Sweet, tart and a beautiful color—this bilbemel, or blueberry mead, is a crowd-pleaser! If you are using fresh-picked berries, put them in the freezer and then thaw them for brew day. This recipe omits the citrus fruit and the black tea, as the blueberry skins and seeds will add enough bitterness and tartness to the final product.
FOR THE MEAD
1 gal (3.8 L) water, divided
3 lb (1.4 kg) honey
2 lb (910 g) blueberries, frozen and thawed
⅛ cup (20 g) raisins, chopped
½ packet (2.5 g) Lalvin D-47 yeast
FOR RACKING
1 vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise
1 stick cinnamon
1. Gather your ingredients and sanitize your supplies. You’ll need a 1- or 2-gallon (3.8- or 7.5-L) stockpot, a long spoon, a straining bag, a 2-gallon (7.5-L) brew bucket or crock, a gallon (3.8-L) carboy, a racking cane and a bung and airlock.
2. For the mead, heat ⅔ gallon (2.5 L) of the water in the stockpot, but don’t let it boil. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the honey and then let it sit for another 10 minutes or so to cool.
3. Pour the blueberries and raisins into the straining bag, tie the bag closed and put it into the brew bucket. Use your spoon to gently mash the berries and release their juices.
4. Carefully pour the warm must over the berries in the bucket. Add the remaining ⅓ gallon (1.3 L) of water to the bucket and let the must cool.
5. When the bucket is cool enough to handle, pitch the yeast. First, sprinkle the yeast into the brew bucket and stir it in to add oxygen and mix in the yeast. Put the lid onto the bucket, making sure it is sealed, and then put the airlock in place. Label the bucket with the name of the brew and the date and set it aside somewhere out of direct sunlight until it is finished fermenting.
6. Give the bucket a swish every day for 3 days. This will give the yeast oxygen and help inhibit mold growth on the floating fruit bag.
7. Transfer the liquid to the carboy. Add the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Seal the jug with the bung and airlock. Label your brew with name and date.
8. Bottle the mead when it has finished fermenting; this will take 2 to 3 weeks.
TIP: This bilbemel is delightful as a must, tasty at the time of racking and even better at bottling! Aging further improves this mead. You’ll reap a reward if you can stand to leave a bottle to age for a few months.