Plain old mead!

[maxashton]

Hi folks. I was going to make wine, but i'm a bit strapped for cash at the moment, especially as im planning on getting a barrel of bitter in before summer curtails my brewing...
I'd like to make a gallon of mead. KT88 inspired me to make it. I have the demijohn, i have the airlocks and bungs and so forth, i even have the yeast nutrient and campden tablets..

So. Am i right in thinking i need about three pounds of honey (4 340 ml jars), wine yeast, and a load of water.... but i hear talk about acid and tannin.

what gives?

[prodigal2]

The acid is usualy citric(substitute with lemon juice). The tannin can come from some cold stewed tea, some recipies call for a handful of sultanas which I imagine have the same effect.

On a side note I bottled my speed mead a couple of weeks ago and it was very winey, but lacking in body so i will check it again sometime in spring

[maxashton]

I'm only making a gallon. So half a cup of lemon juice, say? I presume the likes of Jif is not sufficient?

[prodigal2]

1 whole lemon juiced, seems to be a normal amount used.

Though with mead you have to keep bellow the radar of the "purists" who can be erm... very critical if your recipy is not accurate to the mead that Falstaf would of drunk.


And Max I thought you cared about cooking, and them you bring in this Jiff motif

[maxashton]

I don't own any jif, that's why it'd be difficult. I want to minimize time in the shops!

*hangs head in shame*

[kt88man]

Max,

If it's of any use to you, from the same book as the Metheglin:

Dry Table Mead

3 1/2 lb White Honey
6 pints Water
1/2 oz Cirtric Acid
1/2 a level teaspoon Diammonium Phosphate (yeast nutrient)
Maury Yeast

Warm the water and dissolve the honey.
When cool pour into demijohn.
Add acid, nutrient and yeast.
Top up to 1 gallon with cold boiled water.
Ferment to dryness under airlock.
Rack into 2nd demijohn adding 1 campden tablet.
Mature for a minimum of 6 months.

[maxashton]

AS to purists, i have ways of dealing with them.

[maxashton]

Is it required that i BOIL the honey, to sanitize? Or is that overkill?

I know honey is quite sanitary by itself since the sugar is probably going to dessicate any bacterium that come into contact with it until it's diluted.

[PieOPah]

I would say no tot he boil. This will drive of a lot of the flavour.

Others will disagree others wont. At the end of the day I think that this is a personal decision.

[tubby_shaw]

Why not go half way and pasteurise the honey by dissolving in very hot water ?
I agree with Max that high sugar concentrations shouldn't harbour bacteria due to as he says the dessication of the cell.
The hot water treatment should satisfy both criteria of sanitation without much flavour loss

[maxashton]

I really wanted to have a go doing this this weekend, and don't want to wait for h.a.g to send out the other bits i need....
I'll see if i can get Citric from Wilko, but failing that i'll have a go with just a juiced lemon, and add it to the aforementioned hot water pasteurise which is a good idea.

[PieOPah]

1 teaspoon of citric acid is the equivalent of the juice from 1 lemon (at least that is what it says on the side of my citric acid container!)

[prodigal2]

Max here is what I call speed mead I can't remember where I got it from its a Farmhouse style I have some back home and I feel that it would serve to up the Honey a bit.

I've got a Joe's Ancient Orange working away
in my study right now. You're certainly correct
that it's all "wrong", but by golly it's going well
and smells wonderful!

One gallon recipe:

1 gallon glass jug (the kind that cider comes in), bung and airlock
1 large orange (rind and all) cut up in eighths to fit through hole
3.5 lbs honey
1 cinnamon stick
1 clove
1 vanilla bean
handful of raisins
water to about 3 inches of the top
1 tsp Fleischmann bread yeast (yeah, I know)

MIX LIKE CRAZY THEN PUT IT AWAY SOMEWHERE WARM AND DARK
DO NOT DO ANYTHING MORE
DO NOT RACK
DO NOT STIR
DO NOT FEED
JUST WAIT UNTIL IT CLEARS ON IT'S OWN (takes about 3 months)

When it's clear, rack to another bottle and stick it in yer fridge
before ya drink it.

I used fresh bread yeast and its a bit wine like but fine cold, as I said I would up the honey, and use a strong flavour like heather or clover,or better still something from a local bee keeper if you can.

HTH