the simplicity style of brewing.
I'll have to try this on the next batch. I've always put the fruit in the first ferment and then just added more yeast and whatever sugar I'm using for the second ferment.
How do I go about adding for a secondary fermentation without the risk of adding bad bacteria
Secondary fermentation is just the time after racking your brew. You don’t start a new fermentation, it’s just finishing out and clearing really.
@@CitySteadingBrews thank you. I've done secondary in past brews just never added anything besides sugars
No vikings were harmed during the production of this video
That you know of.
O we were harmed from falling down after drinking all the mead.
Good luck harming a Viking bro
To Odin wine was food
cirrhosis doesn't count
He looks like that really cool chemistry teacher in high school that always comes up with random experiments and tells the class to keep it low key so he doesn't lose his job.
Lol
I made my first mead. I entered it in the wine competition at my local county fair.
It took a second place. Which made me quite happy.
Later on a yuppy type of woman drank some but she didn't like it . You see , it was home made AND did not cost $25.00 a bottle. The higher the cost to her , the better it tastes.
Always going to be those people. If you would have put it in a $100. Dollar she would have loved it!
Guaging interest... I am working on a new mead recipe idea. I have two, the first I call "Black Sack", it's a blackcurrant mead with added tannins and acidity, somewhere in the 18% ABV range, or... "Bourbon Bochet" which is a carmelized honey with oak and vanilla notes. Leave your vote in the comments
City Steading both!!!
Bourbon Bochet sounds awesome
I'd be interested in seeing Black Sack, but really both sound interesting. I currently have a Dwójniak style elderberry melomel in ferment, and would like to see the added tannins in your mead.
Doing both actually... the Bochet will be first. Still fine tuning recipes.
Yep, that's what I was thinking.
Interesting fun fact. During the middle ages the monks were bee keepers and would make mead. Weddings in small towns or very infrequent and would be caused or a month-long celebration. The monks for the celebration would bring out the mead. That is believed to be the origin of the term honeymoon.
That's a really cool tidbit
Nice
But in Viking lore friend's and family would give the nearly weds a months supply of honey mead, and an understanding of a month being a measurement of time, for the moon to travel around the earth......honeymoon.......And more likely enough time to consieve a child.
This is a myth!
@@CitySteadingBrews is it?
Thank you for posting! We had a big farm in Michigan and my parents made cherry wine every year from our trees, using a very similar process.
The best part after discovering this channel is watching his beard and hair change back and forth depending on when the video comes from. Love this channel, btw. I have a bunch of supplies coming to make your "first mead" recipe. Been making kombucha for a while so this just seems like the next step. Love you two!
Indeed. I barely recognised Brian.
I love your teaching style. Perfect amount of sarcasm, yet I didn’t get distracted. LIKED. SUBSCRIBED
"Now, some people will say you shouldn't put a lid on tight. WE HAVE CATS." Hahahahaha!!
Vikings landed in newfoundland in like the 990s or something, the called the land vinland because of the wild grapes, i live in a region of canada where the same grapes grow. gonna use the wild grapes to make some blood mead!
Cherry melon was the first mead that I made, using orange blossom honey and champagne yeast. It came out carbonated and tasted like a cherry soda . Fantastic!
dude.. I friggen love your humor, desire to teach and simplicity!
Your light humor really keeps it interesting. Very well done, Sir. Thanks for sharing!!
I appreciate every last bit of your humor in this video. I'm stoked to start a Mead batch and this video helped me tons.
It's important to keep in mind, when using fruit in brews, the yeast will extract sugars from the pulp and skin, which aren't immediately dissolved in the water and don't show up on the initial hydrometer reading. You can easily end up with far more alcohol in your final product than you intended.
It isn't likely to make much difference with cherries but I found out the hard way that something like Saskatoon berries are a completely different story. They are so high in antioxidants, nutrients, sugars, amino acids and heaven knows what else, it shot right past the normal alcohol tolerance for the yeast I used and the end product, after over six months of aging, was like drinking straight moonshine that tasted like fruit juice.
