Joe's Quick Grape Mead

SuperiorBrew · 03-01-2008, 07:01 PM

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Lalvin EC-1118
Yeast Starter: Add Dry
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: No
Batch Size (Gallons): 1
Original Gravity: ?
Final Gravity: 1.000 or less
Boiling Time (Minutes): 1
Color: Deep Red
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14-21
Additional Fermentation: No
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 14

Joe's Grape Mead / Pyment / Melomel

Ingredients
2 lbs Clover honey
1 oz buckwheat honey
64-oz Welch's Grape Juice with Vitamin C added- Make sure it has no preservatives in ingredients other than Vitamin C added (A.K.A. Absorbic Acid)
Balance water if you need it to make 1 gallon after adding honey mixed in water (don't use too much water in honey mix or you'll end up with more than you bargained for.
Lalvin EC-1118

Methods/steps
Just finished bottling my first Grape Mead Melomel or Pyment whatever one wishes to call it and it was started on November 4th and is simply wonderful to drink already. It was ready in 5 weeks!
Thought I would share my recipe with you, as it is the youngest best tasting, quick mead I have had thus far. Too bad
It will ferment super fast to dry (about 13% alcohol) because of type of yeast and all the nutrients and natural sugars in Welch's grape juice. It should be to SG =1.000 or less in 14- 21 days max.
Rack to clean carboy over mixture of 6-oz honey, 6-oz Welch's grape juice, 1/2t of Sorbate and 1/2 crushed campden tablet.
It will stabilize and clear fast. Let it clear and set for another 2 weeks and it will be ready to bottle and drink.
It will be medium sweet but smooth and drinkable right away. If you want it semi sweet use 4-oz honey instead of 6-oz / gal.
The only reason I used the Campden (Sulphite) is because my understanding is that using both Potassium Sorbate and Sulphite together will definitely inhibit renewed fermentation and it did for me.
Color is deep red, has nice legs on sides of glass after swirling, good nose and great balanced taste) Just don't tell everybody you used Welch's. I won't. Because the juice is clear to start, clearing is naturally fast, fast, fast.

I found this recipe at gotmead.com and since Joe's Ancient Orange Mead turned out so good I mad another batch of that and a batch of this today.

03-29-2008, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperiorBrew

Joe's Grape Mead / Pyment / Melomel

Ingredients
2 lbs Clover honey
1 oz buckwheat honey
64-oz Welch's Grape Juice with Vitamin C added- Make sure it has no preservatives in ingredients other than Vitamin C added (A.K.A. Absorbic Acid)
Balance water if you need it to make 1 gallon after adding honey mixed in water (don't use too much water in honey mix or you'll end up with more than you bargained for.
Lalvin EC-1118

Methods/steps
Just finished bottling my first Grape Mead Melomel or Pyment whatever one wishes to call it and it was started on November 4th and is simply wonderful to drink already. It was ready in 5 weeks!
Thought I would share my recipe with you, as it is the youngest best tasting, quick mead I have had thus far. Too bad
It will ferment super fast to dry (about 13% alcohol) because of type of yeast and all the nutrients and natural sugars in Welch's grape juice. It should be to SG =1.000 or less in 14- 21 days max.
Rack to clean carboy over mixture of 6-oz honey, 6-oz Welch's grape juice, 1/2t of Sorbate and 1/2 crushed campden tablet.
It will stabilize and clear fast. Let it clear and set for another 2 weeks and it will be ready to bottle and drink.
It will be medium sweet but smooth and drinkable right away. If you want it semi sweet use 4-oz honey instead of 6-oz / gal.
The only reason I used the Campden (Sulphite) is because my understanding is that using both Potassium Sorbate and Sulphite together will definitely inhibit renewed fermentation and it did for me.
Color is deep red, has nice legs on sides of glass after swirling, good nose and great balanced taste) Just don't tell everybody you used Welch's. I won't. Because the juice is clear to start, clearing is naturally fast, fast, fast.

I found this recipe at gotmead.com and since Joe's Ancient Orange Mead turned out so good I mad another batch of that and a batch of this today.

how's it coming along? i am thinking of making this... do you think it will turn out as good as JAOM?

also, where did you get the top that allows you to connect the airlock to the welch's juice bottle?

SuperiorBrew · 03-29-2008, 04:46 PM

Its coming along nicely, looks like its just starting to clear a little. You can either melt a hole in and just use the airlock, or grind a hole in thats large enough for a small drilled stopper. I used a Dremmel because they don't drill too well.

**kebrown** · 03-29-2008, 05:54 PM

Whoever wrote this recipe did a piss poor job. The instructions do not even mention what to do with the buckwheat honey.

However with that said I have a 1 gallon batch in its 4th week....

**summersolstice** · 03-31-2008, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kebrown

Whoever wrote this recipe did a piss poor job. The instructions do not even mention what to do with the buckwheat honey.

Put it in the primary with the rest of the ingredients??

We should give proper credit to Joe Mattioli for this recipe. A lot of people, me included, have been successful with Joe's recipes. Joe is the same man who developed the famous Ancient Orange Mead.

SuperiorBrew · 03-31-2008, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kebrown

Whoever wrote this recipe did a piss poor job. The instructions do not even mention what to do with the buckwheat honey.

However with that said I have a 1 gallon batch in its 4th week....

I think Joe assumed that whoever would follow his recipe would be able to figure that part out.

I put mine on a bagel

04-06-2008, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperiorBrew

I think Joe assumed that whoever would follow his recipe would be able to figure that part out.

I put mine on a bagel

well started up my own batch today. didnt have the buckwheat honey... not sure what to do.. perhaps i should backsweeten with it???

SuperiorBrew · 04-06-2008, 03:06 AM

I think it both adds a little bolder flavor and I am sure I read they added it for the extra nutrients of something it had. I wouldnt swear to that but I do remember it did serve another purpose in ther.

All that being said I'm sure you will be fine with out it.

**Wade E** · 04-06-2008, 03:39 AM

I believe his last name is Mattioli and you were right to add both sorbate and sulfite as sorbate usually doesnt work unless there is a sufficient amount of free S02.

Painterman · 11-05-2008, 03:32 PM

I was wondering about how to get by not adding sulphites, I have a friend that is allergic to them.

thanks