mead making help

[ks.bee.kpr]

What is a simple way of making mead? I understand the arguments of boiling vs "coldbrewing" but what is racking and do you have to rack more then once?

[nursebee]

Simple mead: Mix gallon of honey with 4 gallons of water, add yeast. Let sit 2 years. Drink. This is VERY SIMPLE

Racking is when you remove the liquid off of the particulate matter that has sunk to the bottom of your fermentation vessel.

You do not have to rack at all, but I have found that I need to rack several times prior to bottling.

[ks.bee.kpr]

So basicly rack off the liquid in to another carboy over and over til there is no setament falling to the bottom? also would you recommend 2 carboys to switch back and forth and one more question does the top of the carboy need to be closed when fermenting or will the top blow off.

[nursebee]

Yes on the racking question. Yes for 2 carboys. The top should be closed off with an airlock. Do a net search for homebrew shops and search the site for airlock.

[ScottS]

One more thing - you should add some yeast energizer and nutrient to the above recipe, 2 tsp each. Honey is very short on free nitrogen that yeast need for healthy reproduction. Without nutrients, you will likely either get a stuck fementation or significant off-flavors.

[ks.bee.kpr]

Hey Thanks for all the help. Ill tell how it ends up

[BULLSEYE BILL]

KS.BEE.KPR, If you drift down here off the high plains we will have a 'tasting' of my stocks.

I am too impatient to wait two years. My mentor taught me how to coldbrew a very drinkable mead in less than seven weeks.

Since you are going to the brew shop to get a couple of carboys and airlocks, pick up a must bucket and Premier Cuvee yeast too. They hold just over six gallons.

Measure 18 to 22 pounds of honey, according to how sweet you want your mead to be, into the bucket. Add hot tap water (105) to the six gallon mark. Add one packet of Premier Cuvee and stir until all is disolved. Cover with lid and airlock. After about two weeks rack into carboy, then again on about a ten day to two week interval. In about six weeks the yeast dies at about 15% alcohol. At this point flavor can be added but is not necessary.

Aging will improve it, but who can wait? or more to the point why? Be sure to save a couple of bottles of every batch for special occasions.

[ks.bee.kpr]

Hey Bill long time no talk

Thats exactly my thoughts... I do not have the patients and noticed some of you do not wait the 2 years. Ill have to take you up on that offer in the near future.Also I went up to "whats Brewin" and They want like $26 for a 6.5 gal carboy. any suggestion on a better source?

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>Hey Bill long time no talk

Went to Vegas on business trip, had a major fire at the range, router on computer would not let me log onto Beesource and a few other sites. Still a little busy with more than a few irons in the "fire".


Hey, I didn't know you were that close, you must be down south of here? In that case go to the Wine Celler just off the Turnpike and Mulvane exit for better deals. They are also a good source for used stuff too.

The ole gal at What's Brewin had some used five gallon carboys last time I was there for seven dollars. They needed some work to get them cleaned up.

Buy the plastic must bucket. Don't buy a 6.5 gal carboy, fives are cheaper anyway. If you have a little left over from the first rack put it in a one gal jug with an airlock. Then if you need some to top off the next rack use the one gal and drink the rest.

[Ben Brewcat]

Hey KS,
Note the added "intro to" link above the topics section for an overview on mead.

[dcross]

<<Went to Vegas on business trip>>

Whatever you say, Bullseye

[ks.bee.kpr]

Bullseye Blackjack?

[Ray Keller]

The Recipe I have obtained calls for
Malic aacid
Tartaric acid
Tannin
Energizer
Crushed campden
some of you all, have stated, you dont use chemicals in your must, are these the Kind of CHEMICALs you all are speaking of.
My recipe was obtained from www.fermentationproducts.com under there wine recipes

[nursebee]

No Campded use here. Yes the others are chemicals but they contribute to a healthy fermentation. Campden will inhibit wild yeasts.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>some of you all, have stated, you dont use chemicals in your must, are these the Kind of CHEMICALs you all are speaking of.

Yes, among others.

[Ben Brewcat]

You might consider adding the acids and tannins later on to taste (they are for flavor and mouthfeel) instead of from the getgo... meads acidify as they ferment and sometimes a low pH can stall out a ferment prrematurely.

[ScottS]

I agree with Ben about acid and tannin additions - doing them to early is risky unless you've got a good proven recipe. I never use sulfites (campen tablets). Nutrient is vital though, honey is so low in the free nitrogen needed for fermentation that if you leave it out, you are likely to get a stuck ferment. There are more natural ways to get the needed nutrients (raisins, etc), but I've never felt the need.

[ks.bee.kpr]

Scotts so do you or do you not add nutrient yourself?

[ScottS]

I add both commerical yeast energizer and yeast nutrient. Yeast energizer has the trace minerals etc that yeast need for healthy lives. Yeast nutrient has the nitrogen necessary for fermentation. I prefer to use diammonium phosphate (DAP) for yeast nutrient rather than the normal yellow urea-based nutrient you find in most homebrew shops. I just don't much like the idea of putting dehydrated pee in my mead. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Ben Brewcat]

Worth noting that there are differences in what's called nutrient and energizer depending on your source. CellarPro (from Steinbart), for example, is the opposite (energizer=nitrogen and noots=yeast hulls and vits/minerals) and is commonly avaliable.

Agreed on the DAP vs. urea for sure, though some of those formulations are non-urea derived.