Dangerous stuff!
Wonderful... Dangerous stuff. It took over a decade, but we finished the last bottle six months ago.
True. That was taken into account with this brew. I calculated the cherries into it for the final ABV in theory.
Dude, you are the best teacher I have ever seen. I don't say that lightly either. I am very impressed with how comprehensive you made this for me and presumably everyone else. Thank you for setting an example I'll try to emulate in my own life.
Wow, thanks!
thumbs up for your natural approach to making a, well, natural get drunker
hey guys just joined i,m a beekeeper from nz and making a brew using your recipe with orange and raisins ,cinnamon quill a lovely bush honey.
Awesome! Thank you for joining and good luck on the mead!
I make blueberry mead , using my own wild blueberries , grown organically , water and honey. I don't use yeast as the fruit has natural yeasts in their skins . I leave the fruit in for a lot longer than you do and have yet to have a bunch go bad. Depending on the amount of rain during the growing season seems to affect the consistency of the end product. Some ends up like a thick syrup that is just lovely for pouring on hot sponge cake or over ice cream. I shall have to try your recipe. Thanks so much for your video.
That sounds pretty good, do you use roughly the same sort of ratios he used for the cherry mead?
So you just put the whole blueberry in there? What are the ratios for 1 gallon you use? Thanks!
@@mdr3w I only made a quart jar .. I used about a third filled with blueberries. a quarter cup of honey and water. Just let it ferment until bubbles stopped them put the cover on it. I used a coffee filter on top while fermenting. Sorry I can't be more accurate but I tend to be a dump and guess sort of cook.
I LOVE IT! I've been following you for a year and to watch a "throw back" from when you started!
Love the beard! But you look better in 2023.
I just love you guys! When a vid comes out I get into my cabinet and pull out something I made and watch your next vid. ❤
Santa Claus making mead? I instantly subbed.
+Trevor thanks? But... I did get a haircut. 😎
Santa? I think you mean Odin.
He needs a stiff drink after dealing with elves all day.
It feels funny coming back to this video after 2 years of watching you. Keep it up!
I avoid coming back to it. Makes me cringe.
I made my first batch of viking blood, and it turned out really nice. I'm trying to strain the sediment out, but the color is a beautiful red.
Almost 1 million views of this video (viking blood mead) time make a new version and kick it up a notch. And the blue berry aka backwards did great also. Time to make newer versions for the new year.
Great job and I truly love your recipes, my wife on the other hand not so much because she pays the credit card and getting all the supplies ,carboys, all the little big mouth bubblers, etc add up. Lol
Keep the awesome recipes coming and have fun,
Shane A
Chelsea, Maine
Well... we have actually made 2 more versions of this, but I am working on a 2025 VB Mead too.
th-cam.com/video/cP4mYH9jNeY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=m_-_jeFttge1qgfg and
th-cam.com/video/sZBbFX5wJwk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=OtgwvDhNuryVGtDw
im 17 so idk why im watching this but i swear this guy is amazing! when i am of adge i would like to try to make this because he made it look fun
Lies.. you are fermenting this in your closet right now. I wont tell..
When you are of adge, maybe you will have learned to spell age...
I enjoyed your video very much.
When I use fresh fruit, my rule of thumb is 3 lbs of fruit per 1 gallon. I always add 2 lbs more per batch.
I have been making my own wines for nearly seven years now.
"I got em from Publix"
Ooh! A Floridian!
Oowweee you know it soon as you hear it 😂😂😂
Whats a Publix?
@@MW-in8ec it's a southern grocery store equivalent to Kroger.
We got one in NC now. Moving up the coast!
Publix isn't just in Florida. I'm in Alabama and have one down the street, a buddy in North Carolina has a Publix near him too.
Finally a simple , no extra chemical recipe! And, I love Cherrys too! Thanks, i will be doing a batch soon!
Subscribed! Can confirm Mead tastes better without the "proper additives"
Thanks for sharing your methods, I love making Mead and my friends get closer drinking it together.
