In my husband’s culinary training, they said to always add vanilla to anything chocolate as it will bring out the chocolate so I’m not surprised the vanilla one has more chocolate notes. Interesting note that both vanilla and chocolate are from the same part of the world.
Thanks you guys! Another amazing video!! The cherries we use are sweet "black" cherries in our juice. Just to make you all sweeter than you already are. But love the videos and always look forward to the new ones as they roll out. We are going to send you a surprise so be on the lookout. In the meantime, we are sharing this one.
Vanilla makes everything seem sweeter. I made a vanilla cinnamon mead that went dry. Everyone loved it and thought it was sweeter then it really was. Most people relate milk chocolate when they think about the chocolate flavor. Milk chocolate is made with vanilla, which is probably why it seems more chocolaty. Side note is the vanilla flavor does mellow out over time, but as it does the flavors blend to be even smoother.
Hi Brian and Derica, I’m from Belgium and chocolate is, as you well know, kind of a thing here. One thing most chocolatiers learn is that the addition of vanilla to anything you might qualify as ‘diluted chocolate’ (milk chocolate, white chocolate, or preparations involving the use of very high cocoa content dark chocolate along with other things) will trick the mind and senses into picking up more chocolate notes. Incidentally, so does salt... or a hint of coffee. Great video! Please keep going!
Cherry, Chocolate and Vanilla, you guys should call this Black Forest Mead. Recently found your channel and I am inspired to try my own brewing, thanks for all the great info.
As far as all the basic mechanics, eg sanitizing, racking, etc… if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. The things you’re doing work and will work for everyone. There is no need to make it more complicated. Good for y’all.
😊You don't know how badly I want to taste these! The one with the vanilla sounds like it would be down my alley so it is on my list to try. Thanks for sharing your results!
Hi! Just wanted to say you guys helped get me into my mead making and have watched every one of your mead series videos! Super informative and fun to watch! I just pulled a gallon out of my 6 gallon batch I made but ran into a similar problem you had in this video, headspace issues. I've found a product that ELIMINATES headspace worries! I have found little metal cans of argon gas that is marketed and sold as wine preservers. Oxidation can't occur if there's a heavy layer of argon floating on top of your brew! I only have two 6 gallon carboys and needed a way to protect the remaining 5 gallons. Enter the argon.. lol
Guys, I know this is one of your older videos but Penny made a Chocolate Cherry Jam that is awesome. I can only imagine how good the Mead is. Great video.
So, I've been binge watching your videos, and I'm pretty sure I've figured out almost everything I did wrong with my very first batch of mead. I tried making a 1 gallon batch in a 5 gallon carboy. I didn't rack it before I bottled it. I didn't degas it before I bottled it. I didn't siphon it off the lees. Instead, I tried pouring it into bottles with a funnel. Which meant my bottles had a ton of sediment on the bottom, so we filtered it through a coffee filter when we tried to drink it. Thankfully I was using champagne bottles, but used wine corks. So most of my corks flew off once the pressure built up. And I didn't have a hydrometer, so didn't have any readings for anything and just bottled it after 3 months. Yeah, I know now that I messed up pretty bad. But now I have a shopping list of missing equipment to take to my local homebrew store and I'm going to try to do things right this time.
Thank you greatly for your test tests! Im really liking how these must taste! I have made many cherry brews and they always come out great, cherry is one of my favorites!
If you fill all the way to the rim of the bottle, removing the wand leaves the perfect amount of head space. This may be more important if you're bottle conditioning (less head space = better/faster carbonation) or with larger batches but the fill consistency from bottle to bottle appeals to my inner perfectionist. You'll probably lose a few drops per bottle but I think it's worth it. If you're worried about the spill giving a pathway for contamination, daub the mouth of the bottle with a sanitizer-dampened bar towel before closing it. I also tend to give the bottles a wipe with a sanitizer-soaked towel to eliminate potential stickiness before storing them. Cheers!
Peristaltic pumps aren't all that expensive, but as you say, doesn't make a whole lot of sense. When I did larger batches (30-40 gallons) I used a vacuum pump. Basically, hose to bottom of brewing vessel. Another brewing vessel with a rubber stopped and 2 holes. 1 hole went to the bottom, other just barely out of the stopped. vacuum pump was in the upper one (obviously). Then pump goes on (with a small jar in between to make sure I don't get liquid in my pump of course) and I pumped away to get the 30-40 gallon barrel into multiple smaller carboys. But small scale, wouldn't even bother with anything except a simple autosiphon. Even that vacuum thing was a bit nuts, but I was able to throw a wine filter in between and force filter that way without airation. But again, not needed and only good for huge batches.
So you, were saying that you didn't know how opening the mouth changes things. I actually know this one! It's a better practice for harder alcohol like whisk(e)y, but the idea is that when you keep your mouth open, your sinuses have an exit for the alcohol vapors. When keeping your mouth closed, the vapors build up and start to block out certain aromas. By keeping your mouth open, you create a full circuit for the vapor to escape and you can pick up some køre subtle aromas.
Too Pyrhonesque....yes that is a word now. I can hear the tune in my head now as I watch. Another fantastic video, thank you so much for ALL your work and advice
Was the comment about the pump just to bait me into posting here Brian?! It worked, dammit. It was a fun little project, makes for hands free racking and degassing, and wait until you see that little baby at work on bottling day :D
Seems to me that your adding vanilla is a great succes every time! Allways more creamy and tastefull. I just made a Kilju with cacao and Vanilla. Can't wait for it to finish. (he he -Finish, a finish recipie).
