Mead

[Welshwitch]

Just found a recipe for mead it looks really easy and having just priced up jars of honey in Tesco at 68p a jar thought I would give it a go anybody else tried it and was it nice ??? Will cheap honey make any difference I wonder.

 

[Muddydisco]

Oh Please share the recipe I have always thought about doing one :thumb:
I have a mate that'll supply my honey :grin:
I think any honey will taste good but different honeys mixed might be better?

 

[Welshwitch]

4lb Honey
1 Orange
1 Lemon
1 Gallon water
Yeast and nutrient
Pectic enzyme


Put honey into water and bring to simmering point, allow to cool and add juice from orange and lemon and yeast and nutrient pour into FV and fit airlock rack when no further bubbles are rising may take longer than normal wines. Mead is preferably matured for at least a year. (Mmmmmm may have to try one bottle and leave the rest) obviously haven't tried it yet will post when I do. Apparently you can add spices for different flavours.

 

[Muddydisco]

Sounds good to me, I shall put in my order for honey!
I shall be watching yours with interest :thumb:

 

[didgeman]

I used to make a lot of mead in germany when I lived there. We used to make it in 60ltr batches. I used Aldi honey as it was the cheapest I could find without using synthetic stuff. It is a hammer - I had a few bikers who would come round to buy up my supplies. As I am still alive it must have been okay!! No but we kept a few bottles for over two years and it had cleared immensely and the taste was absolute brilliant.

Definatly to be tried but it is drinkable only in winter. In summer your toenails will curl, believe you me.

 

[evanvine]

Thanks for the recipe WW, never new that Honey contained Pectin.
Always felt the price of Honey prohibitive, but your SM prices make it worth a go.

 

[Aleman]

Thanks for the recipe WW, never new that Honey contained Pectin.
Always felt the price of Honey prohibitive, but your SM prices make it worth a go.

Honey doesn't . . . but Lemons and Oranges do . . . If you were to use a Blend of Citric and Malic acids instead you wouldn't need the pectolase enzyme.

Nutrients are always a good idea with mead as it is certainly lacking.

I would probably go with a mix of honeys to provide a O.G. around 1.120 . . . . While cheap honeys work you do get a better flavour with better quality honey . . . having a local Apiarist that is willing to trade honey for mead is a really useful contact . . . unfortunately the last few years have not been good for local honey production

And you are looking at around 12 months from start to drinking . . . but it gets better the longer you leave it.

 

[hobotot]

I started a gallon of mead off about two weeks ago, and I used cheap supermarket honey for it. Obviously it isnt ready to drink yet but it does smell bloody fantastic!!

It is supposed to be an idiot proof, extra easy mead recipe.

The recipe is here if your interested:

http://www.gotmead.com/index.php?option ... &Itemid=14

 

[Samarith]

I was planning to make a couple of gallons of mead tonight but when I checked my bits and bobs box, I found no spare airlocks.

12 jars of Sainsbury's Basics Clear Honey
Oranges and Lemons
Cinnamon Sticks and Cloves

I think I'll try one batch with a stick and a clove and the other with a stick and 2 cloves. Only ever made mead once and that was a plain honey one about 20 years ago. Back then I didn't know that it needs aging for 6 months plus, still it got me and some friends totally hammered and that was the important thing back then. :lol:

I guess I'll throw a campden tab in each to dechlorinate the water and visit wilko's tomorrow.