I've never tasted mead

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AT

I've never tasted mead

Post by AT » Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:41 pm

I've been reading up about Mead and i wouldn't mind trying it out, anybody wanna share some recipe or experience with it?

PieOPah

Post by PieOPah » Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:59 am

I have a small bottle of mead sat in a cupboard. I really don't want to open it as it is so nice...

I have only sampled a tiny amount (at the shop where I bought my bottle).

They had 3 different types. a Pure Honey, one mixed with whiskey and one that had something else with it - can't remember.

I do remember that the pure honey one was the one I prefered.

There are so many different types of mead it would be difficult to point you in the right direction for what you are really after.

Me, I liked the sweetness but you can get dry meads. You can have still or sparkling. Basically it is a honey wine so think of the differences in wine and you would have a clue :)

A very basic mead would involve Honey, Water, Yeast. I would also add yeast nutrient (1tsp per gallon)

Depending on how strong you want the mead depends on how much honey. When I make it I will be shooting for 1 part honey to 4 parts water (this would give me 5 gallons when I make it).

From what I have read, time is the crucial thing here. After fermenting you rack off to a new fermenter, This stops your mead sitting on the yeast bed for too long. You are then supposed to rack off every few weeks.

I think it takes around 6 months before you are supposed to bottle and then it is advised to leave for at least a year.

Which yeast you use also depends on whether you want a sweet or dry mead, but I'll leave that to you.

Oh and I would take everything I have said with a pinch of salt. This info is off the top of my head having read up on it. As yet I haven't gotten round to making any (it is on a long to do list!)

prodigal2

Post by prodigal2 » Thu Jul 12, 2007 10:36 am

Check out this thread:
http://jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5757

I've posted some links for good sources.

Meads can be made and drinkable within 3-4 months and some are best laid down. I am currently trying to build up a stock so I will be able to be give them the time they deserve :wink:

I would if you can find a local beekeeper and see if he can do you a cash deal :wink: , also mead is good for hayfever sufferers if you use local honey, and where you are I imagine that you will find some damn fine heather honey.

monk

Post by monk » Thu Jul 12, 2007 5:02 pm

I've never tried mead either, but I have a bottle that I was given by a monk I know. He lives in Illinois, out in the country, and a beekeeper sold him a 50 gal barrel of honey for $25. So he made a lot of mead with lots of different flavors added. I think my bottle came from the batch to which he added blackberries or boysenberries. It's a bit purple. I'm trying to leave it be for a year or more.

Something I have tried is Tef (sp?). It's a mesquite honey mead type of drink from Ethiopia. A friend of my wife brought us a bottle. it was terrible, in our opinion.

Monk

Hoppkins

Post by Hoppkins » Thu Jul 12, 2007 5:09 pm

If your going to make it buy GOOD honey. For my first attempt i used cheap honey and the flavour is sweet but very uncomplicated and a bit boring.

Making some with Australian Honey (which apparantly is bad because of eucalyptus in it) so ill see how that goes.

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