Apple Pie Mead

INGREDIENTS six gallons:

10-15 lbs honey. (lighter honey would probably work best for this)
6-8 tsp. Super Ferment (or 12 tsp. regular “nutrient”)
6-8 tablespoons acid blend
6 tsp grape tannin
1 campden tablet* (not necessary if using pasturized honey and bottled apple juice)
6-12 tablespoons pre-mixed apple pie spice (usually available in the supermarket)
1-2 pkgs. wine (e.g. Premier Cuvee, Champagne, Cote des Blancs, Sherry) or mead yeast
Add apple juice (Oceanspray works great) to six gallons (Specific Gravity – 1.085 – 1.105)

Blueberry Mead (1 gallon)

** tried it w/o the jasmine. Very good stuff!

Ingredients:

* 2 lb clover honey
* 2 12-oz bag blueberries (frozen)
* 1 used teabag jasmine tea
* 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
* 1 tsp Super Ferment (or 2 tsp. regular “nutrient”)
* Red Star Champagne yeast
Procedure:

Mix honey into 3 qts water and bring to boil. Boil 20 minutes, skimming off any scum that forms. Meanwhile, place thawed blueberries in nylon straining bag and mash in primary. Pour boiling water over blueberries, used teabag, pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient. When cooled to 70-75 degrees, sprinkle wine yeast over surface. Cover and squeeze nylon bag daily for 7 days. Drain blueberries, squeezing well to extract flavor. Discard teabag. Transfer liquid to secondary, fit airlock and ferment additional 30 days. Rack, top up and refit airlock. Stabilize when clear, wait 10 days, and rack into bottles. Age 1-2 years. [Adapted from a traditional recipe] Recipe fromhttp://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques28.asp

**I’ve made 2 or 3 six gallon batches of this stuff and it’s always been heavenly every time. You can’t go wrong with this stuff.

INGREDIENTS (for 1 gallon):

4 lbs. blackberries or dewberries
2 1/4 1bs. sugar (or specific gravity of 1.090)
1/2 tsp. Super Ferment (or 2 tsp. regular “nutrient”)
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1 gallon water
1 campden tablet (crushed and dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water)
Wine yeast
*** The addition of a teaspoon of acid blend may be necessary later, depending on the tartness of the fruit.

PROCEDURE:

Note- All equipment must be well washed and sterilized with a solution of sodium metabisulfite to prevent contamination.

1. The fruit should be picked when ripe. Wash well. Place the fruit in primary fermenter and crush. Pour 1 gallon hot water over fruit and add the dissolved campden tablet and sugar. Stir well. Cover.

2. Allow to cool to room temperature (about 70° F). Add pectic enzyme and stir. Cover. Stir well every 8 to 10 hours.

3. At the end of this first day, dissolve the yeast in a small quantity of lukewarm water for 10 minutes and pour this “starter” on to the must. Cover the fermenter. Cover securely with plastic sheet and allow to ferment 30-40 days. Stir twice daily.

4. When the foaming has ceased, strain out the fruit pulp. Syphon into 1 gallon secondary fermenter and attach air lock. Be sure jug is filled to neck and lock is tight.

5. Allow to ferment to completion (specific gravity of 1.000 or less). Rack off sediment into another secondary or, if not available, rack into primary fermenter, clean out & sanitize secondary, then immediately rack back into secondary. Allow to age about 1 month or until perfectly clear. If clear and stable at this time, the wine may be bottled. If not, rack once more and allow to clear another month (add 1/2 campden tablet per gallon when racking).

6. Stablilize the wine with 1/2 tsp. potassium sorbate and 1/2 campden tablet per gallon. If a sweeter wine is desired, sweeten to taste with either fructose or with sugar syrup (1 cup sugar to 1/2 cup boiling water). Bottle and cork the wine, then stand upright for 2 – 3 days to allow corks to expand. Then lay wine on its side to age for 4 – 6 months. Drink and enjoy!!!!!!