I am racking one this week that has been in secondary since Feb 22, 2017......1 gallon of plum, 1 gallon of pineapple, 1 gallon of blueberry and 1 gallon of raspberry.....first tastes were awesome.
Derika and Brian, I love your Mead videos!!! I want to do every Mead that you have video for. What makes it hard is that I need to go back to each video and watch to right down the recipe as I watch. I wish you had more time and could post each Mead recipe in print somehow. Whether it’s in blog form or posted in the comment area. Just a suggestion from a loyal fan and Mead lover. Slainte
I always pour my sample back into the demijohn after I've taken a reading. I once accidentally blew air into a batch with my baster and I didnt have an issue
I've got my Cherry chocolate vanilla Mead in secondary right now, gonna probably leave it in secondary fro a while longer, but DAMN is it good so far. The chocolate is very mild at the moment and might come out later. Cherry hits first with a sweet and tart smack, then riiiight after where the young mead taste would normal hit you, a very mild earthy chocolate ( almost coffee like) flavor hits you, , followed with abit more cherry and the alcohol. the after taste is vanilla and the dry mouth feel that reminds you just how dry it went. lol. I'm quite happy with it and am very excited to see how great it turns out months from now. Its now gonna be a hard thing to not throw vanilla bean in every one of my meads. lol. It's such a delicious flavor.
Great to see how you fixed the too much honey issue in the 1st video of this series. Make more wine. Sounded like the perfect answer to me. Pertaining to this video. Could it be that the batch containing the vanilla was better, because of the time difference between the two batches left on the primary lees? As stated ready for bottling, that's the bottle racked to secondary a month or so earlier over the other. It will be interesting to see how the one left on the primary the longest turns out. Having two similar but different batches present an opportunity to blend a bottle or two, each containing some percentage of wine content from both batches. I like your videos Always a learning opportunity
This seems really awesome. I think I’m gonna give it a try this coming weekend. P.S. I like how your wife always giggles at your silly jokes, she really digs you lol.
1:40 YEAH! That's me! *SANITIZATION RANT ACHIEVEMENT: UNLOCKED* 2:20 "If you issues with any of that stuff.." She was totally going to say *PLEASE LEAVE SANITIZATION COMMENTS BELOW* You guys need to do videos where you fling yourselves down a Slip-N-Slide covered in sanitizer. Or sanitizer eyedrops. Or sanitizer hair conditioner. Or Brian does a Flashdance thing where sanitizer is just dumped all over him. There's a lot you can do. So I'll just end it like this: *S A N I T I Z E*
Maybe a live show ? I would come come. I have made alot of Mead this past year all bcoz of you guys. Some good some bad but all worth it. Even tho I don't drink alcohol lol
Hey Derika and Brian wanted to first of say I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas and New years. My wife and I just started our first batch of mead on the 29th ( we used your how to make your first mead recipe). She asked me how long we could safely store finished mead. I have watched a lot of your videos but haven't seen you specifically state shelf life.
Do you think adding some co2 gas (or one of those wine saver gases) on secondary would solve that "too much heads pace" issue? I'm sure I'm over complicating my thinking, but my my selection of fermentation vessels is small. And I do have access to co2.
I'd almost want to carbonate the vanilla brew due to the added sweetness and to maybe lighten up the viscous feel as lot as you don't lose to much of it. That's just me, though.
curious how they aged? Also, since you ended up with 2 gal instead of 1, but used (IIRC) 3ish lb of honey, would you in hindsight recommend altering the honey/cherry juice ratio?
Hi, I am new to your channel and have never made mead before but I have done two your brews . First, I have started your traditional mead followed to a T, except I used a malty Irish black tea on May 10, 2019 abv started at 11%. My question is after you guys did your first racking an taste test if you degassed prior to secondary fermentation, or even did a partial degass? Also to note I did buy the necessary items through your links including airlocks an hydrometer. Second I also made a batch of your cheap wine but used cranberry pomegranate juice instead of grape and its abv started at 15% abv. My questions here is, because you said two to three weeks tops to be done. One would the type of juice make a difference? And two would 3 cups of sugar instead of 2.5 cups make a difference? Also note I am a mile high in a cooler area so would elevation have a difference on timing or any other aspect of the brew process?
More sugar makes a difference. Different juices make a difference. I degas with every racking. I highly suggest a hydrometer reading to know when things are done... 2-3 weeks is just an estimate but the yeasts have no idea :)
@@CitySteadingBrews Ok on the mead I used half a package of the knottingham from your link an the start reading was 1.080 . And the wine I used red star premier blanc yeast with 1 teaspoon, an the start reading was about 1.113.
At 6:20 I said to myself yeah chocolate 🍫 and vanilla are always a great pair add in some cherry🍒 what could go wrong. That's when I realized you just made a very expensive world class Neapolitan mead 🤣of course it's gonna be great. Napolitano ice cream is great and I don't suspect this mead to taste anything like it it's just a funny thought
As the fermentation had long long stopped, other than seperating from the lees what is the difference in primary and secondary formation "maturity" at this point? Or is all the green flavour remainder dead yeast flavours? Wonderful video 💚
@@CitySteadingBrews if you didn't have the lees, could you have bottled it too? Er, I mean flavour wise you were saying they were different (disregarding vanilla)
I have been following this one but using black cherry juice. I just reracked after 1 month and I got the same results but mine did not smell like cherry I got a a mocha coffee smell from it. but now it is in with vanilla.
