Mead, x-mass brew

[likesbeer]

I was concidering doing a mead brew for x-mass just volunteered to fuel a party
However, quick search on here for a recipe and see several posts talking about it taking ages to condition, months if not more
Is there a quick way that'll be ready in time?

Or any suggestions on something for an x-mass brew?

I will be doing a beer, I will have cider ready (I hope) or it could just be drain cleaner, anyway still two varieties of drinkies but would like to add something different to the mix any ideas?

I was also concidering doing a TC sort of wine, local supermarket has squished grape just £1 a litre bit expensive but will make a gallon for turning into mulled wine so cheap for wine

All suggestions appreciated

[DREADSKIN]

people say mead needs along time in the bottle, but i find that after 2 months its fantastic

[likesbeer]

OK so it might be worth a shot at least a gallon wouldnt hurt
What recipe do you use?

[Laripu]

quick search on here for a recipe and see several posts talking about it taking ages to condition, months if not more
Is there a quick way that'll be ready in time?

Or any suggestions on something for an x-mass brew?

Most people who make mead use lots of honey for a strongly alcoholic result. That's what takes so much time.

Why not make a low-alcohol carbonated hopped mead? Keep the initial gravity to a max of 1.060 and use 15 to 20 BUs worth of boiling hops. (Don't forget yeast nutrient, 1 teaspoon per UK gallon. A teaspoon of Marmite works wonders for yeast too.) Boil the hops & nutrients in water only for 45 minutes, then add the honey for the last 15 minutes, with the heat off (just to pasteurize). Clover honey blended from international sources is just fine for this application.

Make an ale yeast stater. Ferment about 10 days at room temperature, then siphon to secondary for 4 weeks. Finings for protein are appropriate at siphoning, but certainly not necessary. Bottle, priming the batch with 15 to 20 grams of sugar per UK gallon, depending on how much fizz you like. (The 20 gram/UK gallon yields carbonation at levels most Americans prefer. I know Brits prefer less, as do I.) Leave it to age/carbonate for 1 month. It will be ready by Xmas.

Since this will ferment out to a gravity of 1.000 or even a little less, the expected alcohol from an OG of 1.050 is at least 6.5%, and 1.060 will yield at least 7.9%. This is not wimpy by any standard!

A friend of mine made this recipe 20 years ago and got the hop quota wrong. Instead of approx 30 grams of hops, he used 3 oz. (Understandable error - he was full of amusement aids.) Anyway, we dubbed his brew lemonade for lumberjacks. It still wasn't too bad, just less delicate than it should have been.

[adm]

A teaspoon of Marmite works wonders for yeast too

I can see the logic behind this. And I LOVE Marmite....but....it's got a bloody strong taste - not necessarily one I'd like in beer.

Anyone ever used Marmite as yeast vit?

[DREADSKIN]

i always try to have one gallon dj of mead on the go at all times. it appeals to my dark celtic nature or sommit...lol i love the stuff. each different type of honey gives a differnet lovely flavour. however ive been told not to use eucalptus honey, or strong heather honey. however the last batch i have made, on the go at the mo, was made with forest honey, and at first racking tasted like toffee...

anyhow. i use 150 kgs or 3lbs honey. i try to use 1 - 2 jars cheaper stuff, and 1 -2 jars expensive fancy honey like lemon blossom or wild flower etc.

then the juice and rind of one lemon (for the citric acid) or one teaspoon of acid blend, make a cup of tea and let it steep or ages(till all other steps are complete), add teaspoon of yeast nutrient.

i always use champagne yeast as im guaranteed its going to be nice and dry(and strong)...

i generally start drinking when its clear, and it clears out pretty fast. apparently it gets better with age, but mine never gets a chance

[Laripu]

A teaspoon of Marmite works wonders for yeast too

I can see the logic behind this. And I LOVE Marmite....but....it's got a bloody strong taste - not necessarily one I'd like in beer.

Anyone ever used Marmite as yeast vit?

I use 1 scant teaspoon for 23 liters, 5 UK gallons, boiled in the wort. (If I'm making mead and not boiling the honey, I dissolve the marmite in water and boil that first.) There is no residual taste at that level. Yeast seems to respond more vigorously when it's there. That's even more important when I make a lager and start fermenting at 10degC.

I just realized my previous post was misleading. I made it sound as though I use 1 teaspoon of Marmite per gallon. In fact it's 1 teaspoon for 5 gallons. Sorry about that. (I use 1 teaspoon of regular yeast nutrient per gallon, but that has no residual taste.)

I'm curious what marmite costs in the UK. Here in Florida it's an imported item so a little jar is more expensive than I typically want to pay for something that I never eat. (I find marmite disgusting - but I know you guys love it. Cultural difference, etc.) I buy it anyway, but I never care if it goes behond the "beft before" date - after all I only feed it to yeast.

[adm]

It doesn't cost a lot - maybe £0.69 for a little jar....

Tastes great though. Hot buttered toast with marmite. Yum.

[Laripu]

It doesn't cost a lot - maybe £0.69 for a little jar....

Tastes great though. Hot buttered toast with marmite. Yum.

Wow. That's about $1.25. I pay four times that. Oh well. It's an import, and it isn't popular here. I suppose I could make my own by keeping the dregs of a fermentation, and boil it with salt. Then I could store teaspoon-size chunks in the freezer.

Oh, yeah. I'm sure SWMBO would just love that.

[likesbeer]

Thanks for the replies all, mmm marmite you either love it or hate it. So now I want to do more but think I have decided on 1 gallon meed ale (thanks laripu) its sounds wonderful with dash of marmite
I have some fuggles hops which I can use, bought honey on Sunday, have safeale 04 yeast so might even get that going tomorrow night.

while I'm at it will also do a stronger mead maybe it'll be OK or maybe it'll be late, but as I'm always late that'll be OK

For that I have honey, champagne yeast, have a litre of red grape which I might add and a little cinamon and clover for a festive cross of mead and mulled wine or something.

Cheers for the inspiration

Have just chucked a gallon of grap juice (79p a litre el cheepo) in a DJ with yeast and nutrient its off to a gallop, should be fine for turning into mulled wine, or drain cleaner whichever tastes the best

[likesbeer]

So finaly managed to get some time for the mead, the cider and beer has been winning recently.
Did 1 gallon of mead ale as per Laripu suggestion and 1 gallon mead with just honey and a litre of grape juice, with suggested additions like aid and nutrients etc.
The ale is fermenting away nicely with a good head the mead is fermenting but more of a gentle fizz than a rabid dog frothing. Is this normal?
Cant wait to try these out

Thanks for the recipes guys

[lockwood1956]

THIS:

makes a fab xmas drink
http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=27

hope this helps
regards
Bob