Mead recipes
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Recipe topic threads should be unique. Alternate recipes for already existing recipe topics should be posted as a Reply to that topic. The subject of the reply should be changed to reflect the author of the alternative. Posts that do not conform to this convention are subject to being moved and having their subject line edited by Moderators.
Recipe topic threads should be unique. Alternate recipes for already existing recipe topics should be posted as a Reply to that topic. The subject of the reply should be changed to reflect the author of the alternative. Posts that do not conform to this convention are subject to being moved and having their subject line edited by Moderators.
Mead recipes
There were a lot of good recipes for mead posted to the yahoo list last month, and I wanted to archive them in the Recipe Book. I will be moving over some of the posts from Yahoo and setting the author as the original author. If you see something missing or incorrect, feel free to add it or ask for it to be corrected.
Faellon's Mead
For a 5 gallon batch I usually use between 16-17 lbs of honey. Clover is fine since it is the most readily available. Tell your friend that Costco\Sams is probably the most economical place to get the honey from if it's not coming from your hives. To that I usually add some type of acidity, whether from powdered Acid Blend or some type of juice. If you are doing a straight mead with no fruits I usually will add about 2 cups of pulp free orange juice for the acidity. This does not really add any taste but will give you the acid you need. Other additives include Irish Moss, Yeast Energizer and Yeast Nutrient.
I like to slightly boil all the meads I make. I feel that you get much more clarity out of the finished product. I usually add all my honey to the pot along with about 3 gallons or so of water. Bring the whole mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to just below a simmer. Skim the foam as it rises until
most of it is gone (usually about 20 minutes.) Take it off the heat and then add enough cold water to bring to 5 gallons. Once its cooled down to around 78 degrees or so, pitch the yeast.
After a few days the fermentation will start. When it slows to a stop (1-2 months usually), rack it into glass. Wait a year or so and enjoy!!!
Oh, and a note about the character. A lot will depend on the type of yeast you are using. I usually go with Lavlin 1122-B. That particular yeast has a pretty high alcohol tolerance, which gives you a drier mead. If you want to go really dry, go with a champagne yeast. Not sure what type is best for sweet meads since I generally dont make sweets.
One other thing to tell your friend is that sanitation is KEY! Clean\sterilize EVERYTHING that will come in contact with your brew.
Another cool trick to really kick start the fermentation is to take about a half cup or so of orange juice and dump your yeast into it. Let it sit at room temp for an hour or so then give it a good stir and dump it in when the wort is cool enough. The yeast will have already started to work on the sugars in the OJ, making it attack the honey much quicker.
I like to slightly boil all the meads I make. I feel that you get much more clarity out of the finished product. I usually add all my honey to the pot along with about 3 gallons or so of water. Bring the whole mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to just below a simmer. Skim the foam as it rises until
most of it is gone (usually about 20 minutes.) Take it off the heat and then add enough cold water to bring to 5 gallons. Once its cooled down to around 78 degrees or so, pitch the yeast.
After a few days the fermentation will start. When it slows to a stop (1-2 months usually), rack it into glass. Wait a year or so and enjoy!!!
Oh, and a note about the character. A lot will depend on the type of yeast you are using. I usually go with Lavlin 1122-B. That particular yeast has a pretty high alcohol tolerance, which gives you a drier mead. If you want to go really dry, go with a champagne yeast. Not sure what type is best for sweet meads since I generally dont make sweets.
One other thing to tell your friend is that sanitation is KEY! Clean\sterilize EVERYTHING that will come in contact with your brew.
Another cool trick to really kick start the fermentation is to take about a half cup or so of orange juice and dump your yeast into it. Let it sit at room temp for an hour or so then give it a good stir and dump it in when the wort is cool enough. The yeast will have already started to work on the sugars in the OJ, making it attack the honey much quicker.
Re: Mead recipes
Submitted by Brahn on Sat, 11/03/2007 - 8:45am.
Well for a sweet yet killer one I would say the following:
20 lbs honey
1 lb dk brown sugar
8 oz maple syrup
n of course all the additives
Yes, your spec gravity will be way up but no worries.
Bring this to a boil then turn the temp down for 20 min to get a lot of the
protein off. Pour it into a bucket of ice and drop the temp to a proper
pitching temp. Then let it sit and rack it as you see fit. (I have racked
this blend once or 5 times)
A word on the yeast, make sure that you have at least 2 yeasts going in the
old honey bottles for a bit to give it a start. Then pour it into bring it
up to 5 gal or maybe a bit more to fill the first carboy.
Bah and the yeast is lavin EC 1118
- brahn.png (13.22 KiB) Viewed 6599 times
20 lbs honey
1 lb dk brown sugar
8 oz maple syrup
n of course all the additives
Yes, your spec gravity will be way up but no worries.
Bring this to a boil then turn the temp down for 20 min to get a lot of the
protein off. Pour it into a bucket of ice and drop the temp to a proper
pitching temp. Then let it sit and rack it as you see fit. (I have racked
this blend once or 5 times)
A word on the yeast, make sure that you have at least 2 yeasts going in the
old honey bottles for a bit to give it a start. Then pour it into bring it
up to 5 gal or maybe a bit more to fill the first carboy.
Bah and the yeast is lavin EC 1118
Colin's Mead
I hate to be the only one to not be heard from so here it goes.
My original favorite was my BlackBerry Melomel.
It is between 14 and 15 pounds of honey (preferably wildflower) and 10 pounds of freshly picked BlackBerries. (frozen will do if that's all you have)
I usually boil the honey to remove all the gook from it and then let the wort
cool a little. The reason for this is so the Blackberries can only be added
after the wort is cooled to 160 degrees or less. They should be kept in a large hopps bag to avoid any extra stuff or skins for the berries getting into the wort.
I leave the blackberries in the primary fermenter to release more flavors. Be
careful to not leave it in there too long as it will make your mead darker and
darker the longer it stays in the wort. It takes some time to clear but its worth it. I usually keep it at least a year in glass with a few rackings inbetween.
This is for 5 gallons of mead. Yummy!
My original favorite was my BlackBerry Melomel.
It is between 14 and 15 pounds of honey (preferably wildflower) and 10 pounds of freshly picked BlackBerries. (frozen will do if that's all you have)
I usually boil the honey to remove all the gook from it and then let the wort
cool a little. The reason for this is so the Blackberries can only be added
after the wort is cooled to 160 degrees or less. They should be kept in a large hopps bag to avoid any extra stuff or skins for the berries getting into the wort.
I leave the blackberries in the primary fermenter to release more flavors. Be
careful to not leave it in there too long as it will make your mead darker and
darker the longer it stays in the wort. It takes some time to clear but its worth it. I usually keep it at least a year in glass with a few rackings inbetween.
This is for 5 gallons of mead. Yummy!