Hellooo Brian and Derica! I am enjoying my 1st Mead right now. It turned out great! I just wanted to say thank you for doing what you do. I watched a lot of your videos before deciding to give it a go. I have several fermentations going now. Thanks for keeping it simple and easy to follow. I made several meads to start with. A ginger,a basic,a blueberry,a jalapeno and this original Vikings Blood. The Vikings Blood finished 1st. I started 1-21-22 and I just bottled it and Im enjoying it today, 2-8-22. It does have a young taste, but after resting a glass for a few mins, it has a wonderful cherry and honey smell. And the taste is smooth. I started at OG 1.106 and FG 1.010. I am so surprised I was able to make something so Drinkable so quickly. Especially seeing its my 1st attempt at brewing. Thanks again.
A very big THANK YOU! This will be getting tried today/once we get some more honey! Just picked up the cherries (Fresh) but I don't mind cutting them in half and pitting gives me something to do while visiting with the In-Laws aka our brewing buddies!
I've been home brewing for 9 years, and I have to say I like your method. What you said about Star San is 100% on! I always have a bucket and a spray bottle of it on hand when I'm brewing and prepping.
I just made a double batch of Kvass. It is one of my favorites. This time I used honey in it also. So very good! I do not know if you have ever tried, but you may find it delicious if you like Mead.
We tried kvass. Not a hige fan but will try again.
One of the best mead videos ive seen!! You know its a melomel, sanitization is king, bring out a carboy, just say no to air lock substitutes... good on ya, sir!!
Cant wait to see the final product!!
We have a few follow ups to this one! Thanks for your support!
Loved this video. Love the humor and info all in one. Subscribed.
Just picked up a bottle of that viking blod recently and that prompted me to looking into mead making because most meads I've bought are meh (because I go cheap) but that blod was the most delicious I had ever tried. It's like port wine, just so much more flavorful and potent.
Some people are just great at teaching people how to do stuff. And you, my friend, have that gift! Just subscribed. Might try this when I get back from vacation.
Thanks! We truly appreciate the support and feedback!
Did you ever make any mead, Shane?
Wow dude your channel has come so far!
5:45
Yes, we do want to see it.
This is the best how to video ive ever watched im amazed it didnt leave me confused and yet i feel like i actually could do this. Thank you.
Anyone can do this. It's really simple. We have lots more videos on mead and wine too.
im going to have to try that for I make my own beer never tried mead before and I have and use all the tools you have
I really enjoy your humor. I will be replicating this asap! ... now I am going to watch what else u have! Thank you for your time.
I always wanted to be a comic.
My father would make wine and beer when I was younger and he would keep it I think 73 f in temp and it would give a slightly banana like taste to his wines. I found that so interesting that just a few degrees will change the taste so much
An old high school friend is starting a mead making endeavor.....never had it...think I will try this home brew....doesn't seem too difficult....and I know all of the equipment....nice vid!!!!
Thanks! Mead is pretty simple to make. It mostly takes time. Actually, most cider, mead and winemaking is pretty simple. You CAN however make it very complex and difficult if you want to. I choose not to. Stay tuned for more videos. I'm considering a very very basic mead in the next few weeks.
If you'd ever like to make this with raw local honey, feel free to reach out to us
I wear a white shirt and it is known as the brewing shirt. Every new stain is a good time that I’ve had making some alcohol. When it looks like I have put on a tie-dye shirt, I will consider myself a master brewer. Excellent yt video.
As a dane, I can confirm the label on the bottle you showed does indead say "Danish Mead - Viking Blood" Although the spelling is weird. If its was correct danish it would say "Vikingeblod"
Good to know, thanks!
viking blod is swedish way of writing it (swed)
When I was a kid in school and the English teacher had us read parts of Beowulf we all thought Mead was a type of Scandinavian Beer. Like honey and... I don't know... Beer ingredients like malts and hops and barley or something.
The rennissance (?) fair sells "honey wine" but I thought that was just their modern take on what Mead *might* have been like. I was delighted as an adult to find out that Mead really is just honey fermented into a drink. It's not wine, because it's not grapes, lol.
