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From: ralf@cs.uq.oz.au (Ralf Muhlberger)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing
Subject: Re: Wanted: Mead recipes [long]
Message-ID: <12227@uqcspe.cs.uq.oz.au>
Date: 1 Mar 93 21:20:39 GMT
Lines: 844
STOKKE@NDSUVM1.BITNET writes:
>Some friends recently invited us to their annual wild game feed, and during
>the meal, the conversation eventually wound its way around to our recent
>exploits into the area of home brewing. In response to our boasting, we have
>been asked to provide beverages suitable to the vension and wild fowl menu
>for next years feast. After careful consideratin, it was determined that
>a flagon of mead would be the natural choice. We are therefore searching
>for a recipe or the location to purchase the appropiate materials to make
>this beverage. If anyone has a recipe, or any other info they think we might
>need, we would love to see it posted or e-mailed to stokke@vm1.nodak.edu.
>Thanks for the help.
>Sincerely,
>Moose and Rocko ( aka Brian Runge and Tom Stokke )
I recently sent the same request to the recipes newsgroup, and received
several replies, which I'll post at the end here. My thanks again to
everyone who mailed me with recipes. I'll start brewing soon :-)
Ralf
-------------------------------- cut here --------------------------------
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 88 02:23:45 mdt
Subject: Mead Recipes -- AT LAST!
Original-From: <mhalley%MUN.BITNET@CORNELLC.CCS.CORNELL.EDU>
Ye Olde Batte's PROVEN Recipes
Basic Metheglyn
(Took First Prize at Homebrewers Competition) Put three pounds (1 quart) light
honey to about a gallon of water and heat to just below boiling. Skim off as
much as you can of the white froth & discard. Add a palmful of whole cloves,
a handful of stick cinnamon, and a couple of palmfuls of whole allspice. Add
the zest (thin outer peel) of one medium-large orange. Remove and discard the
white pith from the orange and crush the remainder into the pot. Add one cup
double-strength black tea (two teabags to one cup boiling water). Keep the
whole mess at steaming (NOT BOILING) temperature for two to five hours. Cool
to lukewarm ("baby-bottle" or "blood" temperature) and strain or rack (siphon)
into one or two large bottles, filling only to the "shoulder" of each bottle.
Add one or two tablespoonfuls of dry yeast to each bottle and attach airlock.
(Mead is the ONLY fermented product it is not only safe, but often preferable
to use bread yeast to manufacture). You may want to leave the bottles
"unlocked" for 12-24 hours to give the yeasty-beasties a headstart. Leave in
warm, but not hot, place for 7-21 days, or until airlock "breaks." Rack into
clean bottles. You may top up with clean water, if you wish. This lightens
the flavour and assists in the mellowing process. DON'T use processed city
water! Age in cool spot for AT LEAST six weeks -- it can safely go for a
year. Rack once more when it looks clear, and be sure always to leave all the
GUCK in the bottom of the bottle whenever you rack. ENJOY IN MODERATION --
NOTHING is as bad as a mead hangover!
Wylde-Rose-Petal Metheglyn
Use basic recipe as above, but reduce cloves to 5 or 6 large -- count 'em --
and add one whole nutmeg, split in half, and one or two one-pint ziploc
bagfuls of fresh (or frozen) rose petals. Wild roses are the best for this,
as they are more fragrant; the red or pink have more flavour than the white.
When you pick, go for the newly opened or just opening flowers; take ONLY the
petals; pack 'em as tightly in the bags as you can. They store well in the
freezer until use (but not overlong). This recipe makes a smaller volume of
product than the basic, but the bouquet and flavour are unique and delightful
and the colour is GORGEOUS!