You guys are making me thirsty! I wonder though, what is your favorite mead? It would be fun to see a Mead Tournament from all the different mead you've created... sadly you probably drank it all. :P My personal favorite currently is: Blackcurrant mead. From the ones I've made myself, probably raspberry mead. I am looking forward to try my buckthorn mead though :o
@@CitySteadingBrews Interesting choice! I had a couple chili mead, but ended up using it as marinades and such. I could only drink it in small glasses, not like the black currant one... ;)
Thinking about making this one, but I can't find the video where cacao is added. Not sure when or how much to put in. Thanks for your informative content!
So Brian, when fermenting, do you always wait until you get unchanged readings a couple weeks apart? Maybe I'm just being impatient with my brewing, but I've been just waiting until it seemed pretty much done and going from there. Doing beer, so my thought is keeping enough live yeast for bottle conditioning, but I do sometimes worry about the bottles exploding.
He mentioned it might be dryer than he likes. How dry of a mead wine do you make on average? I like my moscato wines, not super sweet but a little sweet. I'm not a big wine entrepreneur to say the least but I'm still gonna make these! Waiting on my yeast in the mail. Got everything else already.
My spring loaded wand leaks so there is no guarantee. Not mere drops of leak but a tiny continuous dribbling leak necessitating each bottle gets rinsed after filling.
I just put my traditional mead into its 2nd rack after about 3 months. I sampled some and it was way more matured than how it tasted after 6 weeks. So, I was thinking it was actually ready for bottling. I thought flip tops could hold some carbonation. Should I put in some sorbate to ensure fermentation stops before using them?
So I know I read somewhere you would rather correspond through your video comments vs other means so that your viewers can read them also, but I can't remember which video we previously corresponded on....my question has to do with cold-crashing a mead to stop fermentation. I made a one gallon batch that ended up fermenting to EPIC alcohol content, 22.3% according to my hydrometer, cold-crashed to stop it because it was still going lol. I've seen your video on pastuerizing(sp), and have a question, should I bottle into actual capped bottles, or would a grolsch type, (flip-top) lid be sufficient?
Okay... cold crashing will only slow fermentation, not stop it. As soon as it warms up, it could referment. Adding more sugars will do the same. Though... at that abv, it has to be close to finished anyway. I use flip top bottles as much as I can. Why waste bottlecaps?
@@CitySteadingBrews I'm only worried about using flip tops because of the pressure build up, I don't know how much internal pressure they can withstand. Now I haven't racked said mead into a secondary, but also kinda scared to lol. This is my first foray into home mead making, plenty of beers under the belt though. But this is my first experience cold crashing, as I've never produced anything near this abv, but thought it was high time I stopped it lol
Or at least slow it considerably lol. I work out of town, gone 5 days a week, home on weekends. My cold crash chamber is cold enough, the star san in the bubbler has frozen, but mead is still fully liquid.
I'm curious; in the first video you said you were going to add more cacao nubs in the secondary, but I didn't see that happen in part 2 (where you added vanilla), or this video. Did you end up adding more cacao, do you recommend adding more, or do you think the 1 oz (per container) was sufficient?
I want to know because of you I’ve started making mead I’m starting with the basic honey wine next time hoping to try Vikings blood maybe some blackberry flavor, any way thanks for the info and inspiration
Might be getting sanitization mixed up with sterilization? When we wash our hands, and we should be washing our hands frequently, we are sanitizing. Any chance of reminding us what yeast was used? I'm trying to remember what was used. I can go back to the first video for the Cherry Chocolate Mead.
How old is brewing/wine making? Think back to the conditions in the beginning i.e. outdoors, dirt floors, sand etc. and we survived. Relax y'all and enjoy life.
Do you have to siphon the mead or can you pour it into a different container and stop when you reach sediment? (Obviously it makes it easier but is it necessary)
Entertain the notion that, with a citric melomel, it would probably work nicely (and more so) if you remembered to spit a couple of times into the must, so that the enzymes in your saliva helped to break up the elements in the must (I know, that is really disgusting... but it is also true, and a good reminder to those obcessed with sanitization).
vanilla is bonkers.... craziest thing I did was to add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to my heavily doctored KD (mac&cheese to ya'll). close your eyes and it smelled like a chocolate bar. open your eyes and see mac & cheese with hamburger, mushrooms, onion and garlic.... mindbender!
I've got 1lb dried cherries. 17 gm / ser /11 ser per pkg.= 181gm of sugar total. Is there a way, math, etc, to convert the total sugars in pkg to how much sugar is added to the musk?
I know this is an old video i’m not sure if you’re going to see this question. Question popped up after bottling do you still need to keep it in the dark?
Hey! you know what you guys should do, do all the videos the way you know how, and us viewers should just enjoy and stop backseat instructing. :) Thanks for the video.
Nope... not needed. They are not used at bottling at all to my knowledge. They are for eliminating wild yeast from a wort or must, but.... I have never, not once, used them.
