Hi all, so I recently got into brewing beer and mead has suddenly caught my interest. I am planing on making Charlie Papazian's Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit Mead. Now I don't wanna invest a year or so in this to not have it turn out well, so I have a few questions.
1. Where is the best place to get 20lbs of honey? I was thinking a restaurant supply store. Is there a difference between what I would get there vs. what I would get from a home brew store?
2. The recipe says to boil the honey and 2gal water for 15 mins first. I have read in the FAQ that this is not ideal. What is the best way to prepare the honey?
3. The recipe says to transfer to a carboy for initial fermentation and does not indicate any further actions until fermentation is almost complete. He also states that the fermentation can take from 3 months to a year. Is a nutrient addition schedule beneficial to this?
4. When fermentation is nearly complete, he indicates to transfer to a secondary carboy and purge the oxygen using co2. Is this necessary?
5. When the mead is transferred to the second carboy, he says that it will clear over time, I read that racking it to different carboys is how to make it clear. Which is correct?
6. What is the best method for bottling?
Thanks for your help!
Keep in mind that this is my first time so I don't know what I don't know. Feel free to add any additional comments!
1. Where is the best place to get 20lbs of honey? I was thinking a restaurant supply store. Is there a difference between what I would get there vs. what I would get from a home brew store?
2. The recipe says to boil the honey and 2gal water for 15 mins first. I have read in the FAQ that this is not ideal. What is the best way to prepare the honey?
3. The recipe says to transfer to a carboy for initial fermentation and does not indicate any further actions until fermentation is almost complete. He also states that the fermentation can take from 3 months to a year. Is a nutrient addition schedule beneficial to this?
4. When fermentation is nearly complete, he indicates to transfer to a secondary carboy and purge the oxygen using co2. Is this necessary?
5. When the mead is transferred to the second carboy, he says that it will clear over time, I read that racking it to different carboys is how to make it clear. Which is correct?
6. What is the best method for bottling?
Thanks for your help!
Keep in mind that this is my first time so I don't know what I don't know. Feel free to add any additional comments!