Elderberry Mead

It’s Elderberry season! A friend of mine hooked me up with some amazing locally grown organic elderberries from Heath Hill Farm in Sumner, Maine. So of course I had to do a mead with them.

The liquid base was a chaga decoction, followed by an infusion of 2 sumac drupes (for the tannic and citric acids). I let the liquid cool, and added 14 cups of honey, to go for a bit drier mead than what I’ve been getting with 16 cups (1 gallon).

I used about 2 pounds of elderberries, and whizzed up in the Vitamix. They had the most amazing hue:

I then took this blend and strained it into the must:

After a good stir, to make sure everything is dissolved, I was left with a beautiful purple must:

Then, a good yeast-pitch, oxidizing shake, and an airlock, and this should be quite delicious in a few weeks:

UPDATE: here’s the label for this batch: