1st Mead

While racking my Mead last night I realized I never started a thread, with the recipe and statistics. Since this was my first Mead I decided to just do a 1 gal experimental batch. I choose Orange Blossom Honey, since that's my personal favorite in tea or on a biscuit.

Recipe:
3lbs Orange Blossom Honey
Water to 1 gal
1 packet Montrachet yeast
Yeast Nutrient
Yeast Energizer

Procedures:
Warmed 1/2 gal of water plus honey to 150 and held for 15 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure sugar dispersal, and oxygenation. Cooled must in ice bath, while yeast re-hydrated in 1/2 cup warm water. Added 2 cups of must to bloomed yeast, while I prepared the primary (20 minutes). Added must to primary, added yeast mixture to primary, topped up with water leaving 4 inches headspace. OG was 1.084. Since my homebrew shop didn't have the same name brand nutrients that Hightest calls for, I bought their equivalents, then followed the bottle's instructions for 1 gal. I added half of each nutrient after 24hrs, then the remaining half after 1 week, swirling after each addition. Last night made 4 weeks in primary. FG was 1.004 (11.1 percent according to BrewCalcs). I racked into sanitized glass jug, and topped up with 1 1/2 cup sterile water to make up for loss in Hydro, and to yeast. I plan on letting this ride for another 3-4 weeks, then rack. Depending on clarity, I'll go another 3-4, and re-rack or bottle.

My goal is to have some either for Christmas or New Year's Eve. I drank the sample and oh man it was good. Extremely floral. But even with that much alcohol SWMBO thought it was a touch sweet. I did the calculations and told her, don't go crazy because it will knock you on you but.

I'm really excited after this success. I plan on starting a 3 gal batch with Clover honey in the next couple weeks. I'll add a couple pounds of fresh Strawberries to the secondary to that one.

Congrats on your success!! Orange Blossom is great for floral aromatics, as you have found. BTW - some folks report harsh phenolic flavors (sharp peppery, or even plastic) when they have used Montrachet yeast in past recipes. But I for one have found Montrachet to be pretty well behaved when you follow a nutrient management protocol like Hightest's SNA. Glad to see that someone else has had success with it, too!

Sounds good! I'd wait to rack again until it's crystal clear, or if you get more than 1/4" of lees.

ScottM said:

I'm really excited after this success. I plan on starting a 3 gal batch with Clover honey in the next couple weeks. I'll add a couple pounds of fresh Strawberries to the secondary to that one.

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FWIW, in Schramm's book, he says to add the following (for raspberries) in the secondary (for a 5 gallon batch):

mild fruit character - 2-4 lbs
medium fruit - 8-12 lbs
strong fruit - 13 bls or more

mild fruit character - 2-4 lbs
medium fruit - 8-12 lbs
strong fruit - 13 bls or more

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I'd love a strong flavor, but 13lbs, wow! I'll probably stick with something like 5lbs for my 3 gal batch, which by those ratios would be more of a medium fruit flavor profile. Depending on how the strawberry turns out I'll then do a raspberry in August. Isn't it wonderfull to live so close to pick-your-own farms!!

Update: Clearing very nicely so I racked again last Friday. I was starting my 3 gal batch, and figured as long as I had the equipment out, I'd get the Orange Blossom Mead off the lees. There was a good layer, no more than an 1/8th of an inch, but I wasn't carefull enough with the racking cane and stirred some of it up. So it was a little cloudy at first in the new vessel, but that was gone within 24 hours. I did sample 1/2 a glass, and it was excellent. I can imagine how the alcohol will mellow out with time, but truthfully I don't mind it as it is.

My plan going forward would be to give it a little bit of time to continue clearing then to bottle it. I need some advice on bottling. This entire experiment has been in old 4L Ernest Gallo bottles, with an air lock. I could bottle down into traditional wine bottles, or I could rack one more time into a sanitized Ernest Gallo, and spin the cap back onto it. Any drawbacks to the second option? The only thing I can think of is the cap wouldn't be as air tight as a corked wine bottle. However this is only 1 gal, so once I get started drinking it, how long is it realistically going to last?

Thank goodness my next batch is 3 gallons, and I shouldn't have this dilemna again!!

ScottM said:

I'd love a strong flavor, but 13lbs, wow! I'll probably stick with something like 5lbs for my 3 gal batch, which by those ratios would be more of a medium fruit flavor profile. Depending on how the strawberry turns out I'll then do a raspberry in August. Isn't it wonderfull to live so close to pick-your-own farms!!

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Strawberries were $1/pound last weekend in LA, if I had my wits about me I would have bought 20lbs and frozen them.