Help me brew my Wedding Mead!

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msarro

msarro

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Hey everyone! I am making my very first mead to be drank on my wedding day (october 26th, 2013). I want to give it time to mellow, plus I want to have time if I screw something up :) The goal is a sweet mead to be drank in the height of fall to celebrate the day. As I've never made a mead before, I'm going out on a limb trying this. I am trying to avoid using additives other than the sulfites.

Here is my recipe so far for a 5 gallon batch:

1 gallon orange blossom honey
5lbs wildflower honey
1.64g potassium metabisulfite
5.5tbsp bee pollen
1lb raisins (organic, unsulphered)
1/4th of a medium organic orange's peel (do not use pith)
2 packets champagne yeast

Things I'm considering using:
3 cracked cinnamon sticks
4-5 whole cloves, cracked
1-2 threads of saffron

Basic process will be add warmed honey to warm water, add sulfites, orange peel and raisins (and cinnamon, cloves if used) stir vigorously and let it sit for 24 hours. Then add the yeast and cover for primary fermentation.

That's about as far as I've gotten. Any thoughts or recommendations (oh god, I know this will generate about 8000 different opinions, lol) about the process or ingredients would be very much appreciated. As I said I'm aiming for warm, sweet and a pinch spicy with a nice luscious mouthfeel. I know getting exactly where I want my first time out for my wedding is a pipe dream, but I'm sure with the community's help I can get close.
 
msarro said:
Hey everyone! I am making my very first mead to be drank on my wedding day (october 26th, 2013). I want to give it time to mellow, plus I want to have time if I screw something up :) The goal is a sweet mead to be drank in the height of fall to celebrate the day. As I've never made a mead before, I'm going out on a limb trying this. I am trying to avoid using additives other than the sulfites.

Here is my recipe so far for a 5 gallon batch:

1 gallon orange blossom honey
5lbs wildflower honey
1.64g potassium metabisulfite
5.5tbsp bee pollen
1lb raisins (organic, unsulphered)
1/4th of a medium organic orange's peel (do not use pith)
2 packets champagne yeast

Things I'm considering using:
3 cracked cinnamon sticks
4-5 whole cloves, cracked
1-2 threads of saffron

Basic process will be add warmed honey to warm water, add sulfites, orange peel and raisins (and cinnamon, cloves if used) stir vigorously and let it sit for 24 hours. Then add the yeast and cover for primary fermentation.

That's about as far as I've gotten. Any thoughts or recommendations (oh god, I know this will generate about 8000 different opinions, lol) about the process or ingredients would be very much appreciated. As I said I'm aiming for warm, sweet and a pinch spicy with a nice luscious mouthfeel. I know getting exactly where I want my first time out for my wedding is a pipe dream, but I'm sure with the community's help I can get close.
Click to expand...
A nice idea and plenty of time to achieve the goal.

Whats the point of adding sulphite to the must before ferment ?

Why a champagne yeast ? as IMO (and that of others) it blows too much of the aromatics and some of the more subtle flavours straight out the airlock, equally, it's also likely to ferment the must to dryness, which is likely to need sulphite and sorbate to stabilise so it can be back sweetened (a sweet or medium is more likely to be enjoyed at a function like a wedding, unless all the guests happen to be mead connoisseurs and know what a dry mead is like).

Your spice ideas are fine, but there's no need to "crack" the spices and I would err towards a bit less clove, as it's easy for them to dominate the flavour and make it like some sort of cough medicine, or even undrinkable (to some people).


You'd pretty much attain what you're aiming at with a JAO type brew, just scaled up to allow for the expected number of guests......
 
Adding the sulfite to the must before brewing let's me avoid any boil whatsoever. I just have to let it sit for about 24 hours before pitching yeast so it has time to kill any other fungie/spores/etc.
 
You don't need to kill any nasties before the fermentation, unless you did something wrong.
 
msarro said:
Adding the sulfite to the must before brewing let's me avoid any boil whatsoever. I just have to let it sit for about 24 hours before pitching yeast so it has time to kill any other fungie/spores/etc.
Click to expand...

There's ZERO need to heat/boil the must even without chemicals. Read up on making mead (go to the got mead forums) before you do so. I would also pick a Lalvin yeast strain that will work best in the temperatures you'll be fermenting at. Also use the calculator on the got mead site to help figure out how much honey to use to hit your ABV% target. If you want it to finish sweet then formulate it so. Just be careful to not make the OG too high. I'd also.plan on some.nutrients and a degas/aeration schedule (until you hit the 1/3 break.
 
Onihige said:
You don't need to kill any nasties before the fermentation, unless you did something wrong.
Click to expand...


My concern isn't the honey, its the spices and the orange peel. Put them all in, add the sulfite to make sure they're not containing any extra spores/etc, and then let it start to ferment.

My HBS provided me Lavlin EC-1118 yeast to use for the project. Am I looking for a yeast that can't quite tolerate the abv I'm aiming for? (I'm looking to get this at around 15%). The info for Lavlin ec-1118 says that it'll completely ferment to dryness. However the HBS suggested backsweetening which would be fine if it's easier.
 
D47 would be a better choice since it goes to about 14%. EC-1118 will go to about 18% (maybe more). You only need one pack of yeast (not two) for a 5 gallon batch.

Again, read up on the Got.Mead? forums about making mead. Its more than a little different than brewing beer.
 
I picked up 2 packs of D47 today. I appreciate the help folks. Any other suggestions?
 
msarro said:
I picked up 2 packs of D47 today. I appreciate the help folks. Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

Staggered nutrient additions will help with a clean, quick ferment, and drastically cut down on aging time. The sticky (by hightest) is a must read.

Done right, mead can he enjoyed in months, not years.
 
I would add the spices and whatnot in secondary, since it's easier to control the flavors that way. If you add everything in primary, it may overpower the honey. If you add it in secondary, you can taste it every now and then to see where it's at and when you're satisfied you take it off the spices and whatnot.
 

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