New Mead Master in Training

After a year of procrastinating (which I'm very good at) I have decided to start my own home brewery. Now I am a new comer completely. My only experience in brewing is my dad taught me how to set up a moonshine still when I was 12 (which I've forgotten) and being an alcoholic. Instead of doing beer like my friends keep demanding I've opted to start an specialize I'm mead since no one around me seems to even drink it much less make it (though I'm sure someone does).

I haven't started, hell I haven't even bought the equipment. I just know that I want to. I plan on using my Christmas cash on it (if enough) or using my tax returns so I know it'll be awhile before I start. I'm really just looking to get a jumpstart on my knowledge and perhaps acquire some friends familiar with what I'll be doing.

Don't worry I'm gonna spread my knowledge so it's not like I'm a lost puppy all the time (but still the majority).

So first thing first, what all do u suggest I get for this? I've looked at the deluxe something kit on rebelbrewery.com it's like $150 and contains alot more than what I saw on several other google found sites. But any additions or suggestions are completely welcome. I learn quickly and take criticism very well

Secondly though lastly lol, I intend to do two batches (one after the first) to start the process. Probably too much in the beginning but still what will prolly happen. I want to do an apple cider and cinnamon cyser first. Then hit it on a raspberry and perhaps oranges (or maybe blackberry instead) meglen (bad spelling I know) and hopefully make it a sparkling mead.

Anything u can add, subtract, or whatever greatly appreciated. Even good recipes to look at. Thanks in advance

Buy "The Complete Mead Maker" by Ken Schramm and read it cover to cover. I think that will help you pick what gear you do and do not want to start out with.

Recipes depend on what you like and what you have available to you locally, but there is not really a right or wrong as far as what you put into your mead.

Lastly, read the sticky at the top put together by hightest, he has done a wonderful job compiling information and explaining the process, which should help save you from a few headaches.

Originally I didn't think we had any apiaries neer since I'm in Paragould, Arkansas did a little research and found out that not only is Arkansas a major honey producer but one of our largest apiaries is 15 minutes away so I have good access to honey and the other ingredients I'll prolly by in bulk at SAMs club. I guess my only thing now would be finding yeast. Are there any sites you would suggest? Or god willing, does anyone by chance know where to get it in Arkansas?

And thanks on the book idea. I'm gonna look for it this weekend so I have ample time to understand it all alot better

bubbachunk said:

Buy "The Complete Mead Maker" by Ken Schramm and read it cover to cover. I think that will help you pick what gear you do and do not want to start out with.

Recipes depend on what you like and what you have available to you locally, but there is not really a right or wrong as far as what you put into your mead.

Lastly, read the sticky at the top put together by hightest, he has done a wonderful job compiling information and explaining the process, which should help save you from a few headaches.

Click to expand...

This just about covers it. Read The Complete Mead Maker and hightest's sticky on staggerd nutrient additions.

Just ordered the complete mead maker on Amazon with free two day shipping using a friend's Amazon prime account! I'll have it read before Monday

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381802/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I don't know if this suites your goals, but you may want to start with a couple of 1 gallon batches until you get some of the basics mastered. It is always a heart breaker to spend months babying a fermentation just to find out you did some fundamental things wrong... Even more heart breaking when it is 6 gallons. If you are like most others, you will forget a step or over/under do something. That's just natural part of learning so learn on a less expensive venture. Just my 2 cents worth.

Cheers

GMA said:

I don't know if this suites your goals, but you may want to start with a couple of 1 gallon batches until you get some of the basics mastered. It is always a heart breaker to spend months babying a fermentation just to find out you did some fundamental things wrong... Even more heart breaking when it is 6 gallons. If you are like most others, you will forget a step or over/under do something. That's just natural part of learning so learn on a less expensive venture. Just my 2 cents worth.

Cheers

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+1
Even though my first batch was a 5 gallon batch, I often suggest people start with 1 gallon batches, the equipment is cheaper and also the total batch price is lower. Heck, I have been mead making since 2005 and I still do 1 gallon batches.

Other than reading Ken's book which you said you have ordered, I recommend trying a batch of Joe's Ancient Orange Mead (JAO/JAOM) Its good, quick, and gives you a chance to get your basics down before getting complicated.

