Shorts

Haven't had mead in a while but got a wild hair to try a homemade batch. Actually hubby and I were watching a Locked-up Abroad episode that featured an idiot American chef who was working at a US military compound in Saudi Arabia. The moron started bootlegging.

Anyway, anyone brew mead? I know I won't be able to drink it for a while but it be cool to do.

cbrahs

never heard of it but did find a forum for just that

http://www.gotmead.com/index.php?opt...id=8&Itemid=13

smooky

I never made it yet but I got a buddy who does it and it very good.heard its fairly easy just gotta play the waiting game. Couple homebrewing sites I'm on have sections for mead. Homebrewtalk.com,homebrewchatter.com

sent while im laying with your girlfriend

SIXSLUG

Its pretty much the same as brewing beer just with different ingredients.

Remember, sanitation and patience are your best attributes when playing with sugar water!!

Shorts

Thanks for the links and sites. I got hooked on mead the first time I tried it...mmmmmm....


Big 10-4 on sanitation. I don't want weird things growing in my brew. I took biology. I remember doing the culture based on a swab from the inside of my cheek. Some people grew really gross stuff

Bark

Did beer a long time ago but never mead. With the current prices, I wish I hadnt gotten rid of all my bottles and stuff.

Shorts

Did you find your one special brew?

Every now and again I see bottles and stuff for wine/beer making on CL. Might grab some. Especially in our area that's "wine" country here in our little piece of the big metro.

SIXSLUG

Let us know how it turns out!

Shorts

Boy, I'm about a third of the way through reading the mead brewing for newbs articles. I didn't think there was going to be so much studying involved. I just wanted to mix stuff!

I might actually figure out what I'm doing.

Bark

I only did two batches and neither one was that great (drinkable but not great). The friends I gave all my equipment to (I had gotten it used) make a very good product. It took them about a year to get it perfect but the stuff they make is great and costs about a quarter of what even a bad beer costs at the store.

grouch

I used to date a gal whose father was a Polish immigrant. He went out one side of town while the ***** came in the other. He liked to make home made wine. I had some Blackberry or Blueberry once. Went down smooth. Very tasty. Didn't bother me a bit, until I tried to stand up. Then my legs didn't want to work. You have to watch home brew as it's easy to get the proof high enough to knock your socks off.

Shorts

That sounds like a smart deal giving it your friends. Let them brew it up. Since you supplied the equipment you should be entitled to the first pick of every litter. Kinda like breeders do with pups, right?







Well boys, here's batch #1.






Kept it simple and used their most basic even-the-beginner can't screw it up recipe....I hope.

The batch time was 3pm when I put on the balloon (acts as the air lock) on and now it's 330 and the balloon is standing at attention. Should take a few weeks for the majority of fermentation. Then it'll set for a couple months.

DH was laughing at me. "Sweetie, you want to drink mead now so you make it where you won't get to drink it for a couple months. Just go buy some."

I'll probably go buy some anyway. But I had to start building my cellar sometime, right?

westcoaster

Dear old Dad makes it by the carboy.

I have a buddy that's a bee keeper and he keeps me supplied in honey by the 20 pound bucket. I keep Dear old Dad supplied in honey by the 20 pound bucket and Dear old Dad keeps me supplied in mead by the case...

Shorts

That's a pretty sweet deal! Does he do different flavored batches?

That reminds me, dad has a lot of trouble with honey bees making a home out of the water meter box. Maybe I should coax him into becoming a part time beekeeper??

westcoaster

One of the byproducts of honey production is bees wax. The raw bees wax is still fairly well mixed with honey. It is then heated to the point where the wax melts. Wax goes one way and the honey goes another but the honey is a fairly dark amber colour as a result of the process (known as Caramelized Honey). Taste of the honey is also a little different.
I think this is also known as "bakers honey". Anyway, he makes mead out of that as well (dark amber mead)

Currently he has a batch of Caramelized honey that he has flavored with licorice on the go. Apparently it's fairly bubbling away....