Am I trying to cut corners?

I just got my first mead kit from Midwest and Im going to make a raspberry Melomel. I was reading the instructions and this is the question that occured to me.
If Im looking to make only 5 gallons (I have 12 lbs of honey) can I start it in a 5 gallon carboy with a blow off tube? Id rack it to a secondary in a month, but I dont know if mead makes krusen or not so I dont know if its ok to start it in a 5 gallon or if I should just put it in a primary pail so Im not tying up my 6 gallon carboy.

Any and all advice will be much appreciated

Mead, wine, and cider doesn't make krausen, it just bubbles a bit. You can start in your 5 gallon carboy just fine.

great! Thats all I needed to know.

If I started it today it would be ready circa...? June?

I disagree. My last three batches all did. Two batches were ciders, and had a significant amount of apple pulp in it. And my batch of mulberry mead does too. The krausen never got more than an inch or so.

I wouldn't expect any from your kit. The honey will dissolve, and the raspberry juice should have been filtered.

will_cbe said:

I disagree. My last three batches all did. Two batches were ciders, and had a significant amount of apple pulp in it.

Click to expand...

There you have it.

If you are fermenting your honey and water with the fruit going into secondary, you will be fine. If you are fermenting the fruit...you may have some foam pop up on you.:fro:

I'd do it in the 5 gallon...but heck...I'm kinda like that sometimes.