I'm also delighted to hear they still make it (or it seems they do) in Scandinavian countries.
Definitely do. I have about 4 bottles, containing a few different variations of mead. We have a few festivals, where it seems to be particularly popular to sell. Like at the annual Viking theatre piece, in the little town, called Jels. Otherwise known as Jels Vikingespil. But you can usually just grab a bottle from a regular store too, in the alcohol section, if you like.
In Iceland, meade barrels were always kept with the animals in the "barn" part of the house. Uncovered, open. Anything that flew in was just considered normal flavoring!
You have obviously never brewed. Thanks for your input.
Great video! I like the idea of "City Steading" and also think a cherry "Viking Blood" mead would be a fun mead to try and make!
excellent balance of humour and info. you have a knack, sir.
Thanks!
Maybe you already know (so for anyone reading), but give your hydromeder a spin and it will center itself in the test tube so you aren't looking at a crooked hydrometer.
oh no I thought it was great. I just thought about it when you were talking about hydrometers and refractometers. I have both, if I am being lazy and don't care about being dead on I will use my refractometer, but if I am making something for others or for a recipe I always use a hydrometer.
Just found your channel. I like your style straight to the point, nothing fancy and no math I hate math. Ive been brewing for about 10 years, and use the same simple methods. Thanks
I like to do it in a way that anyone can follow. There’s no need to complicate everything. Life is complicated, our booze shouldn’t be!
Great video! I love the simplicity of your process. Yeah, some people do do a lot more to their meads (I use bentonite to help clarify mine) but if you want to *enjoy* the mead-making process, the simplest route is often the best. And you still get a great-tasting mead at the end.
Absolutely. We choose not to add things to our ferments. Purity, simplicity... life is complicated enough, why make this so hard? To me, it’s almost a barrier to entry to some also. I like to show how easy it really can be to help inspire people to give it a try for themselves.
The end is just longer away, so make more mead, cover the gap in production time.
How would you use bentonite?
Been fermenting since 12-13 years old for a digestive disorder.
Well 25 years ago bought all the tools, pectic enzyme, acid blend, yeast nutrient, etc so I could “Do it right”
Others raved about my wine but I simply didn’t care if for the new wines I made I kept my hydrometer, airlocks got rid of the chemicals.
Simple is better for us starters, thank you brews. I would love to see the next process to this like bottle or end result in the future. Fermenting seemed so complicated that I was that person that was scared away by the intimidation of it. fermenter youtubers helped me coqour that fear and I am now fermenting. Wine was also in intimidating so ty again brews ima try this
We have follow up videos to this.
Good job, great video. I like to make wine and do not use any additives either and it always turns out great!
Anyway, I want to share a tip with you on your mead. Try replacing the water in this recipe with more cherry juice.
I think you will be very impressed with the additional depth this bring to your mead.
Chears!
-Chaos
Great video! Best one I’ve seen on how to make meade.
Wow, thanks!
I have no idea how or why this video showed up in my recommended watch list. But damn it all you have a new subscriber. This was interesting as all heck. My friend from England talks about mead all the time. I've never had it. Now I have a chance to make my own. Thanks for the awesome video.
The fact you empathized with the people who come to your video on accident is amazing. I'm sub for that
Well... I didn't want to anger anyone!
Vikings are people too. #VikingLivesMatter
I agree.
Actually the politically correct term is "Norse".... "viking" means pirate.. and these Scandinavians during their hey day were known for their fine craftsmanship, ingenuity and navigation skills. Plus they did not wear horned helmets.
It's a name of a drink.... not a people. I'm of Norse background and I'm not insulted by it.
And... I didn't name it! The name is literally from the time of the Vikings!
Wait... since when are Vikings "politically correct"?
I made a strawberry wine about 30 years ago. My airlock was a hole drilled into a bottle cap. A long hose was fed through the hole and sealed with melted paraffin. The outside end of the hose was in a cup of water. The wine tasted pretty good.