Welcome to the site!

SpamDog

1 gallon batches are probably a good idea although that's not what I did. My reasoning was, I decided I will not bottle or drink any of these first batches (except small tastings at rackings) until at least one year of aging. So if they turn out horrible I would be disappointed in the waste of time and ingredients but if they turn out amazing I would be pissed about waiting so long and only having 1 gallon. My logic might not work for everyone but it works for me lol.
I also kept my recipes fairly simple although I didn't follow any directly.
I am also keeping good daily notes, only thing I missed was OG reading but I am pretty sure I used enough honey and the right yeasts to get a high alcohol content
and some residual sweetness.

DerykCrum said:

Originally I didn't think we had any apiaries neer since I'm in Paragould, Arkansas did a little research and found out that not only is Arkansas a major honey producer but one of our largest apiaries is 15 minutes away so I have good access to honey and the other ingredients I'll prolly by in bulk at SAMs club. I guess my only thing now would be finding yeast. Are there any sites you would suggest? Or god willing, does anyone by chance know where to get it in Arkansas?

And thanks on the book idea. I'm gonna look for it this weekend so I have ample time to understand it all alot better

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Are you talking about Fleetwood Farms in Batesville? I am trying to get a sample from there because it is really the only place I have found in Arkansas to sell at a good price in bulk. I know there is a homebrew shop in Little Rock area and there should be one in Memphis I figure or there are plenty of sites if there are no local places.

Personally, I would start out with a 5 gal batch. I did, I used a slightly modified sweet traditional out of Ken's book. It turned out great, tasted like antiseptic prior to aging. Then I moved on to some simple mels and then I did a couple of meglathins and finally combined them, Fruit and a pairing of spices leaning toward the unusaual mixes. I would also recomend doing some traditionals doing side by side tests to see what works for you what is better than what. My first side by side was an oaked traditional vs non-oaked.
I did nothing different for each batch. Except oaked with lightly toasted oak in one. The Oaked won out but both were good. What I got from it was what effect the oaking had so that I could incorporate it into other brews knowing what the taste profile will give. I am now doing another traditional, trinary batch: Light, Med, Heavy toast levels to taste the difference between the levels. In a way it is also perfecting my standard sweet traditional recipie AND giving me experience on what does what to incorporate it into other brews. Refining processes and building a sort of personal taste knowledge. I don't brew 1 gal batches, I don't feel that I can properly judge a recipie on so little amount. When done you may end up with about a six pack 12 oz bottles from a gal brew. I get 8 six packs out of a 5-6 gal batch.
That's plenty of time and allows for aging and tasting it over time. Another learning experince.

Reading the sticky, Ken Schram's book, making a couple of batches starting simple and that's about it. Looks like you are already on your way to developing contacts for supplies. I recomend you find a local Brew store or find a few places online. Buy a small amount of something first, like 2-3 batches and then when you are sure what you are going to use, buy in bulk. I bought my DAP in a pound size reciently and the realization that it will last another 30-35 batches is reassuring.

Something I would recomend to is to keep track of how much your supplies cost for a given batch and find your local farmer's market. Sams Club may be ok but it is more expensive for a lesser quality of goods and it may be in a bulk that you don't want.

Oh, and if you are making a vanilla batch: Buy the beans online in bulk, much cheaper. My wife also loves the vanilla extract that I make with the excess. 6 beans to 1 cup of white rum. split, scrape, all in a jar and shake for the first week, then let sit for 2 months, ending up with 3/4 cup of vanilla extract better than store bought. But if you are brewing put them in the secondary, split and scraped. Extracts are easy, just need jars and rum/vodka and 1-2 months of sitting in it.

Well, hope that this helps.

Matrix

I started out making cider buying 1 gal glass jugs full of cider for about $7. Add airlock and stopper for about $1 each. You can also buy at walmart for about $7 @ those 5 gal empty plastic water bottles. Walmart and some other deli's will sell you their 5 gal used icing buckets to use for a fementor.

But then if you are like me you like the process of making your own and expand your equipment.

Some times I have an idea on something to add so I pull off some in one of my gallon jugs and try it.

Matrix,

Sorry, a little here....

A few questions about the vanilla.

With the Bulk Vanilla, where do you order it from?

