14 pounds of Honey showed up on my doorstep

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Ceedubya

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2008
Messages
1,460
Reaction score
14
Location
Helena, MT
My mother does some work with the local honey farmers, so she dropped of 14 pounds of honey for me in an old pickle jar. Since I don't plan on eating 14 pounds of honey any time soon, I guess I'm about to embark on my first mead. :mug:
 
Sounds like the opening of a porn movie. Just never happens to me!

If your idea of a good "adult" movie starts with your mom dropping off honey, then you might have some issues that need to be discussed. :(
 
14 lbs in a 5 gallon batch sounds like a nice start for a 1st mead, best part is: all it's going to cost you is about $2.00 for the yeast & nutrients. You should do something nice for your Mom, take her to dinner or something. Regards, GF.
 
If your idea of a good "adult" movie starts with your mom dropping off honey, then you might have some issues that need to be discussed. :(

I think my low down sense of humor may have been over your head.:cross:
Let me splain it to ya.
It's like The stories in Pent House Forum....it just never happens to real people.
 
14 lbs in a 5 gallon batch sounds like a nice start for a 1st mead, best part is: all it's going to cost you is about $2.00 for the yeast & nutrients. You should do something nice for your Mom, take her to dinner or something. Regards, GF.

Mead is like a legacy.
If you plan it right, do a LITTLE research first, maybe find someone to be your Elmer, your could leave a few bottles of your first batch to your kids when you die. In fact, I hope to have at least a bottle of every mead I've ever made left when I die (maybe except the small 1 gallon Krazy Batches that suck)
 
You could do several small batches. Experiment :)


Good Idea, I'll have to pick up a few smaller containers to ferment in.

14 lbs in a 5 gallon batch sounds like a nice start for a 1st mead, best part is: all it's going to cost you is about $2.00 for the yeast & nutrients. You should do something nice for your Mom, take her to dinner or something. Regards, GF.

Next time I'm down on the farm I'll smoke the family up a batch of ribs. I bought her an offset cooker last year.

I think my low down sense of humor may have been over your head.:cross:
Let me splain it to ya.
It's like The stories in Pent House Forum....it just never happens to real people.


Oh, glad you explained, cuz I was a little worried myself :D
 
In fact, I hope to have at least a bottle of every mead I've ever made left when I die.

Screw that. I plan to drink it before I go.

<Dr> Will, you're dying of hair cancer. You've got a month left.
<Me> Looks like it's time to break out the 30 year old mead.
<Goes home>
<Me> I've got a drinking problem. I've got 10 gallons of mead and 30 days left to do drink it in.
<Friends & Family> We can help you with your problem.
 
OK, so finally getting around to this mead. all the fermenters are full, so I picked up an extra pale and lid at the LHBS this week.

But, if I wanted to make a few smaller batches, what are my options for inexpensive (cheap) containers to ferment and age in?

Also, is it kosher to mix up the entire 5 gallons using a basic mead recipe, and then seperate onto fruit?
 
what are my options for inexpensive (cheap) containers to ferment and age in?

Also, is it kosher to mix up the entire 5 gallons using a basic mead recipe, and then seperate onto fruit?

The answer to your first question is: The best thing that I have found is glass gallon apple juice containers, washed throughly and sanitized of course.

As far as the second. Yes you can do it that way. I would primary ferment first and then add fruit or for me that would be fruit juice after the primary. Primary being when it stops it's major fermenting and you rack it to the secondary. You loose a bit of volume at that time too, so toping it up with fruit juice is great. To save on yeast cost, if you have a big enough stock pot, make sure temp is below 80 degrees and then pitch the yeast, give a good stir to throughly dispirse the yeast, then transfer into the smaller containers. In the transfer process it should be well aereated too. This I have done and no worries, it is great. That way you only need 1-2 packets of yeast for the 5 gal batch. But then you would need to have a stockpot or sanitized bucket to mix it in that is 5 gallons. Luckly, I do. Makes it also so I can use ALL of my fermenting containers and then rack off into the stockpot, then clean out the carboy and then transfer back. A bit of work but to me it is worth it. I don't like to have a carboy free and I can do all 5 of my carboys in one day if I need.
 
But, if I wanted to make a few smaller batches, what are my options for inexpensive (cheap) containers to ferment and age in?