@@CitySteadingBrews I figured you was going to say that and I do like the natural way a lot better and I agree but it said something like you put it in right before bottling to reduce oxidization and a pretty much steady it
@@CitySteadingBrews hadnt considered taking up room with solids. Although i regularly wish i had gotten wide mouths for addition and subtraction of solids.
Ok so my mead started at 1.080 with vigorous activity. It’s now at 1.000 at 3 weeks. 71B was used. All activity has stopped. Yeast hulls? Or rack to secondary?
Can I use Bakers Cocoa 100 % cocoa . to add chocolate flavor to a mead. I am making a chocolate orange mead, used a 18 oz jar of orange marmalade and two pounds of Keller's unfiltered honey. The marmalade added no sugars to the gravity reading despite it having 900 grams of sugar in it. Starting abv 1.072. added 4oz. of cocoa nibs got no flavor of chocolate after a week. This week I added 4 oz of nibs that i roasted 10 min. The brew at 1.012 abv added 1 cup of honey and got to 1.032 abv. Can I use baking cocoa powder to add chocolate flavor or would it be better to add chocolate liquor 10 to 16 oz. I don't care about final gravity only taste. 3 week old brew. David Roberts Thankyou
It's not going to give the flavor like you want it to. Also... adding more sugars can restart fermentation. You say you don't care about final gravity but it's rather important to prevent stalls and bottle bombs.
@@CitySteadingBrews oops sorry. I wasn't referring to the little bit at the end that you drank. I meant after the second rack. You couldn't get the last bit because of the neck of the bottle.
You could always gargle with sanitizer to cover all comments.....and....after carbonation....Chaga...Lime....Ginger......BEER.....Holy Guacamole !!!!!!!!!! Been Sampled to Near Extinction !!!!!
In my husband’s culinary training, they said to always add vanilla to anything chocolate as it will bring out the chocolate so I’m not surprised the vanilla one has more chocolate notes. Interesting note that both vanilla and chocolate are from the same part of the world.
I thought this was common knowledge
Noah Hastings common knowledge isn’t as common as you think, sadly.
In baking with chocolate I almost always add a teeny bit of instant coffee. Not enough to flavor, but it does make the chocolate really shine
Thanks you guys! Another amazing video!! The cherries we use are sweet "black" cherries in our juice. Just to make you all sweeter than you already are. But love the videos and always look forward to the new ones as they roll out. We are going to send you a surprise so be on the lookout. In the meantime, we are sharing this one.
OHH My Goodness, my mouth is salavating lol. Sounds Awesome.
I try to always comment on these videos just or let you guys know how much I appreciate you guys.
We thank you!
Vanilla makes everything seem sweeter. I made a vanilla cinnamon mead that went dry. Everyone loved it and thought it was sweeter then it really was.
Most people relate milk chocolate when they think about the chocolate flavor. Milk chocolate is made with vanilla, which is probably why it seems more chocolaty. Side note is the vanilla flavor does mellow out over time, but as it does the flavors blend to be even smoother.
Hi Brian and Derica,
I’m from Belgium and chocolate is, as you well know, kind of a thing here. One thing most chocolatiers learn is that the addition of vanilla to anything you might qualify as ‘diluted chocolate’ (milk chocolate, white chocolate, or preparations involving the use of very high cocoa content dark chocolate along with other things) will trick the mind and senses into picking up more chocolate notes. Incidentally, so does salt... or a hint of coffee.
Great video! Please keep going!
Cherry, Chocolate and Vanilla, you guys should call this Black Forest Mead. Recently found your channel and I am inspired to try my own brewing, thanks for all the great info.
"every drop is sacred" - i love the eyeball at camera to see if we caught that. You guys make me laugh!!
If I keep watching your vids I’m heading for Betty Ford!! Everything looks and sounds amazing!
Looking forward to making some once the weather warms up a bit.
As far as all the basic mechanics, eg sanitizing, racking, etc… if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. The things you’re doing work and will work for everyone. There is no need to make it more complicated. Good for y’all.
😊You don't know how badly I want to taste these! The one with the vanilla sounds like it would be down my alley so it is on my list to try. Thanks for sharing your results!
FIRST!
Another great video yall, keep them coming please.
Hi! Just wanted to say you guys helped get me into my mead making and have watched every one of your mead series videos! Super informative and fun to watch! I just pulled a gallon out of my 6 gallon batch I made but ran into a similar problem you had in this video, headspace issues. I've found a product that ELIMINATES headspace worries! I have found little metal cans of argon gas that is marketed and sold as wine preservers. Oxidation can't occur if there's a heavy layer of argon floating on top of your brew! I only have two 6 gallon carboys and needed a way to protect the remaining 5 gallons. Enter the argon.. lol
You can also use other heavy gasses such as co2
Wish me luck, I just ordered a complete starter pack for making wine and I shall probably be making my first most a week from now!
How is the brewing going? Hope you are enjoying your new hobby, I am just starting.
Guys, I know this is one of your older videos but Penny made a Chocolate Cherry Jam that is awesome. I can only imagine how good the Mead is. Great video.
When I make chocolate milkshakes I add vanilla and it makes it sooo much better!
