'Sup Veeky Forums?
I'm thinking of brewing my first mead. I've got a small, one gallon jug, air lock and all that. Picked up a Lalvin EC-1118 yeast. I'm still debating which honey and any extra flavours to use (if any), though.
What have you guys tried that turned out well?
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Mead is pretty tricky to get right. I've tried multiple home brewed meads and they were never fantastic.
Find a place that sells Mead near you and try a bunch out to figure out what flavors you like and make sure not to skimp on any of the ingredients quality if you want a really fine Mead. Also expect it to take months before it's really good, bulk aging is important and takes forever.
i started recently as well! a good honey is essential, and aging your brew
if you have bad honey make melomel
tons of good video tutorials out there
I've had a bunch of different meads. This one was my favourite.
though unfortunately i'm not experienced enough to be of much help- lurking mostly :)
Just make a plain honey mead first. If you want it to have more depth of flavor try an orange blossom honey. For 1 gallon of mead, 3lbs of honey makes a good dry mead. Adding 1 tsp of acid blend helps reduce the harsh alcohol bite. Also add 2 tsp of yeast nutrient since plain honey lacks all the nutrients for proper yeast development. If you can't get those two things you can still make it, though, and it should be fine. Just might take longer to ferment out.
Ferment 1 month then transfer to a secondary 1 gallon jug to clarify. Bottle after another month. You don't have to age and it will still be good, but it can improve over time. Be sure to sanitize all the equipment that comes in contact.
I made a cyser last Fall (a cider/mead hybrid). It ended up pretty nice.
How much of a difference in flavour does clarifying make?
So apparently vikings would make mead by submerging the whole hive, bees and all, into the water, lol.
Maybe the comb and such added nutrients for the yeast?
not OP, but clarifying, in my experience, makes a pretty large difference. If you don't, the alcohol taste is way more prevalent and the flavours are altogether pretty poor.
I'm only asking because one of my all-time favourite beers is really murky. Getting a secondary fermentation in the bottle for a nice sparkling mead would be interesting.
In my opinion, it's more of an aesthetic thing. But aging which results in clarification can reduce the strong alcohol "bite" that can be present. The acid blend helps in reducing that too. I make 5 gallon batches and usually add a 2 stage clarifier 2 or 3 days prior to bottling. It's crystal clear when it goes into the bottle. For only a 1 gallon batch I don't think it would be worth it because they come in packs designed for 5 gallons.
I would sell my firstborn to find the recipe to get it just right like they did.
I'll taste it while it's still "young" and see how I like it.
I've always been a fan of buckwheat honey, dark and very flavorful, I wonder if it makes good mead
Normal clover/orange blossom meads feel pretty close to white wines imo and don't really need to be aged too much, but I think buckwheat is a much stronger flavor. I imagine fermenting it and aging it in a barrel for a few years would be spectacular.
Ever try a blueberry honey?
I was just reading this recipe
aussiehomebrewer.com
Looks like it'd work, might try this weekend if I get time.
most over rated garbage in the fucking world
That's like saying beer or wine are overrated.
Is this exported to the states anywhere?
No clue. You can pick it up at pretty much any SAQ in Quebec, though.
Yeah I checked, looks like I have to enter hostile frog country to get it. Too bad.
Barenfang>Mead
Fact.
Orange zest cinnamon and some cloves Worked well for me. Also I would recommend using distilled or filtered eater instead of just filling her up from a tap
Never had it. Is it comparable to Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey?
ugh, this shit is terrible
I'm having trouble thinking of something more drinkable in the price range. At least here in Ontario, it's about the same price as rotgut vodka.
This stuff is amazing.
I love Wigle's stuff in general. Living in Pittsburgh has still some perks.
Made with buckwheat honey too.
Does it still taste like honey?
I'm surprised people aren't selling carbonated mead in the 5 to 10% ABV range. It'd easily compete with ciders.