Anyone here ever make Mead (honey-wine)?

A new meadery opened up in Homer, Ak, and I stopped in last time I was
down there and had some *wonderful* Cyser (I brought home a bottle, but
it's a four+ hour drive down to refill the bottle <g>) and tasted a few
other excellent brews. In looking at various Mead recipes, most seem
to be for large batches (5 gallons at a whack seems pretty standard).
I'd like to try making it myself, but I really don't want to make that
much.

Is mead something where, in your experience, I could just cut the
recipe in thirds or less and still have it be successful? It's a
looooong fermenting process, and I don't want to go all the way through
it just to discover that, for some reason, it can't be done in smaller
quantites.

Thanks.

Alexis.

Alexis.

I make mine in gallon cider bottles.
I also have two and three gallon size bottles.
You can get those from most Home Brewing supply sources.
Here's a good site for recipes.

http://www.hbd.org/brewery/cm3/CatsMeow3.html

wrote:
> Alexis.
>
> I make mine in gallon cider bottles.
> I also have two and three gallon size bottles.
> You can get those from most Home Brewing supply sources.
> Here's a good site for recipes.
>
> http://www.hbd.org/brewery/cm3/CatsMeow3.html

This is a great site -- thanks (much better than the ones I was looking
at -- far more comprehensive).

Alexis.

On 2006-07-21, Alexis > wrote:

> other excellent brews. In looking at various Mead recipes, most seem
> to be for large batches (5 gallons at a whack seems pretty standard).

Why not do a 5 gal batch? Beer brewers use these surplus soda syrup
kegs, called corny kegs. They are stainless steel and admit no light.

http://www.rcbequip.com/productCat15956.ctlg

> looooong fermenting process....

Yep. Should be a year minimum. All the more reason to make plenty.
My beer brewing buddy always has about 4-5 corny's of mead in
different stages of aging. A 3-5 year old mead is something most
people have never experienced and it's just awesome. I had no idea.
He has some blackberry mead (melomel) that is to die for. I'm going
to do a keg of mead, myself.

nb

nb

notbob wrote:
> On 2006-07-21, Alexis > wrote:
>
> > other excellent brews. In looking at various Mead recipes, most seem
> > to be for large batches (5 gallons at a whack seems pretty standard).
>
> Why not do a 5 gal batch?

10-20 pounds of honey per batch (averaging, based on several different
recipes) is pretty darn expensive, here, for something that might not
be fully up-to-snuff my first time out. I'd much rather start small,
so it's not a major loss if it doesn't come out right (the berries are
easy though. I've got plenty of home-grown, or
wild-but-personally-gathered, blueberries and raspberries in the
freezer).

Thanks for the point to the equipment site!

Alexis.

On 2006-07-22, Alexis > wrote:

> 10-20 pounds of honey per batch (averaging, based on several different
> recipes) is pretty darn expensive.....

If you scale up, check your local farmer's market. You may be
surprised to find a local producing honey. I not only found one, but
he's a beer and mead brewer, too, and offered to cut a fellow brewer a
deal. Good luck.

nb

notbob wrote:
> On 2006-07-22, Alexis > wrote:
>
> > 10-20 pounds of honey per batch (averaging, based on several different
> > recipes) is pretty darn expensive.....
>
> If you scale up, check your local farmer's market. You may be
> surprised to find a local producing honey. I not only found one, but
> he's a beer and mead brewer, too, and offered to cut a fellow brewer a
> deal. Good luck.
>
> nb

We have wonderful local honey (I'm a big fan of the farmer's market --
although, well, it's just 'different' here <g>). Unfortunately, the
local stuff -- better tasting, without a doubt -- is generally more
expensive than the store stuff.

Several years ago I spent the summer making my own, bee-less,
'homesteaders honey' in the more traditional honey-flavor as well as
various others (raspberry, rose petal, blueberry, etc.). It's come up
in conversation for the first time again this year (several times,
actually). I'm thinking that it's a sign -- instead of mead, I should
go back to 'brewing' honey!

Alexis.

On 2006-07-22, Alexis > wrote:

> local stuff -- better tasting, without a doubt -- is generally more
> expensive than the store stuff.

Yeah, greedy bastids in my farm/mark, too.
Screw 'em.

nb