For those who want to see more about our Viking Blood Mead, there are two followup videos: Racking th-cam.com/video/vu9HnC0_gyI/w-d-xo.html and the Tasting: th-cam.com/video/_WY4kOnFMlo/w-d-xo.html
Thank you. I really believe I can make cherry mead following your directions.
Hey everyone! Thanks so much for watching! This videos is coming up on 1 year old and we will be doing a TASTING of the 1 year old bottled Viking blood soon! We've done follow up videos on this one too, see the links just below!
Check out the Racking Video: th-cam.com/video/vu9HnC0_gyI/w-d-xo.html and the TASTING of our Viking Blood! th-cam.com/video/_WY4kOnFMlo/w-d-xo.html
You're not fooling this Norwegian we all know that your spoon has been enchanted
I am just now trying this out. Changed a couple things, but will include a pic from my brewing journal. Bubbling away nicely and it has only been going 24 hours.
Since I can't figure out how to add a picture, I just now that I added 2 liters of Sweet cherry juice, and no water for a test batch. Hydro reading of 1.121 before pitching.
Hello Brian From City Steading. I have been watching your videos and a few weeks ago I started a version of your vikings blood. I didn’t want to wait 6 months to age it so I used less honey and more SWEET frozen cherries. Not sure if it classifies as a hydromel or not, since I am still very new to brewing and wine making. My process was exactly like this video and your subsequent videos. I used similar bottling bucket for the first week of fermentation, and racked it to an all glass carboy.
I gave er’ a taste today and wow. Taste really good, given it’s my second attempt at making alcohol. I am probably screwing it up by pitching more yeast and adding nutrient and letting er’ sit for two more weeks, but hey I’m having a blast. Thanks for your videos and keep of the good work.
Hey, that's awesome, but... why add more yeast if it tastes good? It's done. If you want a stronger batch, make another! This one is good, let it sit a few weeks, check the gravity, if it doesn't move... bottle it and enjoy!
I am so happy to have inspired you. We love hearing this! Thanks so much for your support.
RE: Hydromel, well, if it's below say 10%, most would call it a hydromel, some say far less, but meh, definitions don't make good tastes :)
I have discovered your channel recently and have unlocked a hidden obsession. I work with an apiarist and we both want to start making some mead. Your videos are incredibly clear and concise. Thank you.
Watching this video, I was curious if making a Mango Mead (Melomel) would have the same process?
Pretty much, yes. I'm not a fan of mangoes.... but that's just me!
I love you guys. This has gotten me to try making my own mead and my husband thanks you. He loves it.
He's like a mix of Michael from VSauce and Bill Nye, but viking. Wild.
i have made many meads in my days but when I was at a brew fest in Chicago, I tasted a blueberry mead that was delicious and potent and easy to drink. I have a goal of duplicating that some day. My meads tend to be high in alcohol and a bit harsh to drink at first, but after 5 years, smooth.
hello city steading
Iam currently in a class learning to become a destiller
whit this comes about 45% fermentation lessons
i would like to give you some extra tips about fruit fermentation
first of all
you can use pectic enzyme or pectinase
pectin is a product that breaks down fruit
you wil get about 20% profit in juices
it WIL lower your taste a litle bit (cause you have extra juice)
BUT you can counter this with more fruit
why use pectin ?
you wont have to cut up all those cherry's ! :D
why i recommend you this is because if you damage the stone or pit you wil make a VERY nasty chemical by product wich is toxic
if you do this you want to heat up your fruit to 80C about 20 minuts to kill off the natural pectine and add the comercial pectin
BTW dont worry about pectin its a natural product ! every fruit has it
its what causes the fruit to become juicy and break down ! comercial pectine is harvested from fungi (wich does not matter cause a enzyme is a enzyme only more effective)
if you dont want to use pectine and do it the way YOU do it in the video
i recommend (out of experience not class) to start your fermentation with only honey (and the right PH ofcource) and AFTER the first few days when the yeast has calmed down THEN add your cherry
why ?
cause the yeast wil trap some of your cherry flavour in the CO2 bubles it creates and it wil just fly away with the CO2 leaving you with LESS taste and smell !!
adding your cherry after the first heavy days wil keep the maximum amount of taste in your mead !
lets me explain it very simple
what you can 'smell' coming out of the airlock during fermentation
is taste and smell you "LOSE" after fermentation !
good luck everybody with your fermentation's !