So, I've been binge watching your videos, and I'm pretty sure I've figured out almost everything I did wrong with my very first batch of mead. I tried making a 1 gallon batch in a 5 gallon carboy. I didn't rack it before I bottled it. I didn't degas it before I bottled it. I didn't siphon it off the lees. Instead, I tried pouring it into bottles with a funnel. Which meant my bottles had a ton of sediment on the bottom, so we filtered it through a coffee filter when we tried to drink it. Thankfully I was using champagne bottles, but used wine corks. So most of my corks flew off once the pressure built up. And I didn't have a hydrometer, so didn't have any readings for anything and just bottled it after 3 months. Yeah, I know now that I messed up pretty bad. But now I have a shopping list of missing equipment to take to my local homebrew store and I'm going to try to do things right this time.
Knowing is half the battle.
You guys are awesome dont worry about the haters! I love the quality thanks you!
Oh we don’t really. Just been a lot of “advice” lately in the comments!
Thank you greatly for your test tests! Im really liking how these must taste!
I have made many cherry brews and they always come out great, cherry is one of my favorites!
I got some aquarium glass marbles and have been sanitizing those and using them to fill up the head space. Works like a charm
If you fill all the way to the rim of the bottle, removing the wand leaves the perfect amount of head space. This may be more important if you're bottle conditioning (less head space = better/faster carbonation) or with larger batches but the fill consistency from bottle to bottle appeals to my inner perfectionist. You'll probably lose a few drops per bottle but I think it's worth it.
If you're worried about the spill giving a pathway for contamination, daub the mouth of the bottle with a sanitizer-dampened bar towel before closing it. I also tend to give the bottles a wipe with a sanitizer-soaked towel to eliminate potential stickiness before storing them. Cheers!
Peristaltic pumps aren't all that expensive, but as you say, doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
When I did larger batches (30-40 gallons) I used a vacuum pump.
Basically, hose to bottom of brewing vessel.
Another brewing vessel with a rubber stopped and 2 holes.
1 hole went to the bottom, other just barely out of the stopped. vacuum pump was in the upper one (obviously).
Then pump goes on (with a small jar in between to make sure I don't get liquid in my pump of course) and I pumped away to get the 30-40 gallon barrel into multiple smaller carboys.
But small scale, wouldn't even bother with anything except a simple autosiphon. Even that vacuum thing was a bit nuts, but I was able to throw a wine filter in between and force filter that way without airation. But again, not needed and only good for huge batches.
First time watching, great people, funny thanks for sharing your experience
So you, were saying that you didn't know how opening the mouth changes things. I actually know this one!
It's a better practice for harder alcohol like whisk(e)y, but the idea is that when you keep your mouth open, your sinuses have an exit for the alcohol vapors. When keeping your mouth closed, the vapors build up and start to block out certain aromas. By keeping your mouth open, you create a full circuit for the vapor to escape and you can pick up some køre subtle aromas.
Vitotaylor36 fellow Whisk(e)y Tribesman?
@@armedbear529 how do you whisk(e)y ;P
Frequencydead...with style.
@@armedbear529 I do whiskey magnificently
@@Frequencydead magnificently
Too Pyrhonesque....yes that is a word now. I can hear the tune in my head now as I watch. Another fantastic video, thank you so much for ALL your work and advice
Was the comment about the pump just to bait me into posting here Brian?! It worked, dammit.
It was a fun little project, makes for hands free racking and degassing, and wait until you see that little baby at work on bottling day :D
Those sound lovely 😍
Seems to me that your adding vanilla is a great succes every time! Allways more creamy and tastefull. I just made a Kilju with cacao and Vanilla. Can't wait for it to finish. (he he -Finish, a finish recipie).
I am racking one this week that has been in secondary since Feb 22, 2017......1 gallon of plum, 1 gallon of pineapple, 1 gallon of blueberry and 1 gallon of raspberry.....first tastes were awesome.
Make a little video man would love to see that
...I've only had 1 infection."
That is NOT counting yeast infections, Brian?
(I kid because I care!)
steve
Derika and Brian, I love your Mead videos!!!
I want to do every Mead that you have video for. What makes it hard is that I need to go back to each video and watch to right down the recipe as I watch. I wish you had more time and could post each Mead recipe in print somehow. Whether it’s in blog form or posted in the comment area.
Just a suggestion from a loyal fan and Mead lover.
Slainte
I love how you use Carlo Rossi jugs for the wine making that’s cool. I’m saving up the jugs so I can make your mead
i reckon in 4 months you guys will be half way to 1 million subs
Wishful thinking but... we are only at 38k now lol.
Hooray for fancy Viking's blood! 🍷
Loved the ending 😂
TRBOS 🎶I'm not sure if I want to try and make cherry chocolate yet but love the videos guys
literally an hour ago i thought that this would be up in like a week from now
A monty python reference! ✅
Looks good, as always. I will be picking up a few more 1 gal carboys today because there are at least three recipes i want to try
Hmm, this might go well in recipes that call for kirsch (cherry liqueur), for example fondue and black forest cake.
that really sounds amazing, totally gonna be my next little project!
I always pour my sample back into the demijohn after I've taken a reading. I once accidentally blew air into a batch with my baster and I didnt have an issue
I've got my Cherry chocolate vanilla Mead in secondary right now, gonna probably leave it in secondary fro a while longer, but DAMN is it good so far. The chocolate is very mild at the moment and might come out later. Cherry hits first with a sweet and tart smack, then riiiight after where the young mead taste would normal hit you, a very mild earthy chocolate ( almost coffee like) flavor hits you, , followed with abit more cherry and the alcohol. the after taste is vanilla and the dry mouth feel that reminds you just how dry it went. lol. I'm quite happy with it and am very excited to see how great it turns out months from now. Its now gonna be a hard thing to not throw vanilla bean in every one of my meads. lol. It's such a delicious flavor.
