Milk Mead

[Gayle]

I've been wanting to try this for ages! A beverage made from fermented milk and honey.

I've used a recipe from a US forum (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/milk-me ... fo-381045/) and tweaked it a bit. (sorry I dunno how to condense the link!)

Ingredients:
2 litres semi skimmed Lactofree milk
1-2lb honey
Yeast (I used cider yeast)
Pinch of yeast nutrient.
Water to the gallon.

Method:
- Make a starter from the yeast 24 hours in advance
- Leave milk out to come up to room temp
- Dissolve the honey in hot water
- add milk and honey solution to DJ, top up with cold water to happy yeast temps, then add yeast and nutrient.
- Shake it up (with lid on!) and cover with foil (because this can apparently mess up an airlock)
- after inital fermentation has settled down, top up with water and add the airlock.
- The curds and sediment will separate from the mead, and after a week or two the liquid in between can be racked and cleared and bottled. The curd that forms can be eaten! :sick:
- can be drunk just weeks after bottling, best drunk within 6-12 months.

How that worked out for me...

I made a yeast starter from Youngs Wine Yeast Compound the day before, as per orginal instructions. No action the next day, so I threw that tub of yeast away and tried a different one, only opened a few weeks ago, which didn't work either. I made a starter from a fresh packet of cider yeast which frothed nicely and I'm just about to add it to the milky water.

The honey: that Tesco honey must be terrible (what did I expect for the price ), it had no smell at all and the taste was barely pleasant, but it's all I had, it was midnight and I'd already poured the milk in the DJ, so I threw it in anyway. It needs another pound of honey anyway to make it a decent ABV, those Americans use "wrong" gallons :mrgreen: I'll spend a few extra quid and get some nice orange blossom honey, man that stuff smells good and tastes like dreams and wishes

As for the milk, the supermarket (typically) had run out of fresh semi skimmed Lactofree milk. I bought a fresh whole milk version and a semi skimmed UHT (which was more expensive). Hopefully it wont matter too much. I'm letting the cider yeast grow a bit more before adding, so I'll report back if I get any activity...

DH is not optimistic about this one :lol:

 

[BrotherMalice]

Will be interested in seeing the results of this....

I am betting either very good or very bad....

 

[Brewtrog]

There's something on milk wine on here already, but not mead. The wine was supposedly awful. Was the milk you got lactose free? If it wasn't it'll end up sweet, lactose is nonfermentable, you could always get lactose destroying enzymes but they supposedly aren't cheap. Be interested to hear how this turns out.

 

[graysalchemy]

:sick: :sick: :sick:

I think there needs to be a new section to the Shameful Drinks Act 2003. Perhaps we need a new act to take into account of such dangerous beverages to include Tomato Wine and Sprout beer. (Tubby Shaws Cock ale would be exempt of course, it has brought pleasure to many.)

 

[RobWalker]

There's something on milk wine on here already, but not mead. The wine was supposedly awful. Was the milk you got lactose free? If it wasn't it'll end up sweet, lactose is nonfermentable, you could always get lactose destroying enzymes but they supposedly aren't cheap. Be interested to hear how this turns out.

that came up as something had actually gone wrong, and natural hesitation caused the poster to assume it was just rank because it was milk. milk wine is meant to be pretty good! although without firsthand experience you do wonder about it still...hahah. the milk itself is called lactofree lol.

hope it goes well man :thumb:

 

[Brewtrog]

the milk itself is called lactofree lol.

Teach me to look before I comment

 

[Gayle]

It doesn't look good I'll grant you that, and I daren't smell it. I can make out teeny bubbles round the edges so fingers crossed that is fermentation starting and not just the milk going off...

 

[Gayle]

I can see the curd forming at the top :sick:

 

[Gayle]

Day four and there's plenty of action.

It looks a bit cheesey, but it smells fine. It's supposed to be ready to rack in the next week, we'll see how it goes!

 

[Gayle]

Day 6, fermentation seems to have finished and the whey has mostly separated from the curd. There's a lot of sediment and curd!

I have now added another pound of honey to up the ABV, and topped up to nearly 5 litres. Once it finishes and all settles out again I'll rack it and clear. I had planned to make some cheesecake or something with the curds, but it looks so horrible I don't think I will! The mead smells nice though

 

[Tankboi]

Wow, I'm totally giving this a go... If it turns out alright haha

 

[hypnoticmonkey]

Okay.... how did it go??

 

[Tankboi]

Okay.... how did it go??

I've been wondering the same curiousity would have got the better of me and I would of had a tipple by now

 

[wurge]

:sick: :sick: :sick:

I think there needs to be a new section to the Shameful Drinks Act 2003. Perhaps we need a new act to take into account of such dangerous beverages to include Tomato Wine and Sprout beer. (Tubby Shaws Cock ale would be exempt of course, it has brought pleasure to many.)

Absolutely with you on this one GA!