In the secondary, you split the pods, scrape our the inside and then put the scrapings into the secondary... is that correct?

The extract... 6 beans in 1 cup white rum, is that 6 bean pods or 6 bean segments removed from the pods?

Thanks!

Awesome info by the way!

Matrix4b said:

Oh, and if you are making a vanilla batch: Buy the beans online in bulk, much cheaper. My wife also loves the vanilla extract that I make with the excess. 6 beans to 1 cup of white rum. split, scrape, all in a jar and shake for the first week, then let sit for 2 months, ending up with 3/4 cup of vanilla extract better than store bought. But if you are brewing put them in the secondary, split and scraped. Extracts are easy, just need jars and rum/vodka and 1-2 months of sitting in it.

Well, hope that this helps.

Matrix

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Not Batesvill, it's Coy's Honeyfarm in Brooklyn and there is Clyde Grays in Jonesboro so I've got two apiaries in a 15 min drive so far I haven't found a homebrew store but my dad will probably know where to find one. If not atleast I have the Internet.

After all the advice I think I'll start with my 6 gallon batch still (I like going all out too much not to) but when I get to secondary I'll split it into a 3gallon basic and then three 1 gallon variables where I'll try something different in each to see which I like best. still gonna start with a cinnamon apple cider mead. Maybe even do a beer anyways since my moms boyfriend has actually made his own beer before. So I've got some help

And should it all fail miserably (which I pray won't lol) I'm still young enough I know where the party animals are and I'll just pump it full of hard liquor and sell it to my friends lol. Sadly they don't care about quality of taste as long a they get drunk

Where is a good place to look for one gallon glass jugs of juice and/or cider? I have checked a couple of local grocery stores and Costco....

DerykCrum said:

Not Batesvill, it's Coy's Honeyfarm in Brooklyn and there is Clyde Grays in Jonesboro so I've got two apiaries in a 15 min drive so far I haven't found a homebrew store but my dad will probably know where to find one. If not atleast I have the Internet.

After all the advice I think I'll start with my 6 gallon batch still (I like going all out too much not to) but when I get to secondary I'll split it into a 3gallon basic and then three 1 gallon variables where I'll try something different in each to see which I like best. still gonna start with a cinnamon apple cider mead. Maybe even do a beer anyways since my moms boyfriend has actually made his own beer before. So I've got some help

And should it all fail miserably (which I pray won't lol) I'm still young enough I know where the party animals are and I'll just pump it full of hard liquor and sell it to my friends lol. Sadly they don't care about quality of taste as long a they get drunk

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Have you got varietys and pricing from either place yet? The place in Batesville is super cheap as long as it is legit honey...

There's a honey distributor here in North Little Rock that is carried in most of the local grocery stores. I do plan on checking them out for bulk honey since I work only a few miles from their office.

Fischer Honey Company

There's also a LHBS here in NLR. They carry a decent selection on yeast and equipment. The folks there are always friendly and helpful.

Fermentables Homebrew & Winemakers Supply

Pennachi said:

Where is a good place to look for one gallon glass jugs of juice and/or cider? I have checked a couple of local grocery stores and Costco....

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I only seem to find them at Health food stores and Co-ops

Give it a good look before you buy, there is one brand here that just moved from 1 gallon to 3 liter bottles. Not a big deal but kind of a bummer when you get shorted.

SpamDog

Nah like I said I'm a procrastinator lol plus I won't have tue equipment til after Xmas at the earliest so I'm taking my time but I'ma check em out next week for sure

There is a home brew supply store here in jonesboro by Walmart on Parker they have everything you need for mead if you're still interested

Hell, man, on equipment, you don't even need to spend any extra cash for that first crappy batch. When I started, I simply bought my milk in half gallon glass bottles for a couple of weeks, cleaned them thoroughly, and used balloons with pinholes as airlocks. BASICALLY no extra cost, the milk was freakin' amazing, and I got to start my mead on the cheap.

Lol, do you guys look for "old" post to dig up? This one is over 2 years old!

I didn't even notice. Was wondering how I would have come across this until I saw somebody BEFORE me did the deed

Haha oh c'mon I found the ONLY thread started by somebody in my town if he was still on here I would have like to talk to a local brewer look at y'all getting all ruffled