Hello the house! I just signed up here today....been reading a lot!
My first attempt at mead is currently brewing. I started the batch on 2/11/2005. The recipe is from a copyrighted college text so I don't know if I have the right to post the recipe here. It is a plain mead made using a 2-liter cola bottle as the primary fermenter. There's no airlock, no testing except that it is drinkable at the end of the month long period.
Per the text: I washed everything with soap and water before beginning. I rinsed well. I brewed my tea (STRONG) and cooled the cup in ice water bath, measured out the RealLemon lemon juice (I didn't have a med. size lemon handy), measured out my honey and mixing water (directions were by volume). Using a tsp of the honey water, I started my...um...yeast (bread yeast-it's all I had at the time.) It took off like gangbusters! So, I got everything mixed and poured into the bottle and topped off (about 2" from top) with water. The entire mix was slightly cool to the touch. I shook the bejeezers out of that bottle, burped out the old air, drew in fresh, then repeated the process. Within six hours I had to start burping that container. After three days, it started smelling of alcohol. After 9 days, it just smelled like honey.
Well, I went ahead and did a rack to a secondary fermenter yesterday (day 9)(another 2-liter bottle cuz it's all I've got for now.) I did decant about an ounce into a glass during the transfer (practicing the water in tube siphon method which worked beautifully) and it tasted like nothing I've ever tasted before. The tingle from the carbonation, a slightly tart taste from the lemon juice I used (or the tea I'm not sure which) and of course the delicious flavor of the honey (don't know how to describe it yet) and above all, the warm flush in stomach and on tongue, leads me to believe that I succeeded in making my first ever....ahem.....mead!
I was most surprised that I didn't taste a 'bread yeast' flavor.
I added an additional ounce of honey (it was the crystalized remains from the first measure) using about an ounce of hot water to thin it. It's still popping along at 1 bubble every 2 seconds (I broke down and made my own bubbler/airlock/sanitizer with air tubing [from a pet store] through the bottle cap and have it immersed in 1/2 diluted everclear.) Since I have no gear to measure, when will I know that fermentation is done and that it's not just trapped CO2 being released? I will be getting a couple 750ml wine bottles soon to make sure I have what I need to bottle and store the mead.....where can I get fresh corks? or can I reuse the ones that held the previous contents of the bottles?
Yes, I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but I honestly didn't expect much and when I had my SO try it, he deemed it...ah....very drinkable.
As he has imbibed around the world, it was a passing grade for me!
My first attempt at mead is currently brewing. I started the batch on 2/11/2005. The recipe is from a copyrighted college text so I don't know if I have the right to post the recipe here. It is a plain mead made using a 2-liter cola bottle as the primary fermenter. There's no airlock, no testing except that it is drinkable at the end of the month long period.
Per the text: I washed everything with soap and water before beginning. I rinsed well. I brewed my tea (STRONG) and cooled the cup in ice water bath, measured out the RealLemon lemon juice (I didn't have a med. size lemon handy), measured out my honey and mixing water (directions were by volume). Using a tsp of the honey water, I started my...um...yeast (bread yeast-it's all I had at the time.) It took off like gangbusters! So, I got everything mixed and poured into the bottle and topped off (about 2" from top) with water. The entire mix was slightly cool to the touch. I shook the bejeezers out of that bottle, burped out the old air, drew in fresh, then repeated the process. Within six hours I had to start burping that container. After three days, it started smelling of alcohol. After 9 days, it just smelled like honey.
Well, I went ahead and did a rack to a secondary fermenter yesterday (day 9)(another 2-liter bottle cuz it's all I've got for now.) I did decant about an ounce into a glass during the transfer (practicing the water in tube siphon method which worked beautifully) and it tasted like nothing I've ever tasted before. The tingle from the carbonation, a slightly tart taste from the lemon juice I used (or the tea I'm not sure which) and of course the delicious flavor of the honey (don't know how to describe it yet) and above all, the warm flush in stomach and on tongue, leads me to believe that I succeeded in making my first ever....ahem.....mead!
I was most surprised that I didn't taste a 'bread yeast' flavor.I added an additional ounce of honey (it was the crystalized remains from the first measure) using about an ounce of hot water to thin it. It's still popping along at 1 bubble every 2 seconds (I broke down and made my own bubbler/airlock/sanitizer with air tubing [from a pet store] through the bottle cap and have it immersed in 1/2 diluted everclear.) Since I have no gear to measure, when will I know that fermentation is done and that it's not just trapped CO2 being released? I will be getting a couple 750ml wine bottles soon to make sure I have what I need to bottle and store the mead.....where can I get fresh corks? or can I reuse the ones that held the previous contents of the bottles?
Yes, I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but I honestly didn't expect much and when I had my SO try it, he deemed it...ah....very drinkable.
As he has imbibed around the world, it was a passing grade for me!
