Picked up some cheap honey at the bakery yesterday to try as my first mead. Hopefully it will turn out ok, although this is more or less a trial run to see how fermentation goes, etc.
The honey is likely sourced from China, just going on the price. They wanted $1.95 per lb. I gave them a small plastic container that was once used to transport LME. They fit 11.4 lbs in it.
As I was leaving the store the phone rang of course, and I had the phone on my shoulder and trying to set the honey down I put it on the center console. The lid caught on the parking brake and it tipped a bit. Just enough let some honey run down onto the edge of the seat and carpet. indication of things to come? I hoped not!
With my friend coming the next day to brew, I decided to do up his starter. Got the yeast and DME in the flask and on the stirplate. Then mixed up the honey and water according to the sticky and rehydrated the yeast as I do for dry beer yeast. Started foaming even before I pitched, so my confidence was up! (No food for the yeast at this point. I only had Fermax, which was not indicated for rehydration.)
Took gravity and hit my target at exactly 1.10! (I wanted it a lighter mead). Pitched the yeast and went to eat dinner and watch the new Karate Kid movie with the family. We ended up watching the original first on netflix, then the new one. (Original was better, BTW, accordign to the whole family).
Afterwards went to bed, but before doing so I checked in on the mead and it was bubbling right along! Wow! I thought it might take overnight at least!
Today I added a bit of the Fermax and degassed it a bit while stirring it in.
Here's crossing fingers and hoping it comes out ok. I'm wondering if anyone's tried adding bourbon to mead. Seems like I've heard of this before. Maybe something I tried at the Siciliano's Homebrew Day Party? Memories are faint, but it seems I tried something like that there and really liked it.
The honey is likely sourced from China, just going on the price. They wanted $1.95 per lb. I gave them a small plastic container that was once used to transport LME. They fit 11.4 lbs in it.
As I was leaving the store the phone rang of course, and I had the phone on my shoulder and trying to set the honey down I put it on the center console. The lid caught on the parking brake and it tipped a bit. Just enough let some honey run down onto the edge of the seat and carpet. indication of things to come? I hoped not!
With my friend coming the next day to brew, I decided to do up his starter. Got the yeast and DME in the flask and on the stirplate. Then mixed up the honey and water according to the sticky and rehydrated the yeast as I do for dry beer yeast. Started foaming even before I pitched, so my confidence was up! (No food for the yeast at this point. I only had Fermax, which was not indicated for rehydration.)
Took gravity and hit my target at exactly 1.10! (I wanted it a lighter mead). Pitched the yeast and went to eat dinner and watch the new Karate Kid movie with the family. We ended up watching the original first on netflix, then the new one. (Original was better, BTW, accordign to the whole family).
Afterwards went to bed, but before doing so I checked in on the mead and it was bubbling right along! Wow! I thought it might take overnight at least!
Today I added a bit of the Fermax and degassed it a bit while stirring it in.
Here's crossing fingers and hoping it comes out ok. I'm wondering if anyone's tried adding bourbon to mead. Seems like I've heard of this before. Maybe something I tried at the Siciliano's Homebrew Day Party? Memories are faint, but it seems I tried something like that there and really liked it.