My first real mead

hi all,

i created my first mead on the 25th of september 2009

the recipe was, 23 liters, like this (i used a recipe from the web, don't know which one):

2.3 kg honey, just standard supermarket honey. no variety here in iceland
5 oranges in slices
4 cinnamon sticks
2 ml all spice
2 ml nutmeg
3 cloves
125 rasines
lavin 1118
OG was 1140

racket to secondary, on 16th of november 2009.
gravity was, 1020
i added 4 liters water, 450 gr honey plus another package of lavin 1118

today, 5th of august 2010, i just remembered that i had this mead downstairs.
the gravity now is 0997, it tastes wonderfully (like nothing i've created before in the wine department). i'm blown away -- so this is what the fuss about mead is about

anyway, it is a bit cloudy, see here

and here


i was wondering, what fining approach to take. most likely it is cloudy becase of dead yeast cells or too much tannin from the raisins.

then again, perhaps it just drops if and when i cool it down.

I've never used fining agents, I never needed them. Time is your friend when it comes to mead. I'd just rack it off the lees & wait, it'll eventually be crystal clear, clear enough to read a newspaper through. Regards, GF.

Looks like the same recipe I used for what I am calling my Autumn Mead. Looks about the same color and consistency that I have as well. I would say just leave it alone and go in for the long haul. Let us know how much better it gets over time.

Joe

my first mead is currently on my stove top.

Very nice. I only have two going, so am still a baby, but am very interested. What do you have going?

15 pounds of orange blossom from The Ohio State Universities bee farm. Using that for a 5 gallon batch with just water, wyeast 1056, irish moss, gypsum, yeast nutrient and acid blend. I decided I wanted my first mead to be just bare bones simple.

Sounds nice. Sounds like you have done some brewing before. Why the moss, gypsum and acid blend? I know the different yeasts perform differently and nutrient is food, but don't know anything about the others. You will have to let me know how the orange blossom honey turns out. All I used was off the shelf basic honey, they both tasted pretty good so am not disappointed. Am looking at maybe a blueberry next. Just need to figure out if I want to do fruit vs juice, add in the primary or secondary. Still trying to figure it out.

I've never used the water treatments before in brewing but inwas told I should use them in mead. The acid blend helps off set the intense sweetness or the honey (like hops in beer to counter malt). The moss is a clearing agent much like glycerin. As far the gypsum goes it says a water hardener and I have no clue what it's needed for. The only reason I used the honey I did is because my uncle and aunt both work for OSU and when I told them about the mead I wanted to make they offered.

Cool, thanks, I learned something new today (so does that mean I am done for the day?) You will have to let me know how it turns out. It is great that your aunt and uncle were able to hook you up with the honey. I am looking around at the local beekeepers up here to see if any of them have any good varieties. I know I can get some blueberry and maybe some nice cherry honey from Traverse City area. Will just have to see. As long as the result is tasty I am not terribly concerned.

O and as far as the fruit vs juice thing...imo real fruit can't be beat. I'm taking a blind shot at this but I would say to add fruit at secondary and after some time I would rack the mead off of the fruit and into another carboy to ensure more clearing. I've read that some guys will rack mead 3 or 4 times to make sure it is as clear as low a gravity as possible.

what water profile are u using for your mead.
my all grain beer really stepped up to another league when i started adjusting the water.

what do you suggest for mead, i.e. what profile. mine is a very soft water, almost pils like

I used bottled water

I use bottled spring water from the market. A friend used distilled water but the mead tasted flat, I would recommend against that.