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Distilling mead?

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Balen

NewBee
Registered Member
Jan 8, 2011
37
0
0
Is it possible to make "meadshine"? Anyone of you tried to distill it? What was the result?
 

JohnS

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 11, 2011
91
0
0
planet earth
I personally have never done it, however there shouldn't be a problem doing it.

Mead is almost all water and simply distilling it would require a purchase of a distiller at the LHBS. They use to sell them at sears, or I am sure you can also get them at amazon.

Simply the process of distillation is heating the liquid so that all the water and impurities, have dissipated and all that is left is distilled mead. For a red wine it would also be called Brandy.

So making a mead Brandy is entirely possible. In fact there is a place new to Chicago will be starting to sell distilled mead. I think there is a thread on this forum devoted to this proposition.

I have even thought about making my own personal mead brandy for consumption with friends and family.

Try it and write about it here. I would like to know more about it and others here would be interested also.
 

calicojack

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 29, 2010
273
1
0
Montgomery, AL
waste of mead. from 15 gallons of mash you produce 1.5 gallons of pure alcohol. not to mention that here in the states it's illegal
 

fatbloke

good egg/snappy dresser.....
GotMead Patron
Unless you've a license, it's illegal in the majority of places. NZ and Italy I understand it's ok, and probably a few other places.

Hypothetically speaking, you'd need to use a pot still type device. Reflux stills would strip all of the colour and flavour.

Some places have commercially made honey spirits/brandy/whatever and whether it's been imported to where you are is anyones guess......
 

Loadnabox

NewBee
Registered Member
Apr 17, 2011
849
3
0
Ohio
Discussion of distillation in the public areas (non-member) forums may be considered a violation of TOU for the forums as well.

It might be legal in some places but the admins here do not want to give the impression in any way that they are encouraging behavior that is illegal in the country of origin for these forums.
 

kudapucat

NewBee
Registered Member
Dec 2, 2010
2,383
10
0
Bundoora, Melbourne, Australia
+1
Don't bother.
Buy some pure grape spirit and fortify if you want to try that. Honey's too expensive to be seeking a distilled product.
Besides, think about it. An ok bottle of mead fetches $30 - $100
If you make a mead brandy, (a Mandy??) then it will become at least 3 times as concentrated. So $90 - $300 per bottle plus done for effort. I'm never going to make anything worth that much, it simply couldn't taste good enough to be worth it.
 

Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE
Moderator
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Apr 27, 2010
8,447
59
48
Ottawa, ON
Jack Daniels actually came out with a honey something or other... I only use JD for medicinal purposes so I haven't investigated further.
 

calicojack

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 29, 2010
273
1
0
Montgomery, AL
They did. oddly enough I think it's called Jack Daniel's Honey. I haven't tried it. my stomach doesn't handle hard liqour anymore. to much of it when i was younger.
 

huesmann

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Aug 22, 2011
190
4
18
jackdanielshoney.jpg
 

Penguinetti

NewBee
Registered Member
Dec 20, 2011
375
3
0
Eliot, ME
I had an Irish liquor called Celtic Crossings Honey Whiskey Liquor. That was damn tasty. Even my grandma (god rest her soul) would take a few swigs of that straight.

If you want a hard honey, I'd say try that out for size...
 

JimSar

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 11, 2009
144
1
0
Vallejo, CA
medium.jpg

large.jpg


My friend from Lithuania gave me this bottle which he referred to as "mead". I called it Soyuz Rocket Fuel.
 
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Jas53

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 27, 2011
101
1
0
Plymouth, Michigan
Its the same as in Poland - honey liqueur. About 80 to 100 proof. Made by mixing grain alcohol with honey and spices - heating with water to carmelize and adding the mixture to grain alcohol. In Poland called Krupnik or this variety would be Krupnik Kitewski. Remember that at one time the commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania-Ukraine extended from Berlin to Moscow, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
 

Penguinetti

NewBee
Registered Member
Dec 20, 2011
375
3
0
Eliot, ME
You should really try Żołądkowa Gorzka z Miodem... This stuff is crazy good, and definitely strong. It's a vodka, mixed with Polish Honey
 

GntlKnigt1

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Mar 17, 2004
2,484
8
38
Chicago area formerly Netherlands
Mead brandy? National Honey Board?

Pretty interesting thread here!!! I just found that the National Honey Board also makes mention of mead brandy.....I wonder if these are really made from mead. Well, all hypothetical, of course.
http://www.honey.com/images/downloads/makingmead.pdf

That tract says that a honey liquer is made by backsweetening distilled mead (mead brandy).
 
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