I'll be growing hops next year, for brewing, but I want to try my hand at making this mead first.

Think I'll stick to your advice and find a decent plastic bucket that's ready to rock n roll.

I have a ton of blackberries (enough to fill 5 gallon buckets up) and was considering also trying some blackberry brandy. I know that's getting way ahead, but I've got to figure out what to do with all of these.