As an avid beginning beekeeper I was pondering making my first batch of mead. Question is would I like it ? I been drinking beer for over 35 years. I despise any kind of wine. I have tried many varieties and only found one I could tolerate. It was a very sweet wine my wife found. I hate the taste of alcohol, as in whiskeys, vodka, rum ..... I can drink mixed drinks using alcohol as long as the alcohol taste is masked enough that I can’t taste it. So was just wondering what you guys opinions were about if I need to try Making mead or no ? Thanks
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New Bee 🐝
- Thread starter Jixxerbill
- Start date
I think your window is so narrow (not sweet and no alcohol taste) that you would find it difficult (as a newbee) to create something that you would like. It sounds like you should stick to beer 
So you like sweet, low alcohol wines. That means, if you were to make mead, you should aim for a low alcohol content (and a low gravity must, around 1.050) and ferment that dry, and then you can backsweeten with honey or fruit. Since you like beers, you can also try making a braggot. I'm also not a very avid wine drinker, but in my opinion mead has evolved over the years. It has evolved so much, in fact, that you can class and make it according to every single style of drink you can imagine. Want a beer-style mead? Make a low-ABV sparkling mead, a braggot or a mead made with hops. Want one more akin to cider? Make a cyser or pyment, low ABV and sparkling. Like dry wines? Make a dry trad. Like whiskies and liqueurs? Distill (if legal) or fortify your mead. Etc. etc.
There are so many styles, chances are you will find at least one that tickles your fancy. Biggest downside with mead is the cost of the honey, but since you are a beekeeper, you have that sorted so you might as well use it for all kinds of uses. Not to mention a good mead seems to sell for exuberant prices at places. A plain, basic mead in South Africa tends to retail for the same price as premium, award-winning wines.
There are so many styles, chances are you will find at least one that tickles your fancy. Biggest downside with mead is the cost of the honey, but since you are a beekeeper, you have that sorted so you might as well use it for all kinds of uses. Not to mention a good mead seems to sell for exuberant prices at places. A plain, basic mead in South Africa tends to retail for the same price as premium, award-winning wines.
I am going to make it simple for you.
More alcohol in the beverage the more sugar needed to cover up alcohol taste.
Pretty simple- AS LONG AS YOUR FERMENTATION IS DONE RIGHT!
If it is not done right you can create Fusels which are not good tasting,
More alcohol in the beverage the more sugar needed to cover up alcohol taste.
Pretty simple- AS LONG AS YOUR FERMENTATION IS DONE RIGHT!
If it is not done right you can create Fusels which are not good tasting,
Stick to beer... or try a braggot - a hybrid drink made of beer and mead. You say you are a beer drinker. Does that mean that you have also brewed beer? If you haven't then trying to make an "all grain" braggot may be a huge challenge but you can make a braggot using dry malt extracts or liquid malt extracts. Braggots do not have to be high alcohol and they won't be more dry than a beer. But here's the thing: as a beek you may know many other bee-keepers in your vicinity. My guess is that at least some of them make mead. Ask them if you can have a sip or two of their meads...
