Mead..
- Thread starter tomtom
- Start date
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You're showing your age there mate! (says he, who's only a couple of years younger...). 5p won't even pay for a cork...
Posting for the second time after my browser crashed... :angry:
My own simple recipe for mead (assumes you have a basic knowledge of wine-making)
4lbs honey
1 and a bit gallons water
Yeast, nutrient etc
Boil the honey and water together for at least 20-30 mins until they are both well mixed (if you don't boil it for long enough, the honey 'sediments out' in the demijohn).
Cool to body heat, add yeast and nutrients (nutrients are important here as honey doesn't contain the same ones that fruits do, which is what most wine yeasts are selected for. The best yeasts to use are sherry-type ones as these deal better with fermenting honey.
Pour into demijohns - don't worry if it takes a while before the airlocks start bubbling - it takes longer for the yeast to start fermenting honey - up to 36 hours before bubbling gets going properly.
Leave for at least 6 weeks - again, honey is slower to ferment than fruit, and continues fermenting at a slower rate for longer than fruit does (i.e the bubble rate slows a lot, but fermentation is still going on!
Rack, leave to settle again, then bottle. Keep for at leat 6months to a year, but probably drink within 2-3 years, as some meads start to lose flavour after a long storage.
To make methiglin (mead with herbs/spices) ad some cinnamon/cloves/nutmeg etc during the boiling - other variations include mint, caraway etc, but I've not tried these. To make melomel, boil some fruit in as well - rosehips, apples, strawberries/raspberries add a good flavour.
However, mead does take a long time to make and wait
- if anyone is interested I can post a recipe for spiced honey liqueur which takes about 1 hour from starting to drinking 
):
My own simple recipe for mead (assumes you have a basic knowledge of wine-making)
4lbs honey
1 and a bit gallons water
Yeast, nutrient etc
Boil the honey and water together for at least 20-30 mins until they are both well mixed (if you don't boil it for long enough, the honey 'sediments out' in the demijohn).
Cool to body heat, add yeast and nutrients (nutrients are important here as honey doesn't contain the same ones that fruits do, which is what most wine yeasts are selected for. The best yeasts to use are sherry-type ones as these deal better with fermenting honey.
Pour into demijohns - don't worry if it takes a while before the airlocks start bubbling - it takes longer for the yeast to start fermenting honey - up to 36 hours before bubbling gets going properly.
Leave for at least 6 weeks - again, honey is slower to ferment than fruit, and continues fermenting at a slower rate for longer than fruit does (i.e the bubble rate slows a lot, but fermentation is still going on!
Rack, leave to settle again, then bottle. Keep for at leat 6months to a year, but probably drink within 2-3 years, as some meads start to lose flavour after a long storage.
To make methiglin (mead with herbs/spices) ad some cinnamon/cloves/nutmeg etc during the boiling - other variations include mint, caraway etc, but I've not tried these. To make melomel, boil some fruit in as well - rosehips, apples, strawberries/raspberries add a good flavour.
However, mead does take a long time to make and wait
- if anyone is interested I can post a recipe for spiced honey liqueur which takes about 1 hour from starting to drinking ):
If you gonig to make mead get in touch with the local beekeepers association not only will the give you info and help, but if would ask nicely/give them a hand the may well give you the cappings when they extract the honey.
The cappings are the wax seals on the comb. These ust be removed before the comb is spun - fun but sticky job. When you take the caps of a fair amount of honey comes with it.
Soak the capping in hot (not boiling) to disolve the honey (4-5lb per gallon I use). This way you using the honey that cann't be bottled and you get a load of clean wax.
The cappings are the wax seals on the comb. These ust be removed before the comb is spun - fun but sticky job. When you take the caps of a fair amount of honey comes with it.
Soak the capping in hot (not boiling) to disolve the honey (4-5lb per gallon I use). This way you using the honey that cann't be bottled and you get a load of clean wax.
