Zephaniah W Nash Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 We started a batch of honey mead a couple of months ago following this recipe for simple mead. I would highly reccommend it to anyone interested in trying something like it. We sampled it immediately after it started fermenting, and were not horribly impressed (but the recipe warned that would be the case). Now, about two months later -- I really shoulda kept better track -- it's some right tasty stuff. Personally, I'd put it up against any other mead available on the market. We have two additional batches going (one with cinnamon and one with strawberries) that have finished fermenting, but not clarified well just yet. We should be well-stocked for TRF, methinks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadL Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 AH!! I was just there copy'n that recipe 'n assemble'n a list of to get just last month I was!! So their method really works then? So ye went with th' Cheap-and-Easy way? or did ye use one o' them large glass bottles with an air lock and all? I have another link at home (where I naught be right now) with a good list o' items, even links t' Amazon.com what carry most. (so many projects on me list right now, this be about #5 or #6....) ~All skill be in vain if an angel pisses down th' barrel o' yer flintlock! So keep yer cutlass sharp, 'n keep her close! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephaniah W Nash Posted July 25, 2008 Author Share Posted July 25, 2008 I definitely went cheap and easy -- in the mead-making, at any rate. I think it ended up costing us about $8 a batch, and most of that was the honey. We already had balloons, yeast, and oranges on-hand. A lot cheaper than buying Chaucer's at $12 a bottle, and just as good in my opinion. We have considered going in for all the fancy expensive mead-making stuff, but so far, this is good enough for our own use. One gallon ready, another two on the shelf should keep us going 'til another batch gets done, or we have company, whichever comes first. I couldn't tell you what the alcohol content is, but I think it could easily sneak up on you if you ain't careful... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelsbagley Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I've been making mead for quite a few years now... It's lots of fun... Well the drinking part is the most fun. The biggest trick (and the hardest trick) for making GOOD mead, is patience. Mead is drinkable (pending on the recipe) in anywhere from 3 to 6 months... But here's the kicker, most mead (regardless of recipe) isn't GOOD until it is over a year old if not two years old. In fact, in my experience, most of the mead I have made hits it's pinacle of tastiness at about 4 to 5 years. But I do have the advantage of having all the cool mead making toys, and I tend to make mead in either 3 or 5 gallon batches, so saving many bottles to let them age is much easier for me. Using cheap grocery store honey will make a decent mead, but using a more "farmer's market" varietal honey will make a freaking fantastic mead. I find people who really enjoy beer, tend to LOVE mead made from buckwheat honey, the ladies tend to favour orange blossom or tupelo honey (or a blend of both)... Mead making is a vast and wonderful art, enjoy... And I hope we cross paths some day so we can give each other samples of each others work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchman Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 michael, are you offering to bring some to b-town then!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelsbagley Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Unfortunately, because I moved from one country to another about two years ago, and have been too busy since then settling, I haven't made a batch in quite a long time... I shared my third and second last bottles with various members of the Archangels (and a few other folks as well) at RF4 back in February... But I guess I could bring my very last bottle to share with you Dutch. I would love to make some blueberry mead (my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE), as blueberries are at their cheapest right now, but my gear is currently all being used up by a couple of batches of cherry wine (yes just wine not mead )... But I am bound and determined to make sure my next batch of liquid consumables is to be a mead, which should be palatable by next summer... Maybe just in time for Hampton? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadL Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I definitely went cheap and easy -- in the mead-making, at any rate. I think it ended up costing us about $8 a batch, and most of that was the honey. We already had balloons, yeast, and oranges on-hand. A lot cheaper than buying Chaucer's at $12 a bottle, and just as good in my opinion. We have considered going in for all the fancy expensive mead-making stuff, but so far, this is good enough for our own use. One gallon ready, another two on the shelf should keep us going 'til another batch gets done, or we have company, whichever comes first. I couldn't tell you what the alcohol content is, but I think it could easily sneak up on you if you ain't careful... uh...wow....okay..... lock th' doors, put out th' bear traps, yet them porno spammers still manage t' get in ~All skill be in vain if an angel pisses down th' barrel o' yer flintlock! So keep yer cutlass sharp, 'n keep her close! