Got the Mead Started

GaryHibbert

Epic Pitmaster

OTBS Member

★ Lifetime Premier ★

Jun 20, 2013

10,099

3,751

Drayton Valley, AB, Canada (Heavy Duty Oilpatch co

• Oct 15, 2013

• #21

Hey Kat

I never poured any mead earlier than 2 months.  You can do it and if you are extremly fortunate, it won't make you want to kill yourself............but.  Mead can be a miserable, unforgiving beverage.  It has to age and mellow.  The longer you let it age, the better it gets.  Right now I have 5 galons of grapefruit mead sitting beside me.  Linda keeps suggesting that I should turf it, but it has only been sitting there for 26 months.  It is truly disgusting, but it will be 10 more months before it goes down the sink--just in case it mellows.

Gary

 

foamheart

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

OTBS Member

Apr 4, 2013

11,236

3,319

South Louisiana, on the Mississippi River

• Oct 15, 2013

• #22

Originally Posted by KathrynN  
 

How long?

Kat

Click to expand...

Since its Mead, what about the winter Solstice? Or if your from the SEC the National Championship game? </wink>

Drink tankards of mead and dance nekkid in the yard howlin at the moon!!

 

Last edited: Oct 15, 2013

GaryHibbert

Epic Pitmaster

OTBS Member

★ Lifetime Premier ★

Jun 20, 2013

10,099

3,751

Drayton Valley, AB, Canada (Heavy Duty Oilpatch co

• Oct 15, 2013

• #23

Foam

You are a sick puppy LOL

Gary

 

kathrynn

Legendary Pitmaster

Original poster

OTBS Member

Thread starter

Jun 13, 2012

9,442

121

Madison, AL

• Oct 15, 2013

• #24

Foamheart said:

 

Originally Posted by KathrynN  
 

How long?

Kat

Click to expand...

Since its Mead, what about the winter Solstice? Or if your from the SEC the National Championship game? </wink>

Drink tankards of mead and dance nekkid in the yard howlin at the moon!!

Click to expand...

Nah....Foam isn't a sick Puppy.....if he is....he is in good company here!  LOL

GaryHibbert said:

 
Hey Kat

I never poured any mead earlier than 2 months.  You can do it and if you are extremly fortunate, it won't make you want to kill yourself............but.  Mead can be a miserable, unforgiving beverage.  It has to age and mellow.  The longer you let it age, the better it gets.  Right now I have 5 galons of grapefruit mead sitting beside me.  Linda keeps suggesting that I should turf it, but it has only been sitting there for 26 months.  It is truly disgusting, but it will be 10 more months before it goes down the sink--just in case it mellows.

Gary

Click to expand...

Lynn would have a cow it I let it sit that long.

Kat

 

bama bbq

Master of the Pit

Sep 24, 2011

2,352

72

Rocket City (Huntsville) AL

• Oct 15, 2013

• #25

I understand 1 yr it is normal for mead. It will become a clear and mellow wine.

 

Last edited: Oct 15, 2013

daveomak

SMF Hall of Fame Pitmaster

OTBS Member

★ Lifetime Premier ★

Nov 12, 2010

27,123

4,979

Omak,Washington,U.S.A.

• Oct 15, 2013

• #26

Next batch, use Vodka in the air lock....  kills any bacteria that enters it, and won't mess up the fermenting liquid, if it is sucked back in the jug....  

Just something I read....   No experience using it.....   Dave

 

Last edited: Oct 15, 2013

disco

Epic Pitmaster

OTBS Member

SMF Premier Member

Oct 31, 2012

11,135

5,265

Canadian Rockies

• Oct 15, 2013

• #27

DaveOmak said:

 
Next batch, use Vodka in the air lock....  kills any bacteria that enters it, and won't mess up the fermenting liquid, if it is sucked back in the jug....  

Just something I read....   No experience using it.....   Dave

Click to expand...

Sorry, but I disagree. I have been making my own wine for 40 years and have never had contamination from the airlock. Sounds like a waste of good vodka to me. Just make sure you fill the airlock with a metabisulphite solution.

Disco

 

Last edited: Oct 15, 2013

foamheart

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

OTBS Member

Apr 4, 2013

11,236

3,319

South Louisiana, on the Mississippi River

• Oct 15, 2013

• #28

All these big words, now you guys are starting to scare me....

 

bama bbq

Master of the Pit

Sep 24, 2011

2,352

72

Rocket City (Huntsville) AL

• Oct 15, 2013

• #29

Foamheart said:

All these big words, now you guys are starting to scare me....

Click to expand...

LOL. (Disinfectant)

 

humdinger

Master of the Pit

OTBS Member

Jun 27, 2012

1,686

90

Shelby Township MI

• Oct 15, 2013

• #30

Looks Good Kat. I'm watching this one..

