. . . and alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages other than beer and spirits. Post discussion on recipes, methods, equipment and the like about these drinks here.
Going to give this mead thing a go this weekend for something different.
1.5kg of honey (good stuff from the fruit and veg shop)
5L of water
Cinamon stick
Cloves (on the Mrs insistance)
Some juice from an orange
Chanpagne yeast
Never done this before so it wil be interesting. I got the water from the supermarket so I have a supply of quality water and use the container as the fermenter. A bit of glad wrap for an air lock and Robert's your mothers brother, its done.
Rubber.Piggy wrote:thanks rabbit. what fermentation temp is recommended??
Whatever temperature is good for the particular yeast you use. I'm guessing you have EC1118 Champagne yeast - treat it like an Ale yeast and it will be fine, I did it at about 18-20*C if I recall correctly.
The fermenter sits under the house as thats the most temperature stable part of the house. I am expecting this to be a nice accompanyment to my coffee after Christmas lunch, assuming I don't forget them.
The fermentation temp for mead wont matter as it apparently doesn't produce the same bad esters as it does in beer (certain ingredients are lacking in mead that are found in beer).
If using bottled water you may want to add a yeast neutrient that is rich in Manganese, Zinc and Copper, all necessary for yeast to hav e a healthy fermentation.
I have a mead I put down in October, it is still fermenting
Dogger
"Listening to someone who brews their own beer is like listening to a religous fanatic talk about the day he saw the light" Ross Murray, Montreal Gazette
I am about to have a go at my very first mead. I belong to a medievil recreation group and we have been looking for sometime at making an authentic mead from the middle ages. not a lot of info available on exactly what went into them though. So I reckon I'll give this one a shot.
I have a somewhat attractive female friend who was (graduated now) in the uni's Creative Anachronism Society and a fan of mead, which may or may not be why I made some of my own
That's the organisation I am involved with, only it is "The Society of Creative Anachronism" But same difference really, we just call ourselves SCA members.
Politicians and Diapers need to be changed regularly for the very same reason!!!
That's the organisation I am involved with, only it is "The Society of Creative Anachronism" But same difference really, we just call ourselves SCA members.
Lalvin seems to be the standard, it's a dry yeast that brews up to around 15-16% alc. if I remember correctly- I don't have the pack in front of me.
You just have to leave the beer section of your HBS & go into the wine aisle to find it.
EC1118 Champagne Yeast was recommended to me, and indeed was the only Champagne yeast my local HBS stocked. Came in a little 5g scahet I think. I decided it was too expensive sending away for a White Labs Champagne or Sweet Mead liquid yeast.
