matt1776

Recipes 

Hello all. I've homebrewed numerous beers and a couple ciders. I'm thinking about mead. I'd like to do a small batch 1-2 gallons so I don't tie up a larger carboy. I'm also slightly impatient waiting for it to finish.

I found this recipe online and was hoping for suggestions to cut it down. The person also said it would be drinkable in a month. I wanted input from the experienced meadsters here. Thanks a bunch!

Wyeast 4184 Mead Yeast
5lbs of Honey - Malkore used 3lbs alfalfa / 2lbs clover
Few gallons of spring water
Zest of an Orange, with its Juices squeezed out
2 sticks of Cinnamon
2 whole cloves
Yeast Nutrient / Energizer

Matt

AZ_IPA

Recipes 

It might be done fermenting in a month; and it might be "drinkable" -- but it just probably won't be very good after a month. It will probably taste dry and hot.

patience, patience, patience is the key to mead

matt1776

Recipes 

AZ, thank you. I guess I need to work on patience

One more thing. They mentioned the shortened drink time would be because of the Mead Yeast instead of bread yeast.

Matt

AZ_IPA

Recipes 

I'm a mead rookie, so I'm just re-posting what the meadsters have said. The pic in my profile has been fermenting for almost 1.5 months and it hasn't reached its FG yet, yet alone cleared, yet alone conditioned.

Mead will definitely test your patience. My answer? Start more batches!

If you do make it and drink it in a month, let us know how it turns out!

good luck

Brandon O

Recipes 

Word of advice about the cinamon and the cloves. Simmer the cinnamon and cloves in a half gallon of water for say 15-30 mins depending on how strong you want their flavors in your mead. Add the orange peel the last 5 mins or so. take out the cinnamon sticks and the cloves, feel free to leave in the orange peel. cool the liquid down and pour into the carboy alond with your honey and water.

If you leave the cloves and cinnamon in the fermentor you will be sorry for a mead that doesn't age long. cloves and cinnamon are great in the fermentor if you plan to age it for at least a year and better if more. But it tastes incredibly over powering in a young mead if you leave the cinnamon and the cloves in the primary.

The oranges on the other hand won't over power the mead at any age.

Brandon O

Recipes 

also, if you want a decent traditional mead drinkable in one month you should make Malkore's not so ancient orange mead.

just look it up under the recipes section, I can tell you personally it is drinkable in one month assuming you ferment around 70 degrees. It is much better with 3-6 months of age with it.

Also, yeast nutrient will help the flavor of meads too and it is cheap.

matt1776

Recipes 

Thanks. Great advice. I will follow.

Matt

flyweed

Recipes 

I've got a recipe for a "no age" sweet mead that is ready in 3 weeks. I've made it twice now, and I enjoy it and my friends do too while waiting for other "meads" that are aging. Now, even after you bottle this one, a few weeks in the bottle does it a TON of good, as it does come out a bit hot, but it's drinkable.

Makes 1 gallon:
2lbs, 3oz. of clover honey (ok to substitute)
7 oz. of Buckwheat honey (do NOT sub)
.6t Grape Tannin (needed for taste and clearing)
1/8t Fermax (yeast nutrient)
1 5g packet of K1V-1116 yeast (MUST use this yeast) this is very true, trust me!!
balance tap water to make 1 gallon

dissolve honey in a quart of warm water.
dissolve tannin and 1/8t fermax in 8oz of warm tap water
Add honey mixture and tannin mixture to carboy and fill to 3 inches from the top with cold water. Shake well to mix all ingredients and help aerate.
MUST OG = 1.100

After 2 days add a little honey/water mixture to bring level up to 2 inches from top

1 week S.G. = 1.045
2nd week SG = 1.020....going to STOP it here.

Rack into secondary containing 1/8tsp. Potassium metabisulfite and 1/2tsp Potassium sorbate.

Will start clearing..wait for it to clear until you can read newsprint through the glass jug.

Bottle and drink.

Hope that helps you with a mead that will be ready in less than a month.
Dan

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1 gallon secondary: Blood orange Mead
1 gallon secondary: Grape Mead
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