Melomel/Cyser
Use basic recipe, but eliminate allspice, scant other spices, add a nodule of
fresh ginger root, peeled and cut in pieces; omit the tea; use a tad more
yeast; and REPLACE THE WATER WITH FRUIT OR BERRY JUICE. It's unusual, but
"Gran' shtuff!" When apple juice is used, it can be called cyser. Make sure
juice is fresh and has NO preservatives or "spoilage retardants," 'cause it
won't ferment if it does. Cyser or pear melomel are FANTASTIC when drunk warm
in the winter. Glenn & Faith's Rose Petal Wine Pick 4-8 quarts rose petals
(firmly packed) 10 days to two weeks after last spraying and let cold water
run over them for ten minutes to wash off any residual gunk. Bring two
gallons of water (the GOOD stuff) to a boil, put petals in a crock, and pour
the boiling water over them. When it has cooled, squeeze the petals
thoroughly by hand to get all the scented liquid out. Strain the result into
an enamel pot, squeezing out every drop of juice, add 6-8 pounds of sugar,
bring to SLOW boil, and brew for 20 minutes or so. Pour back into CLEAN
crock, let cool to lukewarm, dissolve 1/2 ounce yeast in 1/2 cup warm water,
and add. Cover. (Air-lock should be applied at this point, if you have one.)
Let ferment 14-21 days. Rack off. Let stand until clear. Re-rack and
bottle. Age for AT LEAST a year. SERVE COLD!
Rowanberry Wine (I FOUND IT!)
Gather berries when ripe and dry. Pick clean from stalks and place in large
container (a plastic beer bucket is excellent). Cover with boiling water and
let stand 4-5 days, muddling occasionally. (It takes about 2 1/2 lbs.
berries per gallon of water.) Strain off liquor, measure, and allow one pound
sugar per gallon. Put sugar in large vessel, pour in liquor, stir until
dissolved, add one ounce crushed fresh ginger root, and leave to ferment 10-12
days (or longer if still actively working). NB: You may add yeast and/or
nutrient if you're more interested in success than in tradition. Close
tightly and allow to age 6 months before bottling. Store in cool, dry place.
NB: Rowan, called "dogberry" in some places, and "rountree" in others, is
actually the European mountain ash. Native North American mountain ash will
work, but not as well. The product is fairly astringent, but good, and the
colour is lovely. Now, who's going to get back to me with the elderblow
recipe?? You have all my secrets that I can send in the mail.
Toast (Spanish):
Bendito sea el arbol
De donde sacaron la madera
De que hicieron el cabo del martillo
Con que clavaron la pila
En que te bautizaron.
>Blessed be the tree
>From which they took the wood
>From which they made the handle of the hammer
>That nailed the nails into the font
>Where you were baptized.
This is to be said in one breath and one's glass must be emptied before one is
allowed to inhale again.
Love yez,
Ye Olde Batte
From: The Cooking of Scandinavia/ Time Life Books (c)1968
SIMA
Lemon-flavored Mead (Finnish)
To make 5 quarts
2 large lemons
1/2 cup granualated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 quarts boiling water
1/8 teaspoon yeast
5 tsp. sugar
15 raisins
With a small, sharp knife or rotary peeler, carefully peel off the yellow
skins of the lemons and set them aside. Then cut away the white membranes of
the lemons and discard them. Slice the lemons very thinly. In a 6 to
8-quart enameled or stainless-steel bowl, combine the lemon slices, lemon
skins and the two sugars. Pour the boiling water over the fruit and sugar,
stir, and let the mixture cool to tepid. Then stir in the yeast. Allow the
Sima to ferment, uncovered at room temperature for about 12 hours. To
bottle, use 5 one-quart bottles with very tight covers or corks. Place 2
teaspoon of sugar and 3 raisins in the bottom of each bottle. Strain the
Sima through a sieve and, using a funnel, pour the liquid into the bottles.
Close the bottles tightly and let them stand at room temperature for 1 or 2
days until the raisins have risen to the surface. Chill the sealed bottles
until ready to serve.
I hope this is what you were looking for.
Don Havens
d.havens@dartmouth.edu
Ralf,
Things about Mead.
The less honey, the lighter the drink, and the quicker it can be made.
1 pound of honey per gallon of water is the minimum, 5 pounds per gallon is
the maximum for a sweet dessert wine. If you add dark berries to the
mead mixture it will tend to mature earlier. Some say that it takes at least
1 year for a mead to age properly and others say 4-5 years. I have found
that 6 months to 1 years is a good period. There are several books out there
that talk about making mead. I do not recall the exact title but any
local homebrew shop should have them.
