Mead Journal: Blueberry Lemon

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Ok, I managed to render down the frozen Blueberries down to juice. I got about 1 1/4 gallons out of the 10 pounds of Blueberries. The thing about doing so is that it is time consuming. I thaw the frozen blueberries, then blenderize and add in 1/4 teaspoon of Pectic enzyme for each full blender. Set aside for an hour to give the enzyme time to work. Then I sent it through a siv stiring to get all the liquid out. Set aside the pulp and mix with a little more enzyme and let sit an hour. Then back in the siv and stir with a rubber spatula, pussing it up against the screen. In many ways once the pulp got down a bit It was like a sponge and the pulp started coming away cleanly from the screen in a clump. Press a bit more in small quantities, got about 1 1/2 more cups of juice out this way. Then I froze the resulting pulp. Not sure what to use it in but it is just as flavorful as the juice. I got about 4 cups worth of pulp out of it. Or for more perspective about 1/4 of one 5 pound bag's volume of the mix. Hmm, the pulp should make great mix in in muffins. Or a sweet bread. But I got it. Then poored the dark purple juice in my largest brew bucket with 3 cups of pure lemon juice that I had left over from the Lemon Lime Mead. Then I racked the mead on top of it. It mixed in well and remains a dark dark purple. Tasted great, could need some back sweetening when I get to oaking it. It's almost begging for a vanilla bean or two. But I will not. The lemon should lighten up the thick flavor of the blueberry a little. So I packed that away.

Lemon Lime: I racked this one and mixed in some sparkloid and potasium sorbate to stop fermentation. I also added 1 gallon of water. Tasted it, still sweet and more lemon than lime flavor. I used 2 cups of each in it as well as 1 tablespoon of zest of each in the primary. But the addition of water should give me 6 gallons yeild and thin out the alcohol content to around 9-10% and make this a very drinkable mead.

Ready for Bottling when I get time to clean bottles and do it:

Pumpkin Toasted Almond Spice
Peach Spearmint
Raspberry Thyme

Ready in about 3 weeks to bottle

Lemon Lime

So I have 1 glass carboy to clean and sanitize, then ready to make the double batch of chocolate: Chocolate and Chocolate Mint.

Need to buy the Cacao Nibs, I think for the 2 batches plus shipping will cost around $60. Making it $30 a batch. About 1.5-2 pounds per batch. I plan on using 1/4 to 1/8 teaspoon of mint extract. I used a 1/4 in the Pineapple Lime Mint and got a bit too strong of flavor so a little less is good. Going to put 2 vanilla beans in it and 1 pound of Malto-Dextrin for body and creamyness in it. Planing on medium or heavy toast oaking on this. I also need to buy one additional pound of Malto-Dexterin.

In Fall I plan on doing a trinary Rockbitter/Oaked with 3 different toast levels to see what is best and another Pumpkin Something Batch.

So my next 6 batches are planed. I will have 2 containers for batches ready. Also Once bottling happens I will have 4 more containers. Need yeast and honey again for the fall batches. I may do a september Strawberry again, not sure.

That's the update.

Need to find time to make lables for the 3 I am about to bottle.