Open to suggestions for dandelion AND honeysuckle meads.

I've been picking dandelions for a couple of months now and have enough or almost enough for a 1 gallon batch. I also have about 4 cups of honeysuckles with easily twice that much left to pick.

I want to make 2-1 gallon batches identically, other than the flowers used. I was hoping I could compare the two. I'd like a quick mead if possible but I don't know what makes a quick mead vs "regular" mead.

I've never even had mead before but I know I like semi-sweet to sweet wines and ciders. I recently tasted the JAOM that I made and I think I'm going to love it. I figured I'd steep the flowers for a couple of hours and then strain the liquid into the fermentor. Not sure on how much honey to use though(3-3.5lbs?), or whether the addition of nutrients is necessary. Also, yeast?

Open to any suggestions on something that should give me a still, sweet mead. Doesn't have to be high on the alcohol but can be if it won't overpower the floral tastes(if there are any). Thanks in advance!

Rahahb said:

I've been picking dandelions for a couple of months now and have enough or almost enough for a 1 gallon batch. I also have about 4 cups of honeysuckles with easily twice that much left to pick.

I want to make 2-1 gallon batches identically, other than the flowers used. I was hoping I could compare the two. I'd like a quick mead if possible but I don't know what makes a quick mead vs "regular" mead.

I've never even had mead before but I know I like semi-sweet to sweet wines and ciders. I recently tasted the JAOM that I made and I think I'm going to love it. I figured I'd steep the flowers for a couple of hours and then strain the liquid into the fermentor. Not sure on how much honey to use though(3-3.5lbs?), or whether the addition of nutrients is necessary. Also, yeast?

Open to any suggestions on something that should give me a still, sweet mead. Doesn't have to be high on the alcohol but can be if it won't overpower the floral tastes(if there are any). Thanks in advance!

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Well I don't know about flower meads, or flower anything really. Just about all flower flavoured stuff is blleeeaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhhh! IMO (except occasional pieces of turkish delight).

Anyway, the bloke who runs Winesathome, as from memory, recommended to a few people, when making stuff with elderflower and more recently, hawthorn flower brews, that they make the base of whatever, then when it gets to about 1.020/1.010 that they add the flower petals then and let it finish as it seems to retain much more of the aromatics etc, which, if you use heat/boiling water or put them into primary, tend to get lost i.e. some of the first of the aromatics to get blown straight out the airlock (especially if champagne yeast is used).

So, short of any other (or better) ideas, I'd have thought that might be the way to go.

Then at least, you should get plenty of the aroma coming through - though I'd have thought honeysuckle would dominate, as dandelion isn't very strong.

Apparently, if you freeze the petals, they retain the aromatics, while you're waiting for the base brew to get to the right level.

Dunno if any of that helps.....

regards

fatbloke

I wanted these to be 2 different meads. You mentioned the honeysuckle dominating so I thought maybe I wasn't clear.

Anywho, what would be a good base to start with? I want something that won't ferment out completely dry and will be done fairly quickly. Having said that, do you think adding the flowers sooner will be better? For example, if I figure it will stop at around 1.020, add the flowers around 1.040?

Ok, so 2 separate batches. You'll still be hard pushed to do anything that will stop at those sorts of numbers.

As I say, you'd have to check the numbers for the yeast, as most of those will ferment a 1.080 must to dry. Trying otherwise is such a fine balancing act as to be impossible.

So you'll probably be better off making a traditional batch and then split it for each of the flower additions.

regards

fatbloke

Thanks for the tips. I only have 1 gallon carboys atm so I figured I'd need to make 2 seperate. Just make them the exact way up until the flower additions.

Rahahb said:

Thanks for the tips. I only have 1 gallon carboys atm so I figured I'd need to make 2 seperate. Just make them the exact way up until the flower additions.

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I use mainly 1 gallon jugs, so if I don't have anything larger available that's exactly what I do. Mix it all in a bucket then just siphon it to the fermenter.