Thanks!
Yeah good info man
Thanks for your insight
From a crazy mad scientist beer brewer perspective ; one thing you may want to experiment with is adding the fruit component after peak fermentation.. Once the fermentation activity drops somewhat the lower yeast activity tends to accentuate the delicate fruit flavors and aromas.. Thanks for a great video!
I did! Put it in both, and added juice in secondary too. That's just not in this video :) It's in the followups though.
13:36. The moment I stopped thinking that I could possibly do this. 🤣.
Why? Racking just means moving from one container to another. A carboy is a jug. We have two more videos on Viking Blood and I am here to help if you need it!
Thank you! ☺️
@@CitySteadingBrews Awww now i have hope tooooo
I tried your recepy it's amazing , i've made couple mods , i tried pour the cherry juice 3 days after fermentation started ,the cherry flavour is even better.
My research indicates to use Spring Water, which is natures best.
You did alright with the pronounciation for Viking Blod. How I'd transcribe it for English speakers is "Vee-king Blue'd". Then again, I saw it was Danish and I'm Swedish, meaning I speak another variation of the same language family so I could be off on my pronounciation as well :D
I'll ask a Dane sometime, but I think there's no massive difference :)
For the love of Odin I hope that was a magic spoon!!!
SIMPLE TRUTH From Norsemen?
Super cool. You can also add dried mushrooms to your fruit mix and let the come to or ferment them raw in the honey for medicinal mead. You can ever use certain flowers.
Yup, there are a zillion different things you can put into mead.
...what kind of mushrooms?
I had some mead one time, well, two glasses so is that twice? It was at a weekend long SCA event I got invited to somehow. Anyway...after the first couple of sips I discovered that ...all my life...whenever I had been thirsty....this was what I was really wanting. It was the Nectar of the Gods.
I love the personality, and the simplistic nature is a quality after my own heart. I really appreciate a process more if I can get a sense of the roots, and worrying about chemicals and etcera completely tanks that.
I agree. Food and Booze are pretty simple really, no need to overcomplicate it.
"We have cats." Okay, I'm subscribing. :D
I've never considered this or thought about making it. But I like this guy!
And now you're thinking about it. :) My work is done here.
I have to try this myself. I'm looking for a cherry mead that doesn't like "cough syrup" LOL Also I'm thinking of trying to make a Dragon's Blood mead :-)
Thanks for mentioning the benefit of using the pail. I just got a 2 gal brew pail and I didnt even think about extra space for fruits and such. Awesome video too!!
Glad it was helpful!
Putting a cheesecloth over the mouth of the bucket for the first week should be fine. The ferment will be active enough that there wont be any contamination problem. It also allows the yeast access to oxygen initially so it can reproduce.
Cheesecloth's only keep the dust and dog hair out, really for the first week that the main contaminants.
A Cheesecloth is good for racking out fruit as well.
cheesecloth over the mouth of the bucket ..... and attracts fruitflies! I'll stick to airlocks! Great video City Steading, I'm just starting with meads, so this was very interesting and informative to a newby like me! I've been making beers and wines for years, but never stepped out to find out how to make mead - THX!
I don't do this myself, but my step father ran a beer and wine making supply store out of the house and I actually recognize most if not everything you mentioned and showed in the video xD
Can you use tart cherry concentrate instead of the cherries? If so how much?
you can but you HAVE to make sure there is NO preservetives in
they wil grab the yeast and and make it infertile to reproduce
if the concentrate is based on lets say sugarcane or suger water
it wil most likely not contain preservatives cause suger preservs :)
OR you can read my other post and make your life much more easy so you dont have to cut up all those cherry's :)
You can, and as Toasty said, no preservatives. Then again, if you wanted to stop fermentation and add flavor, you could add the juice toward the end if fermentation.
