Mead...anyone like it / make it???

I'm an old beer brewer, used to make all manner of home brews. Then I got out of it. We've moved several times since, but now I have the perfect place to ferment and I'm thinking about getting into Mead rather than Beer.

Any officianados (sp?) here? I'd like love to hear your thoughts. I know numerous bee keepers, and I've got all the stuff from my beer making days (carboys, vapor locks, specific gravity measures, tools and what not).

One question (I don't know much about Mead other than in the history books)...is mead carbonated or not?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

It takes a good deal of patience to go from beer to mead. The fermentation is very slow. But it's well worth it when you finally get the recipe down and come up with your perfect batch.

a reply to: pfishy

Patience is something I have a LOT of!

I raise cattle. An impatient man will not prevail (or survive even) in this business!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Hah! I didnt know mead was made from honey!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

mead is not carbonated like beer, it is more like a sweet very strong wine.

LOVE IT!!!

My fave right now is an Irish brew Bunratty Honey Mead.
Don't know if this it true of all Mead's but I didn't shake the bottle, so my first taste was awful.
Live & learn right?

I guessing there are stronger versions out there, any you choose to recommend would be appreciated.


Bunratty's is like a very light honey whiskey, no bubbles.

here is a good recipe for making regular mead

meadist.com...

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Have not made my own yet, but plan to in the next couple of years. I've always wanted to drink mead, but I'm saving it until I brew my own, and eventually drinking it around the fire at an encampment, with an axe and/or sword nearby.

Seriously, ever since the original Bard's Tale, I've been planning on it.

a reply to: dogstar23

I've always got a sword laying around nearby.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I don't make it but have a friend who does so maybe I could ask a question.

How long should you wait to open it? I've two bottles sitting in the bottom of my fridge that are around 2 years old.

originally posted by: tikbalang
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Hah! I didnt know mead was made from honey!

Lol, gotta love them Bees, huh!!

Man I haven't heard of mead since I was 8. Vague memories you brought back, wow the things stored in our data base, sorry I have no input.

a reply to: JinMI

If the initial fermentation is done, you are at this point just bottle aging it. It is probably fine to open now.

a reply to: pfishy

Will it get better with time? Is there a window where it's best?

a reply to: Daavin

So basically, we're talking about 12 months +. Hmmm, that's okay, I can deal with that.

Thanks for the recipe! That looks great! My BIL raises bees, so getting my hands on hundreds of pounds of honey is a non-issue. I guess my biggest issue is not knowing what tweaks to make for a year. I feel like I want to make a batch about every couple months or so with different stuff in it.

I guess I'll just have to wait 12-18 months to try it all.

Oh well...I'm going for it!

(Heck, I've got more than enough gear!!)

I can tell you the perfect combination of jolly rancher, rootbeer barrels and white bread, to make some kickin buck.
Ten days to perfection.

a reply to: ezramullins

That sounds more like jailhouse "hooch" than it does mead!

LOL!

One gallon honey, unfiltered, to four gallons water. DAP, oxygen, and yeast. I like lavalin 117. But any wine or champagne yeast will do. Ferment around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. After six months rack. Rack Avery two months for another six months. Then use isinglass and rack once more to bottle. Then waiting begins. I would say minimum one year bottle age. Then try a bottle... If you think that tastes good it only gets better with age. If you bottle too soon you will get sediment in your bottle. And the flavors really start coming out around five or more years. I have a wall with over 300 bottles aging. The oldest ones now nearing that five year mark. It's hard waiting to drink it but trust me this is where the goodness comes from.

Good luck!

a reply to: Sillyosaurus

I've found that eau d'vie makes a fantastic mead yeast

Also- you can add fruit and or spices to your taste. I just bottled a blueberry lavender mead. Great stuff. And you can use a wine filter to speed up the aging/clearing time but they are a hassle and a bit expensive.
And the carbonation is on you. I made one batch with a light carbonation. The wild yeast in it gave it a grapey flavor. Delicious served chilled. But unless you are force carbonating you will end up with sediment (obviously).