Clover Honey, Molasses W/lime Juice And Cinnamon

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STEVENJAN

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Well right or wrong I just started a mead after reading about it for weeks.
I made 1 gallon in a tea jug. If this turns into something drinkable I will be defying all known mead laws. I just got tired of doing nothing and decided to do something. You can start calling me names or admonishing me for my naive behavior. Whether it's right or wrong ....it's done!!
Oh Yeah....Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast.
 
A recipe would be useful, hard to critique without more info. I've used molasses in a couple of cysers & I found that a little bit goes a long way. I've also used citrus, both juice & zest, and discovered that the zest is the best part to use for flavour. I wouldn't have thought that lime would go with the molasses, but then I thought the same thing about lime & mint, then I discovered the mojito :D I'm curious to see how this turns out, who knows, this might be the next big thing. Regards, GF.
 
It probably would have been a good idea to follow a recipe.
Frankly I cleaned out my cupboard.
I have had the yeast for over 2 weeks and I was bottling up my beer and was going to start a new batch of Vienna Lager and I looked at the wife and said. I am going to do the "Mead". I say that loosely because I don't know if you can define it as mead as yet. I'll let you know if I don't blow up the garage with my concoction. I had 2 jars of honey in the cupboard..probably 3 cups,24oz.(?) and I knew I was short for a gallon. I added about a cup or so of molasses. about 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. 1 tsp. lime juice for a nutrient(?).
My wife thought I was nuts. She is probably right. Everybody said making mead was a no brainer. I guess I'll prove everyone right or wrong.
 
I just checked my mead in the garage. It is fizzing like crazy. Is that a good sign or a bad sign? Is this stuff flammable? The yeast is working overtime. It is very dark because of the molasses. It looks like there is sediment on top. Do you leave that or do you skim it off? Wow! It's only been 4 hours. Is it too hot? Too much yeast? Too many goodies in it?
 
Yes, it's supposed to fizz. And it won't have near enough alcohal to be flamable and blow up the garage. Just leave it alone for a few months.

I use Joe's Ancient Orange Mead recipe and I let it age for at least 4 months before drinking it, I've heard that most other recipes need to be aged 6 months to a year before they're worth drinking.
 
did you do a boil or is this a "dump and stir" mead?

I boiled the water and molasses. I took it off the heat after adding the cinnamon and lime juice. At that point I added the honey. The wife proofed the yeast in the meantime. I put the pan in the freezer. I bottled my beer, made a new batch and then I dumped the mead mix in the water in the tea jug. Checked the temp (to the touch) pitched the yeast and then voila, fizzing!!
 
You mentioned a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, that is likely your "sediment on the top." Also, you may notice some nasty looking, mucilaginous slime developing later, don't be alarmed, ground cinnamon does that. You can avoid the slime by using cinnamon in stick form, also you might add it during secondary to get a better & more true flavour. A whole cup of molasses in 1 gallon is a lot, I doubt you'll be able to taste the honey. I like to use about 2-3 oz of molasses in 5-6 gallons of cyser, really makes the apple pop. Lime juice doesn't really ad much of anything the yeast can use as a nutrient, mostly all it (or any citrus juice) adds is acids, lowering the ph. Hope you find some of this info useful. Regards, GF.
 
You mentioned a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, that is likely your "sediment on the top." Also, you may notice some nasty looking, mucilaginous slime developing later, don't be alarmed, ground cinnamon does that. You can avoid the slime by using cinnamon in stick form, also you might add it during secondary to get a better & more true flavour. A whole cup of molasses in 1 gallon is a lot, I doubt you'll be able to taste the honey. I like to use about 2-3 oz of molasses in 5-6 gallons of cyser, really makes the apple pop. Lime juice doesn't really ad much of anything the yeast can use as a nutrient, mostly all it (or any citrus juice) adds is acids, lowering the ph. Hope you find some of this info useful. Regards, GF.

Thanks GF. I probably will end up with more of a molasses beer than a honey wine. I am already thinking about doing a JAOM or a MAOM or something in between. This one was more of a "get off of the dime and do something" moment than anything else. It was kind of like when I got my beer kit for Chrisstmas. I had been thinking of doing homebrew for years but never got around to doing it. I have fermented three batches and I am working on my fourth since Christmas. It just took getting off of the couch and doing it. I know some people look down on the Mr Beer kit but, it's a start. Also, it's been good bear. Did you know that George Washington brewed molasses beer? Out of necessity.
 
You might want to pick up a copy of The Compleat Meadmaker by Ken Schramm, it's the most useful book on the subject of mead making I've read so far & really does help to answer questions new mead makers may not even think to ask. I saw a show on either the History Channel, or the Discovery Chanel that mention George Washington's molasses beer, also that he made whiskey; I think it's pretty cool that the father of my country was also a brewer/distiller. Regards, GF.
 
You might want to pick up a copy of The Compleat Meadmaker by Ken Schramm, it's the most useful book on the subject of mead making I've read so far & really does help to answer questions new mead makers may not even think to ask. I saw a show on either the History Channel, or the Discovery Chanel that mention George Washington's molasses beer, also that he made whiskey; I think it's pretty cool that the father of my country was also a brewer/distiller. Regards, GF.



GF, I've actually read quite a bit about the folks in history that have made homebrew etc. I am sure people in my church would frown upon my making any of this. The Pilgrims had their own brewery. Martin Luther's wife was responsible for the homebrew and when he was away he missed his wife and his homebrew. The church was responsible for hops basically. They had to have standards. Many of our founding Fathers spoke highly of potables.

By the way, I just checked my mead(?) and it is still fizzing. Lots of fermentables I guess. It's been over 48 hours and it is still going to town.