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephaniah W Nash Posted July 27, 2008 Author Share Posted July 27, 2008 I'll take your word on the time required, Mister Bagley, but if this stuff gets much better than what I'm drinking right now, I'm a-gonna be in quite some trouble... A side-by-side taste-test leaves me preferring mine over Chaucer's (the only buyable stuff in my area that I've found), though I'll still admit mine needs at least a bit more aging. Oddly enough, a small (maybe three or four cup) sample I put in the fridge so I could taste it cold cleared up in about a week, while the rest of that particular batch was still a bit cloudy and has the yeast-y aftertaste. I've got the rest of that batch settling in the fridge now to see if it was a fluke. Our plan now is to make at least two batches at any given time. Drink one as soon as it's nicely cleared, and leave the other until we really, really need it. And I will, of course, have some with me of the best available, any time I make any event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theM.A.dDogge Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Unfortunately, because I moved from one country to another about two years ago, and have been too busy since then settling, I haven't made a batch in quite a long time...I shared my third and second last bottles with various members of the Archangels (and a few other folks as well) at RF4 back in February... But I guess I could bring my very last bottle to share with you Dutch. I would love to make some blueberry mead (my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE), as blueberries are at their cheapest right now, but my gear is currently all being used up by a couple of batches of cherry wine (yes just wine not mead )... But I am bound and determined to make sure my next batch of liquid consumables is to be a mead, which should be palatable by next summer... Maybe just in time for Hampton? oi...newly wed....are ya drinking a glass a day fer 30 days fer luck in the new marriage???...you know the honeymoon?????.... tried that for my first marriage...ended in disaster....so i tried drinking UZO for 30 days....now i am married to a greek!! damn guys...i actually like chaucers...if you guys make it better still...than you'd best be bringing some for the trip to NC...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelsbagley Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 I'll take your word on the time required, Mister Bagley, but if this stuff gets much better than what I'm drinking right now, I'm a-gonna be in quite some trouble...A side-by-side taste-test leaves me preferring mine over Chaucer's (the only buyable stuff in my area that I've found), though I'll still admit mine needs at least a bit more aging. Oddly enough, a small (maybe three or four cup) sample I put in the fridge so I could taste it cold cleared up in about a week, while the rest of that particular batch was still a bit cloudy and has the yeast-y aftertaste. I've got the rest of that batch settling in the fridge now to see if it was a fluke. Our plan now is to make at least two batches at any given time. Drink one as soon as it's nicely cleared, and leave the other until we really, really need it. And I will, of course, have some with me of the best available, any time I make any event. Hey Zeph, The clearing of the chilled stuff is not an accident, but science (or magick or some arcane thing I barely understand)... Chilling is used in both wine and mead making to help the yeast settle so the end product comes out more clear. There is a longer way to do it (which I use since my fermenters won't fit in the fridge), and doing it the longer way also helps me with the aging thing. Personally I tend to prefer to serve my mead at room temperature, but that is a matter of personal preference, I know about an equal preportion of folks that like it chilled or not. One thing you might want to do when you have a few spare sheckels kicking around, is pick yourself up a copy of "The Complete Meadmaker" by Ken Schramm... You can find it in most bigger book stores (or get it ordered for you easy enough), and it only runs about $20... Or if you want to spend a few extra bucks on shipping, go to Amazon or your favourite online book source. It will be a well worth it investment! I love my copy, and it is very well read, re-read, and read again... Ad Nauseaum... M.A. D'Ogge, Unfortunately I didn't have enough mead for the honeymoon... I guess we should 'ave planned our wedding date a little better, and should have had a batch ready for that old tradition... Uzo... That stuff will mess you up, but it is tastey though (in small doses). Opa! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephaniah W Nash Posted July 27, 2008 Author Share Posted July 27, 2008 Thanks for the advice, Michael... At least now I know the chilling wasn't a fluke -- and I'll have to make room in the fridge. No other way to chill anything in Texas in July. And I'll likely have to chase down a copy of that book, as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelsbagley Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Actually I want to thank you right back... That set of instructions and recipe in the link you posted has inspired me to put on a batch of mead. I had originally thought I was going to have to wait until my cherry wine was done, but then the thought of using the plastic water containers made me think that I don't have to wait, and I can start today! I just got back from the grocery store with a 2.5 gallon jug of water (I prefer doing bigger batches) and a whole load of blueberries to make some blueberry mead. I would have put this off for months had I not seen your post and hadn't got thinking about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephaniah W Nash Posted July 27, 2008 Author Share Posted July 27, 2008 We're even then on inspiration. I can't get fresh blueberries right now, but when I can... The watermelons are coming along nicely, though. Hmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelsbagley Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 When and if you start making a lot of fruit infused meads, another really good book to have is "The Joy of Home Winemaking" by Terry Garey. This book focusses on winemaking, but once you get a good feel for water to honey ratios, it is easy to convert most fruit wine recipes to fruit mead recipes (also known as melomels). The Terry Garey and Ken Schramm books collectively make up my wine and mead making bible... I have close to a half a dozen other books on the topic, but I hardly ever refer to any books but those two. Another really good reference for fruit wines is Jack Keller's Winemaking Home Page , his web site has hundreds of recipes for tons of different fruits or fruit blends. On average (although there is plenty of possible variations) relacing the sugar in a fruit wine recipe with 2 to 3 pounds of honey is a good baseline for converting fruit wine to fruit mead recipes. On a quick search, I found the below recipes for you... It seems that watermelon doesn't stand on it's own well enough and works better in blends. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to resurrect this thread or contact me privately if you prefer... Watermelon-Peach wine recipe Other watermelon fruit blend wine recipes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephaniah W Nash Posted July 28, 2008 Author Share Posted July 28, 2008 Thanks for those links -- I'm definitely going to have to try the watermelon-peach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrateleather Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 You've inspired me to try this recipe too... I've made cider, beer, and melomel but haven't tried to make mead because of the expense of so many pounds of honey for a 5 gallon batch and the long wait. With Fall not too far around the corner, here is an easy 1 gallon CYSER recipe, basically a hard cider or melomel made with apple juice and honey. You could probably use the balloon as with your 1 gallon mead recipe... I made batches of this stuff with different concentrates & I liked it with added apple concentrate or cherry best (look in the organic section for frozen juice concentrate without preservatives)... cranberry and grape were not as good in my opinion though they are the author's favorites. http://www.PyrateTradingCompany.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelsbagley Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Thanks for sharing that one! I once made a 5 gallon batch of cyser, but I had to abandon it because of moving from one country to the next, so I never got to taste the fruits of my labour... and hard spent cash on a lot of not so cheap ingredients. I think I might just wait a month or so until the season is just right and give this smaller batch recipe a go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephaniah W Nash Posted August 4, 2008 Author Share Posted August 4, 2008 Well, that's it... Off to the store for cyser makings. You people are just trying to get me drunk, albeit over a very long time period! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchman Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 i got to partake of mr bagleys stock at Beaufort. I wish I could remember the berry but it was delightful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephaniah W Nash Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 My cyser seems to be coming along well -- and I am using the balloon method. It seems to be fermenting along just fine. I went with grape to go along with the apple juice, so I'll have a taste-test to share... um... sometime or other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelsbagley Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 i got to partake of mr bagleys stock at Beaufort. I wish I could remember the berry but it was delightful. It was "Cloudberry" mead. And I'm glad you liked it Dutch! Cloudberries are a fairly uncommon berry, that mostly grow in Scandinavia and the eastern coastal parts of Canada. Up until Beaufort, I thought those were the only areas cloudberries grew in, but Callenish has informed me that there are a few farms over in PA that grow them... So I am going to do some reading into the season for those berries, and when the time comes I, will be able to do what I thought I would never be able to do again... Make more cloudberry mead! Your cyser sounds great Zeph! One thing you might want to consider, is making it with just pure apple... The addition of berries (I am guessing here) is mostly for the purpose of adding tannins (as well as extra flavours)... You can add tannin powder (available from you favourite home brew/home winemaking store) or a used tea bag to get tannins into your brews. This will allow you to make it with just pure honey and apples (if that is what you want) without adding other flavours to the party. Just make sure that the tea bag is used. Tea is VERY HIGH in tannins, so using a used tea bag ensures the tannins won't be too strong, and also keep the addition of tea flavours from changing the flavour profile too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephaniah W Nash Posted August 20, 2008 Author Share Posted August 20, 2008 I will almost definitely try the purely apple version -- assuming this one turns out well. Not a huge fan of the type of grapes usually in the grape juice concentrates, but I did think that the first batch should follow the instructions a little bit. Thanks for the tea bag suggestion -- there's no way I'd have come up with that one on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadL Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 twas out on walk about when I stumbled int' this place: GOT MEAD? ~All skill be in vain if an angel pisses down th' barrel o' yer flintlock! So keep yer cutlass sharp, 'n keep her close! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NastyNate Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 http://www.ladybridget.com/m/smead.html Here's a link to the recipe that i used last. I took a slightly modified version to an SCA event this past summer and i though the wife was gonna kill me. The wenches really loved it. i chopped some apples froze them and then when i bottled the mead i put in some apples and a celestial seasonings apple cinnamon tea bag and let it age. i never bothered to take the apple chunks or the tea bag out before sharing it, so it got some puzzled looks. but once every one got a sip they really enjoyed it. this was also my first batch. To be happy for a night - get drunk To be happy for a month - get married to be happy for the rest of your life - get a sail boat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelsbagley Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 (edited) Bump... Any of the fellow mead makers have any new tastey tales to tell? I'm just about ready to bottle my cherry wine (I know it's not mead), and the blueberry mead should be ready to bottle by Feb. or March.... I also have a batch of peach mead that should be ready to bottle at the same time as the blueberry. Now to plotting what to make next... I promised Stynky some mead for next PiP, judging from what he was drinking this past year, I think a straight mead (no additional flavours except honey) is in order... Edited December 31, 2008 by michaelsbagley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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