If you want more just post on the homebrew group.
Relax have a homebrew.
Kent Reinhard
Space Telescope Science Institute.
Recipe: Mead - "Same As It Every Was"
3 gallons water
5 pound honey
2 teaspoons yeast nutient
1 ounce hops (Cascades)
1 package yeast (champagne, wine or ale)
In pot boil honey, water, nutients and hops for 30 minutes. Let cool to
about 100F and then add yeast starter. I usually find it easier to mix
the yeast with warm water and then pour into the container. Let mixure sit
for 7 days and then transfer the liquid to another container. Allow this
to sit for 1-2 months covered and at room tempeture. Rack to your choice
of containers.
If you are not famiar with the brewing process you should try to pick up
some books on it before you start with.
Hi Ralf,
--------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ralf@cs.uq.oz.au (Ralf Muhlberger)
Subject: REQUEST: Mead
Date: 23 Feb 93 07:00:27 GMT
Well, that pretty much covers it in the header. Does anyone have a
recipe to make that medieval delight, mead?
Thanks already, go placidly,
Ralf
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am sending you a compilation of recipes from the net on making mead. I
think these all came from rec.food.drink. Good luck!
Toki
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toki Noguchi |Take a pinch of this and a shake of that
HP Santa Rosa, MWTD |And a splash of something good.
Archaeologists date anything! |'Cause a cook just knows by the twitch of
tokin@hpmwmat.HP.COM |her nose, the way a good cook should.FraggleRock
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mead Recipes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From bemo@spacsun.rice.edu Thu Aug 8 16:40:01 1991
The following is based upon my own experiences in brewing, and information
that I have gleaned from various publications on wine and beer-making. First, I
will deal with 'long' meads, and then quicker 'short' meads for the impatient
at heart.
Mead is really not that difficult to make. I am hardly a wizened master
(having only 6 gallons of production under my belt, so to speak), but I will
venture to state that anyone patient and clean enough by nature can make quite
a nice brew at home.
First, let me say that it is much easier to do if you have a homebrew supply
store in town. It is possible to get everything you need mail order, but
nothing tops the convenience and inspirational value of actually browsing in a
store. All that you would need to get from there is the yeast and airlocks;
anything else could be found or substituted from other sources.
So let's get to basics. Get lots of honey, preferably clover honey
(try your local 'health food' store; mine has bulk honey for 1.19/lb., although
it is not clover). Use from 2-4 pounds per U.S. gallon of water, depending on
your desired sweetness and alcohol level. 3 pounds should get you a slightly
sweet white wine-ish mead.
Boil the honey in the water, skimming off the grayish-brown foam which
will form on top, until the foam is no longer formed at a rapid rate (I usually
wait until it takes about 2 minutes to form enough foam to skim effectively.)
Now you need to add some fruit; for 2 gallons, I usually add a lime and an
orange, with about 1 oz. of ginger to boot. You can use any citrus you like,
in almost any amount you like. The purpose of this, besides taste, is to
balance the wine; it also prevents oxidation later on. Cut it up, throw it in,
but remember to minimize the amount of white pith that goes into the pot, as
it adds an unpleasantly bitter taste to the wine. I usually grate some peel
into the pot, then squeeze in the juice, with some pulp thrown in as well.
Peel the ginger, cut it up, throw it in; grating will utilize more of the
ginger, but makes it harder to strain out. Also, nothing beats the zingy taste
of ginger boiled in honey water! What the hell, eat the fruit too, it's good
for you.
OK, so you have some hot pre-mead, now what? Let it cool, preferably
covered, until you can handle it reasonably well. Now you need a narrow-necked
container, preferably glass. I use 1-gallon apple juice jugs. There are also
large plastic tubs, with a tight-fitting lid that has a small hole drilled in it
for the airlock, which works equally as well. These are available at homebrew
shops as well, and are especially helpful for those big batches.
The key to preventing any unwanted contamination of your mead is cleanliness.
