Spreading the love that is.....mead

Alden · Feb 21, 2006

This weekend I helped a buddy of mine enter the wonderful world of mazing (the second person so far that I've brought into the fold - and yes, I do tell them about gotmead.com). We went down to the LHBS and hooked him up with a 1-gal winemaking kit, and supplemented that with a few other bits of equipment.

That evening, we started him out on a batch of Joes Ancient Orange - exactly per the directions. I hooked him up with that recipe to start for a couple reasons: 1) it's a pretty quick recipe to enjoy the results, and 2) I've been wanting to try the recipe myself but never seem to get to it. After we got the AO batch going, we then made a batch of homemade rootbeer. I've never made yeast-infused soda before (he has), so I'm curious to try it this weekend when it's ready.

Also, the guy who helped *me* get started with mead and I are going to be teaching a "Basics of Mead" class at an SCA event in the Houston area towards the end of May. I'm really looking forward to that. We (he) might also do a cordials class - which I know very little about.

So the point of this post is....share the love that is mead!

Scott Horner · Feb 21, 2006

Heck my LHBS store owes me comission.

I went down to buy some ingredients for a ginger beer my wife wants to make and wound up talking to several people about making mead. 2 even bought Ken Schramms' book and honey to try it with . I also of course turned them onto Gotmead.com and told them about Joe's recipie, I think it is a great place to start for the new brewer since it is drinkable in about a month (gods I wish all meads were).

Thanks for sharing the obsession with others. Hopefully someday I will acutally talk my local wine stores into having a row dedicated to all the meads that are out there.

Scott

pain · Feb 21, 2006

LOL...my daughter doesn't want to go with me anymore to the brew shop, 'cause I end up being there for several hours, talking mead with people that come in, sharing homebrews and generally shooting the breeze........

Vicky - laying a new floor in my daughters' room before I hit the road to visit family this afternoon

woody · Feb 21, 2006

its always a blast to bring another soul into the mead world, thats for sure. i tried some of this ancient orange at meadfest from one of you got mead people. i only remember the real name not the forum name, but it was YUMMY even tho it was young. i think its funny the superstition about not changing the recipie! but if it works, why change it? right?

Miriam · Feb 22, 2006

Woody,

It's not a matter of superstition; Joe Mattioli worked the recipe out over a long series of experiments in order to get it just right. A lot of people do their own variations once they get it down. It's a quick, easy, satisfying mead that's perfect for the new mazer and gives him/her confidence to develop more advanced methods. I usually start a new batch right after bottling the previous one, because it goes so fast. So far I haven't changed anything about the recipe because there are so many other experiments and new meads in the carboys that I like to have an old reliable to fall back on. Maybe I will someday - throw in some dried fruit or frozen lemonade or something. But if I'm going to use wine yeast and start racking, it won't be Ancient Orange, it'll be something else.

And I'm too afraid of what will happen if I fiddle with the recipe and void that karmic guarantee...maybe the carboy will blow up.

Miriam

Oskaar · Feb 22, 2006

Hey Woody,

Good to see you posting here!

For you all in Gotmead land, Woody's brother roomed with me at the Mead Festival so we did some heavy duty non-stop partying round the clock (along with several other gotmeaders that we ran into during the course of the nights).

Next time we need to like . . . coordinate getting together because I missed out on partying with ScottS and Dmntd and Byathread. I was kind of like a rubber ducky floating in the party current when people grabbed me and dragged me to another party in a different part of the hotel.

But I digress. Anyhow Woody and Eric, along with their partners will be doing a startup meadery this year, and I'm looking forward to seeing them bring it to life. They're good people with a passion for mead so I wish them every success.

Cheers,

Oskaar

Summersolstice · Feb 22, 2006

Woody-

I'm glad you enjoyed the Ancient Orange at the Meadfest. I almost didn't bring it because I figured, due to its popularity on several boards, everyone would pass it by for something more "exotic" and unfamiliar. Little did I realize that, with the exception of the few gotmead members I met there, no one had heard of it. People love it and its an especially big hit at the SCA events I attend. Miriam's right though - I've attempted variations and they just aren't as successful as the original recipe.

Good luck to you and Eric on your new meadery!

woody · Feb 23, 2006

thanks all, we'll need all the positive energy we can get to make it work!

NeadMead · Mar 8, 2006

Coincidentally, I was talking to some co-workers the past couple of days "spreading the love that is mead." I have one definate who is willing to try some when I get it going and ready. A few possibles and a few deffinate nos. The nos will just have to miss out on a good thing. May the gods grant you great brews.

Brewbear · Mar 26, 2006

Hey Woody,
Here's channeling lots of positive charma to you and your brother ;D
Best of luck,
Brewbear

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Spreading the love that is.....mead

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