joey11bball

Recipes 

Could you use clover honey as well?

MikeRLynch

Recipes 

Absolutely. Just keep in mind that the better quality honey you use, the better mead comes out.

Clover honey results in a very simple mead. Often it's used for fruit meads. Try fermenting it with blueberries or other fruit. Just be careful the fruit doesn't clog the airlock, otherwise this happens:

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On Deck - IPA, Lost Elm Rye Pale Ale
Fermenting - Lost Elm ESB
On Tap - Lost Elm Rye Pale Ale, Lost Elm ESB with Honey

Gremlyn

Recipes 

Who doesn't want you to make mead??

I've wanted to try making a mead, but I also want to try it before I make it. No use in spending over a year one something I may hate :P

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joey11bball

Recipes 

Wow that looks like it was quite an explosion. Could you leave it in the primary for longer then a month or would the yeast cake put in some off flavors after a while?

ibbones

Recipes 

That's my question as well. Could I just leave it in the primary for 9-12 months and then bottle it or would it be better to bottle after a month and let the bottles set?

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AZ_IPA

Recipes 

A lot of people will wait until fermentation is complete (usually 1-2 months, sometimes faster depending on several factors), rack off the lees (yeast, sediment), and then wait until completely clear to bottle.

Quantum

Recipes 

A couple things to note here, first off I'd recommend always boiling your water and honey into a wort before adding to your fermenter, you never know what pathogens or just odd flavor additives may have ended up in or on your honey bottles.
I've also found that a yeast starter goes a long way with mead, since the fermentation is typically so slow to begin with you want your yeast as happy as it can be by the time you pitch it.
Honey lacks yeast nutrients which is why the fermentation is typically so slow, one can utilize a Yeast Nutrient and Diammonium Phosphate (a mineral suppliment) to expedite a healthier fermentation.

Also if you're concerned about your fruit additives clogging your airlocks, you might try a concentrate instead of raw fruit. I use Welsh's juice extract in my melomel to great success.

Thanks for the tut'

AZ_IPA

Recipes 

Boiling is not needed. You can do it, but it's not needed.

MikeRLynch

Recipes 

Yes, there are two camps of thought on this one, and it's been argued back and forth for a while. In the end, both ways make mead, you just have to decide for yourself which makes the best mead for you.

Personally, I'm a no-boil guy. Primarily because I'm lazy, but also because a lot of the honey I use has been processed already, and is very clean. More raw honeys, like those straight from the hive will benefit from heating up (don't boil!) and skimming all the junk that comes to the top. If you want more on the heat/don't heat debate, search the mead forum, there's plenty there.

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On Deck - IPA, Lost Elm Rye Pale Ale
Fermenting - Lost Elm ESB
On Tap - Lost Elm Rye Pale Ale, Lost Elm ESB with Honey