Looking to Start mead

tspesh · October 4, 2012, 1:42am

Hi, i am looking at buying a starter kit and would like to make a batch of mead with a ABV.
I have been reading online lots of recipes and things to try. I understand that i will need a higher amount of honey to make a stronger mead, i am unsure which yeast to get that will provide a stronger brew, also which nutrients (and i am not finding much info on how often you add nutrients)

So i basicly need the time tables for fermenting, moving to secondary fermenter, and then to bottling.

thank you for any help.

edward_teach · October 4, 2012, 9:03am

what size batch? how much ABV are you looking for? do you want a sweet or dry mead?

your timelines are gonna be different depending on your OG and the yeast/amount of yeast you use along with if you add the nutrients or not. I’d suggest trying a kit from our host.

baratone_brewer · October 4, 2012, 1:53pm

+1
Your best bet might be to pick up one of the kits and get comfortable with the process. Here is a link to a set of kit instructions that might help out a bit.

However, I have noticed that one of the kits comes with champagne yeast and I am not a fan of champagne yeast in a mead. If you choose that kit I highly recommend picking up a different strain of yeast. I also highly recommend extending your bulk aging time before bottling and allowing your bottles to age for 12 months+ before consuming.

hamiltont · October 4, 2012, 2:15pm

Many brewers get their Mead feet wet with Joe’s Ancient Orange and then move on from there. It’s pretty easy with a minimal investment. Just a thought any way… Cheers, and good luck with what ever you decide to pursue!

Here’s a link:
http://www.gotmead.com/index.php?option=com_rapidrecipe&page=viewrecipe&Itemid=459&recipe_id=118

shadetree · October 4, 2012, 2:55pm

[quote=“hamiltont”]Many brewers get their Mead feet wet with Joe’s Ancient Orange and then move on from there.[/quote]Funny coincidence - I was cleaning up the walk-in and found some bottles of JAO that I made back in 2007. It was unpleasantly solventy at first - didn’t have temp control - and it’s been a couple of years since I sampled one. It was surprisingly good - bright copper in color and the spices and citrus had mellowed and really come together.

baratone_brewer · October 4, 2012, 4:07pm

I would not recommend using bread yeast. And it is very important to get your nutrient levels correct.

tspesh · October 4, 2012, 4:38pm

Thanks for all the replies, guys, once i can get my starter set ordered, i will just try one of the kits, to get my feet wet. Was thinking of adding a bit of fruit though just for added flavor, would most likely do a 3 gallon batch just to practice, if i wanted to add, say cranberries to it, would i use fresh, frozen cranberries and when would you add those. or in my wife’s case if she wanted peach flavored, would i just hadd some cut up peaches and when.

or for ABV, just something above 12% i like my drinks to have a bit of a kick to them, nothing extreme, 15% would be bit more my liking for a mead/wine.

edward_teach · October 5, 2012, 9:05am

I’d plan on your first without any special additions, like fruit, so you get a good idea of what you’re doing. if you use a puree, add it to the bulk age. any other fruit you’ll want to freeze well before bulk age to burst the cell walls. you’ll get better flavor extraction. you can add to primary, but you’ll get some flavor loss.

and a big +10 to what Baratone’s saying. I’ve been following his advice & producing much better mead.