"Kit's Mead"-Hibiscus rose wild cherry arrowroot!

Dustwing · 01-30-2009, 08:15 PM

So, I'm going to have to try to find the recipie I scrawled as I did this mead because it's the best thing I've done so far. I believe I used Montrachet yeast as I had a packet on hand from an Apfelwien attempt earlier in the year. This is a small batch I made on my friend's 21st birthday, to be ready by her 22nd. It mighta been better if it was ready on the 21st, but, that time of this year she'll finally graduate from the Maryland College of Art and Design with a BA in illustration. Her work is pretty geared towards bright color and exxagerated proportion, and she has a big thing about flowers. You can veiw it here! Flying-Fox on deviantART

As an illustrator myself, I thought it would be cool to use THIS artform rather than the usual paint and canvas.

Roughly, it went
5 lbs of arrowroot honey from the Bee Folks
Tea made from spring water put through one french press filled 1/2 way with dried hibiscus, then 1/4 dried rose petals and 1/4 dried cherry bark.
Montrachet yeast

It's in a 1g glass carboy, I boiled the honey though I wish I hadnt, it actually seems no worse for the wear. Hooray luck? Anyway After the honey cooled a bit but was still pourable I mixed it with tea, then put it into the carboy and topped it off with tea. Added the yeast as soon as I thought the little buggers wouldent die, and set it in a corner of the kitchen covered by a cloth for three months.
I think it will probably improve still but it's allready very drinkable- I accidentally got some from the siphon and it was a rather enjoyable and warming experiance. I put it in the fridge just in case the racking perked up any yeast in there (I live in florida, so..) and I hope it's as good in November as it is now!

Tusch · 01-30-2009, 09:19 PM

Are you attempting to cold crash it in the fridge?

Congrats on getting a good brew going. Let us know how it is when you bottle it up.

Dustwing · 01-30-2009, 09:53 PM

Basicly? It's my first mead, so it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Tusch · 01-30-2009, 10:01 PM

Well, I personally prefer to allow meads to ferment out fully and backsweeten if desired. Be careful with cold crashing, if you don't leave behind all the yeast, be cautious about them restarting fermentation if you don't stabilize it.

Dustwing · 01-30-2009, 10:30 PM

Hm, well it's only been in the fridge like two hours, so I could pull it out. There wasnt any activity in the airlock, no bubbles or anything, and hadnt been for a few weeks or a month before I racked it, so I just assumed it was done and that the fridge was a safe place to age it XP I'm willing to be wrong though

Tusch · 01-30-2009, 10:44 PM

If you can find a room that stays between mid 50's and high 70's, then that's fine to leave to age. And you certainly can cold crash, plenty here do, I mainly just don't have access to the cold crashing ability. I find it easy to control by just letting it ferment out and just let it age at room temp.