Lukus
Well-Known Member
I found a recipe on GotMead.com. Being that I am brand new to making mead I need a little help. Here is the recipe.
2 lbs honey
5 gal pastuerized apple cider
1 lb brown sugar
10 cinnamon sticks, crushed
palmful crushed allspice berries
palmful crushed cardamom
3 tsp lemon peel
3 tsp orange peel
1 pkg Pasteur Champagne yeast
Heat 1 gal cider to 160 d F.
Add honey, brown sugar, and all spices.
Keep at 160 for 15 minutes, stirring to dissolve honey and brown sugar.
Put 3 gal cider in 5 gal food grade pail.
Add hot must to pail, straining out spices.
When temperature drops below 80 d. F, pitch yeast and add 3.5 tsp yeast nutrient, agitate pail with top on to mix well.
Airlock and let sit for 1 month, then add last gallon of cider, and boil 2 cups water and steep 5 sticks of cinnamon (crushed) for 15 minutes.
Remove cinnamon and add water to must.
Add honey dissolved into boiled water as needed to enhance flavor and body to taste.
When ferment is complete, bottle and age at least 1 month.
O.G. 1.080
F.G. 1.000
So it seems pretty straight forward till I get to the fermenting. How long should I ferment? and how do I know when the "ferment is complete"?
Also I want to make a nice sweet mead do you think this recipe will yield that?
Thanks for any help.
2 lbs honey
5 gal pastuerized apple cider
1 lb brown sugar
10 cinnamon sticks, crushed
palmful crushed allspice berries
palmful crushed cardamom
3 tsp lemon peel
3 tsp orange peel
1 pkg Pasteur Champagne yeast
Heat 1 gal cider to 160 d F.
Add honey, brown sugar, and all spices.
Keep at 160 for 15 minutes, stirring to dissolve honey and brown sugar.
Put 3 gal cider in 5 gal food grade pail.
Add hot must to pail, straining out spices.
When temperature drops below 80 d. F, pitch yeast and add 3.5 tsp yeast nutrient, agitate pail with top on to mix well.
Airlock and let sit for 1 month, then add last gallon of cider, and boil 2 cups water and steep 5 sticks of cinnamon (crushed) for 15 minutes.
Remove cinnamon and add water to must.
Add honey dissolved into boiled water as needed to enhance flavor and body to taste.
When ferment is complete, bottle and age at least 1 month.
O.G. 1.080
F.G. 1.000
So it seems pretty straight forward till I get to the fermenting. How long should I ferment? and how do I know when the "ferment is complete"?
Also I want to make a nice sweet mead do you think this recipe will yield that?
Thanks for any help.