Clean and sterilize your container, with either sodium metabisulphite (also at
HBrew shops) or with a bleach solution (no more than two tablespoons per gallon
of water). Chlorine bleach will kill the nasty organisms, but requires a lot of
hot water rinses of the container afterwards. Sodium metabisulfites are the
sulfites in commercial wines, but they only inhibit growth, and can also cause
allergic reactions. So if you can't drink commercial wines without a reaction
(except, of course, that pleasant drunk feeling), go with the bleach. One could
also attempt to use heat to sterilize the equipment (say, the heat-dry cycle of
a dishwasher), but personally I do not recommend this,as it canhave a disastrous
effect on the glass (and anything in range if it breaks apart).
Once it is sterilized and well-rinsed, fill your container with cooled mead.
Try to strain it as you fill; bits of fruit pulp and peel should not be allowed
to remain while fermenting, as it may start to decay and spoil all your effort.
Cover and alloe to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, prepare your airlock,
sterilizing it as you did the container. Fill it halfway with either water or
sulfite solution at the appropriate strength (check the package), and definitely
NOT with bleach solution. Removing the airlock or pressure changes may suck
some of the solution into the mead, and the bleach would make it undrinkable.
Sulfite solution is preferred (since water could be infected by the dreaded
vinegar fly), and it won't poison the product.
When the mead is fully cooled, you can now add the yeast. It is considered
best to take a little of the mead in a beer bottle, add the yeast packet, and
let it start off to the side before adding it to the entire batch; this becomes
really necessary if your batch is in several jugs, instead of just one. Also,
it is very important to use a yeast nutrient, which should be right next to the
yeast when you buy it. You will need about 1 teaspoon per gallon, since honey
is extremely deficient in the chemicals necessary for yeast to reproduce.
The choice of yeast could be important; most meadmakers steer clear of ale
yeasts, since they have a low alcohol tolerance (9%?) and reportedly impart
an unwanted flavor to the mead. I myself have used ale yeasts, with no
undesirable effects. Preferably, one should use a mead yeast, but if not, a wine
or Champagne yeast work just as well.
Now you just add the yeast and nutrient, and fit the airlock over the mouth
of your container (a variety of sizes of rubber stoppers are available, so don't
be concerned with whether ornot your bottle is the 'right' size for the airlock.
Be sure to test your stopper first, to see if it will hold the seal). Put it
in a corner somewhere, and watch it go.
I have had experiences where the fermentation was so violent that mead foam
was forced through the airlock. It is not that large of a concern; just clean it
up every once in a while,fill the airlock again(see why you don't want bleach!),
and reseal the container.This is another reason to strain the mixture; you don't
want to block the airlock, or your meadmaking could soon become an experiment in
bomb making! Check on it ever once in a while, to make sure the carbon dioxide
is escaping. It will soon calm down, and the soft, steady bloop sounds which
brewers all cherish from their airlocks will soon sing you to sleep.
The hardest part is now upon us -- waiting. Mead takes excrutiatingly long
to ferment, since the sugars in it are so complex. This is when it is handy to
have a hydrometer, which is just a cheap device to measure the specific gravity
(and hence the sugar content) of your brew. If you have one, read the enclosed
instructions;if not, don't worry about it. You will just have to be more patient
and observant is all. Watch your mead; a layer of yeast will fall to the bottom
of your container (so clear glass is preferable). When the layer is substantial,
you will want to siphon the mead into another container, so that the dead yeast
there will not break down and spoil the mead. This will take on the order of two
to three months, and then again in another two to three months. After these two
transfers (called 'racking'), the mead should be 'clear'; if it is cloudy, the
yeast haven't finished yet, so let it sit some more. If the mead is clear but
bubbles are still visible, the yeast haven't finished yet. If no deposit forms,
it is clear, and no bubbles are visible, then the yeast are probably through,
and you can bottle.
Sterilize the bottles that you plan to use as you did the other equipment.
