3/17/12 - Michael and I set off to make our very first mead. Two gallons in total were made split between the two of us. I decided to boil up some jalepenos to add to primary to give it that capsaicin kick on the back taste.
We brought two distilled gallons of water to a near boil (not entirely boil). On hindsight I don't believe we will boil again as I have read not to do this.
Then we added about 3-3.5 lbs of honey per gallon. Continual stirring ensured the honey would not char on the bottom of the pot. Once entire honey mixture was dissolved we introduced 24oz of lightly crushed fresh blueberries using a colander to keep separate from the must. They were kept in until the must had a pleasant purplish hue. After clearing out the blueberries we placed the pot into an ice bath. After room temperature was achieved we took a gravity reading (1.082 or a pot. abv of apprx 11%). We racked onto a split bag of frozen blueberries, pitched our starter yeast (grocery store active yeast) and used a balloon as an airlock.
3/23/12 - A couple more ounces of honey in both mead batches to increase the abv. Introducing the honey gradually increases the chance of not killing off the yeast.
*note: Today I shopped at the Cake and Hobby store for some supplies. I picked up a 1 gallon jug for secondary and some pectic enzyme. The enzyme will help in clarification.
For a still mead you will need to add potassium sorbate to stabilize.
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