Where to start with mead?

[JamesF]

I have two or three 15lb buckets of honey that has gone absolutely rock solid and I'm thinking rather than try to get it all runny again and bottling it, I could just put an opened bucket in an FV with five gallons-ish of water, nutrients etc. and give it a couple of days in the fermentation cabinet with an occasional stir, add some yeast and let nature take its course. Does that sound excessively cavalier?

Given that I know next to nothing about making mead, is there a good place to start in terms of recipes and processes?

James

[adman1966]

I think that may be too much honey.

The calculation is approx 1lb of honey in a 5 gallon batch equals 1% ABV.

If your yeast tolerance is 15%, 15lb of honey is medium, less honey will finish dry and more will finish sweet.

This is fairly approximate but should give you a starting point. Someone with more experience than me should be able to advise further.

[JamesF]

Sounds like I might have to get all the honey into solution and then split the batch in that case.

James

[fatbloke]

Have a read of the newbie guide over at gotmead forums.

Traditional meads (honey, water, yeast, nutrients) uses about 3 to 4lb of honey in the gallon.

A starting gravity IRO 1.100 to 1.110 is good. Not too much to cause problems, strong enough that you'd have alcohol protection in the finished batch.

Honey is hygroscopic so with the water and a bit of time, it should dissolve fine.......