Since mead sometimes fools you into believing it is done, Champagne bottles are
preferable. If any bottle fermentation does take place, you do not want it in
regular bottles, or without the cork wired down. If you wish, regular bottles
can be used, but be sure to use a wine stabilizer,and only after fermentation is
complete. Until you are experienced, better safe than sorry (and messy). Siphon
your mead into the bottles and cork. Plastic corks are just fine to use, and
are reusable. Cages are also reusable, to a point, if you have trouble getting
new ones. If you've done it all right, no sediment should form, and you should
have a fine still mead. If not, bottle fermentation has taken place, you have a
little sediment around the punt of your Champagne bottle, and you have fine
sparkling mead (or else you've cleaned up your winerack, if you used a regular
bottle). Age as long as you can stand, up to two years, but open one fairly
early, as reward and to check for bottle fermentation.
To intentionally make sparkling mead, you need to have made a low-alcohol
batch (I'd say <= 2.5 lb/gallon), and you really should buy a hydrometer to tell
you when it is finished. In this case you must use a high-alcohol wine yeast;
ale yeast will not work. When it is, remove a small portion of mead, boil it,
and add some sugar to the boiling mead, cover and cool, and add back to the
batch. I do not have the reference that I want nearby, but for beer the amount
is 4 oz. per gallon, so that should be about right. Less is OK, more is not
recommended. Then bottle in Champagne bottles (or beer bottles -- Grolsch
bottles are very good for this, and replacement seals are available). Wait a few
weeks (longer if honey was used), chill, and pour the mead carefully off of the
sediment (you Chimay ale drinkers know what I mean). This is why you may want
to use less sugar in the bottle than 4 oz; the bubbles released when opening can
force the sediment off of the bottom of the bottle and into your glass, so fizzy
mead becomes fizzy yeasty mead, which can be comestibly and gastrically
unpleasant.
Once you have a few batches under your belt, you can add fruit, hops, more
ginger, whatever you think would taste good. Amounts are generally a pound or so
of fruit, an ounce or so of hops, per gallon. Experimentation, though sometimes
yielding unfortunate results, is the key to getting what you want. However, if
fruit is to be used, do not boil it (it may jellify), and if you can, sterilize
it with sulfites and add pectic enzyme to the brew. Crush it, add it, and make
sure that it does not clog the airlock.If you use hops, I suggest a mild variety
like Fuggles or Cascade. More bitter hops could be used, but I would relegate
them only to the quick sparkling meads,where the beer quality is more pronounced
and less invasive than in wines.
Now that you have made a long mead, you'll need to make a quick mead to
drink while you wait. Use about 2-2.5 lbs of honey per gallon; any more, and the
yeast may take to long, depriving you of the relatively quick satisfaction you
seek. Also, I suggest using an ale yeast, despite all convention. After all,
you are essentially making honey beer here, not wine, which by its very nature
needs to be delicate and well-aged. Do that mead thing just like before. Allow
vigorous fermentation to run its course. In ten to twenty days, the mead should
have settled down. Ale yeast is a top-fermenting yeast, so it works best in a
warm environment. Because we want to arrest fermentation, we need to cool it.
Find a place in your fridge where the bottle can stand up with the airlock init,
and stick it there. The yeast will slow down and sink, and thus the mead will
start to clear. When it is clear, bottle in either beer or Champagne bottles,
and leave it out for a day or two if you want it carbonated, then refrigerate.
If you wish, wait a little longer, then transfer it instead into a plastic
thermos, and drink it quickly. If it's too yeasty, next time wait longer.
Wait a week for the sediment to form, then drink. Do not wait too long; bottle
fermentation will soon make the mead gush out of the bottle when opened, mixing
the yeast back in the mead. If this starts to occur, you must rebottle or face
the consequences. The longer you can wait until bottling, the more unlikely
that you end up with little mead time bombs in your fridge. This is the other
reason for using ale yeast; its low alcohol tolerance will end fermentation
earlier than wine yeast, lowering the danger limit to your bottles (and you).
As anecdotal evidence, I relate the story of my ginger beer, which when opened,
put a plastic Champagne cork imprint on my ceiling, followed by the entire
contents of the bottle, which then proceeded to ginger-bathe my entire kitchen.