Great to see how you fixed the too much honey issue in the 1st video of this series. Make more wine. Sounded like the perfect answer to me. Pertaining to this video. Could it be that the batch containing the vanilla was better, because of the time difference between the two batches left on the primary lees? As stated ready for bottling, that's the bottle racked to secondary a month or so earlier over the other. It will be interesting to see how the one left on the primary the longest turns out. Having two similar but different batches present an opportunity to blend a bottle or two, each containing some percentage of wine content from both batches. I like your videos Always a learning opportunity
This seems really awesome. I think I’m gonna give it a try this coming weekend.
P.S. I like how your wife always giggles at your silly jokes, she really digs you lol.
I pay her to do that.
@@CitySteadingBrews Hahahaha
1:40 YEAH! That's me!
*SANITIZATION RANT ACHIEVEMENT: UNLOCKED*
2:20 "If you issues with any of that stuff.."
She was totally going to say *PLEASE LEAVE SANITIZATION COMMENTS BELOW*
You guys need to do videos where you fling yourselves down a Slip-N-Slide covered in sanitizer.
Or sanitizer eyedrops. Or sanitizer hair conditioner. Or Brian does a Flashdance thing where sanitizer is just dumped all over him.
There's a lot you can do. So I'll just end it like this:
*S A N I T I Z E*
Maybe a live show ? I would come come. I have made alot of Mead this past year all bcoz of you guys. Some good some bad but all worth it. Even tho I don't drink alcohol lol
Hey Derika and Brian wanted to first of say I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas and New years. My wife and I just started our first batch of mead on the 29th ( we used your how to make your first mead recipe). She asked me how long we could safely store finished mead. I have watched a lot of your videos but haven't seen you specifically state shelf life.
Years if you let it finish and bottle properly.
@@CitySteadingBrews That's what I told her but i also told her I wasnt 100 percent sure . I may know some things but it's far from everything 😂🤣
Vanilla enhances flavor to chocolate like salt enhances pepper. Happy accidents are always the best.
I want some of those blue bottles.
Great television. Im getting rid of Netflix and just watching this. Thanks.
Lol
Do you think adding some co2 gas (or one of those wine saver gases) on secondary would solve that "too much heads pace" issue? I'm sure I'm over complicating my thinking, but my my selection of fermentation vessels is small. And I do have access to co2.
It could but really it’s rare for headpsace to ruin a brew. We just like people to be aware of it
Loved the Monty Python reference
I'd almost want to carbonate the vanilla brew due to the added sweetness and to maybe lighten up the viscous feel as lot as you don't lose to much of it. That's just me, though.
curious how they aged? Also, since you ended up with 2 gal instead of 1, but used (IIRC) 3ish lb of honey, would you in hindsight recommend altering the honey/cherry juice ratio?
If a drop i wasted, God gets quite irate!
I wanted to make that comment.....
i think that's only regarding little swimmers!
Hi, I am new to your channel and have never made mead before but I have done two your brews . First, I have started your traditional mead followed to a T, except I used a malty Irish black tea on May 10, 2019 abv started at 11%. My question is after you guys did your first racking an taste test if you degassed prior to secondary fermentation, or even did a partial degass? Also to note I did buy the necessary items through your links including airlocks an hydrometer. Second I also made a batch of your cheap wine but used cranberry pomegranate juice instead of grape and its abv started at 15% abv. My questions here is, because you said two to three weeks tops to be done. One would the type of juice make a difference? And two would 3 cups of sugar instead of 2.5 cups make a difference? Also note I am a mile high in a cooler area so would elevation have a difference on timing or any other aspect of the brew process?
More sugar makes a difference. Different juices make a difference. I degas with every racking. I highly suggest a hydrometer reading to know when things are done... 2-3 weeks is just an estimate but the yeasts have no idea :)
@@CitySteadingBrews Ok on the mead I used half a package of the knottingham from your link an the start reading was 1.080 . And the wine I used red star premier blanc yeast with 1 teaspoon, an the start reading was about 1.113.
Could you somehow incorporate sea salt because in confectionary sea salt also makes the chocolate flavor pop?
Salt is a fermentation inhibitor, so... not really. But you could add it as a flavorant in conditioning but I'd be very cautious how much.
@@CitySteadingBrews Maybe ring the cup like a margerrita with malaysian sea salt. lol O.o
At 6:20 I said to myself yeah chocolate 🍫 and vanilla are always a great pair add in some cherry🍒 what could go wrong.
That's when I realized you just made a very expensive world class Neapolitan mead 🤣of course it's gonna be great.
Napolitano ice cream is great and I don't suspect this mead to taste anything like it it's just a funny thought
As the fermentation had long long stopped, other than seperating from the lees what is the difference in primary and secondary formation "maturity" at this point? Or is all the green flavour remainder dead yeast flavours? Wonderful video 💚
Mostly just to get it off the lees, and help clear.
@@CitySteadingBrews if you didn't have the lees, could you have bottled it too? Er, I mean flavour wise you were saying they were different (disregarding vanilla)
Could have bottled it yes. I wanted it to sit a ehile longer.
