As I find myself in Kyiv 🇺🇦 for the tail end of summer, it’s the perfect time to make another batch of Mead. With the raw, rich buckwheat honey (Гаврилка мед) available here, I couldn’t resist! This time, I’m going all out with a slightly different process, so let’s dive in.
So, for a cleaner this time, because I’m in Ukraine, I didn’t have access to my usual Star San. I opted for something different—a strong alcohol that was 60% or higher for sanitation. Since I wanted it to be food-safe, I started looking for drinking alcohol. My first thought was to grab some strong vodka or maybe a type of moonshine or grain whiskey. But guess what? No luck there.
Instead, I found Absinthe on Globo! 🧪💚 It was green, smelled amazing, and gave my bubbler the coolest look as the fermentation started. Pretty cool, right?
Ingredients:
- Buckwheat Honey 🍯 (Гаврилка мед) – this stuff is special! Raw, thick, and straight from the Ukrainian countryside. It has a deep, earthy flavor that's perfect for Mead.
- Turbo Yeast 🍾 – This is a game-changer! It comes with yeast nutrients mixed in, and trust me, it’s worth it. The fermentation started bubbling almost instantly.
- Water 💧 – Not too much this time! I started with only 10 liters of water to mix the honey well, which made a huge difference in getting a smooth mix.
- Cleaner 🧼 (Absinthe) – Yeah, you heard that right. Absinthe! I used it for sanitation, and it added a cool touch to the process!
The Process:
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Mixing the Honey & Water:
Here's the trick—don’t add too much water in the beginning! I started with just 10 liters of water so I could properly mix the honey. Using a mixer really helped here. The honey became perfectly smooth with the water. By the end, the total yield should be about 27 liters, but starting with less water for mixing worked great. 🎯🍯 -
Yeast Magic:
Normally, I use Red Star champagne yeast, but this time I went with Turbo Yeast. What a difference! As soon as I added it, it went to work, bubbling like crazy almost instantly. 🔥 Turbo yeast definitely takes it up a notch—if you're into fast fermentation, it’s the way to go.
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Final ABV & Target:
After everything was mixed and fermentation started, I took a reading with my Alcohol Hydrometer. It’s the kind that shows estimated ABV directly, rather than SG.
Based on the reading, the final ABV should be around 12.5%, which is pretty close to my target of 13.5%. So, all in all, a great result! 🍻
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Fermentation Time!
After mixing everything together, I let it sit and watched the magic happen. The bubbler with that Absinthe look was mesmerizing. The smell of honey mixed with the absinthe made it feel like I was brewing some magical elixir 🧙♂️. The vigorous bubbling showed me things were moving along nicely, and I knew this batch was going to be something special.
Final Thoughts:
Making Ukrainian Mead with buckwheat honey is a unique experience. The honey here is raw and unprocessed, giving the Mead a rich, almost spicy note that’s hard to get elsewhere. Every batch feels like a little tribute to Ukraine’s incredible honey-making tradition. 🍯🍷🇺🇦
This batch felt especially cool, with the absinthe twist and turbo yeast. Next time you’re brewing, don’t be afraid to experiment. It might just turn out awesome!
Timelapse of the entire process 📹
