mnemeth

Hi All Kirk emailed me and asked if I'd like to contribute to this thread. I'm a homebrewer and I did attempt to brew on the road before my 2014 Alaska trip. I have a small Class-C, and I went with a couple nesting plastic buckets and assorted tubes, airlocks, and a 20 Qt brewpot and a propane burner so I could brew outdoors. I did two batches, but rapidly came to the realization that while I could definitely pull off the brewing, where do you put the beer? I would have needed a trailer to carry enough glass! I had room for enough growlers to bottle a single batch, but needed more to be able to have a batch or two in the bottle and someplace to put the batch I'm brewing. If you have room (and weight carrying capacity) for the glass, you can make it work. The biggest challenge in my mind is temperature control. I did both my test batches in the winter, so that wasn't a problem, but I don't know how I'd keep the beer at 65 degrees for fermentation if it was hot outside. Love how this drifted into a mead discussion! I'm glad to share my blueberry mead recipe. It makes a wonderful mead that can be enjoyed right out of the secondary. If you age it for 3-5 years it turns into a complex port-wine like bev. I brew a couple batches a year. Mark’s Blueberry Mead (3 gallon batch size) 1 gallon clover or sage honey 6 pints fresh blueberries (note: for best juice extraction, freeze berries then allow to thaw) 2 packages Lalvin EC-1118 wine yeast In 20 quart pot, bring 1 gallon water to a boil. Turn off heat and add honey. Stir must and cover for 10 minutes. Puree blueberries in a food processor and add to must, stir and let them steep for 5 minutes. Add water to the pot to bring the quantity to 14 quarts. Chill pot in sink or tub with ice and water until it reaches about 70 - 80 degrees F. Using a large funnel, pour cooled must into a 5 gallon glass or plastic fermenter. Add yeast and close fermenter with an airlock. Let must ferment for 30 days. At the end of that time, fermentation should be slowing down but not finished. Sanitize a 3 gallon or larger fermenter or container. Using a clean mesh strainer and a funnel, pour mead into new container through the strainer to remove fruit debris. This transfer to a new container is referred to as “racking”. It prevents the fruit from breaking down and adding off flavors to the mead as it finishes. Cap the container or fermenter with an airlock and allow it to finish fermenting and clear. The mead is ready to bottle or drink when it is water clear and all yeast and remaining fruit sediment has settled to the bottom. (Note: this clearing process usually takes about 30 days, but can take several months. Be patient, the wait will be worth it!) Enjoy the mead in moderation, and share it with your friends!

Yep, I sure do, John! Thanks for posting that list!