Sour Wood Honey mead

Boerderij_Kabouter · 06-25-2008, 02:57 PM

I was recently in the Smokey Mountains and picked up 3 lbs. of sourwood honey for a varietal mead. Has anyone used this stuff? It is delicious honey with a distinctive taste, so I am hoping it will make a good mead.

My plan is to use Wyeast Dry mead yeast and 3# honey for a 1g batch. Simple and elegant. I'll let you know how it is in a year or two

**BigKahuna** · 06-25-2008, 03:46 PM

Don't bother posting back....Just send me a bottle...I'll decide from there.

mr_y82 · 08-29-2011, 11:30 PM

so?

just racked my first mead and used a little sourwood. more details:

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_y82

Good deal.. I was getting nervous... brewing my first batch of mead (1 gallon) and the air lock is going nuts, but no foam like all my beers... I had some unfiltered honey in this, but mostly filtered..., saving 12 nice pounds of unfiltered for a full size batch after I get the hang of mead... Don't guess that should take too long after 20 batches of brew!

Here's what I used... I kept it simple... correct me if wrong, I'm still learning..

3.5qts well water

2lb sourwood/wildflower/random local honey mix

1/8 palisade hops (left over from brew... I have some heather tips for a full size batch... any advice on herbal additives? I bought Stephen Buhner's book on sacred and healing beers, with the psychotropic ones too of course... looking forward to experimenting with beer, mead, and wine)

1pack (5g) Cote des Blancs (dry wine yeast)

1tbs yeast nutrient (accidentally added tbs, directions say tsp... oops. guess the extra will settle out.)
simmered but not fully boiled for maybe 30 minutes... only had to skim a little, skimmed most hops out between 5-15 minutes into the boil... then added yeast nutrient. racked, aerated, left overnight, gave it another good shake, pitched yeast @ 80 degrees F, swirled it in a little and left it. Got active pretty quick (just pitched yeast this morning and now the airlock is bubbling along like it would with any good brew).

OG 1.080 (11%)

hoping to age it to a slightly dry, but with a touch of sweetness... I went easy on the honey because I wanted a little quicker reward with my first batch... I have stockpiled quite a bit of homebrew to hold me over!

MedsenFey · 08-30-2011, 01:53 AM

Sourwood is a fantastic honey for mead. The aroma and flavor are somewhat "delicate" but it produces a fine floral aroma and a hint of spice in the flavor that is just terrific. It make a great traditional, but can also be used in melomels with some of the more delicate fruits as it doesn't overwhelm them.

mr_y82 · 08-30-2011, 03:26 AM

Sounds good. I found a place I can get 3lbs for about 8 bucks... Guess I will get some more... I have 12lbs of orange blossom on hand as well.

Does sourwood need more or less age compared to other light honeys? Probably just the same, eh? not that I know anything about it anyway... my first batch is a day old... :P

**biochemedic** · 08-30-2011, 11:52 AM

I've been planning on doing a straight sourwood varietal ever since having some at Mead Day 2 yrs ago (where does the time go)....It was awesome, and when I can actually get my hands on some and time allows, it *will* be my first varietal mead. (My next will be Meadowfoam.....)

mr_y82 · 09-03-2011, 01:57 AM

^sounds good. I'm really stoked and only 5 days in on my first batch... going to start a batch w/ only sourwood (1 gallon), and if things go well I will start my 5 gallon batch. This first batch is mostly the "blueridge mountain" raw honey.

**sweetsdream** · 09-03-2011, 02:04 AM

I just got 3 lbs of sourwood today so I'll be making a traditional this weekend. I think that's the best way to appreciate this honey. I just need to decide on D47 or 71B now.

mr_y82 · 09-03-2011, 05:03 PM

I don't know much about the yeasts for mead/wine yet... your decision caused me to run across this:

http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/twelve-gallons-of-mead-continued.htm as well as some other good threads...

I didn't rehydrate my yeast either since I was adding all 5 grams to 1 gallon... hope that was not a bad idea. It seemed to work fine and has slowed down a lot now. Will prob. move to secondary next weekend. Should I have saved some yeast to pitch in the secondary????

MedsenFey · 09-03-2011, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_y82

Should I have saved some yeast to pitch in the secondary????

No.
The yeast pitched in the primary should finish the mead, and in the secondary you are letting the yeast settle out and letting the mead clear and de-gas.

Sweetsdream, my suggestion would be use the D47. It will make a great mead and won't overpower the honey with esters like 71B can do. K1V would be my first choice to let the honey shine.