Also, if you want to go a bit smaller, get a growler. They are those 1/2 gallon glass jugs that breweries will fill up for you for about 6-10$. Plus you get beer. You can also buy them empty for cheaper, AND normally the airlock corks for the glass carboys fit the growlers as well. Each half gallon will make about 2-3 750ml bottles of mead (depending on the trub fallout).





Good luck!
 
It's like The stories in Pent House Forum....it just never happens to real people.

I never thought the stories in Penthouse Forum were real, until I had my own Penthouse Forum experience! My wife's best friend from work, Delilah, had recently broken up with her boyfriend. My wife kindly offered to have her stay the weekend with us at our hunting cabin in upstate New York. And so on, and so forth....
 
I never thought the stories in Penthouse Forum were real, until I had my own Penthouse Forum experience! My wife's best friend from work, Delilah, had recently broken up with her boyfriend. My wife kindly offered to have her stay the weekend with us at our hunting cabin in upstate New York. And so on, and so forth....

pics or it didn't happen! :mug:
 
pics or it didn't happen! :mug:

agreed, I say pics or GTFO :rockin:;)

P.S. The mead is now is aging quitely in secondary. When I racked it, it smelled AWFUL and tasted even worse (I sampled the hydro).


Can't wait for it to age to perfection.
 
UPDATE:

I racked my mead again today into a 5 gallon corny and put a little CO2 on it to put it back to bed. I pulled a hydro sample, and gave it a taste. I thought it was great (not done mind you, but can sure see the potential)

then SWMBO said it tasted like feet :(

Course she isn't a beer or wine drinker, so what does she know?? she doesn't typically have anything nice to say about any of my creations, or even the commercial varieties I drag home.

I can't wait till this one is done.

I ended up doing this one as a whole 5 gallon batch, and it is still that way. I was thinking of moving it to smaller containers and adding fruit, but I have basically just been too damned lazy. Not sure if I have limited my options, but If I end up with 5 gallons of good mead, I'm not going to complain.
 
Well, at least you liked it.
If you don't need the corny any time soon, just stick it in a corner and forget about it for a year or so.
Then bottle, I like to bottle champagne bottles and around a 12 pack of smaller bottles for sampling and required testing. Who knows, your SWMBO may start to like feet after enough time. :)
Best of luck.
 
If your idea of a good "adult" movie starts with your mom dropping off honey, then you might have some issues that need to be discussed. :(

Ive got tears comming from my eyes!!!! ROFLMAO! God, my face hurtz from laughing m8!
 
My mother does some work with the local honey farmers, so she dropped of 14 pounds of honey for me in an old pickle jar. Since I don't plan on eating 14 pounds of honey any time soon, I guess I'm about to embark on my first mead. :mug:

Have you opened the honey yet? Everything I've ever tasted out of an old pickle jar tasted like pickles. 14 pounds of pickle-honey would be a shame.
 
Have you opened the honey yet? Everything I've ever tasted out of an old pickle jar tasted like pickles. 14 pounds of pickle-honey would be a shame.


Wow apparently you don't read the threads you post in. His mead is well underway!
 
Wow apparently you don't read the threads you post in. His mead is well underway!

Yes it is!

I actully made this batch back in March and racked the first time in just over a month. Now its just aging and getting better:ban:
And no pickle taste :)

I just picked up 4 extra corny's from a buddy, so I won't need this one for awhile. I'll probably bottle this next spring, then leave most till new years of 2010. In the mean time, I plan on starting a couple of smaller batches, now that I feel somewhat comfortable with the process.
 
Alright, I put a bee under my pillow last night, and to my suprise .... no Honey Fairly left anything at my door????? WTH?! :cross:
 
Yeah, I did actually. Must have missed that. Thanks for being a jack@#@ though.

I think there is now a thread for that ;):D:D

Mead is safe and sound, slowly aging in the old brew closet. it will soon have 5 gallons of porter to keep it company for a short while.
 
you're supposed to make it like this.... jack ( )o( ) or ( )o( ) depending on the severity of jack assedness.
 
Ceedubya - So I'm still waiting for the finish to this penthouse story. I'll check back in 2010-05.
Somehow in penthouse things finish up a little quicker, but I admire your patience and stamina.
 
Back
Top