I usually just make a straight mead with maybe one extra flavor (usually cinnamon or vanilla ) then after fermentation i back sweeten a little bit sweet, then add JR knudeson organic "just tart cherry" juice to taste. P.S. a shot or two of Jim beam really smooths out the top notes.
Like the way you explain the technique's, and you have the gift of teaching where i want to listen and learn.....starting on your recipe tonight.
Thank you!
Brian, first, where is your beautiful
better half? Darica is missing here.
Second, my LHBS has the "S" curve
airlocks for $1.29. The 3 piece, $1.39.
Third, I've got a line on frozen pitted
cherries, $20.00 for about 10 pounds,
but cut 5:1, with sugar. Sound like
enough for 6 gallons in my primary?
5 cherry, one sugar. I'll add 10 more
pounds of good honey.
Rack off the spent cherries, into a
5 gallon glass carboy.
I'm wondering, how would Hefeweisen
yeast work? Keep it cool, and try for the
clove notes. Not so much banana.
(I got a pack of White Labs WLP300, and
propagated some more yeast.)
steve
I actually am one of "those" people who love the Viking Blod mead as thats the best I have locally and even then i have to drive for far to get it. This recipe seems super simple and will be the first one i try to make on my own. Thanks for the vid.
+Jose Salazar there’s nothing wrong with the commercially available Viking Blod, I just wanted to explain it’s a different product. That mead is made with honey, hibiscus and hops, then they add neutral spirits to raise the abv to 19%. Mine is just cherry mead, which was traditionally called Viking Blood.
f*stares dead in the camera* "Now some people would throw this away. I'm not some people." *proceeds to pour back into container*
And he used a spatula to get the last bits of cherry juice out. This is me as a Viking :D
Glad you liked it.
Cant be wasteful now lol
I don't boil my honey, but I do boil the water portion that I then add to the honey, when I make mead - then, of course let it cool back down to room temp before adding yeast. I tend to find that this helps to disolve the honey, as well as break down some of the sugars easier - allowing for a more reliale ferment.
Well... try not to heat the honey past about 120f. Beyond that, subtle flavor compounds are destroyed by heat.
Could you use a blender rather than mashing the cherries?...
You can, but remember that you'll have to strain them later. It's easier to strain bigger pieces, as pulped fruit has to be strained via cheesecloth. Which, IMO is a total pain in the tush.
i use a nutri ninja, no straining necessary, and i add the cherries at the beginning of the fermentation; its all food for the yeast anyway, and it adds a lot of oxygen to the mix.
Wow Brian had a lot more beard two years ago!!!!
A fan going back and watching some of your old videos!
sweet just 2 more and my rage bar will increase
Dude, you are amazing! I randomly came across this video while surfing. Your explanations don't get too long and dragged out. You're funny. Your explanations cover a lot of things but then you just say, hey its what I like for the obvious complainers out there. I like that You keep it extremely simple. I felt like I could actually make this!! I am an average guy. Never made mead. Made some beer but not much. You're Killing it! I am going to look at all your vids and maybe even sub.
Maybe sub? :). Thanks for watching!
@@CitySteadingBrews hahahaha, ok, you got me, I will def sub! real recognize real.
When you sanitized your equipment what did you use ?
Star San.
City Steading i know the directions say not to rinse after but that seems weird to leave that in where the mead will be made. Do you follow the directions or do you rinse ?
I let it sit a while and the foam goes away :)
City Steading thank you !
City Steading the directions don’t specify for star San but does the water temp matter for the water your using to make the solution ?
I know this is a little bit of an older, awesome video, but you guys should make a new one doing this mead again, for an even awesomer video and comparing how you brewed this one 5 years ago to how you would brew it now!
Thanks for great content and helping me learn how to brew!
I think we have two newer versions of this.
@@CitySteadingBrews Oh shoot, sorry! I didn't realize that... I have watched a lot of your content and will have to watch even more now! Thank you!
All good. Thank you for watching :). Here to help if you have questions!