I have been following this one but using black cherry juice. I just reracked after 1 month and I got the same results but mine did not smell like cherry I got a a mocha coffee smell from it. but now it is in with vanilla.
You guys are making me thirsty! I wonder though, what is your favorite mead? It would be fun to see a Mead Tournament from all the different mead you've created... sadly you probably drank it all. :P
My personal favorite currently is: Blackcurrant mead.
From the ones I've made myself, probably raspberry mead. I am looking forward to try my buckthorn mead though :o
I like the capsicumel the best.
@@CitySteadingBrews Interesting choice! I had a couple chili mead, but ended up using it as marinades and such. I could only drink it in small glasses, not like the black currant one... ;)
Can you do one on how to make (good) vinegar on purpose? Unless of course you already have and I just havent found it yet...
We have not! Yet...
Thinking about making this one, but I can't find the video where cacao is added. Not sure when or how much to put in. Thanks for your informative content!
All the parts are linked in the description.
@@CitySteadingBrews found it , thank you.
Vinegar works well for a weed killer by the way and as a cleaner, just in case the Vinegar is no good to consume.
Like, Vanilla, Bro!
For some reason I thought you were going to say. "Derekas grandmothers ashes". Glad that wasn't the case unless she was a heavy drinker? Haha
We love your videos! I like your labels, where can i get that TAPE/LABEL?
Lowes, I think?
So Brian, when fermenting, do you always wait until you get unchanged readings a couple weeks apart?
Maybe I'm just being impatient with my brewing, but I've been just waiting until it seemed pretty much done and going from there. Doing beer, so my thought is keeping enough live yeast for bottle conditioning, but I do sometimes worry about the bottles exploding.
I should wait but a lot of times we do it on camera so I don’t do readings weeks apart.
Ferris Bueller moment ROFL!!!!
The magic stirring stick will fix any infections; right?
People are insane about sanitization....they need to RELAX.
The "squeezing" syphon sounds like it's a peristaltic pump, not a syphon
He mentioned it might be dryer than he likes. How dry of a mead wine do you make on average? I like my moscato wines, not super sweet but a little sweet. I'm not a big wine entrepreneur to say the least but I'm still gonna make these! Waiting on my yeast in the mail. Got everything else already.
Moscato is sweet. Usually we aim for about that level.
@@CitySteadingBrews you guys rock! Thank you!
My spring loaded wand leaks so there is no guarantee. Not mere drops of leak but a tiny continuous dribbling leak necessitating each bottle gets rinsed after filling.
I'd replace it. Sounds defective to me. My non-springy one did that sometimes.
I noticed that you don’t stabilize your meads when you bottle. Do you ever get bottle bombs? I have always added a stabilizer.
Thanks
Nope, we don’t like adding extra chemicals and nope, never had a bottle bomb. If you ferment it properly it’s safer than even the chemicals.
Age during second fermentation? Or after second fermentation and after pasteurization?
I just put my traditional mead into its 2nd rack after about 3 months. I sampled some and it was way more matured than how it tasted after 6 weeks. So, I was thinking it was actually ready for bottling. I thought flip tops could hold some carbonation. Should I put in some sorbate to ensure fermentation stops before using them?
If it's been sitting that long, it's fine. I never use sorbates.
Ah python reference. Very nice 👍
So I know I read somewhere you would rather correspond through your video comments vs other means so that your viewers can read them also, but I can't remember which video we previously corresponded on....my question has to do with cold-crashing a mead to stop fermentation. I made a one gallon batch that ended up fermenting to EPIC alcohol content, 22.3% according to my hydrometer, cold-crashed to stop it because it was still going lol. I've seen your video on pastuerizing(sp), and have a question, should I bottle into actual capped bottles, or would a grolsch type, (flip-top) lid be sufficient?
Main reason I ask is because I'd like to back sweeten, it's rather dry, but the initial hot liquor feel has diminished a lot, though still present.
Okay... cold crashing will only slow fermentation, not stop it. As soon as it warms up, it could referment. Adding more sugars will do the same. Though... at that abv, it has to be close to finished anyway. I use flip top bottles as much as I can. Why waste bottlecaps?
@@CitySteadingBrews I'm only worried about using flip tops because of the pressure build up, I don't know how much internal pressure they can withstand. Now I haven't racked said mead into a secondary, but also kinda scared to lol. This is my first foray into home mead making, plenty of beers under the belt though. But this is my first experience cold crashing, as I've never produced anything near this abv, but thought it was high time I stopped it lol
Or at least slow it considerably lol. I work out of town, gone 5 days a week, home on weekends. My cold crash chamber is cold enough, the star san in the bubbler has frozen, but mead is still fully liquid.
Cold crashibg helps clear, it is not a fermentation stopper. Swing tops will hold a ton of pressure. No worries.
I'm curious; in the first video you said you were going to add more cacao nubs in the secondary, but I didn't see that happen in part 2 (where you added vanilla), or this video. Did you end up adding more cacao, do you recommend adding more, or do you think the 1 oz (per container) was sufficient?
We didn't add more. I'm finding cacao nibs to be... less than helpful.
@@CitySteadingBrews Interesting. What would you recommend in lieu of them? And thank you for getting back to me. ☺️
Still working on that actually.
Makes me curious what you’d get if you added vanilla to your Vikings blood recipe...
