Honey Mead Noob Question

[pstlpkr]

:worship: +1 on Phred's post.
Furthermore:

When you go to bottle, be sure that all fermentation is arrested.

Just the act of bottling can reactivate fermentation in your Mead.

Once corked; if it starts to ferment again, you could have at the very least a mess on your hands, and at the worst a glass grenade.
One more thing:

If you decide to make some "LPR" (Liquid Panty Remover, Chocolate mead)

Be prepared to let it clarify and age for at least two or three years... but probably more like four or five.
Patience my friend.

::

 

[jonahtke]

I let mine sit in the primary fermenter until the bubbling in the air lock completely stopped (for me this took about three weeks). Then I racked it to the secondary fermenter, wrapped it in a black trash bag and let it sit for 8 months (9 total). This is the optimal amount of time to get the most flavor from aging as well as a pretty hefty alcohol content. My mistake was not filtering the mead with cheese cloth or something similar before I botteled it. I then had 24 some odd bottles of mead with a small layer of sediment at the bottom (dead yeast mostly), this didn't prevent it from being either consumable or tasty.

 

[ohiopuffer]

I might try some LPR down the road somewhere once I get a handle on what I am doing.Also I bought some Star San to sanitize everything with.Thanks again for all of the great advice guys I will post something once we get it all started.

 

[andrew]

Yes sanitizing is huge, I know alot of people who try brewing and their like well the first batch was great and then all the others were crap. Then I explain the importance of having to sanitize everything well, and how soap and water doesn't do it.

 

[phred]

Also I bought some Star San to sanitize everything with.

That's the stuff! Couldn't remember the brand name, as I've been okay with bleach so far and haven't gotten around to brewing up the mesquite honey I have in the pantry yet... :D
Let us know how it goes - I've been getting the itch to brew again myself.

 

[ciderguy]

Good luck with your mead making. Reading this thread has made me thirsty for some Dansk Mjød Viking Blod, a sweet still mead with hibiscus and hops.

 

[ohiopuffer]

I just wanted to post I finally got around to starting my first batch today.I made 3 gallons of the recipe above since the wine making kit I bought makes 3 gallons.I am excited to see how it turns out and had lots of fun.I am already looking into getting more carboys to make other kinds of mead.I will post how it turns out.

 

[pstlpkr]

Ohiopuffer, did you make the Orange-Clove?

It's really good....

Just remember patience is the key....

Days seem like weeks...

Weeks seem like years...

Years like centuries...

But, it's worth it.

 

[ohiopuffer]

Yes i made the Orange-Clove.I found a local beekeeper who has wildflower honey.The mixture smelled amazing I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

 

[fitzy]

I've got Baron's book as well. I started brewing Mead only about 6 months ago. I've got 2 batches right now I'm sitting on. One's an orange similar to Lawrence's recipe plus a Blackberry.
One thing you need to do is rack that stuff regularly the first few months. You don't want it sitting for a long time on the lee's that will accumulate at the bottom of your carboy.
Good Luck.

 

[ohiopuffer]

How often should I rack it and how soon should I start racking it after it starts fermenting?I am using a fermentation bucket.

 

[rhogg]

Use a champagne yeast. Makes a drier wine with more flavor. Meade can be very sweet, but that's not my thing. Use an ale yeast for a sweeter taste.

 

[pstlpkr]

How often should I rack it and how soon should I start racking it after it starts fermenting?I am using a fermentation bucket.

I will generally rack the first time when the bubble rate falls to one bubble per minute.

Then I will rack a second time after one month.

When the Mead is in the third carboy.... then comes the hard part.

Sometimes a month before I bottle, sometimes, I will rack every six months thereafter.

It all depends on the recipe.

e.g. Orange Clove can be bottled when the fermentation has ceased and it has cleared.

Chocolate (LPR) every six months (with a tasting) :D It can be bottled after a one to several years.

 

[fitzy]

I'm the same with Lawrence on my first rack but after that every time the lee's settle to the bottom I'll rack to a new carboy which in the beginning usually works out to every 3 or so weeks for 2 or 3 repetitions after that point it leave it until it's ready to drink.

 

[ohiopuffer]

Ok thanks guys.I still have a little bit so I am going to pick up another carboy and a autosiphon while I wait.Thanks again guys.

 

[ohiopuffer]

Hello all just thought I would give an update.I am going to rack the mead for the first time this weekend sometime.I bought a bottle of Redstone mead at the brew shop where I have been getting my supplies and did not like it at all.I guess I thought it would have a sweeter taste.I still have my fingers crossed that mine will turn out better than what I bought.I think I will get a sweet mead yeast for the next batch also.I have a big sweet tooth so I can handle the sweet stuff.

 

[pstlpkr]

It's a no brainer...

Home brewed Mead is always superior to that Sto'bought stuff.

 

[ciderguy]

Good luck to you. I'm not a huge fan of the dry mead. They often taste too watery to me. I want mead to have some character of the honey that comes through in both aroma and taste.

 

[ohiopuffer]

I was hoping the honey would come through in the flavor but I did not taste it at all in the bottle I bought.Maybe I just don't know enough about what i am doing but I thought I would taste the honey and it would be sweet.I guess I will have to see what mine tastes like when I rack it for the first time.

 

[ohiopuffer]

Hello all I have been busy lately but thought I would post that my mead is done and everyone I have given some to love it.I know a guy who is a wine maker who had tried to make mead before and did not have much luck but he loves the stuff I made and said it is better than any mead that he has made.Now I just have to try and hide some to let it age if possible. :D