Is this totally safe to drink?

  • PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.

NoobAtThis

NewBee
Registered Member
Apr 20, 2022
2
0
1
Norway
Hi, me and some friends decided to try make some mead. We wanted to do it as cheaply as possible. We know that it will properly be horrible. Therefor we used normal 1,5 liter soda bottles (Coca Cola and Pepsi max), normal baking yeast and just regular honey. We did buy and use airlocks.
For the first bottle we used:
400 grams honney
13 grams of yeast
Cinnamon sticks (many, like 8 or something)

For the second bottle we used:
650 grams honney
13 grams of yeast
Some ginger

So my question is just: Is this totally safe to drink? We washed everything we used, and boiled the water, and dipped all tools in boiling water. It is properly not sterile... Will it be harmful or what is the worst outcome? Is the worst scenario a bit of diarrhea, throwing up or a hurting stomach?
What do you think?

Thank you everyone for the answers!
 
Welcome! I guess I'll start off by saying sometimes we get out what we put into it. ;) .
To your base question though, I don't think you're going to get some weird bug if it's sealed up well enough, so it's safe from that perspective IMO. If it ferments, the alcohol can act as an inhibitor to critters that would normally like to grow in your must.
If it ends up fermenting anything, what it ends up tasting like, or if there's too much cinnamon for someone, etc., is another story.
I think the easiest, and cheapest route if you're going to use baking yeast is to look up a JAOM - there's a recipe on this site. Just use oranges that don't have too much pith, or peal some of it off if they do.
That said, sometimes a fermentation just works out OK, and you might end up really happy. Aging can help too. I would definitely want to let all the lees settle out and rack (transfer) off of those.
Mead can be a bit of an expensive endeavor, but there are some really good protocols you can study and do well with the minimum equipment.
Please let us know how they turn out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: darigoni
If you cleaned everything well you should be fine. What will cause stomach issues is not racking off the lees (the stuff that settles in the bottle). I've used bakers yeast commercially on occasion and it works well, but prefer wine or beer yeast instead.
What water are you using - filtered tap? tap? Chlorine in water can give off flavors.
Based on your recipe, I do not see use of any yeast nutrients - this can cause potential struggles to ferment or off flavors. This is a potentially (if I calculated right) 10% dry mead with is likely gonna be heavy on cinnamon flavor for a 1.5 liter batch.

The 2nd one looks like it would end up with some more alcohol and/or residual sweetness and a flavor profile that depends upon what "some" ginger is. (Spices can always be added is not enough)

Honey is the expensive part of mead making, so cutting corners on some reusable equipment/sanitizers and water may not be the cheapest way to make mead - especially if it does not turn out well :) .

Let us know how these 2 go and good luck on your mead making!