(By the way, the kitchen smelled great). I then had to go in the back yard and
defuse the remaining four bottles, hitting the back fence three out of four
shots. Sparkling mead demands respect, and usually gets it from whomever it
wishes. Aged sparkling mead is sparkling mead with an attitude. Really old
sparkling mead doesn't kill people, people kill people. I know people who
would rather rip their own heads off than open a bottle of really old sparkling
mead.
After several batches of quick mead, it will become apparent what variations
to try, and which of these you wish to try with your long meads. Once again, I
stress the virtues of experimentation, especially with these quick meads, in
which you have invested a lot less waiting and bother, and hence won't be so
disappointed if something goes awry. The best laid plans o' mice and mead...
While this discussion is by no means a definitive guide on meads, I feel
that it should clear up some misconceptions on the subject, some of which have
been propogated through folios and articles within the SCA itself, including the
first Knowne World Handbooke, which I feel really shows it age in this topic.
The technology and literature on the subject of homebrewing has increased
severalfold since its penning, and it would be folly to discount it only on
the basis of period accuracy and perceived complexity. Become the life of the
barony, and earn the respect of your heavy fighters. Kiss up to the king,
and bring your wares to the war. Everybody loves a brewer!
Voue'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian D. Moore (Voue' Alechec)| Homebrewing -- the only sport open exclusively
Space Physics and Astronomy | to anal-retentive alcoholics.
Rice University, Houston TX | Relax -- have a home brew.
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>From gary@cdthq Tue Jun 19 21:18:14 1990
boutell@freezer.it.udel.edu (Tom Boutell) writes:
> Can anyone provide me with a recipe for mead? I'm curious about the
> possibilities. Thanks!
Sure. From "First Steps in Winemaking", by Charles J. J. Berry:
Ingredients:
4 lb honey 1 orange 1 lemon 1 nutrient tablet
pectic enzyme yeast 1 gallon water
(Makes one gallon)
Put the honey in the water and bring to a boil. (I understand that
many people disagree, and only bring it to about 165F.) Pour into
your primary fermentation vessel and allow to cool. Add the juice
from the lemon and orange, yeast, and nutrient. Fit an airlock
and allow to ferment to completion--this is liable to take much
longer than most country wines (as he calls them)--and rack when
no further bubbles are passing thru the airlock. (If you can
stand to...) mead should be matured for a year.
I've made three batches of mead, using this basic recipe. For your
primary fermentation, go straight into a carboy. One batch of mine
was so vigorous it bubbled out thru the airlock, something I've
only had happen one other time. I experimented with more honey
in my second batch, and results were not good; oversweet. If you
know a beekeeper, you need about 1 gallon of honey to make 5 gallons
of mead. It's possible to substitute a tablespoon or so of citric
acid for the lemon and orange juice, or use frozen concentrate.
The mead I made was popular, and I've another gallon of honey
ready for the next batch....
Gary Heston, at home....
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>From gary@cdthq.UUCP Thu Jan 17 18:40:22 1991
euclid@lindy.stanford.edu (Stephanie Moore-Fuller) writes:
> [ Gary mentions that he buys honey to make mead ]
>
> Would you be willing to post your mead recipe?
Well, it's one of those things that's made in many variations over a
common base, by adding small amounts of spices or flavorings.
Briefly, to make a 5 gallon batch of plain mead, start with one
gallon of honey (about 10-12lb, I think--my suppliers just use 1 gal
syrup jugs). Pour about a quart into a pot with about a half-gallon
of water, and heat until it's warm enough to pasteurize it (I use
raw honey from local beekeepers), say about 170F (77C). Some recipies
say boil it, some say don't ever... I've used both, but not closely
enough to pass judgement. The two batches in the kitchen now were
not boiled. I covered the pot and turned off the heat, to let it
sit for a few minutes at temperature. Note that you should be stirring
almost constantly to dissolve the honey, and keep it from scorching
(this is the only real pain about mead making, very simple otherwise).