I want to know because of you I’ve started making mead I’m starting with the basic honey wine next time hoping to try Vikings blood maybe some blackberry flavor, any way thanks for the info and inspiration
Might be getting sanitization mixed up with sterilization? When we wash our hands, and we should be washing our hands frequently, we are sanitizing.
Any chance of reminding us what yeast was used? I'm trying to remember what was used. I can go back to the first video for the Cherry Chocolate Mead.
D47
How old is brewing/wine making? Think back to the conditions in the beginning i.e. outdoors, dirt floors, sand etc. and we survived. Relax y'all and enjoy life.
Do you have to siphon the mead or can you pour it into a different container and stop when you reach sediment? (Obviously it makes it easier but is it necessary)
It's highly suggested. Pouring can lead to oxygenation which can lead to vinegar or off flavors.
Thank you!! I'll make sure to purchase a good quality one. You saved so many runs 😁🙏
I just price checked the ingredients, that is some expensive stuff, before shipping. $90 for the Cherry Juice and $55 for 7.5 lbs of honey.
And... yes, you’re right. But Knudsen’s juice and a good wildflower honey will work too!
Entertain the notion that, with a citric melomel, it would probably work nicely (and more so) if you remembered to spit a couple of times into the must, so that the enzymes in your saliva helped to break up the elements in the must (I know, that is really disgusting... but it is also true, and a good reminder to those obcessed with sanitization).
The Incans did and still make pulc (sp?) which is chewed up corn spit in a a fermenter!
vanilla is bonkers.... craziest thing I did was to add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to my heavily doctored KD (mac&cheese to ya'll). close your eyes and it smelled like a chocolate bar. open your eyes and see mac & cheese with hamburger, mushrooms, onion and garlic.... mindbender!
I've got 1lb dried cherries. 17 gm / ser /11 ser per pkg.= 181gm of sugar total. Is there a way, math, etc, to convert the total sugars in pkg to how much sugar is added to the musk?
You just did. 181 g of sugar in the bag.
I know this is an old video i’m not sure if you’re going to see this question. Question popped up after bottling do you still need to keep it in the dark?
Best to keep it out of direct sunlight yes.
Hey! you know what you guys should do, do all the videos the way you know how, and us viewers should just enjoy and stop backseat instructing. :) Thanks for the video.
Lol. To be honest, we learn from you guys about as much as you all learn from us!
I'd be interested to see what these would be like blended together
Less good than the vanilla one!
I may have missed it but how much vanilla did you add roughly? was it just like a teaspoon or considerably more?
Was in a different video but it was two whole beans.
@@CitySteadingBrews Thank You
I just read we're Camden tablets were needed for making and bottling. What is your take?
Nope... not needed. They are not used at bottling at all to my knowledge. They are for eliminating wild yeast from a wort or must, but.... I have never, not once, used them.
@@CitySteadingBrews I figured you was going to say that and I do like the natural way a lot better and I agree but it said something like you put it in right before bottling to reduce oxidization and a pretty much steady it
That won’t do that.
@@CitySteadingBrews you rock thanks
How do you deal with too much head space when you only have two carboys of the same size? Specifically when you lose a lot of volume from fruits?
Well... I use different sized containers usually. If you don't have that, sanitized marbles are a good thing too.
@@CitySteadingBrews hadnt considered taking up room with solids. Although i regularly wish i had gotten wide mouths for addition and subtraction of solids.
Ok so my mead started at 1.080 with vigorous activity. It’s now at 1.000 at 3 weeks. 71B was used. All activity has stopped. Yeast hulls? Or rack to secondary?
Wait a week, check again. It’s likely done. 1.000 means nothing left to ferment. Adding hulls or other things wouldn’t do anything.
@@CitySteadingBrews thanks, just playing devils advocate, but if it was 1.010 would you approach it differently?
Slightly. 10 points is a potential stall.
@@CitySteadingBrews so yeast hulls to break the stall?
Can I use Bakers Cocoa 100 % cocoa . to add chocolate flavor to a mead. I am making a chocolate orange mead, used a 18 oz jar of orange marmalade and two pounds of Keller's unfiltered honey. The marmalade added no sugars to the gravity reading despite it having 900 grams of sugar in it. Starting abv 1.072. added 4oz. of cocoa nibs got no flavor of chocolate after a week. This week I added 4 oz of nibs
that i roasted 10 min. The brew at 1.012 abv added 1 cup of honey and got to 1.032 abv. Can I use baking cocoa powder to add chocolate flavor or would it be better to add chocolate liquor 10 to 16 oz. I don't care about final gravity only taste. 3 week old brew. David Roberts Thankyou
It's not going to give the flavor like you want it to. Also... adding more sugars can restart fermentation. You say you don't care about final gravity but it's rather important to prevent stalls and bottle bombs.
We use Crio Bru: amzn.to/3ANB6id
@@CitySteadingBrews Thank you David Roberts
You said you were going to save that last 8 to 10 ounces that were left in the bottle. What was the process for that?
We drank it. It was just to make room.
@@CitySteadingBrews oops sorry. I wasn't referring to the little bit at the end that you drank. I meant after the second rack. You couldn't get the last bit because of the neck of the bottle.
Ahh, we racked that off a day later and drank it I think?
You could always gargle with sanitizer to cover all comments.....and....after carbonation....Chaga...Lime....Ginger......BEER.....Holy Guacamole !!!!!!!!!! Been Sampled to Near Extinction !!!!!