I am considering doing a honey/pomegranate wine. I have a Pomegranate bush/tree and curiousity.
 
One week later and still fizzing. Cool stuff.
My Vienna Lager (Mr. Beer) has foam on top so everthing is right with the world. I tried our sample of High Country Canadian Ale and it's turning out ok. It's a little raw still and needs conditioning but it will be good.
 
I put it in a gallon apple juice jug(clear) with a stopper and a bubbler(after 3 weeks).
I tasted it and it did taste highly of alcohol and quite tart(dry?). Rocket fuel?
How long should I keep it in the gallon jug? Will it mellow or will it always be that dry because of the yeast I used? Should I add honey when I bottle it?
If so how much?
 
Leave it be for a month or so, rack it again when you get 1/4 in. of lees, or when it clears, whichever happens 1st. Regards, GF.
 
Wow, what a hobby(obsession) this brewing is. We don't really do alot of drinking. We have an occasional glass of wine or Bailey's. I pick up some O'douls (amber) sometimes, to drink with pizza. Mr. beer changed it all. You can say what you want about the product but we have enjoyed making beer and we have enjoyed imbibing the finished product. I have made four batches with one more in the fermentor(wheat beer). It's been alot of fun and we think it's been a real good drink. I usually share about half the batch with friends and they have enjoyed it. I will be giving away 4 bottles (22oz.) this next week of our "Canadian Draft" whatever that is. All I know is, it tastes pretty good. By the way, 2 gallons is plenty for us. I don't expect to make 5 gals.
We still don't drink alot but what we do drink, we enjoy.
Anyway I know I'm rambling but I just wanted to say, what a fun hobby this is. I know my first Mead was pretty lame but I'm still going to make a legit one like JAOM, or is it JOAM? I got a different type of yeast from Beer, Beer and More Beer (Riverside,Ca.) and I am going to go to one of the local honey stands in the area and do a two gallon batch in a three gallon plastic carboy/water jug.Winco sells them for 10 bucks. Also I've been reading about Blue Ribbon Malt from prohibition days and I want to try that. Also I might try George Washington's molasses beer if I can find a recipe. I know that the sugar in molasses is different from malt extract so you can't replace it lb. for lb. I also want to try a straight honey,water and yeast mead. Just Like God intended. Thanks for bearing with me.Steve
 
Stevenjan,

"Obsession" is the correct word! I made my first batch of wine from a kit around the first of the year, then decided to take off the training wheels and make a batch of mead. I am now on my fifth batch of mead....with enough honey and finally an empty primary waiting to create my sixth batch!~

I am very interested to know how this first batch of yours turns out... reading the ingredients in your title (less the lime) caught my attention. Please let us know how it turns out!
 
mead requires a LOT of patience. beer does too, but the better meads I've made have all aged a couple of years before they tasted truly amazing.
 
mead requires a LOT of patience. beer does too, but the better meads I've made have all aged a couple of years before they tasted truly amazing.

What I'm thinking about doing with this first mead is bottle it in a month or so and hide it in the cupboard for 1/2 year or more before I even try it. Of course I'll try a little when I bottle it. I do have an airlock on the secondary. Does this stuff ever go bad just sitting in the secondary? How long is too long to keep it in there? With the molasses in it, I'm not sure it will ever be clear. It's very dark.
 
It will eventually clear, even though it's going to be dark. I've got a couple of cysers with molasses aging at the moment, they're dark, but crystal clear; they cast a very red light on the wall when I shine a flashlight through them. I'd wait till it at least clears before bottling, otherwise you'll get sediment in your bottles. BTW, I've been bulk aging those cysers for about a year now. Regards, GF.
 
+1 to bulk aging. I would leave it in bulk for that next 6 months to year at least. Molasses will clear but always benifits from plenty of time to mellow and bulk aging is probly the best way to age and keep your batch consistent.
 
I bottled this a couple of weeks ago ( I sampled of course). It is much more mellow than I thought it would be. This will be very drinkable within a few short months. If this is how my goofy concoction turned out, I can't wait to find out how my straightforward Mead will be. I would not be embarassed to share this with a friend.
 
You mentioned a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, that is likely your "sediment on the top." Also, you may notice some nasty looking, mucilaginous slime developing later, don't be alarmed, ground cinnamon does that. You can avoid the slime by using cinnamon in stick form, also you might add it during secondary to get a better & more true flavour. A whole cup of molasses in 1 gallon is a lot, I doubt you'll be able to taste the honey. I like to use about 2-3 oz of molasses in 5-6 gallons of cyser, really makes the apple pop. Lime juice doesn't really ad much of anything the yeast can use as a nutrient, mostly all it (or any citrus juice) adds is acids, lowering the ph. Hope you find some of this info useful. Regards, GF.

I surfed in here trying to see if anyone else has ever had cinnamon slime. Seems it's not just me. I have that slime in my spicey tea and figured it was probably due to the cassia (cheap cinnamon in the US). Anyway, I saw someone saying lime juice doesn't benefit yeast much, and I wanted to state that I disagree. While I don't use like juice (I use crushed vitamin C tablets) I can say that yeast is a major lover of ascorbic acid/vitamin C. I first learned this when talking to a sour dough bread baker who traditionally raises his own yeast. If you look at the contents of "active dry yeast" packages, you will notice some vitamin C in there as well (or at least the ones I have). I'm not advising anyone to use bread yeast in a brew, but if you do a little research on what nutrients Saccharomyces cerevisia likes ot have in its diet, you may see a beneficial component of lime (or any citrus) in your brew.

On a side note, I don't use any citrus juice in mine, because it imparted an unpleasant smell to the end product whenever I have. The smell of fermenting oranges is not my favorite thing and got me some bad reviews once.
 
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