Greetings,
I’ve been giving some thought to trying my hand at mead-making. I’ve been giving more thought to it since deciding to make a honey porter and being advised to try wildflower honey. I need 8 oz. of honey for that, but if I buy it from Northern Brewer I’ll have two and a half pounds left over. Thus: mead!
Thus my first question: would 2.5 lbs. of wildflower honey be enough for a gallon of mead? More importantly, would it make a good mead? Or would I be better served finding the honey for the beer somewhere else, and trying this at a later date with some other honey?
Assuming I should continue with a wildflower mead, I have a few questions about the mechanics thereof. For starters, would a one-gallon jug be sufficient? Or is there as much loss in mead-making as in brewing beer? Related to that, is an airlock generally good enough or would I need a blowoff tube?
Is the recipe simply: honey, water, yeast, yeast nutrients? And is the initial process simply heat to 150° F for half an hour, cool, add other ingredients, shake vigorously?
What yeast should I use to make a semi-sweet mead? Also, am I right in thinking that a semi-sweet mead is a good way to start, as it would allow me to extrapolate the flavor toward dry and sweet?
How long should I expect it to take in the primary and secondary fermenters? I’ve read everything from a few weeks in each to two months in one, ten months in the other.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
