Can you make a true mead using blackberry jam instead of fresh fruit?

In this episode of City Steading Brews, we put that question to the test. Instead of using whole blackberries, we built a high-ABV blackberry mead using organic blackberry preserves — and then walked through every step from mixing to fermentation, stabilization, back-sweetening, and final tasting.

The result? A bold, fruit-forward mead with layered honey character, bright acidity, and a surprisingly clean finish.

If you’ve ever wondered whether jam can work in mead making, this experiment answers it in detail.

👉 Watch the full video here:

What Is Mead?

Before diving in, let’s clarify something important.

Mead is fermented honey. If honey provides the primary fermentable sugar, you’re making mead. If another sugar source dominates, you’re making something else entirely.

In this recipe, honey remains the base. However, we enhance it with blackberry preserves to add:

Concentrated fruit flavor
Additional fermentable sugars
Pectin (which we must manage carefully)
Natural acidity

Because jam contains pectin and citric acid, this method introduces a few technical challenges that fresh fruit doesn’t. Fortunately, we address each one in the video.

Ingredients Used in This Blackberry Jam Mead

This is a 1-gallon batch (final yield: ~3 bottles).

Primary Fermentation:

2 lbs Wildflower Honey: https://amzn.to/4c0br3E

2 12oz jars Blackberry Preserves: https://amzn.to/3z1N9aR

1/2 package 71B Yeast: https://amzn.to/3XnM7QH

1/2 teaspoon Pectic Enzyme: https://amzn.to/4bIme21

Additions:

12oz Blackberry Preserves

1/2 teaspoon Pectic Enzyme

Back Sweeten with Honey (we went to Specific Gravity 1.020)

Starting gravity (calculated): ~1.115
Final gravity after fermentation: 0.998
Estimated ABV before back-sweetening: ~15.8%
Final gravity after sweetening: 1.020
Final ABV: approximately 16–16.5%

This is not a low-alcohol mead. It finishes strong.