 

chef jimmyj

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

OTBS Member

SMF Premier Member

★ Lifetime Premier ★

May 12, 2011

22,172

7,150

• Oct 16, 2013

• #31

Looks interesting. My oldest, Casey, was in the Brew Club at the CIA. They had Mead working the whole 4 years she was there. She is busy as an Assistant Manager for Red Robin but is slowly accumulating stuff for a home batch.  I find the use of a whole orange curious. Citrus Pith makes any liquid bitter after 2 days, Sangria, Lemmonade Orangeade and such. Maybe that taste is part of the mix here but I would think just Zest and Pulp Supremes would be all that would be used for flavor. Any ideas from you Vets?...JJ

Update: Ok, I went and read the original recipe and comments. Joe feels the Pith is no issue in this recipe...But the respondents that made it say leave it out or wait 6 months to mellow the bitterness. Guess we will all know in a few months...

 

 

Last edited: Oct 16, 2013

GaryHibbert

Epic Pitmaster

OTBS Member

★ Lifetime Premier ★

Jun 20, 2013

10,099

3,751

Drayton Valley, AB, Canada (Heavy Duty Oilpatch co

• Oct 16, 2013

• #32

Hey Chef JJ

I think the honey will cancel out the bitterness.

Gary

 

GaryHibbert

Epic Pitmaster

OTBS Member

★ Lifetime Premier ★

Jun 20, 2013

10,099

3,751

Drayton Valley, AB, Canada (Heavy Duty Oilpatch co

• Oct 16, 2013

• #33

Hey Kat



I've made mead that I could drink in a month.  I've also made mead that I couldn't drink for 3 years.  I've got 5 gals of mead sitting 1 foot to my left right now that has been sitting there for 26 months and is still disgusting and will sit there for another 12 months. Then it will either be drinkable or it will go down the sink.  There simply are no hard and fast rules



Gary

 

Last edited: Oct 16, 2013

GaryHibbert

Epic Pitmaster

OTBS Member

★ Lifetime Premier ★

Jun 20, 2013

10,099

3,751

Drayton Valley, AB, Canada (Heavy Duty Oilpatch co

• Oct 16, 2013

• #34

Hey Disco

I've never used a metabisufite solution in my air lock.  I've been brewing for about 15 years and have never had a problem.  I just use straight tap water. Mind you, it certanly can't hurt!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Gary

 

kathrynn

Legendary Pitmaster

Original poster

OTBS Member

Thread starter

Jun 13, 2012

9,442

121

Madison, AL

• Oct 16, 2013

• #35

Mine is just some of the bottled spring water...and she is still just perking away on the counter and I love watching it work too!

Kat

 

disco

Epic Pitmaster

OTBS Member

SMF Premier Member

Oct 31, 2012

11,135

5,265

Canadian Rockies

• Oct 16, 2013

• #36

GaryHibbert said:

 
Hey Disco

I've never used a metabisufite solution in my air lock.  I've been brewing for about 15 years and have never had a problem.  I just use straight tap water. Mind you, it certanly can't hurt!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Gary

Click to expand...

I have used water in a pinch and it is ok if you change it regularly. I have a friend who did that in a batch of port that ferments for months and he didn't ruin his wine but did have bacterial island form in the airlock which were hard to wash out.

So, you can get away with it but you may also mess up your airlock.

Disco

 

disco

Epic Pitmaster

OTBS Member

SMF Premier Member

Oct 31, 2012

11,135

5,265

Canadian Rockies

• Oct 16, 2013

• #37

KathrynN said:

 
Mine is just some of the bottled spring water...and she is still just perking away on the counter and I love watching it work too!

Kat

Click to expand...

As Garry Hibbert says, you are likely fine but I would change the water once every week or so.

Disco

 

kathrynn

Legendary Pitmaster

Original poster

OTBS Member

Thread starter

Jun 13, 2012

9,442

121

Madison, AL

• Oct 16, 2013

• #38

thank you Disco!  I will....and we haven't hit week one yet...I did mark the day on the calendar in the kitchen so I could keep count.

Kat

 

foamheart

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

OTBS Member

Apr 4, 2013

11,236

3,319

South Louisiana, on the Mississippi River

• Oct 16, 2013

• #39

I have been thinking about this for a couple a days



We can post from youtube can't we?

 

Last edited by a moderator: Oct 16, 2013

kathrynn

Legendary Pitmaster

Original poster

OTBS Member

Thread starter

Jun 13, 2012

9,442

121

Madison, AL

• Oct 17, 2013

• #40

Foam....you are so funny!  Yup it's still "perking away".

Was looking this morning...and the honey "layer" that was at the bottom must be "dissolving"....it was over an inch think on the first day....and now is way much less than that.  The color is amazing.  I am really enjoying watching this process.

Will keep yall posted as things perk along.

Kat