Here's a super duper easy recipe. Made it a couple months ago, but haven't tried it yet.

Augh, can't get the link to work right. Copy and past this:

www.stormthecastle.com/mead/fast-cheap-mead-making.htm

 

I would never ferment wine or mead in plastic container. The wine industry does not sell even cheap wines in plastic. Better buy 3 litre bottle of wine (glass) drink it then use it as wine or mead factory.

5 or 6 gal carboy is the best. They are expensive to ship, but if you live in larger city, winemaking supplies stores have all kinds of carboys.

Worthy investment for more serious wine/mead maker.

 

Thank's for info ill try it .

 

The above recipe is similar to Joes ancient orange mead. It is easy to make and very very sweet when done. Here is a link
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f80/joes-ancient-orange-mead-49106/

 

I used this this recipe, I let it set for almost 2 years, thought I had lost it as the airlock dried out. I filled the lock back up let it set for a couple more months and was sure I had honey Vinegar. I must have cought it in time as it wasn't vinegar.
I tasted it after about a year and it was awful, tasted like an old bandaid or something septic. I talked to a man who said he always put cinamon and cloves in his. I added this and let it set about another year. Its great, I can taste the hint of cloves but not the other.
It's wicked to say the least, the first I drank I don't remember finishing the second glass. For a quick buzz it's almost equal to 80 proof and branch water. For the oldest form of alcohlic beverage, I see how it has endured. No hangover either-maybe I've become immune.

 

P.S. I used bens brewcat recipe to start.

 

I am interested in making mead this season. I woul like to make it sparkle. Is there any way to carbonate a modestly sweet mead without a kegging system? Any experience?

 

Weeeellllll, yes . Maybe.

Ferment to dryness, sweeten to taste at bottling and then pasteurize the bottles in a warm-water bath using timed, controlled temperatures to kill the yeast. Obviously this requires quality bottles rated for pressure like returnable beer bottles or American champagne bottles that are crown-capped, and do it in a water-bath canner or similar coverable vessel.

Same, but instead of pasteurizing do a couple bottles of the batch in plastic bottles. When they're firm (carbonated), put the WHOLE batch in the fridge, causing the yeast to go dormant. Keep entire batch refrigerated until consumed or it'll wake and grenade. Caution: know your yeast. Champagne strains for example are vigorous enough that they may not reliably lay down at fridge temps.

Or bottle a sparkling dry mead and sweeten with honey at serving.

Or beg SWMBO for a kegging setup (preferred method).

 

Our wine/mead club recently discussed a "beer gun", which supposedly carbonates your beer, mead, or wine very quickly. I really know nothing more than that, but it's something I'd like to learn more about.

 

It takes a kegging setup; it's basically an inexpensive counterpressure bottle filler. But all it does it reduce foaming (somewhat) when transferring kegged, carbonated beverage from keg to bottle.

 

I don't remember where this recipe came from and I have not tried it yet. All my honey here in middle Tennessee is Wildflower variety. I may use my own honey instead of the Orange Blossom Honey and see how it does. If I come across some good Orange Blossom Honey, I may give it a try as well. Hummmm....sounds like I may need to make two batches so I can compare

Orange Blossom Sweet Mead

Recipe for a 1 gallon batch of mead.
Ingredients:
3 pounds Orange Blossom Honey
1 Teaspoon yeast energizer
1 Teaspoon yeast nutrient
5g Cotes de Blanc (Redstar)

Steps:
Mix the honey, water, energizer, and nutrient in 1 gallon glass jug.
Re-hydrate and pitch the yeast. No boil method used. Used regular tap water, and shook jug to mix and aerate the must. This mead cleared nicely with one racking.

 

Old thread I know, but I just made two (1) gallon batches of the Joes ancient orange. I've got 2 weeks in one of them and about 2 hours in the other. Second batch is foaming like crazy now-prolly hafta replace the airlock with a clean one tomorrow. Got my fingers crossed on the final outcome.