Allow it to cool to about room temp (I pour it into another pot in the
sink, with cold water running around it. Cover the pot to keep the
mix from being contaminated by airborne dust, yeasts, or bacteria.).
When cool, pour into your primary fermentation vessel (I use a 5 gal
glass carboy), and repeat with all the honey (the objective is to not
end up with not more than 4.5 gallons of the honey-water mixture, you
should add water to this level--but NOT to the 5 gal mark, yet!).
Add 5 winemaking nutrient tablets, or juice from one lemon, and yeast.
Some people use Champagne yeast; some use other wine yeast; strange
people like me use Fleishmanns' Rapid-Rise. Your choice; you'll get
higher attenuation with the Champagne yeast, at $1 or so a pack, the
Rapid-Rise is cheaper, and works OK for me. (To the brewers/vintners
out there: I've been flamed already; it didn't make me change. Don't
bother....:-) )
Put an airlock-and-stopper assembly (about $2.50 total, here) in the
carboy. Fermentation should be noticable within 6-8 hours, and roaring
in 24. It takes about 10 days for primary fermentation to finish (this
is the most vigorous stage), which you can determine by the 1.5-2"
layer of sediment on the bottom and a marked reduction in activity
(one glub per minute thru the airlock, instead of twelve per minute).
I siphon the clear liquid (looks like tea in color, darkness varies
depending upon the honey) into another carboy, add water to the
5 gallon level, install the airlock, and let it proceed thru
secondary fermentation. This will be at least 2 weeks, and can be
allowed to run for months, if you're not in a hurry. If you get
a lot more sediment, siphon it again (this is called "racking" or
"racking off" in the winemaking world). My secondaries seem to
throw less than 1/2" of sediment.
When it's done (or you can't wait any longer) add 5 Campden tablets
(75/$2.50) to kill off the last of the yeast (unless you're trying
to make sparkling mead, in which case you should know what you're
doing). Give them a day to work, then bottle. I've started using
16oz soft drink bottles, since they're cheap and convenient. I start
drinking mine at this point, you may want to age it for a while.
That's basic mead. My current two batches are spiced, with a little
cinnamon and nutmeg (in one, boiled in one batch of mix, in the other
just tossed into the primary), to see how they'll come out. Other
spices can be used to your taste; fruit can be added (cherry and
blueberries that I've heard of, I may try blackberries next time)
and it becomes a melomel instead of just mead. There are at least
as many variations as there are people making it. Smaller batches
are possible, of course; 5 gallons are convenient for me. My sources
want $10 for a gallon of honey; beyond that, nutrients and Campden
tablets add perhaps another $.50 or so, to yield about $2.10/gallon
material cost. It takes me about an hour to start a batch, and
10 minutes or so each time to rack it. You end up with an interesting
beverage, somewhat stronger than beer, at about $.20/12oz serving.
Normal brewing/vintning sanitary proceedures apply, of course,
but that's another message about this size that you can read in
any wine/beer making book.
If anyone has any specific questions, I'll be glad to help--I've
found this to be an interesting hobby, producing something I can
use :-) without requiring large investments in equipment (if you
find carboys at flea markets, you can get started for as little
as $20, depending on their cost), huge amounts of space (I do this
in my kitchen, which isn't very large), or lots of effort.
Enjoy!
Gary Heston, at home....
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>From klier@iscsvax.uni.edu Sat Aug 22 20:49:07 1992
Don't know about authenticity, but here's one from my undergraduate
microbiology lab manual-- the mead was well received by class members,
in contrast to the wine and beer we made...
1/4 orange
1/4 lemon
1/2 lb honey
nutrient solution*
1 500 ml flask with air trap to fit flask**
Yeast starter culture: Maury yeast or all-purpose wine yeast
1 hydrometer
Add honey to 250 ml water and bring the solution to a boil, stirring
constantly to prevent carmelization. Allow the solution to cool, adding
juice from orange and lemon quarters, then yeast and nutrient solution.
Adjust specific gravity of solution to 1.093 (12-13% potential alcohol).
Place solution in flask and add air lock. Ferment until no more CO2
is evolved. Rack mead into another container when completed.