smallkiller

Recipes 

I'm looking for something easy to drink with an ABV of 5-8% I've noticed that a normal mead can take months to perfect. I'm thinking if you cut the materials or cut the fermentation a bit short with pasteurization you can skip the aging and have a nice, sweet mead. Not trying to reinvent the wheel, but at least you guys understand what I'm shooting for. Something that can be made in about the time a beer can be made.

Tw0fish

Recipes 

Generally higher octane and less sugar = longer ferment. So 5-8% and sweet sounds like a fine compromise for a mead.

[QUOTE]Were I you I'd spring for a hydrometer and make Joe's Ancient Orange and Spice mead.. and just crash it (stick 'er in the fridge, preferably to right above freezing) when it hits 5-8. I have a batch going that's been at it for a bit, but I've tasted it a few times along the way and at no point has it been less than quite pleasurable [\QUOTE]

Actually, that's gonna be My Old Advice. My New Advice would be as follows - start with a SG that youd enjoy (I've heard 1.015 is nice for sweet ciders, dunno bout meads really).. add 8% abv (that's 8 / 131 =0.0610) and add that to your finished gravity to get.. 1.076 as a starting gravity.

So to do it forwards, start with like 1/3gal water and add honey until you hit 1.076.. ferment down to 1.015 and pop that bottle right into the fridge. Solid?

And someone, please, double check my math?

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smallkiller

Recipes 

Thank you so much! I'm just trying to construct a nice, sweet, easy drinking mead. The wine appeals to me but 6 months is just too much time to be hogging up a carboy! It's unacceptable. Have you tried pasturzing it around 1.015? Just straight up honey and water? Oh yeah brotha, we solid

Atek

Recipes 

following

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smallkiller

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If people are following I might as well keep y'all posted. Started it up today. 1 gallons worth, water and 2 lbs of honey just put it slightly over 1.075. Red star Cote Des Blank yeast is doing the heavy lifting. Fermentation is life and well within the first several hours. I plan on stopping it in the vicinity of 1.015 or whichever taste pleasantly sweet. Also starting up the grape mead recipe for giggles.

Note: I wanted to make a 5 gallon batch but I realized the bee population issue hasn't gotten any better so honey prices are through the roof.

Drunkula

Recipes 

as a subsistence brewer (using food stamps to brew booze) I have crashed my meads in the fridge every time. too impatient and desirous of a drink to wait. always worked well when I've tried it. But then I'm still just learning like the rest of y'all.

smallkiller

Recipes 

Exactly what I wanted to hear. What gravity? Or just till the taste started to stray from good?

ajbram

Recipes 

If it interests you, I recently brewed a lighter mead in hopes of it being ready for xmas (picture below). It's a sparkling short mead... I used 10lb of clover honey for a 5 gal batch, also 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 vanilla beans and a couple handfuls of orange peel. I started the fermentation at the start of November (O.G. = 1.070). 2 weeks in primary brought it down to 1.000 and then 3 weeks in secondary with the orange peel took it to 0.996. I backsweetened with about 1lb of manuka honey and bottled on Nov 29.

As of last night, the mead is a nice off-dry sparkler. Mice mousseaux texture like a good prosecco. The orange is the dominant flavour, and I wish the vanilla was a little more apparent. No off flavours at all, and it's very clean and clear. There is a slight orange oil aftertaste that's disappearing by the day and will definitely be completely gone with some age.

Moral of the story is that it can be done and you're on the right track. Keep us posted, and if you need any advice on it, let me know.

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On Deck: Blackstrap Molasses Porter (again), Northern English Mild, Wheatgrass Wheat
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Secondaries:
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Atek

Recipes 

That looks delicious!

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"Gaurd your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and out live the bastards."

Drunkula

Recipes 

to taste mainly. I have a hydrometer and such but it's really all about how it tastes. I measure Gravity when making the wort simply to ensure I don't overwhelm my yeast.