The two meads types are coming along nicely. Back sweetened the fire mead with 3oz of raw honey and added 3 cinnamon sticks to each gallon. The Xmas mead was plenty sweet, just added the cinnamon sticks.
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Discussion
Mead was one of my favorite things to brew. It's almost impossible to find a commercial mead that doesn't taste like wet cardboard. Brewing it yourself is a lot of work but it's almost always a superior product.One of my favorites was chocolate mead.
12 lbs. local honey
4.5 gallons water
High alcohol tolerance Champagne yeast
Ferment to completion. Rack to secondary
8 oz. can of Hershey's Cocoa powder
1/4 gallon water
Bring water to boil, set heat to low.
Add cocoa and whisk until you have a sludge that can be poured
Add to secondary fermenter
Wait anywhere between 3 months and a year, then bottle
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Been #beekeeper for last eight years, but never tried making Meade!
This just needs to happen. Can help.
Ironically, I have my old wine making gear and air bubble traps from many moons ago, so all I'd need is new demijohns!
Halfway there! Start small with a one gallon batch. 5 gallons is the sweet spot though.
any good recipes I can try?
Go with a plain jane to start. Depending on how good your honey is (whatever the bees got into), might even be all you want.
One Gallon of Mead
3lbs Honey
2g yeast
2oz chopped raisin
8oz black tea
Heat water to 100° F, dissolve honey, toss in your raisins and tea (raisins as a yeast nutrient, tea for tannins. Both add a little flavor).
Cool to 70° F and add hydrated yeast.
Finish ABV should clock around 15% if you use a champagne yeast.
Ferment for 2 weeks, rack and rest 8 weeks. Bottle and rest for at least 2 weeks.